Fork Boots

Fred - Don't worry about the fork boots having a couple of holes. You can replace them somewhere down the line but its hardly a must do item. I've got Honda XR400 .40kg springs in my 89's forks. I think they are a little on the stiff side with the damper rod valving that is in the forks. I am however only about 175lbs so I'd think the .40kg springs would help out quite a bit. At 245lbs your going to be over the ideal weight for the rear spring as well. Ultimately your going to need a 5.2kg+ rear spring for your weight. In the mean time i'd ask around and see if anybody that has a H series KDX (95+) has the stock rear spring that they want to get rid of. Its a 5.0 (vs the 4.6 that came on your 89) and will balance the bike out more with the .40kg's up front. I wouldn't put a whole lot of money into the forks on your 89. Try the honda springs if you can find a set for $20-30, otherwise save your money for a KX front swap. You can piece it together for around $250-$400 if you watch the auctions. Sell your existing front end to make back a little bit of money.

I'd also look at trying to find a 95+ KDX top clamp as they had bar mounts that you could reverse and gain about 3/4" of space which would really help with your height. If you've got access to a welder you can also gut the stock pipe following the directions on the justkdx.dirtrider.net site. It will give you a nice little boost (not quite as much as an aftermarket pipe but much better than the stocker).

Let us know if you have anymore questions.

-Maurice

I bought .38 from Fredette. I had a suspension guy, install & tweak the forks to Jeff's recommendations. They work great compared to stock (I'm 6'00", 183lbs.) I inquired about having them revalved and he told me to wait and see how you like them first. Valving is a great tool, but it could push your adjustment factor a bit over the line, to where it is not satisfying. Just my 2cents

The stiffest that Honda makes for the XR400 are .40kg. You'll have to go with another aftermarket brand to go stiffer. I went with Eibach .43kg (for XR400). My weight is about 225 to 230lbs. I, however, have the 'H' version of the 200 and run Gold Valves. My rear spring is stock (5.0 kg). I tried an Eibach 5.2kg, but it was just too stiff for my riding style. It also fell outside of the sag parameters when I was setting up the rear end suspension height. You may need a step stiffer than I need on the front and back (assuming that our riding styles are similar). I don't think that playing with preload on your stock springs will give you satisfactory results. I wouldn't worry too much about the fork boots unless the rips are large enough to be gaping open.

Im 300 lbs, I got .44 springs from Race Tech. they were exact length so I didnt need to worry about shimming for pre load