89 KDX 200 Fork Springs/shock springs, alternatives that fit

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mowerman53
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89 KDX 200 Fork Springs/shock springs, alternatives that fit

Post by mowerman53 »

I have had a really good look around on the forum with regard to changing my existing suspension set up to suit my oversize body? I could just do with a bit of knowledgeable advice from you other owners to give me some confidence in getting the right parts to set my bike up better.

The best tip I got was to have a look see on the race tech suspension site and see what is/was compatible with my standard forks on the E1

According to my investigations......I should be able to......change my front fork springs from quite a number of bikes as the same reference repeats itself for many different bikes.

So Race tech ref: FRSP 3750 springs will fit my 89 - E1 as well as:-

XR650L - 1993 to 2004 and stock rate would be either .41 or .44
XR600R - 1985 - 2000 and stock rate would be between .37 to .42 dependant upon year
KX250 - 1985 - 1987 and stock rate would be either .307 to .37
KX500 - 1985 - 1987 and stock rate would be .35 or .368 or .393
DR350 - 1990 - 1996 and stock rate of .37 or .38 or .39
DR350S - 1991 stock rate of 0.42

And many others too...........



Further investigations reveal that Race tech list the same rear shock spring reference for a Suzuki RM 250 1996

I have been able to find (cheaply) a set of 1996 DR350 springs and a RM 250 1996 shock spring from local sources (local paper and a bike club member)

I weigh too much for the little KDX and go about 230lbs plus riding gear so by Jeff Fredette's site tips I could do with at least .38 fork springs and at least a 4.8 shock spring.

So the 1996 DR springs will put me at 0.39 and the RM spring i have found is a 5.0
I ride timecard enduro, mixture of woods and trails, and regularly compete throughout the year, so am a mediocre Clubman level rider.

This year our local race series is going to include a pre 1990 class and so I want to get off my "Orange" machine and spend more time on the KDX (i enjoy the KDX more anyway)

Can anyone confirm or give me the confidence to suggest that the parts i'm proposing to fit will fit and that although perhaps not spot on the rates should be more in accordance with my bulk???

Thanks in anticipation of your assistance? :?
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gsa102
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Post by gsa102 »

I am very close to your weight and have a used racetech 5.2 shock spring on my 96. Although much better than stock, it is still too light. I get 110/20 sag numbers, and the ride is too stiff. If I loosen it for a better ride, it bottoms out. I am still evaluating my fork springs after swapping forks.

Maybe you can test the shock spring before committing to buying it.

Edit - I am running a different chassis and it may have different linkage rates. My chassis uses a shock spring size that is common to most steel frame and some aluminum frame bikes, YZs in particular. So they are relatively easy to find.
This is my rifle, this is my gun, the YZ to go fast, the KDX is for fun!

96 KDX 200, 09 YZ 250
mowerman53
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Post by mowerman53 »

Thanks gsa102 for the help.

Having refreshed my look at the notes on Jeff Fredettes site your H series with my/our weight is recommended to be 5.2 but similarly the E series to be about 0.2 to 0.4 less than the H series bikes, that as you suggest is likely to be due to linkage differences and also the frame setup too.

So i'm still thinking that the 5.0 i can get my hands on would be better than the stock spring i have and at the price i can get it is likely to worth the gamble. Unfortunately try before i buy is not an option as the spring is new.

My post was really more to find out if others with E series KDX have used the springs from other bikes like i'm suggesting, its just that nearly all the the suspension stuff i have read go on about XR400 fork springs or swapping to an KX setup.

I really would like for someone to say "hey yeah I used springs from an RM or DR etc. etc."

I think i will take the gamble a dive in to get the stuff I have sourced and if it don't work out cut my losses by reselling.

Once again thanks for your help it does at least seem to be in the right direction. :grin:
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gsa102
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Post by gsa102 »

Try looking at a vendors website, like rocky mtn atv, and use it as a cross reference to see what models share common part numbers.
This is my rifle, this is my gun, the YZ to go fast, the KDX is for fun!

96 KDX 200, 09 YZ 250
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