Fork height?

[upnorthbacon]

Jumping back and forth between my 2011 wr450 and buddies 2010 ktm xc-w 450 his seems more stable. I have mine sprung for my weight and if I remember correctly I was at 105mm sag. My bike seems to feel a little more twitchy than his. I haven't played with fork height but I'm thinking of dropping them to see if it will help. That got me wondering if there's a fairly standard setting everyone has found that works best? Does anyone run them flush or would it push way too much? I'm a fast C rider running enduros and hare scrambles. I corner with more of a flowing style as opposed to exploding through the turns so I'd definitely sacrifice some quickness in turns for stability.

[FORMA MOTO]

Not knowing how your buddies suspension is set up, it's very hard to say what you are feeling.

Not knowing the set up or condition of your suspension, makes it even harder.

If you have stock damping, then you'll never get a stable feel. You need to be re-valved.

2010 KTM frames are not like the older 'stable' frames, or the newer' twitchy' frames, so I'm not sure what you are feeling.

Typically, a WR is always more stable than a KTM, in terms of straight line stability.

Simple things like tire quality (softer compounds are more twitchy) make a huge difference in feel, as well as steering head tightness, steering dampers, bar position, suspension settings, etc etc.

The XCW has PDS suspension, which when set up right (35/115) is pretty stable, but blows through it's travel very fast, so it has a limited application. The WR suspension, being a linkage, has a faster rising rate so it limits travel sooner, and can be pounded more aggressively.

I would recommend running your rear sag at 25/100 , and your forks flush, for the most neutral feel and cornering, setting up your rear rebound to be slower, and your LS compression to be faster and your front rebound to be faster.

Edited February 7, 2013 by Krannie

[upnorthbacon]

Thanks ill try sliding them flush and see what happens. We're both running the same tires Michelin s-12 xc tires. His bike is setup with the stock clicker settings and sprung for our weight, we weigh the same. My forks are up 5mm from flush. It actually feels lighter than his handling wise. I'll try running it flush and see what happens and go from there. Thanks for the advice I know I didn't give a ton of info to go by.

[Bandit9]

What exactly are your sag numbers? Free sag and Race sag?

I agree with him for the most part. WR should be noticeably more stable than any KTM. Something is a miss. Try what Krannie says and see what happens.

My bike turns very well and is super stable. I don't run a stabilizer. I ride sand and rocks too. Of course my suspension has been revalved by my tuner. I like a stiffer and robust setup in the fork, which lends to the stability.

I run mine 3mm from the top of the tube, not the cap. Which is probably close to your 5mm, measured to the top of the cap.

If Krannies 25mm Free/100mm Race don't work, then try a little more rear sag, like 108-110. Give it 2-3 turns out on spring. Let it squat a little more, take a little bias off the front.

If you go flush, make sure it is flush with the top the tube, not the cap.

In reality, I would just have the suspension revalved right away. Not dick around with the stock stuff. Especially if you are racing. Stock valving is not what you need. Make your life better and safer. If you already have correct springs, then it should be pretty cheap for just revalve.

Edited February 8, 2013 by Bandit9

[FORMA MOTO]

What exactly are your sag numbers? Free sag and Race sag?

I agree with him for the most part. WR should be noticeably more stable than any KTM. Something is a miss. Try what Krannie says and see what happens.

My bike turns very well and is super stable. I don't run a stabilizer. I ride sand and rocks too. Of course my suspension has been revalved by my tuner. I like a stiffer and robust setup in the fork, which lends to the stability.

I run mine 3mm from the top of the tube, not the cap. Which is probably close to your 5mm, measured to the top of the cap.

If Krannies 25mm Free/100mm Race don't work, then try a little more rear sag, like 108-110. Give it 2-3 turns out on spring. Let it squat a little more, take a little bias off the front.

If you go flush, make sure it is flush with the top the tube, not the cap.

In reality, I would just have the suspension revalved right away. Not dick around with the stock stuff. Especially if you are racing. Stock valving is not what you need. Make your life better and safer. If you already have correct springs, then it should be pretty cheap for just revalve.

Racing, Schmacing. The stock valving is downright dangerous for anyone over 165lbs or over 35mph.

[Bandit9]

Yeah, I agree with that too.