by OldEz » Sat Jun 04, 2022 6:06 pm
Quick Update after yesterdays testing/set up:
My first set of springs were 5.8 and I believe .98 (I'll try to remember to check before next post). The fork was the shortened spring from Aaron and I preloaded it with 4 and 1/2 turns from 0 preload.
By the way I set suspension, they were dead on for a 200lb rider, which means they were set up very well for 10lbs either side of that, 190lb'er to 210lb'er.
My friend who (is 10lbs heaver than I thought) is 195 and finishes lower half of Hare Scrambles B class (he goes nervous) but rides solid A class most of the time when it's just us, thought they were absolute dead on, "don't touch a thing" right. And they felt great to me 80 % of the time, but the 20% they weren't so great on was the fastest parts where it HAD to work well. (I'm hitting around 230lbs now, shhhhhhh !!!)
But I like to ride with a deep bend at the hips and my head over the bars or front fender. Most people sit more and stand straighter and would be happier with a 6.0 and .98 combination.
So I had no choice but to go to yet heavier springs because the fastest 20% is where I want to feel safest at.
This weekend I'm trying to dial in a 6.2 and a 1.0.
The forks on a 2022 Beta 350 Race Edition (KYB's) and the forks on my CRF450X (Showa) feel VERY similar. They have small differences in feel, but seem equally effective to me. The biggest difference is the KYB's come dialed in pretty close stock (and for THAT price they should!) and the Showa's have to be tweaked and dialed by the buyer. Now I have the XTrainer fork feeling pretty darn close to them, at least at Hare Scrambles type stuff, haven't tested super tight wet rooty stuff yet. But...bear in mind, that really good feeling fork may come at the expense of the rear shock because of the set up. The rear shock is not quite acceptable yet. Well... I COULD ride it that way, but I'll never be satisfied with it that way.
So let me play with it some more and I'll give a full report.
But here at about 40 days in, I think the suspension is very fixable at a reasonable price.
2022 Beta Xtrainer (4/21/22)
2012 Honda CRF450X
2008 Aprillia RXV550
2007 Suzuki DRZ400S
2005 Yamaha TW200
(2) 1982 Honda VF750 Magna V45