09 Forks?

Could you tell us why your asking?

So Lew, did you learn anything interesting about the Husaberg forks?

I'm still tweaking my 2009 FE450 clickers but am slightly disappointed as my 2008 KTM 450 XCR-W suspension was practically perfect once I put proper springs on it. Took those springs off and put on the Husaberg.

My XCR-W suspension was equal or better at my riding pace (and above) than my 2003 450 EXC done by John C. in Nov 2005 for "C rider sitting down." Of course I realize this was comparing suspension that had not been serviced for 2+ years. The XCR-W is gone but I still have the EXC.

245#, 0.48 front, 9.2 rear, 34 mm static sag, 115 mm street-clothes sag.

Yes, the 0.48's with no added preload are a good match for me on the 2003, 2008, and 2009. Somewhere around 115 to 120 mm sag in the rear puts the front too high for stability on the XCR-W. Think I had the XCR-W at 110 to 115 and if I added a 150 pound rider 2-up (trail work) the front was almost impossible to steer. Very unstable.

Right now I think the FE450 front is a bit harsh on small things. It works well enough that I don't have problems with traction or handling. Rode a brand new 2008 Honda CRF450X a couple of months ago that had the worst suspension I've ever ridden. Worse than I've been able to mess up a KTM's clickers. The front wasn't moving much on the CRF altho it didn't seem to be binding. In not moving the front wheel wouldn't stay in good contact with the ground and had no traction. This was at blinding single track speeds of 10 MPH. Normally I average 13 MPH fun riding. The CRF owner was riding the CRF at about 5 MPH but doubled that on my XCR-W.

Anyway, the FE450 is much better than that CRF450X. It isn't as comfortable sitting as the XCR-W was.

Have been concentrating on the rear as that seems to be where most of problem lies. Bumps go one way, bike goes same way. I could feel the XCR-W suspension sucking up bumps, but not (yet) the FE450. Not certain yet when the wheel flies off a bump whether it has too little compression and the wheel is still going up, or too much rebound and the wheel can't go down. Got my first feel for better/worse this Sunday when starting from factory recommended "comfort" setting (no matter my stiffer spring) I took 2 clicks off (counter clockwise) both rebound and compression and made things worse.

SCJ and my FE450's are twins. The first two at SOS. Believe I took delivery the morning he got his that afternoon. Would be interested in what you recommend for SCJ as apparently we are about the same size as well.

Not certain I'll get out to ride this weekend, but its certainly time to spend some quality effort on Test & Tune. Might be able to find a dirt pile somewhere closer than Westpoint which is 72 miles away.

I feel the that the bike is very plush on more or less stock settings, I have the HS comp at 2 turns out with 7.6/10mm spring, giving 35/107ish rear sag, Riding @ 200lbs.

At first I tried less pre load and numbers nearer the GRS and the HS 2 1/4 out, the front felt a bit chattery, as if it was unloaded (I was thinking,Damper), it also felt a bit low in the rear I added some preload and 1/4 of a turn HS to get to what I list up top.
The forks stay up well but can be over come quite easily,by braking etc. There is a little deflection from the forks at lower speeds but as you pick it up it just starts to suck it all up and even feels a little soft at times ( no expert but might need some LS Comp, I will try with the clicker next ride).I now do not feel the need for a damper, it does feel light but that unloaded, chattery, nerviness type thing is gone.

Might just be me but the bike seems to want me to ride it way out on the front of it, just seems to handle better like that and the more you give it the better it gets. I noticed I am turning the lights off, I guess with my leg, bars are at #3 and rolled forward.

Chris

I have a question...................And a few comments.

What does the manual say the static and rider sag should be on the 09 bike? In the previous years owners manual it gave ranges of springs versus rider weight with gear on. Does the 09 manual have those graphs as well?

I know that the new bike has a different shock angle, and thus is different. However, on the previous bikes the static sag should be right around 30-35mm's, with 90-100mm's of rider sag. Typically this is achieved with 4-6mm's of spring preload.

The most crucial aspect of the PDS suspension is the static sag. If you have the static sag set correctly and you are out of range on the rider sag, you need a different spring, period. Trying to achieve correct rider sag with spring that is not right has a huge effect on how the PDS suspended bike handles. IMHO the bike will work better with the static sag set correctly, even if the spring is too soft, than if you crank in a bunch of pre load to try and get the rider sag correct, and end up with zero static sag. And if you crank in excessive amounts of pre load, you had better measure the spring carefully, and the shock compressed to determine whether or not the spring is going to coil bind.

Remember the PDS shock is position sensitive just like a linkage suspension is. If you run too little pre load you are going to be getting into the progressive part of the travel and the ride will be harsh, as well as not having the proper weight bias front to rear, and the bike will want to push, and the front will feel harsh and deflect easily. Too much pre load in the rear and the ride will also be harsh, the front end will have too much weight on it and feel divey and twitchy and want to tuck under. In both instances the rear will want to kick, either from getting into the progressive part of the travel, or from having too much pre load on the spring.

Once you have found the sweet spot with the proper pre load on the proper spring, one turn of pre load either way is very noticable.

Also, if you put too much pre load on the front forks, you will compress the top out springs and this will aslo adversely affect how the bike handles.

Just my two cents worth here based on my experience with my 01 and 04 bikes.

Dale,
From the manual static wants to be 35mm rider 105mm, guideline for the preload is 10mm which seems a lot from my experience with PDS. The bike as delivered had 7.2N/mm spring with 10mm of preload. I fitted a 7.6 N/mm spring that the Manuel suggests for my my weight(riding@200lbs) and with my present setup I am also at 10mm of preload, I am not sure if there is anything to be gained by fitting a an 8N/mm spring and reducing the preload.

Chris

cimwill said:

Dale,
From the manual static wants to be 35mm rider 105mm, guideline for the preload is 10mm which seems a lot from my experience with PDS. The bike as delivered had 7.2N/mm spring with 10mm of preload. I fitted a 7.6 N/mm spring that the Manuel suggests for my my weight(riding@200lbs) and with my present setup I am also at 10mm of preload, I am not sure if there is anything to be gained by fitting a an 8N/mm spring and reducing the preload.

Chris

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Right on Chris,

Thanks for the info and your write up. It's helpful to know that having that skiddish feeling went away by putting some more weight towards the front with a heavier spring.

The 10mm of spring preload, how much + or - is there?

Are the stock fork springs in range for your weight according to the manual?

By the sounds of it, your bike seems to be working pretty good. You have several options for fine tuning at this point, adding mm or two more pre load to the shock, a little more slow speed damping on the front as you suggested, sliding the tubes up or down in the clamps 5mm. If it's diving excessively on braking, you may need the next stiffer fork springs. What do you think?

ktmlew said:

BOSS said:

Could you tell us why your asking?

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Would like to have the valving specs to see if they are similar to the KTM's?

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The 09 FE specs are nearly identical to the 09 W although I have not yet had each apart to verify this.

The guild line for the preload just states 10mm no tolerance given, it sounded wrong going by my experience with KTM but it seems to work ok, the rear in general feels very controlled and smooth it gives a very insulated feel. As I said previously the rear feels low compared to my KTM which has a shock spacer fitted to keep the back end down.

The fork springs are one step light, by the book for me but feel quit ok, my pre load is still stock, forks at the first line as delivered. I am thinking of going in on the clicker for a bit more control in the faster stuff and reducing the preload to help with the slow speed rocks etc.
The bike seems to get to somewhere about the top of second gear and the suspension just starts to really come in to its own when that happens the bike exudes confidence in it's handling and with the way the engine gives power I end up charging through sections at a pace that would normally be beyond me, its at these times it can feel a little soft but still very composed and sure footed. I do not feel any need to push on this bike it is more than willing. With that said I do not want to change to much at a time until I have a better understanding of how it is working as a whole.

Chris

cimwill said:

The guild line for the preload just states 10mm no tolerance given, it sounded wrong going by my experience with KTM but it seems to work ok, the rear in general feels very controlled and smooth it gives a very insulated feel. As I said previously the rear feels low compared to my KTM which has a shock spacer fitted to keep the back end down.

The fork springs are one step light, by the book for me but feel quit ok, my pre load is still stock, forks at the first line as delivered. I am thinking of going in on the clicker for a bit more control in the faster stuff and reducing the preload to help with the slow speed rocks etc.
The bike seems to get to somewhere about the top of second gear and the suspension just starts to really come in to its own when that happens the bike exudes confidence in it's handling and with the way the engine gives power I end up charging through sections at a pace that would normally be beyond me, its at these times it can feel a little soft but still very composed and sure footed. I do not feel any need to push on this bike it is more than willing. With that said I do not want to change to much at a time until I have a better understanding of how it is working as a whole.

Chris

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Right on, sounds like a good plan. Let us know how you get on.

KTMlew says " Well this whole deal ran aground...had a guy that didn't want to send his forks so he decided he would send the cartridges to me to re-valve...then decided he would just buy my specs...ummmm? NO! I REALLY need to see the parts in my hand...plus am not going to "give" away any more info..."

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aw poop