aaaaaand one more xr600 usd swap! yeah thats right!

[taco250]

Originally Posted by Brtp4

Stu!!! Hope all is well down in the deep South!!

I spent a while collecting it all up for an XR250R swap, changed my mind on it.

BP

It is except for the great lack of BLM land to ride. People down here have no concept of "public land"

[Brtp4]

Originally Posted by taco250

It is except for the great lack of BLM land to ride. People down here have no concept of "public land"

LOL....having grown up in the NE I hear you....at least the DS riders have it somewhat good. Although the riding access crap is literally hitting the proverbial fan this week. Gonna be an interesting year.

BP

[elsalvadorklr]

hey bp

got a question for you

if you dont mind.

did you try and ride with the crf450r setup youre selling?

can you compare it to the cr250 crf250x forks and whats the difference?

my issue is I "think" I have too much sag upfrony

I havent bottomed out yet and I weigh 160, the bike obviously weighs 40 or so pounds more, but anyway using zipties on the slider I measured almot 2 inches static sag(bike weight only) from fully extended on the lift

I havent yet checked with my weight on the bike but Im guessing another inch and a half

that would leave me with a race sag of 3 1/2 inches

is this too much?

I havent done anything yet as the forks are plush and they push down evenly on the bike with the rear end, on fact its pretty damn perfect,

Im just surpirsed about this much sag on the forks...

my old xr600 forks did not do this...

but they sucked compared to these forks

any ideas? or just shut up and be happy?

lastly did you setup clickers any differently for the extra weight of the bike?

reallly appreciate any info from you guys on this matter!

thanks so much

christian

[elsalvadorklr]

Originally Posted by taco250

It is except for the great lack of BLM land to ride. People down here have no concept of "public land"

hey taco I used to live in columbus georgia for a while and did some mountainbiking there, didnt have a motorcycle yet, how far is la grange?

cheers

[Brtp4]

Originally Posted by elsalvadorklr

hey bp got a question for you

No problem ESK.

Originally Posted by elsalvadorklr

did you try and ride with the crf450r setup youre selling?

can you compare it to the cr250 crf250x forks and whats the difference?

No problem ESK. Actually I am selling X model forks that were intended for my XR250R. The fork swap I did on my 650L used R forks, which made things a lot harder. The low speed circuit especially on R model Showa TCs is way too harsh. I had my forks revalved, resprung, and shortened before installing and they were still too harsh. It is hard to notice at first because the overall improvement kinda dominates your impression. But on fireroad turns the bike would skate and in rockbeds it was misery. I revalved a 2nd time and it was pretty good, but I blew it up on the 1st ride.

X forks do not need a revalve, they are way softer in both the low speed and the high speed circuits. Spring correctly, change oil, bolt on, and go.

Originally Posted by elsalvadorklr

my issue is I "think" I have too much sag upfront

I havent bottomed out yet and I weigh 160, the bike obviously weighs 40 or so pounds more, but anyway using zipties on the slider I measured almost 2 inches static sag(bike weight only) from fully extended on the lift

I havent yet checked with my weight on the bike but Im guessing another inch and a half

that would leave me with a race sag of 3 1/2 inches

is this too much?

It sounds like it is, especially the static. Few thoughts:

- Are you measuring with all gear and a half full water bladder? If not they you are definitely soft.
- If you have all stuff included then it is a little soft. BUT...
- I am finding that running it slightly softer spring wise than advised is easier to manage than the inverse. Especially on the front, when the front is stiff I cannot get the front tire to bite. YMMV.
- The absolute most important thing is that the front / rear is balanced. If the front is stiffer than the rear, the bike squats. Unlike modern bikes on XRs you mostly ride off the back, but at times you need to weight the front and if it is too stiff that won't happen.

Originally Posted by elsalvadorklr

I havent done anything yet as the forks are plush and they push down evenly on the bike with the rear end, on fact its pretty damn perfect,

Im just surpirsed about this much sag on the forks...

my old xr600 forks did not do this...

The best thing I can say is....it seems like too much sag, but you will not really know unless you try a heavier spring and less sag. Most people don't know any better, they ride their bike as is and say "its fine" but they do not really compare, so they do not really know. You are thinking about it, which means you are on the right track.

Originally Posted by elsalvadorklr

but they sucked compared to these forks

They really are a huge, huge difference.

Originally Posted by elsalvadorklr

lastly did you setup clickers any differently for the extra weight of the bike?

Yes. I thought mostly about how the front tracked on fireroads (medium speed) and in rockbeds (slow speed). On fireroads I was looking for more front wheel bite, which frankly I feel you lose when you ditch the stock forks. On rocks I looked to minimize deflection. Again, YMMV.

Hope that helps.

BP

[elsalvadorklr]

thanks bp...hope you dont mind me continuing to ask a couple more queries here

1. I opted for the cr250r forks because they were cheaper than 450r forks and they are more plush by all accounts I HAVE READ.

the x forks(sorry it was a typo above) were too expensive for me, apparentkly 250x would of been perfect for me!

static sag was measured only on the forks, id say 17/8 inch...weight of bike only with 10lbs of tools on the back and a half full tank

I have NOT measures race sag upfront with me on and gear...the rear end though has and its what I focused on exclusively when I had the xrl shock revalved

like I mentioned before the bike squats EVENLY perfectly almost

Per my request I had the suspension guy down here add 5w maxima stuff at a plus 365cc for fast trail riding.

I do NOT have the squirrely fornt end you have, its almost too plush as I dont feel anything unless Im just poking around...which should be what you want right? jajaja

now

when going fast these forks just soak it up, and they perform better and track better at speed, I knew that going into the usd swap...but i kind of have a feeling that if I push it a bit more I will bottom out and do some damage

so clickers, you went out softer on compression and rebound compared to say stock? or on a the bike the usd's were from or in more because if the extra weight handicap?

In other words since the bike is heavier than a cr250r would you turn in and harden/speed up a bit both compression and rebound or just compression to prevent some nose diving(which I do have)

as is right now Im 4 clicks harder on compression than stock cr250r settings and 2 turns in harder on rebound

I dont wallow or bounce on landings, maybe just a smidge compared to the back but thats better than packing the front for sure

anyways my verval diarrhea is ending now so sorry for the long post!

lastly its the REVALVED XRL shock that has improved my riding the most in a dramatic fashion, traction, control and performance/stability has made my ride 100% better.

anywhoo

id really aprreciate your conitinuing support here! hahahaha

cheers man

thanks

christian

[Brtp4]

Originally Posted by elsalvadorklr

1. I opted for the cr250r forks because they were cheaper than 450r forks and they are more plush by all accounts I HAVE READ.

They are cheaper and much easier to find. If you are going to revalve anyway they are fine. Most people don't really ride 650Ls that hard (I know yours is an XR6) so they do not notice. You will get yours dialed. But "most people" do not dive in deep enough to understand how suspension works, so their comments....don't know. For example, I don't know how someone can say that a fork designed for huge jumps is more "plush" than something valved for rocks and slow speed. LOL.

Don't focus on that anyway....just work on gathering your own feedback and trying alternatives. That will get you where you want.

Originally Posted by elsalvadorklr

the x forks(sorry it was a typo above) were too expensive for me, apparently 250x would of been perfect for me!

My 1st swap I did R forks. From now on I will do X.

Originally Posted by elsalvadorklr

static sag was measured only on the forks, id say 17/8 inch...weight of bike only with 10lbs of tools on the back and a half full tank

I have NOT measures race sag upfront with me on and gear...the rear end though has and its what I focused on exclusively when I had the xrl shock revalved

like I mentioned before the bike squats EVENLY perfectly almost

Per my request I had the suspension guy down here add 5w maxima stuff at a plus 365cc for fast trail riding.

I do NOT have the squirrely fornt end you have, its almost too plush as I dont feel anything unless Im just poking around...which should be what you want right? jajaja

Yes, that is perfect.

Originally Posted by elsalvadorklr

when going fast these forks just soak it up, and they perform better and track better at speed, I knew that going into the usd swap...but i kind of have a feeling that if I push it a bit more I will bottom out and do some damage

so clickers, you went out softer on compression and rebound compared to say stock? or on a the bike the usd's were from or in more because if the extra weight handicap?

In other words since the bike is heavier than a cr250r would you turn in and harden/speed up a bit both compression and rebound or just compression to prevent some nose diving(which I do have)

My situation was the opposite. When I hit whoops I felt confident. In slow speed stuff like rocks it beat me up. Medium small bumps it would skate. I ran the comp almost full soft, rebound about 2/3 soft. Comparing to stock is impossible as I revalved (for off road) before I put them on. I also had .49 springs, which I now switched to .48.

I did not have ENOUGH nose dive. I was looking for more. I was definitely not packing the front.

Originally Posted by elsalvadorklr

as is right now Im 4 clicks harder on compression than stock cr250r settings and 2 turns in harder on rebound

I dont wallow or bounce on landings, maybe just a smidge compared to the back but thats better than packing the front for sure

Were your forks revalved already? Seems we had opposite experiences. FYI my R forks were from a 2008 CRF250R.

Originally Posted by elsalvadorklr

lastly its the REVALVED XRL shock that has improved my riding the most in a dramatic fashion, traction, control and performance/stability has made my ride 100% better.

What did your guy to to the valving on it?

BP

[mcma111]

Christian,

if you recall the reason i went with the '02 cr250 forks was because the brake caliper boss is the same as your xr so you wouldn't have to get the later crf caliper mount. My believe that the difference in valving between the r and x models is only minor. Not enough to get your undies in a bunch.

Quit worrying about all this stuff and go out for a ride will ya??? That or go practice making babys....

[elsalvadorklr]

steve for sure! that was the major reason, thank to YOU!

this is my fne tuning bit of info I want would like as I am a tinkerer, when I have good equipment that is able to be fine tuned Im all for it and these forks are wirth it!

I think your misunderstanding my want to learn more about these modern forks and think Im complaining and nothing can be further from the truth...

as some know I race my bike in a very amateur way for sure against more modern bikes in "modern" terrain, by that I mean its very technical, rocky enduro type stuff not wide open xr600 brp terrain...

I used to get my ass KICKED in the choppy technical stuff with the supposedly PLUSH xr forks...

like bp I too get a kick about people saying stuff like my motocross usds are so plush in the slow stuff, which is not true!

if Im going 5-10mph I feel and skid over every rock, etc.. as soon as I stop putsing around and hammer it it floats and absorbs impacts that would of left me twisted and bent when I had the stockers.

in any case im fine tuning and just searching for more happiness!
,
BTW I am riding, every other day...killing it...too bad Im alone...

bp, the xrl shock was revalved by not too known xr guru neil hores at hitchcock racing in colorado, I was reccomended his services by all time xr expert and nice guy BLAKERBIRD

I jave 100mm race sag, and the xrl shocks are famous for TOO MANY REBOUND SHIMS, so he took some out and put it somewhere midvalve and overall just rebuilt, revalved and prettied up the xrl shock.

for me on the xr6 the 10.5 spring is perfect, the 88 shock I had had a 9kg it was sagged out and I had preload all the way up, hence a very MARBLEY rear end that would not get traction and skid everytwhere...

anyways

he was cheaper than other know tuners and he does work in a very personal and 1 to 1. He does not however read emails! jajajaja

cheers

[elsalvadorklr]

Originally Posted by mcma111

Christian,

if you recall the reason i went with the '02 cr250 forks was because the brake caliper boss is the same as your xr so you wouldn't have to get the later crf caliper mount. My believe that the difference in valving between the r and x models is only minor. Not enough to get your undies in a bunch.

Quit worrying about all this stuff and go out for a ride will ya??? That or go practice making babys....

no babies yet boss, I do however ride almost daily

cheers man and thanks again

[Brtp4]

Originally Posted by elsalvadorklr

steve for sure! that was the major reason, thank to YOU!

this is my fne tuning bit of info I want would like as I am a tinkerer, when I have good equipment that is able to be fine tuned Im all for it and these forks are wirth it!

I think your misunderstanding my want to learn more about these modern forks and think Im complaining and nothing can be further from the truth...

as some know I race my bike in a very amateur way for sure against more modern bikes in "modern" terrain, by that I mean its very technical, rocky enduro type stuff not wide open xr600 brp terrain...

I used to get my ass KICKED in the choppy technical stuff with the supposedly PLUSH xr forks...

like bp I too get a kick about people saying stuff like my motocross usds are so plush in the slow stuff, which is not true!

if Im going 5-10mph I feel and skid over every rock, etc.. as soon as I stop putsing around and hammer it it floats and absorbs impacts that would of left me twisted and bent when I had the stockers.

in any case im fine tuning and just searching for more happiness!
,
BTW I am riding, every other day...killing it...too bad Im alone...

bp, the xrl shock was revalved by not too known xr guru neil hores at hitchcock racing in colorado, I was reccomended his services by all time xr expert and nice guy BLAKERBIRD

I jave 100mm race sag, and the xrl shocks are famous for TOO MANY REBOUND SHIMS, so he took some out and put it somewhere midvalve and overall just rebuilt, revalved and prettied up the xrl shock.

for me on the xr6 the 10.5 spring is perfect, the 88 shock I had had a 9kg it was sagged out and I had preload all the way up, hence a very MARBLEY rear end that would not get traction and skid everytwhere...

anyways

he was cheaper than other know tuners and he does work in a very personal and 1 to 1. He does not however read emails! jajajaja

cheers

ESK, if you are riding that much you are (very very) likely much faster than I am. That is likely part of the difference. I am no means an expert but if I had to guess it sounds like you would benefit from a slightly heavier spring (=less sag) and maybe a little less slow speed. But from what you are saying I think you are on the right track.

Riding it and comparing is really the only way to know.

BP

[mcma111]

Practice Christian, practice...

[elsalvadorklr]

Originally Posted by mcma111

Practice Christian, practice...

yeah...I know what you mean and its not bike riding huh
jajajaja

peace!

[taco250]

Originally Posted by elsalvadorklr

hey taco I used to live in columbus georgia for a while and did some mountainbiking there, didnt have a motorcycle yet, how far is la grange?

cheers

About 45 minutes north by the freeway. Speed limit is 70 so it's easy to make time.

[deejay_xr]

Hey guys,

Just got a new set of XR600R steering stem bearings to use in my upcoming USD fork swap when I stumbled across the compatibility list on the back.





So this would have to mean that all of these stated models could be used for a fork swap without having to do any machine work on the stem or using conversion bearings or what have you.

Thought this might be useful to someone, someday

Cheers !