Fork sag specs

[gsa102]

Please forgive the noob for not doing enough testing before typing!

96 KDX 200, just got it, used of course.

I weigh 220 and I am not bottoming the forks out over small jumps. In fact, the front suspension is much more plush and rideable than my pro-revalved WR-450.

Can it be true with the stockers? Did I win the fork lottery?

Does anyone have info on the proper sag settings for the forks? I see a ton about the shock, but not the forks.

And I read on here that 5W fork oil is the appropriate oil if I change it, correct?

Thank you for your help, Greg

[gsa102]

Ok, so I am getting the cart ahead of the horse, but the way everybody talks about the front forks, I couldn't belive how good mine are!

The fork has 30 mm free sag and 70 mm race sag. Compression set at 20 clicks out. And they are really supple, and don't bottom for me, yet...

Because the shock spring is way too soft. The free sag is 18 mm, and the race sag is 115mm. The compression is set one click out, and the rebound is about 14 clicks out. I rode a lot tonight and tested different settings, and that was the way I bought it, and I couldn't improve on it. I bottom it a lot, and if I reduce the rebound, it starts to kick up at the back and does not follow the ground in the turns and when braking.

I am not nearly an expert, but I think if I get the right shock spring, the fork issues will suddenly rear their ugly head. I hope I am wrong, and that I hit the fork lottery and got a pair that somebody fixed. I will update when I get the shock spring.

[Brian]

I myself weigh 260 pounds and I love my stock front suspension. I have a motocross bike that is sprung for my weight and it works great on the track but is stiff on the trails. My KDX is really soft but it sure helps keep my wrists from getting sore.

[gsa102]

Ok, so I got a used 5.2 shock spring installed, and adjusted the sag to 105MM. The free sag is maybe 25, so I am still a little on the soft side. Got it on the night before the last HS and didn't have time to tweak the clickers - big mistake. The trail was REALLY WHOOPED OUT and was terrible with the soft forks and the compression too stiff on the back.

In the fast sections it seemed pretty stable, better than I expected.

I tested settings later and settled on the Fredette reccomendation of 12/12 on the shock. I think I will loosen the shock spring a couple turns to help get the balance back on the bike. I can bottom the shock, but still don't bottom the forks. They are soft, as I watched myself in a video and the bike looked nose-heavy.

I kind of think I am getting the feel for how to set up the shock, but I am still struggling with the fork set-up. I need a better, faster test loop. I may have to put a couple track days in.

Rain, Rain, go away...