Thank you sir I’m a tractor mechanic having just gotten into bikes at 50. Bike suspension is a mystery to me and you are helping. My ole KDX thanks you.
Jeff is quite awesome with suspension help and parts. I discovered his place about 2 years ago and now have the best KTM 300 XC I could have ever dreamed of. Slavens really cares! Thanks for the great vids!
This couldn't be more true, I was one of the guys that emailed and only wanted to change the rear spring on my 500 exc. Jeff wrote back and said I will need the fork springs too for balance. I didn't listen, I installed only the shock spring, set the sag, and the bike turned horribly. That night I ordered the fork springs. The bike turns perfectly now.
Thanks for this video. I am 250lbs and was one of those guys that thought I only needed to do the rear. Change my rear shock with one of your 9.6kg/mm springs and definitely felt it behaving the way you said. Kept wanting to oversteer and dig into the corners. Especially braking on the front into a corner absolutely upset the suspension. I have recently bought and installed matching front springs for my weight from you guys and looking forward to testing out in spring.
I purchased front and rear springs from you (Slavens) for my 2023 690 Enduro, Used your rate chart and sag tutorial....couldnt be happier. Had to wait a couple weeks on the fronts but knowing that they were made days before I received them and I didnt get some old shelf stock that arent as springy was worth the wait haaaaaa thanks Slavens
This is so true, when bike is not balanced its working like with bad forks or shock. Also keep in mind you can also unbalance bike with adjusters if you have hard back and soft front forks, you will notice this on fast bumps
At 260 without gear and having only added a stiffer spring I have experienced almost all of these issues. I'm convinced it's time to make the investment.
Trying to tune my stock 18' 300 xcw. 165lb rider. I just went back to standard settings for compression and rebound, I may revisit my sag. I found as my riding skills increase I'm looking to get more out of my suspension. I ride rocky muddy tight rooted trails in PA. I'm not in a position to spend lots of money on aftermarket parts and service.
Well explained Jeff, I still wish I would have had my 990 back when you were still setting up shim stacks for them.....A man has to stop at some point, so I understand. Thanks for the overview, it will help many :)
Fantastic video. Thank you so much for the explanation. I've experienced this myself when playing with my preload. I'm really on the fence whether or not I need to step my spring rate up from stock. If anything I believe I only need to go up 1 step. I'm just under the stock rider weight at 160 lbs, and I've shed a few pounds from the stock form of the bike. That has given me a little more wiggle room for the 50+ pounds of gear I carry on BDR trips, but I can tell I'm just at or over the limit of what the preload adjustment can do. Especially the rear. When I'm loaded with 2 gallons of water and a few days of food the bike is way overweighted for the current spring rates. I'll try to contact your company through email for further advice, but if anyone here wants to chime in with their opinion I'm all ears.
Not sure about dirt, but most street bikes factory suspension is usually mismatched ( many Kawasaki rear shocks are soft compared to forks, or wanting stiffer shock to compensate for anti-dive big piston forks). 2015 zx6r needs 7mm thick shim over shock mount for track use..... for street, I raised tubes in trees 7mm instead (no need for more feedback on streets, lol). Motorcycles don't come perfect from factory, just a thought for consideration.
Jeff - I own a 2016 KTM 450 XCF and weigh about 165 lbs without gear. Adjusting the preload for sag of 110mm resulted in a spring with no contact with adjuster rings when on the bike stand. I tightened the adjuster ring to make contact with the spring while on the stand which resulted in a sag of about 105mm. I've heard the "new" KTMs have too heavy of a spring for 160 - 187 lb riders and I should go to a lighter spring. Your thoughts?
Dear Slavens, I bought a new XC-F 350 2016 and found that, despite it has the same rear shock spring than the SX-F 350, it has much lighter springs in the fork (4.4 in the XC-F vs 4.8 in the SX-F stock and even the lowest recommended springs for the SX are 4.6). I'm a 190lb rider and don't feel ths suspension is really balanced so I don't know if I should buy a softer rear spring or harder shock springs. What do you think?
Do you have a spring rate chart for forks similar to the shock chart? Also, i bought my bike used, is there a way to know what fork springs are installed.
Hello Wayne: Most of our spring pages have a fitment tab with rate charts >>> slavensracing.com/product-category/suspension/fork-springs/ . Some springs have the rate on the end of the spring and some have it printed on a coil and others have no markings. You can also send them to us for testing.
Hi Jeff I am interested in the oil change on Xplor forks especially pumping inner cartridge to remove air. In the old open chambers the inner cartridge was quite stiff to the top of the stroke but the Xplor feels very different?? Be great to see a video on the new Xplor oil change
Buying a used bike. When we are lighter than the stock spring rates, how can we know once we have the fork and shock springs removed, what rate they are? I've seen sharpie markings in 'a' video (one video) that indicated the spring rate, that was a new spring, and was already smeared , so that's not something I can count on being there.
Hello: We have the stock rates published on our site for KTM, HQV, GG and Beta. If you think your springs are not O.E.M., you can send them to us to be tested.
@@slaverace1 Thanks much, I had an idea that spring rates aren't stamped into the springs. Not a good thing imv. Glad that we can send the to you to have them tested though..
Great! Please include a few words about road bikes sag settings, I'm especially interested in HQV 701/KTM 690 Supermoto setup. Is there much difference between them and dirt bikes? Subscribed to not miss :)
Never knew ktms huskys were setup at 185 pounds without gear , that makes alot more sense i always wondered why i could get correct rider sag and static sag even though i was out of the weight range
how does internally lowering a bike by valve changes affect geometry and just the overall feel of the bike? I ride a yz125 and im 5 foot 11 and only can touch the ground with my tippy toes. Im curious if lowering the bike is a good idea or if it simply isnt.
2019 690 smc r, the so-called front wp apex 5448. the none existing on the web. they are shorter than on the previous models. on the test ride with my 320lbs weight, the braking part was horrible, I almost overtipped the bike. and the front was about to wobble out on mé when i did the emg.. stop test. stock compared to previous models i notice a much stiffer rear spring. well, searching for the correct stiffer front springs is very hard. but the bike normal riding was very good, but as i told with my weight it becomes more oversteer twitchy.
@@bikersoncall please email alec@slavensracing.com. He can answer any sales, or tech questions you have. If he can't answer them, he will get the email to me.
Thank you sir
I’m a tractor mechanic having just gotten into bikes at 50. Bike suspension is a mystery to me and you are helping. My ole KDX thanks you.
Jeff is quite awesome with suspension help and parts. I discovered his place about 2 years ago and now have the best KTM 300 XC I could have ever dreamed of. Slavens really cares! Thanks for the great vids!
This couldn't be more true, I was one of the guys that emailed and only wanted to change the rear spring on my 500 exc. Jeff wrote back and said I will need the fork springs too for balance. I didn't listen, I installed only the shock spring, set the sag, and the bike turned horribly. That night I ordered the fork springs. The bike turns perfectly now.
Thanks for this video. I am 250lbs and was one of those guys that thought I only needed to do the rear. Change my rear shock with one of your 9.6kg/mm springs and definitely felt it behaving the way you said. Kept wanting to oversteer and dig into the corners. Especially braking on the front into a corner absolutely upset the suspension.
I have recently bought and installed matching front springs for my weight from you guys and looking forward to testing out in spring.
Right on
I purchased front and rear springs from you (Slavens) for my 2023 690 Enduro, Used your rate chart and sag tutorial....couldnt be happier. Had to wait a couple weeks on the fronts but knowing that they were made days before I received them and I didnt get some old shelf stock that arent as springy was worth the wait haaaaaa thanks Slavens
Hello:
Thanks for your purchase. Just want to clarify that springs do not degrade sitting on the shelf.
@@slaverace1 Yeah man....that was a weak attempt at humor
This is so true, when bike is not balanced its working like with bad forks or shock. Also keep in mind you can also unbalance bike with adjusters if you have hard back and soft front forks, you will notice this on fast bumps
At 260 without gear and having only added a stiffer spring I have experienced almost all of these issues. I'm convinced it's time to make the investment.
Trying to tune my stock 18' 300 xcw. 165lb rider. I just went back to standard settings for compression and rebound, I may revisit my sag. I found as my riding skills increase I'm looking to get more out of my suspension. I ride rocky muddy tight rooted trails in PA. I'm not in a position to spend lots of money on aftermarket parts and service.
Advice like this is what gets you my business.
Well explained Jeff, I still wish I would have had my 990 back when you were still setting up shim stacks for them.....A man has to stop at some point, so I understand. Thanks for the overview, it will help many :)
Fantastic video. Thank you so much for the explanation. I've experienced this myself when playing with my preload. I'm really on the fence whether or not I need to step my spring rate up from stock. If anything I believe I only need to go up 1 step. I'm just under the stock rider weight at 160 lbs, and I've shed a few pounds from the stock form of the bike. That has given me a little more wiggle room for the 50+ pounds of gear I carry on BDR trips, but I can tell I'm just at or over the limit of what the preload adjustment can do. Especially the rear. When I'm loaded with 2 gallons of water and a few days of food the bike is way overweighted for the current spring rates. I'll try to contact your company through email for further advice, but if anyone here wants to chime in with their opinion I'm all ears.
Hello, give us a call at the shop and we will get you sprung properly. 719-475-2624. Thank you.
Wow, that was great information, thank you! Concise, easy to understand, and honest. Well done.
Very well explained mate. Good job.
+JoeJoe Moto
Thank you.
Never knew Jeff looks like buffalo bill... just leveled up in my book!
Not sure about dirt, but most street bikes factory suspension is usually mismatched ( many Kawasaki rear shocks are soft compared to forks, or wanting stiffer shock to compensate for anti-dive big piston forks). 2015 zx6r needs 7mm thick shim over shock mount for track use..... for street, I raised tubes in trees 7mm instead (no need for more feedback on streets, lol). Motorcycles don't come perfect from factory, just a thought for consideration.
Thanks Jeff. I love your channel. I got a 17' ktm 500 exc-f. I weigh 220 lbs without gear. any suggestions on how to change my suspension set up ?
Contact me via email on our site please.
Jeff - I own a 2016 KTM 450 XCF and weigh about 165 lbs without gear. Adjusting the preload for sag of 110mm resulted in a spring with no contact with adjuster rings when on the bike stand. I tightened the adjuster ring to make contact with the spring while on the stand which resulted in a sag of about 105mm. I've heard the "new" KTMs have too heavy of a spring for 160 - 187 lb riders and I should go to a lighter spring. Your thoughts?
Mark Smith
They suggest 104 for my 17' 250XC. I does the bike fell? That's where I'm at and it feels good
Dear Slavens, I bought a new XC-F 350 2016 and found that, despite it
has the same rear shock spring than the SX-F 350, it has much lighter
springs in the fork (4.4 in the XC-F vs 4.8 in the SX-F stock and even
the lowest recommended springs for the SX are 4.6). I'm a 190lb rider
and don't feel ths suspension is really balanced so I don't know if I
should buy a softer rear spring or harder shock springs. What do you
think?
Is there a balance between rebound and compression for front and rear?
Do you have a spring rate chart for forks similar to the shock chart? Also, i bought my bike used, is there a way to know what fork springs are installed.
Hello Wayne:
Most of our spring pages have a fitment tab with rate charts >>> slavensracing.com/product-category/suspension/fork-springs/ .
Some springs have the rate on the end of the spring and some have it printed on a coil and others have no markings. You can also send them to us for testing.
Hi Jeff
I am interested in the oil change on Xplor forks especially pumping inner cartridge to remove air.
In the old open chambers the inner cartridge was quite stiff to the top of the stroke but the Xplor feels very different?? Be great to see a video on the new Xplor oil change
I'll add it to my list but it is very simple. Basically the same as the open chamber. Thank you.
Be great thanks Jeff just feel I struggle to bleed inner cartridge to the top of the stroke thanks again
Buying a used bike.
When we are lighter than the stock spring rates, how
can we know once we have the fork and shock springs
removed, what rate they are? I've seen sharpie markings
in 'a' video (one video) that indicated the spring rate, that
was a new spring, and was already smeared , so that's not
something I can count on being there.
Hello: We have the stock rates published on our site for KTM, HQV, GG and Beta. If you think your springs are not O.E.M., you can send them to us to be tested.
@@slaverace1 Thanks much, I had
an idea that spring rates aren't stamped
into the springs. Not a good thing imv.
Glad that we can send the to you to
have them tested though..
What's your take on setting Sag? Sitting, standing, trail, vs eduro, etc? That would be a great video on your method to the madness.
Stay tuned. I have that video in production.
@@slaverace1 sweeeet! Can't wait!
Great! Please include a few words about road bikes sag settings, I'm especially interested in HQV 701/KTM 690 Supermoto setup. Is there much difference between them and dirt bikes? Subscribed to not miss :)
God bless FullHD !
Never knew ktms huskys were setup at 185 pounds without gear , that makes alot more sense i always wondered why i could get correct rider sag and static sag even though i was out of the weight range
Hello:
Sorry, that part of the video is wrong. A new video will be out soon. The stock springs are for 165-187 lb riders INCLUDING gear.
@@slaverace1 ahh thats a shame oh well i prefer my suspension on the softer side any way
Good one Jeff.
+Jack Enrile Thank you! Hope you and your family are doing well.
how does internally lowering a bike by valve changes affect geometry and just the overall feel of the bike? I ride a yz125 and im 5 foot 11 and only can touch the ground with my tippy toes. Im curious if lowering the bike is a good idea or if it simply isnt.
I can flat foot my 125 and I'm 5,9. It's an 04.
Springs to stiff it would seem
2019 690 smc r, the so-called front wp apex 5448. the none existing on the web. they are shorter than on the previous models. on the test ride with my 320lbs weight, the braking part was horrible, I almost overtipped the bike. and the front was about to wobble out on mé when i did the emg.. stop test. stock compared to previous models i notice a much stiffer rear spring. well, searching for the correct stiffer front springs is very hard. but the bike normal riding was very good, but as i told with my weight it becomes more oversteer twitchy.
Do you have a question?
@@slaverace1 when will the stiffer front springs for the 2019 690 smcr be available?
what do i do to fix my suspension on my bike if im underweight for it.. i weigh 120 lbs . i just bought the 350 exc f.? thanks
Respring it for starters.
Thank you,
my bikes propper twitchy I shat my self last time
6:22 " ... We don't need to get that visual goin' ... " -- lol.
On the serious side, thanks for the primer, boss.
_
Could I have... just maybe... one of those pipes?
Sure, we have hundreds of them in the warehouse. Show me the money.
Promotional Pipe giveaway! Lol
The dude abides
Average guys all wiegh more than 185 .. manufacturing needs to go to the 200 225 range
Unless you're 6' or taller, at 200 lbs you're probably not average, you're just fat.
Two Wheels , average guys are fat... lol
go full mullet jeff its time
All day, every day...
Only finding an IT address for 'John' ..
Who's email address do you want?
@@slaverace1 Hi, thanks for the
reply. You said we could email you
with questions, so;
I wanted your email address so I
could ask questions.
@@bikersoncall please email alec@slavensracing.com. He can answer any sales, or tech questions you have. If he can't answer them, he will get the email to me.