I have been trying to make my stock forks better, and had already put in .41 XR400 springs. They were still too harsh in the first part of the stroke, and I was thinking maybe the springs were too heavy. Then I posted a couple of questions on the Suspension Q&Q forum, and got to researching shim stacks and the like.
To cut a long story short, I pulled the valves out and removed two of the 10 shims, effectively reducing high speed compression dampning by 20%. What a difference! The forks are now a lot more plush in the first part of the stroke, and soak up those rocks and roots that used to deflect my front wheel and give me forearm pump trying to keep it in a straight line. The .41 springs still sit nice and high and don't dive too much in the sand, and take the big hits from jumps and stuff in their stride. This has been the best mod I've done since upgrading the springs, and best of all it was FREE! :)
OK, so it's still not progressive dampning like you'll get from gold valves, but I haven't got the cash to spend on gold valves at this point in time, and after this I may not even bother saving up. I can still feel a spike in the midrange, but the forks are so unbelievably better on the rocks and stuff that I can overlook that transition from plush to full dampning. I can ride faster and with more confidence over the rocks, and that's what I needed.
Sorry for going on about it, I just wanted to share this revelation with my fellow KDX er's, especially those who are looking for a free mods.
Cheers,
Andrew
To cut a long story short, I pulled the valves out and removed two of the 10 shims, effectively reducing high speed compression dampning by 20%. What a difference! The forks are now a lot more plush in the first part of the stroke, and soak up those rocks and roots that used to deflect my front wheel and give me forearm pump trying to keep it in a straight line. The .41 springs still sit nice and high and don't dive too much in the sand, and take the big hits from jumps and stuff in their stride. This has been the best mod I've done since upgrading the springs, and best of all it was FREE! :)
OK, so it's still not progressive dampning like you'll get from gold valves, but I haven't got the cash to spend on gold valves at this point in time, and after this I may not even bother saving up. I can still feel a spike in the midrange, but the forks are so unbelievably better on the rocks and stuff that I can overlook that transition from plush to full dampning. I can ride faster and with more confidence over the rocks, and that's what I needed.
Sorry for going on about it, I just wanted to share this revelation with my fellow KDX er's, especially those who are looking for a free mods.
Cheers,
Andrew