spacer length

[mesenger1]

I am changing the stock springs for the race tech 1.0 springs, do you guys cut the spacer to mach the length of the stock spring and spacer?

I weigth 195 lbs.

[redxxrdr]

I'll start by saying I have only read about doing it.

My understanding is that you will need to cut your spacers to give you the correct SAG. Spacers can be washers, machined spacers, or many seem to be using schedule 40 pvc pipe. If you use pipe, make sure that ALL burrs are off the pipe and it is VERY clean. Any crap in the forks will ruin what you are trying to do.

Starting with a spacer cut to match your origional spring length with the old should get you to a good starting point.

The stronger spring, shouldn't compress as much, so your SAG will be different with no other changes. Without a preload adjuster, we have to do trial and error on the XX.

I am attaching this link on suspensions, maybe it will help.

Suspension Setup

Hopefully someone who has experience on this will chime in now.

Good Luck, and take pictures.

Craig

[dunedain]

I am changing the stock springs for the race tech 1.0 springs, do you guys cut the spacer to mach the length of the stock spring and spacer?

I weigth 195 lbs.

What Craig siad + I too put RT 1.0 in my XX.

Yes cut the spacer match what was in the bike and dont forget the washers on both ends of the spacer too or the end condition of the spring will chew on the spacer.

If you get it back together and check your sag and find it's not enough then you can easily (by opening ONLY one fork tube at a time) put some shorter spacers in to take some of the preload out or longer if you decide you need moe pre-load (cause you're getting too much sag) while they are on the bike.

Clean, clean, clean. Make it clean. Lots of contact cleaner.

My two cents.

[pug]

I am changing the stock springs for the race tech 1.0 springs, do you guys cut the spacer to mach the length of the stock spring and spacer?

I weigth 195 lbs.

What Craig siad + I too put RT 1.0 in my XX.

Yes cut the spacer match what was in the bike and dont forget the washers on both ends of the spacer too or the end condition of the spring will chew on the spacer.

If you get it back together and check your sag and find it's not enough then you can easily (by opening ONLY one fork tube at a time) put some shorter spacers in to take some of the preload out or longer if you decide you need moe pre-load (cause you're getting too much sag) while they are on the bike.

Clean, clean, clean. Make it clean. Lots of contact cleaner.

My two cents.

Washers are present only between spring and spacer, not between spacer and fork cup..... :icon_think:

[John01XX]

Stock spacers are 200mm long

I have 100mm longer springs installed so I cut my OEM spacers in half and used them again

[dunedain]

I am changing the stock springs for the race tech 1.0 springs, do you guys cut the spacer to mach the length of the stock spring and spacer?

I weigth 195 lbs.

What Craig siad + I too put RT 1.0 in my XX.

Yes cut the spacer match what was in the bike and dont forget the washers on both ends of the spacer too or the end condition of the spring will chew on the spacer.

If you get it back together and check your sag and find it's not enough then you can easily (by opening ONLY one fork tube at a time) put some shorter spacers in to take some of the preload out or longer if you decide you need moe pre-load (cause you're getting too much sag) while they are on the bike.

Clean, clean, clean. Make it clean. Lots of contact cleaner.

My two cents.

Washers are present only between spring and spacer, not between spacer and fork cup..... :icon_think:

Correct. I go ahead and seperate the spacer from the end cap with a washer to keep the spacer from grinding into the end cap since it's soft aluminum and the edge of the spacer is like a dull knife to try not to make as much metal in the fork oil. It's always bothered me how metalic my fork oil gets from two years riding and this seemd to help some. just my 2 cents

[pug]

.......

Correct. I go ahead and seperate the spacer from the end cap with a washer to keep the spacer from grinding into the end cap since it's soft aluminum...

...Aluminum alloy, i.e. no soft.

[tomek]

Stock spacers are 200mm long

I have 100mm longer springs installed so I cut my OEM spacers in half and used them again

That is wrong way to do it,although it is common mistake.You can`t calculate spacer lenght by comparing free lenght of spring.

[pug]

Stock spacers are 200mm long

I have 100mm longer springs installed so I cut my OEM spacers in half and used them again

That is wrong way to do it,although it is common mistake.You can`t calculate spacer lenght by comparing free lenght of spring.

Although I did the same with John (edited) when I experimented with ZZR1200 linear fork springs in the past, Tomek (edited) is right.

The spacer represents the preload for the spring, so when you are using heavier spring whith the same preload your front end will ride higher (not to mention the quicker rebound). I tried to compensate by changing the position of the triple clamps but it would be better if I had cut the spacers shorter and then adjust the preload whith spacers.

You can do calculatons, but at the end is a trial & error procedure.... :icon_doh:

[redxxrdr]

Suspension threads are about like Oil threads.

Since I haven't done it yet, and want to do it right when I do.

My understanding is that we base our suspension (preload) by the SAG setting. Heavier springs are required for those of us who are larger than the " standard rider" that Honda designed the bike for.

Once the springs are installed, we need to adjust the SAG again. Since we don't have preload adjusters, we do this with shims. Correct?

The bird is also overdamped, ( suspension moves too slow). So the quick fix has been to go to a lower viscosity oil to allow the suspension to react quicker.

So we get a spring that allows the proper suspension travel for our weight and riding style. Adjust the SAG to set this travel with shims.

We then pick a oil that allows the suspension to respond as quickly as we want.

Valves, oil, polishng tubes, and blackmagic will make it better, but springs and oil get the best results the quickest.

Did I understand it correctly?

[jcrich]

Once the springs are installed, we need to adjust the SAG again. Since we don't have preload adjusters, we do this with shims. Correct?

No, incorrect, you adjust the sag by the length of the spacer ( regardless of what material it is made of, aluminum, pvc pipe, etc).

[tomek]

I guess you could decrease SAG by using shims.Like for 2-3 mm change,Why not,who is stopping you ?

XX has too much high speed damping,slow speed seems to be O.K.,at least for me .I weight 190.

By high spped I mean speed of suspension movement,when you hit small "square" bump or crack in the pavement,or go fast over raw surface.Good example would be when you go fast over railroad crossings,with high end suspension you just don`t feel it.

Slow speed damping effects suspension movement when you get on the throttle,or get on the brakes and bike dives,or when you flick it into a corner and suspension has to compress.

Thinner oil would help high speed damping but bike would not have enough slow speed damping.

The only right way to do it is to revalve dampers.

[redxxrdr]

Yes I said shims, I meant spacers. And to fine tune, I will probably use some type of shim.

I know my stock SAG is too large, and no I haven't fixed it yet.

The challenge is that none of my previous bikes had adjustable suspensions, so I am learning.

Suspension is not a place that I want to try trial and error.

Thanks for the feedback,

Craig

[dunedain]

.......

Correct. I go ahead and seperate the spacer from the end cap with a washer to keep the spacer from grinding into the end cap since it's soft aluminum...

...Aluminum alloy, i.e. no soft.

OK then. I just did a Rockwell C hardness test on it and it left a big divot in the cap and no reading so I need to use the B scale (HRB 86.8) To me thats soft but if you heaved this "alloy" piece at my face and hit it I'd consider it hard.

FWIW