So I've finally gotten a feel for my bike to where I'm starting to have some opinion. I found a really good link on thumper talk and read through it. Any opinions on where to start? I checked my rear sag and with my whopping 140 pounds I got a total of 85mm of sag...that seem right?

One post said 93mm was great...what is stock spec?

Lastly I've never adjusted dampening...not sure where to begin but I want it to buck around less on the dirt. I have a feeling the bike is set up for a heavier weight.

 

Used bike? New? What year? S? SF?

 

Yeah that probably helps...12' KLX250S. I bought it new but it's got 3600 miles on it now. I've never touched any of the settings.

 

And where do you ride?...terrain conditions...how aggressive do you ride...how heavy are you? What opinions have you developed that you mentioned? Here's the best, most concise suspension setup info I've read in some time. After that you have the option of revalving the fork and shock with kits or service from Race Tech or Moto Pro.

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I'm 140 maybe 145 with my helmet and normal riding gear. Maybe close to 160 max with my back pack and additional gear when I ride dirt. I want a bit more "dirt" performance. I want the suspension to soak up bumps a bit more and inspire me a bit. Right now the bike bucks around a lot, I understand off road is harsh conditions but I'm sure the dampening could be improved.

With that being said, I realize I live in the heart of Silicon Valley so literally 90 percent of my bikes miles are pavement and rough back roads that are paved but bumpy. I do love fire roads and desert riding the most when I get out and ride dirt. I have fun on the street but I don't ride really fast so I'm sure I can sacrifice some "on road" performance for a touch more "off road" performance.

My ideal set up would cater to a mix of street and dirt, 155-160ish pounds of weight which is me with a days worth of gear ready to ride mostly rocky desert with whoops, sand and ruts with a mix of connecting highway and back twisties.

Not sure if I'm asking to much from the bike but I know there is more to be had.

 

I don't think you're asking too much of the bike. You're lucky in that your weight will probably not require the expense of heavier springs like most of us need for this bike. However, the stock suspension damping needs help, and the fork almost requires it if you're really wanting to improve off road performance. I think you can probably get away with just doing the fork damping at your weight. It's worth it. Nothing sucks more off road than a fork that doesn't get the job done. If you get the fork revalved, I think you'll find that the rear bucking as you describe may completely disappear. The fork really has a big time compression spike IMO, and this translates into disrupting all the off road handling on the bike.

 

You never hear of anyone doing a kx fork install.

 

So, who does this revalving and what's a guesstimate on cost for it?

 

NorCalKLX, have you read the owners manual? Unless they have left it out in the newer ones, it does show how to adjust the compression and rebound dampening on the rear shock (your bucking). Change one setting at a time and test it.

 

I got the Race Tech gold valves and had my little local dirt bike shop install as they work with Race Tech a bit. I think labor was somewhere around $100 for valves and new fork seals, with forks off the bike.

It has been said here many times that John at Moto Pro has these forks figured out and offers wonderful customer service.