I’m new to this forum/site but I’ve been reviewing the forum archives and it seems like you guys know what you’re talking about. So, here is my question…
I have a 2000 CR250R w/ the Showa twin-chamber forks. I primarily ride trails in the NJ, PA area and find the current action quite harsh. I changed the stock 0.43 springs for 0.39 ones, based on a “spring-rate generator” tool on a suspension web site (I’m 155lbs in normal clothes), and this seems to help somewhat. However, the high speed compression (for all the darn rocks, roots, rocks, ruts, rocks, ridges and (did I mention?) rocks in my area) still seems harsh. I am probably going to have to bite the bullet and get a “reshimming” of my valve stacks for acceptable performance, but I don’t know if the stock valve ports are sufficiently large. Can I just have a competent shop change the shims on my fork midvalve, or will I have to also replace the piston to one of the high-flow models (like a Gold-Valve or Ultra-Max) to get sufficient flow for woods riding? If anyone has had their T.C. forks “reshimmed” for woods riding, I would very much like to hear about your experience.
I am also debating whether to have this work done by a large company (like Race-Tech, MX-Tech, Factory Connection, etc.) or one of the smaller (and more local) shops. My experience with companies of various sizes (when it comes to technical matters) is that the large ones are more likely to know the perfect settings for an application because they have more experience and R&D time. However, the small shops usually handle the work with more care and attention to detail (they won’t rush the job because they have 50 other sets of forks to do that week). Also, it is usually easier to get tech support from a small company (though they “probably” won’t know as much as the large ones).
If anyone has had experience with work done by both large and small companies, I would like to hear your opinions on the subject. Thanks, in advance, for any help you can provide.