front and rear spring advice?
Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 2:38 pm
Looking for some front and rear spring advice.
Bought a used bike, 2006 KTM 250 XC-W. Bike is a mish-mash of parts, so no clue what springs are in the forks or on the rear shock (no markings, no factory numbers, nada!)
I am 240 lbs without gear, 260 lbs with gear, 6'1".
KTM dealer said go with .48's in the front, and 9.6 in the rear, even though my calculations said 8.9 rear and .46 front
KTM dealer said don't worry, I can return both if they don't work. OK cool!
I installed what they suggested, and the front feels a bit hard, and the rear also feels very hard.
I set the static sag at 35mm, with 12mm preload on the spring, and then climbed aboard. Rider sag was 146mm (should have been 100mm or so)
Put a tiny bit more preload on the spring (1 turn), then got a rider sag of 126mm.
Tried this setting, and the rear still seems harsh. Set my compression, rebound, etc. per factory spec, and spent about a 1/2 day dialing it in as best as I could get it.
Verdict? Still too hard for my riding style.
So does this mean that the 9.6 rate rear spring is just too hard?
When I add bike (240 lbs) plus rider (260lbs) and divide by 55.8 (formula I got off Thumpertalk to calculate the correct rate), I get an 8.96 rate.
Should I ask them to order me .46 fronts and 9.0 rear? Do you think that will be closer to what I need based on my weight?
I like my suspension a bit on the "cushy side"....
fyi, I called racetech and they said use their .46 fronts and their PDS P30 rear...anyone have that setup and weigh what I weigh? Most reading on the online forums say racetech usually recommends too stiff a spring. So maybe I should try a PDS P25 instead?
Thanks for any help or advice!
Jason
Bought a used bike, 2006 KTM 250 XC-W. Bike is a mish-mash of parts, so no clue what springs are in the forks or on the rear shock (no markings, no factory numbers, nada!)
I am 240 lbs without gear, 260 lbs with gear, 6'1".
KTM dealer said go with .48's in the front, and 9.6 in the rear, even though my calculations said 8.9 rear and .46 front
KTM dealer said don't worry, I can return both if they don't work. OK cool!
I installed what they suggested, and the front feels a bit hard, and the rear also feels very hard.
I set the static sag at 35mm, with 12mm preload on the spring, and then climbed aboard. Rider sag was 146mm (should have been 100mm or so)
Put a tiny bit more preload on the spring (1 turn), then got a rider sag of 126mm.
Tried this setting, and the rear still seems harsh. Set my compression, rebound, etc. per factory spec, and spent about a 1/2 day dialing it in as best as I could get it.
Verdict? Still too hard for my riding style.
So does this mean that the 9.6 rate rear spring is just too hard?
When I add bike (240 lbs) plus rider (260lbs) and divide by 55.8 (formula I got off Thumpertalk to calculate the correct rate), I get an 8.96 rate.
Should I ask them to order me .46 fronts and 9.0 rear? Do you think that will be closer to what I need based on my weight?
I like my suspension a bit on the "cushy side"....
fyi, I called racetech and they said use their .46 fronts and their PDS P30 rear...anyone have that setup and weigh what I weigh? Most reading on the online forums say racetech usually recommends too stiff a spring. So maybe I should try a PDS P25 instead?
Thanks for any help or advice!
Jason