yet another spring question ?????

[KAY DEE EXER]

i know that fork springs are a well disscussed topic but i cant find out off here or off honda what year model springs i need. the spring rate i need is about .041. does ne 1 know where to get this info i have a 98 200 and i weigh 70kgs. do you guys think the back spring rate of 5.0 is acceptable for my weight. as always thanx every1 for any help .....

 

[KnoxKDX]

At your weight you don't need .41's. .38's or .39's would be fine. Try some '96 or '97 XR400 springs and if you want stiffer just put more preload on them. I weigh 200lbs and my '97 XR400 springs with 20mm preload(.39's) are great for anything I want to do. They have just the right amount of feel to them,yet it really takes a hard landing to bottom them completely. Good luck.

 

[KAY DEE EXER]

so u think they would b ok for my weight????. racetech recommends this spring: 0.404 kg/mm whats the closest match to what they recommend and is there ne 1 about my weight 70kgs that has got xr springs that could help me with some preload info???
THANX ALL, AGAIN !!!

 

[aussie_ab]

I installed some 'Eibach' (.41) springs in my KDX. (I'm 80kg) You can get them locally and they are fantastic mate....

 

[KAY DEE EXER]

is that the name of the maker because i cant find them ne where... any other advice on the spring rates for me is greatly needed and appreciated....thanx all

 

[Jackpiner57]

KAY DEE EXER, Go to www.frpoffroad.com and click on KDXposed.

G'day

 

[GREER RACING]

WWW.factoryconnection.com can also provide you with The proper Eibach springs. This is a low cost way to improve suspension performance.

Gary

 

[wibby]

Low cost?

Those springs cost about twice as much as FRP's

 

[KAY DEE EXER]

ive sent multiple emails to frp with no response ... does ne1 know if he will ship to australia...thanx... do u guys think that .41 r the right choice for my weight of 150 pounds or 70kgs.. sorry and do u think the stock back spring is ok for me.... thanx again

 

[GREER RACING]

Easy WIBBY. When I said low cost, I wasn't actually talking about price. I was speaking low cost as opposed to a having a fork revalve. BTW, I went to both Factory Connection and FRP web sites. According to them you may have been off a little on your math. FRP shows $60.00 for springs and Factory Connection shows $90.00. Don't know exactly why there is such a difference in price, but no matter how I figure it Factory Connection springs are not twice the price as you indicated. Next time don't be so quick to jump before knowing what someone means when they make a particular statement.

Gary Greer

 

[wibby]

I said "about" not exact, oh well... lol ;)

BTW I heard around here somewhere Eibach's stink any how... :laugh:

 

[Jackpiner57]

Are Eibach spring sold by Factory Connection?
Does anyone know who makes Fredettes springs?

 

[maco]

The White Bros web sight lists Eibach,Progressive and a few others.There listed by bike models and and individually.It has Adobe thingy? but it will hook up if you want it .It's simple

 

[canyncarvr]

FTR...I've never said eibachs stink. They are coldwound (I've been told by an expert). I DID have an eibach fail (one collapsed). That doesn't mean they stink...just that I got one of the % of springs that fail.

I think 470mm springs stink. THAT is true. And I'd choose hotwound over coldwound, too.

I THINK I read that frp doesn't ship downunder? Don't take that to the bank. Maybe that's why you got no response. Maybe he's riding somewheres. More than one has had trouble reaching mr. fredette. He's a busy guy..and FRP isn't 20,000sq.ft. full of folks answering the phone, either.

BTW...70kg is 154#? Right? And you want a .41? Says who? Racetech? Oh..I read that now. Ugh!

Nah! (sez me..consider the source!). I think you ask in another thread about .38 honda springs?

Bingo! That would be for a fairly aggressive rider.

Set your preload (which isn't a 'stiffer' thing to do btw) to about 3mm. You'll be good to go.

 

[wibby]

Sorry my mistake then, but I was not being too serious anyway :laugh:

I emailed FRP a while back and never got a reply. I read at his site that for riders over 210# to use the .38 springs, I aked him if these would be about right for me at 250+ ok, ok 260+ . Maybe I did not get a reply 'cuz the .38 are the right ones? I dunno?
They gotta be better than the stockers!

 

[BPJNT]

Hey Kay DEE EXER,

I'm 5'7" 160 lbs and I have .42 fork springs from Race Tech, I kept the stock rear spring and added the Race Tech Gold Valves. I love the set up. I ride 50/50 track/tight trails in PA. Also I'm pretty much a novice-intermediate rider. I also put on the FMF REV pipe and TCII SA and the bike rocks.

02 KDX 200

 

[KAY DEE EXER]

thanx a million everyone... hey canyn i believe the hondas are 470mm. i was gonna go for the 96 xr400r springs with 3mm preload like you suggested but here you say the 470mm springs are abit on the nose... so if u would be so kind as to maybe recommend something thats hot wound and the suitable size...

and i get sick of ducking under things all the time (branches)............
and id like a dollar for every light globe ive had to change for other people.....
and people complain about being verticaly challenged.............
.
.
.
just kidding...lol

i really appreciate ur expertise n advise of any kind... u da man !!!

 

[canyncarvr]

Another perfect example of personal fit.

But, note the 50/50 comment, too.

I know a local mx'r that rides track/woods on a kx250. He has .52s in his bike. He's unlikely to be 160# unless he's weighed whilst carrying a load of bricks! He also rides in the woods...and he's likely to be so far ahead of you (or me..or most anyone else) that you won't see dust, you won't smell smoke.

But, I'd bet'cha you wouldn't find a single other tuner that would rec .42s in a kdx for woods riding at your weight.

Don't 'settle'. The kdx suspension can be perfectly woods competent with the buzzword 'plush' also very true. If your suspension is 'harsh', 'stiff', too progressive (or not progressive enough) or anything that doesn't suit you, it can almost certainly be configured to suit you.

You'll never get rid of the underhang problem with the oem kyb forks on the kdx...but that's another issue.

bpjnt:
To be clear...if you like your setup, that's exactly the way it should be!

 

[canyncarvr]

The honda springs are not 470mm. Closer to 530..maybe a bit longer.

That number comes from two sets of springs from honda I'm familiar with that were put in kdxs.

Also, the racetech site lists them (used to) as 530mm ( I didn't go check that..but it's not 470mm).

BTW, it's honda springs from honda that I'm talking about.


OK..just back from 15 minutes of trying to find a source that indicates honda spring length. Didn't find one. Racetech doesn't list spring length in their specs anymore. Well..not that I could find.

BUT...honda springs from honda for the honda are NOT 470mm. Mine are 530mm.

Something is niggling at my single brain cell regarding springs from downunder for the honda.....that someone did indeed get a 470mm spring for their honda. I didn't understand that then...don't now.

Where did you get the info that the honda spring is 470mm?

 

[KAY DEE EXER]

thanx a zillion canyn for ur time and advice..hugely appreciated...from what i remember the goose at honda told me that they were 470mm but as ive stated before the person i was talking to was as useful as balls on a cow. he had a bad case of NFI....anyway do u know if the hondas r hot wound??? and do u think i should change my back spring or figure out the sag and c if i need to replace it. in other words is the back spring too stiff for my weight. thanx for everything mate and sorry if im becoming a pain in the proverbial...

 

[canyncarvr]

******
He might be right....re: my comment about down under honda springs.

Actually it just entered my paramecium brain cell that maybe it was dazza that did that? I'll look that up.

They are hotwound. They will more likely last longer and have a much lower percentage of failure (collapse).

re: back spring.

You'll know that when you set your sag. Set race sag (95-100mm or so. Set to suit within that range). If your free sag at that point is over 30mm, your spring is too stiff, if it's under 15mm, your spring is too soft.

Those figures are 'about'. Obviously, if your free sag is 14mm, I don't know that I'd have a cow over it...with or without balls.

70kg. will put you on the edge of that, too I'd guess. Have another beer!

***edit***
A search for 'dazza', so I could ask him about his honda springs (that he did before he put a ktm frontend on his bike I think) go me nada. Forget that, I guess. Damn search inequities.

 

[DVO]

Took my Honda XR 400s out of their packaging today, 536 and 539mm. Compressed, stretched, measured and re-measured and that's it. I've got 8 mm of preload without a spacer, just the two metal "spacer-guides" touching. Is this right? I haven't fabricated a spacer yet(looking for 10 mm pre-load)-thought that would be the easiest part, but I can't seem to make a nice straight cut in the PVC.
Anyone got an easy way(I don't have a lathe).
Thanks again one and all for this site. I'd be lost...or at least broke.
Dev

 

[Jackpiner57]

How about a mitre box and a hacksaw? Just use the 90 degree slot. Both are cheap at the hardware store.
Just deburr the pvc afterwards with a file and 220 grit sandpaper or whatever and clean it.

 

[canyncarvr]

Sounds about right.

With the two guides 'touching' you are including in your measurement the part that will go inside the pvc?

Sorry to make a point of the obvious..but 'ya never know until you ask!

The flanges of the washers are around 3mm, so given your measurement you need a couple of spacers of 10/7mm, right? Well..depending on which spring you used to get the 8mm number.

Remember to fashion the spacers to get the correct preload for each spring. Another way said, if you make them the same and your springs are different lengths, you erred.

re: mitre box/hacksaw

That should do it.

Yeah, it's harder than it looks when the spacers are only 3/8" or so. Consider fashioning a stop against which to hold the cut piece. That will help keep the end square even as the cut-off piece 'tails' off at the end of the cut.

I used a table saw with the saw guide. Still took a number of cuts to get the 4mm I was after.

I would have preferred to use some washers made for the purpose of fork spacers. Didn't have any.

Enjoy your new springs!

 

[DVO]

JP 57- Good idea, I got one 'o those! I was stuck on the idea of a pipe-cutter...Couldn't see the forest for the trees. Thanks!
CC-"With the two guides 'touching' you are including in your measurement the part that will go inside the pvc?"-YES
The two "spacer-guides" have 8mm between the lips. I just have to make a spacer 2mm larger than this to increase my pre-load to 10. Makes sense, just wanted to confirm. Thanks again.
DVO