I put new springs in my 95 XR250. When I took out the old ones, I realized that there is a small spring on top (about 4 inches) and then a washer and then the regular spring. Do I leave that small spring in? I did and also cut a piece of the PVC pipe to make everything the same length as before. When I went riding the front ends still seems soft, too soft. Any recommendations? I was thinking about the SRC fork brace. I want to ride this bike in the sand and I think it will be too soft. When I tested it in the rocks it rode great but I think the sand will just suck it up.
Thanks
Nancy
Yes, the small spring is a top out spring and is an important part of your non-cartridge fork setup. What springs did you put in? Spring rate? I have heard good things about the Race-Tech emulators when installed on standard, non-cartridge forks, maybe someone else will comment on this.
I installed Eibach .43 kg springs. They are the right ones, since
I gave all my info to the place I bought them from, weight, riding
style, etc. Do you think if I added more oil I could get them
a little stiffer? Or would the fork brace be the way to go. Thanks
Nancy
If I understand them right, fork braces don't make your suspension stiffer. They make the forks flex less. If I were you I'd try the Race Tech emulators. They are a great improvement in those kind of forks.
Increasing the volume of oil would help in terms of increasing bottoming resistance. Perhaps trying the next heaviest viscosity fork oil would work. Maybe also adding some preload to the springs by fitting longer spacers.