Heavier front spring rates
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 5,050
From: Abilene, TX
1st Gear Member
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 516
From: Phuket, Thailand
1st Gear Member
All trial an error until you stumble upon your perfect setting for you.
I got the clickers on No.5
0.52kg/mm stiffer springs (Moto-pro)
5 pre-load washers in each fork (just less than 0.5inch thick) stainless steel from hardware shop.
5wt oil (stock OEM wt)
Not sure about SAG in MM's but enough!
Took a long time to get dialed in....Everyone is different, riding styles are different & terrain is different. Sorry not be very helpful.
good luck
I got the clickers on No.5
0.52kg/mm stiffer springs (Moto-pro)
5 pre-load washers in each fork (just less than 0.5inch thick) stainless steel from hardware shop.
5wt oil (stock OEM wt)
Not sure about SAG in MM's but enough!
Took a long time to get dialed in....Everyone is different, riding styles are different & terrain is different. Sorry not be very helpful.
good luck
Last edited by JoelThailand; Oct 1, 2012 at 07:35 AM.
Senior Member
1st Gear Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 854
From: Northern Utah
... I've played around with the damping adjustment but to tell the truth i cant really feel the differnece from one extreme setting to the other. It does not seem to really increase the fork stiffness so i've now ordered a set ot 0.44 kg/cm springs for the bike. ...
Greg
Greg
I wonder how many people replace their springs in an attempt to remedy a problem with the factory valving not working as it should...
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 5,050
From: Abilene, TX
1st Gear Member
I read this all the time, and I *have* to believe there are some faulty units that made it out of the factory. I can definitely tell the difference between 3 and 5 clicks on mine, and the difference between the factory 12 clicks and 4 clicks (where I run mine) is GI-NORMOUS!
I wonder how many people replace their springs in an attempt to remedy a problem with the factory valving not working as it should...
I wonder how many people replace their springs in an attempt to remedy a problem with the factory valving not working as it should...
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 4,507
From: SW Idaho
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0.38 kg/mm stock is what my notes say. Replaced with 0.46 for a 200lb rider with a desert tank.
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 516
From: Phuket, Thailand
1st Gear Member
I needed 1.5inch of pvc spacing with the standard springs to help with the diving but lost all my sag, which was not good but i knew it was only temporary until my stiffer springs arrived!
With the harder springs on my SF everything was great (no diving) except the klx high speed wobble was back, with my higher fork height (from spacers) lowered to it's stock OEM height (minus the 1.5inch spacers)!! The dreaded speed wobble was back!! Need to experiment with some washers to get rid of it!
i put 5 washers in each fork & with this little 0.5inch of pre-load lift, got rid of the speed wobble by 99%. My sag is spot on....an inch of pre-load spacers is the maximum you can go before loosing all your sag in my experience. I can hit 100mph (155kmh) on my Motard klx without getting scared from the wobble!
Last edited by JoelThailand; Oct 2, 2012 at 06:11 AM.
Thread Starter
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Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 8
From: Blue Mountains Australia
Hi all,
There seems to be heaps of confusion, heresay and plain old guessing when it comes to the standard front spring rates in a klx250s (mines a 2009 model). The figures vary depending on what website you look at or what suspension shop or Kawasaki dealer you talk to, and this has always annoyed me as without really being sure of what your starting point is it's hard to know where to go when trying to get the forks to work better. The most common figure i've seen given is 0.38kg/mm, but as i said that is contradicted on other websites and i've seen 0.39 and 0.40 given, and several suspension shops (including my local one) list them as as 0.43kg/mm. So i did the thing that should always have been done in the first place and i wrote to Kawasaki and, bugger me, they replied! The figure they gave was not in kg/mm but rather in Newtons/mm, and that figure was...... wait for it......... drum roll............. 3.9 Newtons/mm. I punched that into an online conversion calculator & it came out at 0.3976kg/mm, so just under 0.40kg/mm.
HOWEVER, before you feel too relieved that all the guessing is finally over, just today i took my standard springs in and had them tested on Teknik's digital spring tester, and they actually came out with a rate about 0.01kg/mm heaver than that, so just under 0.41kg/mm.
Well that's all close enough for me anyway: the standard fork springs are rated by Kawasaki in writing as just under 0.40kg/mm, and an actual test showed them to be just under 0.41kg/mm. I'll soon let you all know of how things have improved with the 0.44kg/mm springs i just put in.
Keep on bikin'!
Greg
PS. I think there's a difference in the actual fork fitted to the klx after 2007. I do not know if the spring is different though after the 07 model or if it's rated the same as the later model.
There seems to be heaps of confusion, heresay and plain old guessing when it comes to the standard front spring rates in a klx250s (mines a 2009 model). The figures vary depending on what website you look at or what suspension shop or Kawasaki dealer you talk to, and this has always annoyed me as without really being sure of what your starting point is it's hard to know where to go when trying to get the forks to work better. The most common figure i've seen given is 0.38kg/mm, but as i said that is contradicted on other websites and i've seen 0.39 and 0.40 given, and several suspension shops (including my local one) list them as as 0.43kg/mm. So i did the thing that should always have been done in the first place and i wrote to Kawasaki and, bugger me, they replied! The figure they gave was not in kg/mm but rather in Newtons/mm, and that figure was...... wait for it......... drum roll............. 3.9 Newtons/mm. I punched that into an online conversion calculator & it came out at 0.3976kg/mm, so just under 0.40kg/mm.
HOWEVER, before you feel too relieved that all the guessing is finally over, just today i took my standard springs in and had them tested on Teknik's digital spring tester, and they actually came out with a rate about 0.01kg/mm heaver than that, so just under 0.41kg/mm.
Well that's all close enough for me anyway: the standard fork springs are rated by Kawasaki in writing as just under 0.40kg/mm, and an actual test showed them to be just under 0.41kg/mm. I'll soon let you all know of how things have improved with the 0.44kg/mm springs i just put in.
Keep on bikin'!
Greg
PS. I think there's a difference in the actual fork fitted to the klx after 2007. I do not know if the spring is different though after the 07 model or if it's rated the same as the later model.
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 5,050
From: Abilene, TX
1st Gear Member
Hi all,
There seems to be heaps of confusion, heresay and plain old guessing when it comes to the standard front spring rates in a klx250s (mines a 2009 model). The figures vary depending on what website you look at or what suspension shop or Kawasaki dealer you talk to, and this has always annoyed me as without really being sure of what your starting point is it's hard to know where to go when trying to get the forks to work better. The most common figure i've seen given is 0.38kg/mm, but as i said that is contradicted on other websites and i've seen 0.39 and 0.40 given, and several suspension shops (including my local one) list them as as 0.43kg/mm. So i did the thing that should always have been done in the first place and i wrote to Kawasaki and, bugger me, they replied! The figure they gave was not in kg/mm but rather in Newtons/mm, and that figure was...... wait for it......... drum roll............. 3.9 Newtons/mm. I punched that into an online conversion calculator & it came out at 0.3976kg/mm, so just under 0.40kg/mm.
HOWEVER, before you feel too relieved that all the guessing is finally over, just today i took my standard springs in and had them tested on Teknik's digital spring tester, and they actually came out with a rate about 0.01kg/mm heaver than that, so just under 0.41kg/mm.
Well that's all close enough for me anyway: the standard fork springs are rated by Kawasaki in writing as just under 0.40kg/mm, and an actual test showed them to be just under 0.41kg/mm. I'll soon let you all know of how things have improved with the 0.44kg/mm springs i just put in.
Keep on bikin'!
Greg
PS. I think there's a difference in the actual fork fitted to the klx after 2007. I do not know if the spring is different though after the 07 model or if it's rated the same as the later model.
There seems to be heaps of confusion, heresay and plain old guessing when it comes to the standard front spring rates in a klx250s (mines a 2009 model). The figures vary depending on what website you look at or what suspension shop or Kawasaki dealer you talk to, and this has always annoyed me as without really being sure of what your starting point is it's hard to know where to go when trying to get the forks to work better. The most common figure i've seen given is 0.38kg/mm, but as i said that is contradicted on other websites and i've seen 0.39 and 0.40 given, and several suspension shops (including my local one) list them as as 0.43kg/mm. So i did the thing that should always have been done in the first place and i wrote to Kawasaki and, bugger me, they replied! The figure they gave was not in kg/mm but rather in Newtons/mm, and that figure was...... wait for it......... drum roll............. 3.9 Newtons/mm. I punched that into an online conversion calculator & it came out at 0.3976kg/mm, so just under 0.40kg/mm.
HOWEVER, before you feel too relieved that all the guessing is finally over, just today i took my standard springs in and had them tested on Teknik's digital spring tester, and they actually came out with a rate about 0.01kg/mm heaver than that, so just under 0.41kg/mm.
Well that's all close enough for me anyway: the standard fork springs are rated by Kawasaki in writing as just under 0.40kg/mm, and an actual test showed them to be just under 0.41kg/mm. I'll soon let you all know of how things have improved with the 0.44kg/mm springs i just put in.
Keep on bikin'!
Greg
PS. I think there's a difference in the actual fork fitted to the klx after 2007. I do not know if the spring is different though after the 07 model or if it's rated the same as the later model.
Thread Starter
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Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 8
From: Blue Mountains Australia
G’day,
Went for a first ride with my new 0.44 springs fitted and was so disappointed. It was a bit better but not nearly enough and the front end still bottoms way too easily, even over a small 50cm jump and even though I only weigh about 72kg (160 pounds). I asked a mate I was riding with to have a ride of my bike and the first thing he said was the front end was way too soft. The most common static sag (me on the bike with riding gear and a full tank of fuel etc) recommendation i can find is 75mm (+- 5mm), so the 57mm I measured would tell me that the springs are set a little too hard in fact, rather than too soft. So this is what really confuses me and leaves me totally stumped as to why they bottom so easily.
I called up the suspension mob I got the springs from and they told me the valves need modifying (or replacing with aftermarket ones) to make them better, as the klx compression damping rates as standard are too soft and I’ll never get the front end hard enough by just changing the springs. So this is what I will now do.
After I get the valves done I’ll go for another ride and let you know what happens.
Stay tuned!
Greg
Went for a first ride with my new 0.44 springs fitted and was so disappointed. It was a bit better but not nearly enough and the front end still bottoms way too easily, even over a small 50cm jump and even though I only weigh about 72kg (160 pounds). I asked a mate I was riding with to have a ride of my bike and the first thing he said was the front end was way too soft. The most common static sag (me on the bike with riding gear and a full tank of fuel etc) recommendation i can find is 75mm (+- 5mm), so the 57mm I measured would tell me that the springs are set a little too hard in fact, rather than too soft. So this is what really confuses me and leaves me totally stumped as to why they bottom so easily.
I called up the suspension mob I got the springs from and they told me the valves need modifying (or replacing with aftermarket ones) to make them better, as the klx compression damping rates as standard are too soft and I’ll never get the front end hard enough by just changing the springs. So this is what I will now do.
After I get the valves done I’ll go for another ride and let you know what happens.
Stay tuned!
Greg
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 5,050
From: Abilene, TX
1st Gear Member
G’day,
Went for a first ride with my new 0.44 springs fitted and was so disappointed. It was a bit better but not nearly enough and the front end still bottoms way too easily, even over a small 50cm jump and even though I only weigh about 72kg (160 pounds). I asked a mate I was riding with to have a ride of my bike and the first thing he said was the front end was way too soft. The most common static sag (me on the bike with riding gear and a full tank of fuel etc) recommendation i can find is 75mm (+- 5mm), so the 57mm I measured would tell me that the springs are set a little too hard in fact, rather than too soft. So this is what really confuses me and leaves me totally stumped as to why they bottom so easily.
I called up the suspension mob I got the springs from and they told me the valves need modifying (or replacing with aftermarket ones) to make them better, as the klx compression damping rates as standard are too soft and I’ll never get the front end hard enough by just changing the springs. So this is what I will now do.
After I get the valves done I’ll go for another ride and let you know what happens.
Stay tuned!
Greg
Went for a first ride with my new 0.44 springs fitted and was so disappointed. It was a bit better but not nearly enough and the front end still bottoms way too easily, even over a small 50cm jump and even though I only weigh about 72kg (160 pounds). I asked a mate I was riding with to have a ride of my bike and the first thing he said was the front end was way too soft. The most common static sag (me on the bike with riding gear and a full tank of fuel etc) recommendation i can find is 75mm (+- 5mm), so the 57mm I measured would tell me that the springs are set a little too hard in fact, rather than too soft. So this is what really confuses me and leaves me totally stumped as to why they bottom so easily.
I called up the suspension mob I got the springs from and they told me the valves need modifying (or replacing with aftermarket ones) to make them better, as the klx compression damping rates as standard are too soft and I’ll never get the front end hard enough by just changing the springs. So this is what I will now do.
After I get the valves done I’ll go for another ride and let you know what happens.
Stay tuned!
Greg
On the fork damping, I thought the damping on the '09 and later forks was basically the same as the '06/'07, but I don't know that for a fact. On the '06/'07 fork, they have a terrible compression spike. Too soft is not a problem on that fork. Revalving the KLX is an excellent way to really improve handling, performance, and just plain enjoyment. Be careful not to try to address a proper spring rate with damping.
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