96 kx250 needs a new rear spring

[kawidad250]

hey this will be my first rear spring replacement. Im going with a race tech 5.2. Currently im about 245im planning on doing the front springs next month. Besides swapping the new with the old spring. what else should i look at or take care of while the rear end is apart. This is my first dirtbike so its gonna be my first time getting my hands dirty. I do have a shop manual for the bike so its gonna be a step by step process. Any help please. Im not looking to compete just have fun in the dirt with a bike that is set up for me.

[hughes]

It just depends on how far you want to go with it. I would clean and re-grease the upper/lower shock bearings, swing arm bearings and lower link bearings while your there. This should be a good start.

[Hillclimb#42]

There is an excellent write-up on Sag by Paul. Race sag and Static sag, which is how much the bike squats with you on it, and the other is the amount it settles on the ground after you take it off the stand. This will get your spring set-up with the right pre-load.
  96 is a nice ,fast, bike.

[kawidad250]

Well i figure while i have that much apart I want to do it right and not get it back together and say why didnt i do that too. thanks for the tips so far. im going from farm riding to track riding so i have a lot to learn and experience. the local track i have access to seems to  be quite challenging, but ill just keep at it  and tackle one thing at a time between jumps and trying to keep up the speed in the corners. Its a tight track.

[DoldGuy]

Kawidad,
Also check the lower shock bearing for any play. I bet over 90% of the KX's that I look at need one, & they are inexpensive to replace. If left neglected it can & will eat up your linkage & possibly break it at the wrong time. Also if you are running tight tracks you might want to look into shorter pull rods (Dog Bones) as this makes (in my opinion) the biggest difference in the front end "sticking" of all the things I have tried and moderatly priced. Pro Circuit made some as did Devol (I like the Devols).