Anyone ever heard of Pro Prept Racing in Escondido (San Diego County) ? This guy, Rudy, has been in there for about 10 years doing suspension work. I got his name from a friend of mine who had is Yamaha WR-250 suspension completely re-sprung and re-valved, front and rear, for about $600. I rode the bike and I was very impressed. He's a RaceTech dealer so he's using quality valves.
So I give this guy a shot. I call him up and ask about my '04 KX500. I'm about 225 with my gear on so without any further conversation, he tells me to bring in the front forks at a minimum. He's reluctant to do anything with the rear shock as of yet. He wants me to try out a front suspension modification first. In stock form, I'm bottoming out the front on jumps and hill climbing at fast speeds through ruts and rocks seems a little harsh. So I bring in the forks. Basically, he dissasembles the fork right there in front of me and inspects the valves. Tells me the stock valves are probably going to be fine and doesn't recommend a valve replacement. Suggests a stiffer spring replacement and going down on the clickers to the soft side. Notices a few burrs on the lower tubes and agrees to buff those out. Also notices a damaged stud on the front axle clamp and agrees to replace that. New springs, seals, fluid, and repair service, including labor, ran me $200. Can't beat that since I showed up with a $600 budget. So I ask him what if we realize down the road that a valve replacement may be necessary. He's so confident in his analysis that he gives me a 60 day trial period to try out his work. If I feel that a re-valve is necessary within that 60 day period, he'll do the work with no additional labor charge. He also gives me a 30 day guarantee on the seals. Any problems with those and he'll replace them free.
Guarantees with dirt bike service !!!!! What's up with that !!!!
We'll see. I called my friend who had the WR-250 work done and he's been running that modification for over a year. Couldn't be happier. I guess we'll find out in the next couple of days...
Anyways, if you're interested, you can reach Rudy at 760-489-5774.
Todd
