new KTM, bad suspension?

Originally posted by MikeS
One thing we have to agree on is very few of us can ride Mike Lafferty's bike with any type of ease. Us mortals would hate it.

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What makes you think this? Have you ridden his bike?

FWIW, I bought a bike from an AA racer and it was love at first ride, especially with the plush but controlled suspension. Factory Connection, BTW.

Some of my friends that woods ride their KTMs are happy with Moto Pro suspension, up in the NW.

I might take some flack for this, but so be it. When it comes to suspension, everyone has a different comfort level. So what works for one rider is not going to be the same for everyone else. Probably the most important thing to do is have the correct spring rate. It is also important to keep the suspension fluid fresh. As the fluid heats up and cools it begins to break down and interal wear will contaminate the fluid. Another thing is don't be afraid to change the clicker settings. The MX-Tech website has an excellent article for fine tuning your suspension by changing the clickers. I know it really helped me.

If you feel you need to revalve your suspension, call up each company and talk to the tuner, not the secretary, not the shipping clerk, the TUNER! Customer satisfaction should be the goal for every suspension company, but they have to understand exactly WHAT each customer wants. Another thing to consider is tuning your suspension yourself. There's a lot of guys doing this now and I've even done some work on my forks which are performing better than ever.

One thing you don't want to do is send your suspension to a company because someone told you to. It's your decision and your money so make the logical choice.

Originally posted by Patman
... I think most folks might be able to see an improvement from either companies suspension services but when I blew my knee out I went to a knee specialist.

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And EE/Lansing Cycle is a *KTM* tuning specialist. The bike as a whole. That's all they do.

FWIW, I've used and highly recommend MX-Tech, and also ride with a bunch of guys who have had excellent service and results with KTM suspension tuning from EE.

I think that both are highly qualified, highly regarded suspension tuners. With that said, it's still critical to accurately convey what problems you're having with your suspension, and what you are looking to change/get out of their services (along with riding style, terrain, etc.).

Originally posted by dirt bike dave


What makes you think this? Have you ridden his bike? 

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Yes, I have ridden one of his setups in early 02 and being a "b" rider at best. It was harsh in alot of stuff.  At a recent ride in NJ Mike's brother rich rode Mike's 02 race bike. Rich did well on it but commented that he wasn't happy with the feel of the bike.

Again rider preference is the big factor. Some pro bikes are so sweet and others are different.

 

 

Originally posted by MikeS
At a recent ride in NJ  

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MikeS, You would'nt be talking about Meteor, would you?  If so, we were pitted about three trucks down from Lafferty.:)

Dang small world. :eek:  I probably trampled through your pits a few times..Jr ran the youth on Sat and the "c" on sunday.

Actually I hopped on Rich's (Mike's bike) at his school early in the year. Rich rode one of the RFS's 2 weeks before christmas while Mike was breaking in a 450Sx at his new gncc  practice track. Junior and friends happened to wander over and join in when they heard the thumpers :)

Hope to catch up with you at some ECEA events in 03....Junior will be on a TM running the B class.

I tried everything with my suspension last year, had it back to the shop that originally did it 3 times, tried the E-Bay kit and then got into valving myself. As a result I ended up with 5 broken ribs! I also tried bikes done by EE and WER and found very little difference. I finally broke down and sent it to Factory Connection and it's a whole different machine! Sure they are expensive and I was pissed they replaced parts that had recently been replaced but in the end it was worth it. For riding in N.E. it's Factory Connection, period

Amazing. It just goes to show how personal suspension set-up can be. It makes me question if any shop can really set-up your suspension without really working with you 1-on-1.

when i bought my 02 300 exc , i had the dealer set the sag on the shock. he had to tighten the spring guiet a bit(it had too much sag). the rear felt like it was riding too high and the forks wanted to dive making for a scary ride. i checked the static sag and it was almost zero. the bike was way out of balance. to correct the situation i set the static sag at about 40mm(i think 35mm is stock) and lowered the forks in the triple clamps. the bike feels balanced and works so much better. i have not checked to see what the total sag is but i am sure it is more than 105mm. i probably need stiffer springs in order to get the sag right and keep the forks in balance with the shock. but it is working so good now i don't want change anything. i weigh 185 wet and i softened the compression and rebound 2 clicks. i have about 600-800 miles on the bike.

My AA buddy Dooley sent the suspension to EnduroEngineering after his 2003 KTM250exc got shipped back from the ISDE. They rebuilt both ends as they were leaking due to all the mud in Checkland (can't spell checkloslovakia). Suspension arrived in my gun case Fri night. Dooley left town fri night doing mamma-do's in another state.
So...... We'll all get to ride his bike next weekend, will report. I also own a '03 250exc and our other buddy has a '03 200exc. All of us are coming off '02 KTM two strokes. So far, I liked my '02 better, but now at about 350 miles, the '03 is getting better.

If Dooley's EE suspension is alot better, I'm gonna send mine off to EE.