cheap triple clamps for 06-09 YZ450?

[sped68]

With a few months of riding under my belt on my 06 YZ450F I can confirm that no, it really doesn't turn well.  I think I've knocked enough rust off that my skills should allow me to hold a line in a turn but it's still a struggle.  I ride mainly in sand but there are some areas with dirt as well.  I've replaced the handlebars with a Windham bend set, moved the forks up and down, currently 2mm up from flush, and experimented with tire pressure.  I can actually feel the difference, however slight, in the changes I've made but ultimately it still steers poorly. In fact I rode my buddies newly purchased 07 YZ250 last night with a bad suspension setup and it turns better.

I'm at the point with it now that I really don't want to sink too much more money into it but if I can find a different set of triple clamps to try for cheap I would give it a shot.  I was reading that the 10-13 YZ450 clamps have a 22mm offset but that the upper clamp will not fit on the 06 forks, is this correct?  Does anyone know of another set of stock clamps that would fit the bike properly?  I really don't want to spend 400-500 dollars to find out it still won't corner well.

If there is no real cheap solution I may have to look at what I can do with the forks themselves but any mods there likely won't be that cheap either. 

 

[grayracer513]

There is no alternate OEM clamp set that you can use to alter the trail geometry of the '06-'09 that would be a simple bolt-on.   Try this:  assuming the right rate springs front and rear, set your sag at 95mm, and pull your forks up so the second line is 1-2 mm above the top clamp (yup, that's what I said).  Then, be sure the bar clamps are flipped around so they're offset forward, and try a Bridgestone m203 or a Dunlop MX32 in 90/100x21.  The bike wants you to sit forward when cornering, and I mean really forward, and it likes to be leaned in a bit farther than it gets when you and the bike are lined up vertically.

 

Also bear in mind that sand has many of the properties of a fluid, so you're always going to get some pushing and sliding around out of it.  Like riding on water, a little bit.

[sped68]

Would that not make the front end very heavy which in my mind for a lot of sand riding be the wrong way to go? Currently my sag is about 105mm and my forks are 2mm from flush. My bike seems so front heavy already I'm hesitant to make it feel heavier. It's a funny thing the front feels heavy in the sand but it sure doesn't like to turn.

[mikedabike]

Why not try it?  Doesn't cost anything, takes 15 minutes to test out.

[grayracer513]

Weigh the front end on a common bathroom scale before and after, then tell me.  The front end is light to start with, so it's more a correction than anything else.  Besides the weight change resulting from the miniscule change in wheelbase amounts to no more than a fraction of what results from moving your butt an inch either way. 

 

The change in handling is due to the change in geometry, even as subtle as it is, raising the rear and lowering the front makes the head angle steeper, and decreases trail, both of which will encourage the bike to steer more responsively "in" the corner.  It's never going to be an RM, or even close, and the only way to make it corner is to sort of adapt your style to the bike, as much if not more than the other way around.

[grayracer513]

It occurs to me that the front heavy feel you're complaining about can be because your rebound is too tight.  As the front dives at the entrance to a corner, the fork needs to rebound with enough energy to keep a stable force on the tire and let it track the surface.

[sped68]

Thanks for the info. I'll play around with the bike tomorrow if I get a chance and let you know what I find out.

Excuse my lack of understanding on the rebound adjustment recommendation, but should I be increasing rebound dampening or decreasing it?

[MidlifeCrisisGuy]

I put 2010 yz45of triple clamps on my 2012 wr450f.

It was a complete bolt on except that i had to bore the upper tc fork bores out from 54mm to 56mm. Took 45 minutes in a milling machine. Total cost $150.

The steering difference is quite noticable. My wr steers way better with the 22mm tcs.

[f150jokerstyle]

Ride engineering makes a 22mm off set for the 06-09 bikes. It is not what I would consider cheap at 500 bucks. Maybe able to find a set used? 

 

On another note, I'm running my forks up in the clamps on my 09 about 3mm and I also pulled a link out of my chain to run the rear wheel father forward than I see most people. when I do my part it turns as good as I would ever want. My rear axle is set at the third mark from the back thus pushing the wheel forwards. I'm 6'2 225 with the front sprung and valved and the rear sprung with a 6.2kg and valved all for desert. With this set up the bike does dance more at high speed but nothing that really bothers me. It just keeps you on your toes and thats a good thing in my book.