Servus,
Haha, very funny coincidence. I was about to post a thread with almost the same topic after reading an announcement from Novation on KTM-Talk. Telescopic needles, Slide Valve - what's next? Triple piston PDS! I don't want to be negative, but it seems a little strange to me that everyone is scrambling to sell the wonder-cure to us PDS users right now. Hasn't the PDS been declared dead by the DRN community not too long ago.
Michael
Quote from KTM-Talk:
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Pds spring issues solved. Why, How and When
1. The KTM spring has to have limited preload for breaking bumps
2. The KTM works best for the first half of the travel with straight rate
3. The KTM needs more than a straight rate for excelleration chop deeper in the stroke.
This means that a stiffer spring is required and that it has to be longer to be closer to staight rate for the first half of the stroke( like linkage). The Novation spring is just that. A pds 4 is way soft for 4 strokes if you weigh over 160 lbs. Why because it needs to much preload to hold it up. Thus the progression is virtually gone.
1. Stiff spring plus to much dampening means harshness/ Stiff spring with appropriate damping means proper preload and no harshness.
2. Straight rate spring does not have enough to hold it in the end of the stroke as to hold it up when generating a heavier load like eccelerating out of corners.
3. Standard PDS springs arent stiff enough and dont generate a more linkage style ramp up. Thus it hasnt been satisfiing to everyone. The ones who like a softer bike prefer a stiffer straight rate for less preload and less middle stiffness and the ones who want a stiffer middle use a progressive that is preloaded to much.
The Novation spring is one of a kind and our dampening is too. With the proper dampening system that will be the future to all suspension is here. Say goodbye to the shim stack as you know it and get ready for the news about how to have a bike that pleases everyone. If there is the proper low speed and the proper mid speed and the proper High speed on the shim stack then it has a solid base to work with. The problem is that our unique dyno allows us to see that a shim stack itself is incapable of this. Why? Because it doesnt have rapid controll. A shim by design flexes. How then do you make a shim be strong enough to hold the oil but not strong enough to create harshness. I now own this method. With our new patent pending method we are able to make the PDS better than linkage. All the way better than linkage. By plushness, bottoming, by breaking bumps, by seat launching, by low speed bottoming, and by rebound control. I cant explain the whole method and my phone is attached to my ear so I am triing to save some time and tell the world about our great new setup.
With this new controling method we can achieve the perfect specs for the shock and the bike along with the rider. It hasnt been done like this before and I believe it like drum brakes compared to disc brakes. Shims as you or we know are going to be like the great and wonderful drum brake method. It works a little and can be made to perform but it has its problems, and disc have fixed those problems. Which do you have on your bike now. Disc of corse because the system finally improved. Thus the shim cannot be stiff and plush at the same time or should I say the shim can get within 25% but not any closer than that of this new product.
You all probly think I am tooting my horn, OK, But wouldnt you all like to know there is a new product as soon as possible.
The new Novation Slide Valve is amazing. It can actually do two thing at once. Give the bike major mid speed control (more than 25%) and have less high speed control(25% less) Than a shim stack. Thats a 50% percent bennifit. I give credit to the shim stack in this way. If you have the maximum performance you can get good results. But good results are not going to be in the factory suspension. Great results and perfect suspension is the goal here.
Most tuners have and are getting good results and I give all of them a big applaud for beating the shim stack and building pistons to perfom better. It is a hard job to do, Trying to make everyone happy, that is by finding the best for the customer. The problem is with shims are that When building one for a woods guy you have to get rid of some bottoming and with moto guys you have to live with some harshness. Especially with the PDS. Thats all I hear with suspension is its to plush or its to harsh. After saying all this, I say it is possible to have both ends of the spectrum met.
Bladder Facts
1. Bladders are made of rubber and a we all know Air goes thru rubber. This spring make sure to add air to your tires in the bicycle tires. Now add heat and rubber expands.
2. Bladders can break
3. Bladders do not make it easier to rebuild a shock.
4. Manufactuors make bladders because the are cheaper.
5. After 3 rides 10-20% of the nitrogen moves into the shock where the oil is. Thru the rubber. Thus creating some plushness.
6. Bladders cause some DNF's in races due to breakage.
7. If you get a leaky shock seal you can lose your oil and cause the bladder to break.
The Oil/Air separator piston is used to do just that. It is located on the other side of the Adjuster of where shock valving is. Now the adjuster is doing its best to slow the shock down by creating a whole bunch of resistance. And the Piston or bladder is on the other side of this adjuster. HMMMM. Try slowing down a vehical moving in neutral and have someone behind you with an air hose, helping. Is the air going to help you any. It may help 1/1000000, but not in a bad way. It is trying to slow down the same way the adjuster is. By adding resistance. An air piston is easy to work on and reliable as can be. If it had a bad type of friction it would not be the way to go but think of it this way. It has 150psi+ behind it and the pressure varies a little between shops. It takes a whole whoppen 1/2 a pound to move when cold and so if anything you could vary your air pressure to 149.5 psi. Ha Ha.
I think I have finally said enough. So in responding, ask questions and I will do the best I can to explain. I am trying to be polite. I wish everyone to find a way around shim stack insuficiantcys. Pete Russell/Novation Racing.
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