Good Day, I have been hanging around the forum for a while now using all the great resources you all have made so thank you! but now for the first post i have a 2012 KLX have done the FMF, jet kit and have been riding the bike as is for the last two years and love it! but now id like to tune my suspension a little tighter were should i start? as id like to have the suspension spot on for the bigbore kit that will be coming in the next month or two. i come from a mountain bike back ground and can dial a mountain bike in perfectly but im lost trying to tune my klx. any advise would be great!

 

The KYB fork and shock are very good components, but the fork in particular isn't set up very well for most riders. The compression piston doesn't flow enough oil and the springs are usually too light for many riders. Heavier springs helps, but if you really want good off road performance, the fork has to be revalved with Race Tech or Moto Pro stuff. The rear shock isn't far off, and unless your weight is way outside the norm, it usuallly performs fine for most folks. I did both ends of mine, and it transformed the bike.

Still, especially on the fork, the compression damping just isn't up to par if you're really going to do off road stints on the bike. If you're just going to do dirt roads and mellow 2-track, it will work OK, but when you push that stock fork damping in some decent rough off road, it's not too hot.

 

What type of riding do you want to set it up for?

1. Springs, front and rear for your weight.
2. Change fork valving.
3. Revalve shock.

Ride on
Brewster

 

Thanks! What is the best source to order these parts off the Internet ?

 

It appears that Race Tech and Moto Pro are the two best sources for the KLX. If you're going to do it yourself, either one works well. My Race Tech setup provided a recommended valving combination as per my particulars, but they also send extra shims and a good chart for extra tweaking if you want a different valving profile. I did go back and soften mine up a step for the end of travel on big hits, so I was glad I had that info. Both products are quite good, and I wouldn't lose any sleep over getting either one of them. With Moto Pro you'll pretty much have to go straight to them which is easy to do. With Race Tech, you can also go straight to them or find one of several wholesalers who carry their product. I go mine from Tucker/Rocky Distributors through my local motorcycle shop.

 

Re: preload...
What tools are ya'll using to set the preload on the rear shock? Spanner wrench? If so, which and where can I buy it?

 

+1 for racetech gold valves....one day i will treat myself.

I just use a big old screw driver & a hammer to adjust the pre-load.....works well for me.

 

yup..that's all you need...screwdriver that you don't care about and a hammer....you don't really need a big hammer...just tap to unlock the top...tap, tap, tap, tap away to stiffen down or soften up...

 

And the preload adjustment is easier to spin if the bike is on a stand, getting the weight off of the rear wheel.

Ride on
Brewster

 

Much much much easier that way. Almost scary to do with the rear wheel on the ground.