KX500 Suspension setup

[ShanMan]

I have just recently gotten back into dirtbikes After a long absence. I scored an awesome deal on an '87 KX500. The bike is so clean and so tight you would think it is a '97, not an '87. Anyway, the suspension on the bike was set up for the previous owner who weighed about 180 lbs. The work was done at PPS in SoCal. (I have been told not to go there) I took it to Glamis last weekend, and the bike simply rips! However, I weigh about 230 lbs. and the bike is waaay to soft for me. Can I simply adjust the current suspension to better cope with my weight, or should I have it redone with new, stiffer springs? Bare in mind, I have never done any serious wrenching on a dirt bike, although I have years of road racing experience. If I can adjust the current shock & forks, do they have to be removed to do it? Thanks for any help you can provide me.

[Paul]

Hey ShanMan, I'm headed to Glamis this weekend (Wash 13). GOtta get a dune fix before its too late. I have a 2001 so take this for what its worth... I'm 6" 225 and run .46 fork springs and a 5.6 shock spring. I do alot of desert racing so my valving is softer and I use the springs for my weight.

I don't know of any SoCal suspension tuners but if you want / need to bounce some ideas off a great tuner call mine, Randy @ Mototworks.

[moburki]

unfortunately, on the dirt bikes, there is no fork preload adjustment, without shimming the spring. also, the stock fork springs tend to be on the very soft side. recently having re-sprung my forks, i would reccomend going to the race-tech website and run through their custom suspension routine. it'll reccomend a spring rate. it made night and day difference for me. i sure wouldn't ride stock springs on closed course pavement, and now i know i probably will always make appropriate suspension changes on my dirt bike. rear shock seems to accomodate my weight pretty well. good luck dialing it, and have fun. oh yeah, you would'nt ride on the track without a steering damper, would you?  thats another thing i added, big bucks, but enormous gains.

$.02
mo

[ShanMan]

hey guys...thanks for the replies! I WISH I was headed back to Glamis this weekend, but that would be three weekends in a row, and I have a growing list of things to get done around the house (d**n it!). Plus, it might be raining on Saturday (wet sand...blech!)

Anyway, sounds like I wasn't the first one to discover that Kawasaki likes to equip their bikes with ball point pen springs huh? Funny, their street bikes were the same way for years and years. I suppose as a quick fix, I could do the old PVC spacer in the fork tube trick to stiffen them up, but that would reduce travel, and that would suck worse! I will hit the sites you guys recommended to find out the best course of action.

I was looking into a Scotts dampener. Most of my riding will either be in the desert, the dunes or some tasty trails. I hardly think that trying to go MX'ing at this point in my life will result in anything more than big medical bills! LOL! Do they have a begginer on a pyscho-fast scooter class for the over 35 club??? Anyway, it seems as though the dampener might be a good investment in my safety. I'll look into it.

Now if I could only find some cool plastics....