Spring spacers

[merv]

Merv,What you are saying is pretty much what they say on the progressive web site.
I get it but it makes my head spin :doh

I guess to sum up and hopefully keep your head spin-free, it would be worth you trying spacers or the VW springs first because what I explained is that they will stiffen up your forks - but right through the compression range. That may suit a guy your size and no harm trying that before spending money on new springs. If you don't like that when its done, then buy the progressive springs.

[FROSTY:Me]

You probably already know this but a couple of points from the article on xs hot ups that caught my eye. Don't use a wrap around type fork brace because to brace the forks together it will cause friction inside the forks.
The kind they say to use looks like it loops over the front mudguard and bolts to the guard mounts either side.
They also suggested to deep brace the swing arm to stiffen up the rear end

[Jackrat]

You probably already know this but a couple of points from the article on xs hot ups that caught my eye. Don't use a wrap around type fork brace because to brace the forks together it will cause friction inside the forks.
The kind they say to use looks like it loops over the front mudguard and bolts to the guard mounts either side.
They also suggested to deep brace the swing arm to stiffen up the rear end

Yeah I read that after I bought the Tarosi brace,That's why I havn't fitted it yet.I'm going to look into that first.I have a spare swing arm that I will brace as I work my way around the bike.Although at this stage I'm not sure it really needs it.I fited the new springs when I got back from Auck's,I also had a new rear tyre fitted.It's an M68 Strada from Pirelli.
Just got back from a run up Awhitu rd to the Manuku heads.
The bike now feels totaly different,hit some mid corner bumps hard to see what it would do.I'd say 75% of the scary stuff is now gone.Actualy the whole bike now feels a LOT more stable.
That's now me broke till next month,Until then I'm quite happy.
Cheers all.

[F5 Dave]

Good to hear you are happy with the improvement.
I had a friend with an XJ racebike (yeah I know!) which had a forkbrace. I pushed down on the forks & they barely moved. “stiff isn’t it?” he says.

Pass the allen key sez I. Oh look the forks move now. Throw that thing away.


Merv you have missed the point with adding the VW Springs. It does change the spring rate. It lowers it.

The steepness of a line on a graph flattens out as the spring rate lowers, the preload is where the graph starts (usually the X axis). The more & more preload you add comparatively makes the rate more likely to behave flatter percentage wise thus it requires a bigger bump to start the spring compressing & only slightly bigger ones to use more & more travel. The problem is better combated with steeper spring-rate. Lots of preload sure makes the forks seem stiffer pushing on them though.

Yamahas traditionally come too softly suspended in the front anyway.

If you want to be cheap about it (as I usually do), you can increase the spring rate for free.


Basically the less active coils (all the ones that aren’t touching at either end) a spring has the higher (stiffer) the spring rate.

So how much to cut off?

(Old spring rate x active coils)/desired spring rate.

That gives me the number of coils I want left. In my case on my old KDX I had .3 springs & 33 active coils & I wanted .33 springs. (works with pounds as well). This = 30 coils so I cut off 3 from the original 33. (Usually the numbers aren’t this round, with rear springs be more accurate).

I just used a disc grinder to lop the coils off & then GENTLY using a bit of heat from a handheld propane torch or whatever bend the cut part down to touch the lower coil & dress it up to look like it did before you cut it.

The springs measured 495mm before & 440 after, so we have to make up the difference to keep the preload the same. The std spacer was 85mm so a new one 140mm was cut from a piece of 34mmID (37OD) plumbing pipe. (OK so I spent $2 so sue me!)

Job done.

You can stiffen Front springs, Rear springs, even clutch springs, as long as you make up a spacer to retain the preload. Just beware if you are going to lop off quite a bit -that there is still room so the spring doesn’t coil bind.

[Motu]

The XS650 is a strange bike to try and set up alright Jack - you can do all the right things to no avail,then some stupid little thing you do that should have no effect whatever transforms the bike.My mate who came on the ride with us has played around with these things so much that he will try 3 or 4 swing arms till he finds one he's happy with.That TX750 one he has in now is much bigger looking than the 650 one.I have some RD swingarms he gave me that fit the XS1 with some mods,the the XS1 swing arm is shorter than the later models.

If you can hit a mid corner bump on these things and not get too scared you are getting close.

[FROSTY:Me]

Yeah I read that after I bought the Tarosi brace,That's why I havn't fitted it yet.I'm going to look into that first.I have a spare swing arm that I will brace as I work my way around the bike.Although at this stage I'm not sure it really needs it.I fited the new springs when I got back from Auck's,I also had a new rear tyre fitted.It's an M68 Strada from Pirelli.
Just got back from a run up Awhitu rd to the Manuku heads.
The bike now feels totaly different,hit some mid corner bumps hard to see what it would do.I'd say 75% of the scary stuff is now gone.Actualy the whole bike now feels a LOT more stable.
That's now me broke till next month,Until then I'm quite happy.
Cheers all.

so did ya use the spacers or the progressive springs??