kx65 suspension settings???

[brlatm]

I have looked at all the past links on suspension for the kx, my question is how much of an overall improvement would my son see if I changed his front forks and rear spring??? He is 4'2" and 50 lbs a rail of a kid, we lowered the suspension with Koubalink but now there is no way to set the sag correctly with him weighing so little. Should I just bite the bullet and get the suspension work done??? He practices as much as the weather here in Wyoming allows, but I notice he backs out of the throttle when he gets loose, he has new tires on it. Also would putting on a big throw throttle help him out???

Any advice would be welcomed.

 

[SteveinSpringHill]

Above anything else, seat time and proper instruction. Proper instruction will get him in the proper "ride mode" by using his correct body positions along with braking and throttle work. Then his consistency will be there and then start looking closer at the bike for more fine tuning.

Not to say ignore suspension, definately get the correct sping rates for the little guy. But don't get too wrapped up in fine tuning suspension until you have a consistent rider.

The throttle thing you mention I don't think will help, the power hit of that motor is the issue. And again seat time and body position will help with this.

Also "suspension work" as you mention is relatively easy on these bikes. Anyone should be able to remove forks, change springs and try different oil weights. Rear shock I'd get the right spring (I go thru race tech's site). Eventually I went after market rear shock (Works Performance) because we race on about 10 different tracks here in Florida and adjustability was important for me. But in the beginning if your not traveling much stick with the stock shock because you shouldn't have to change settings much.

Also from my experience with my little guy 4'2 60lbs the lowering link helped the first few months mainly for the kids confidence picking the bike up and restarting at the tracks. Then take them out when he's more comfortable so you can get the sag settings and it'll be more friendly to adjustments. I've now got the R&D shock linkage (1 1/2" more seat height) and an oddball setup for a rear shock to accomodate the linkage. That's taken several trys at setups and it's almost there. Thankfully we'll have 3 years to race this 65's setup and I'm almost over the headaches of getting a good setup.

Hopefully other mini dad's get involved here to pass along other helpful info, cause you sure can waste some money on things that don't work and here's a good place to hear about it.

 

[FruDaddy]

If he starts to jump the way my son does, you will want the stock springs. Our bike is still 3mm from making the 70mm sag recommendations. My son doesn't mind try setting the forks at 2 or 3 clicks out, and baseline the shock at 1 1/2 out. Put the fork height as low as you can to match the rear, but don't let it hit the bars. Then go out for a test and tune day.
During the tuning session, have him get warmed up good, and when he brings the bike back, take your screwdriver to the fork and shock. Make 1 click adjustments to the fork, or 1/4 turn adjustments to the shock. Sometimes change nothing, but never tell him what you did. Send him back out, and ask him if it was better or worse. You might have to inquire about which sections of the track it felt different on. Keep notes on your changes, and make note of his comments.
Also, watch him closely, If he seems to be jumping with the nose too high or too low, make your adjustments to help correct that. Nose high means soften the front or harden the rear.
Another thing you can do, especially if he's jumping, is put a zip tie on the fork tube (against the dust seal) and measure how far it gets pushed, this will tell you how much of the suspension travel he is using.
Once you feel confident that the suspension is as good as it will get, put him on the bike and let him ride. He will get used to the power eventually, and soon you will see him hanging the rear end out while ripping through the corners. You also might notice the occasional wheelie.

 

[brlatm]

Thanks for the advice, I looked into the team green suspension settings and noticed that they recommend a .26 front fork and a 4.7 rear shock for the 2003 for his weight. I don't really want to dial in the suspension as you say, he is not ready for that level yet. I just want him to be able to use full advantage of the suspension that the kx has. I really should have stated in my first post that is getting the correct weight spring rates and fork rates worth it even for a begining kid???

 

[FruDaddy]

I didn't bother changing the springs, and my boy was about that size when he first started on the 65's. I didn't even lower it, I just gave him a block to put his foot on when it came time to stop.

 

[SteveinSpringHill]

Springs may not be important now especially if he isn't riding motocross and just trail riding. For turning it is nicer having a little softer front and raising the tubes. My boy is 60lbs and has .25 springs with the Race Tech Gold valves. Put a small zip tie on one of the fork tubes or drop a fork tube out and put a rubber o-ring on, this will give you an idea of how much of the front suspension he is using. You can do the same to the rear shock (zip tie).

I only use these as a reference for myself, I mainly want to have my sons input so he feels any changes are to his liking therefore giving him more confidence.