TE/TC AER fork discussion

[87husky500xc]

They are definitely getting good reviews from what I've heard anyways.

 

[robertaccio]

well I went back to the OEM extrapolated (my chart) chart for suspension/chassis balance. I had been running lower pressure up front. That is now out and the chart spec has been followed. However I did open the comp up on the forks to make up for the higher spring rate, higher in the travel set up. The bike works so good now that I'm operating at @ 10 bar but with clickers open comp. Much more stable and controlled into tight corners. I just practice a little front brake trail with one finger to keep er settled. Also with the added air I can drop off high rocks with full bottoming control even with the comp open up.
Here it is again, if you want to believe me (along with the OEM engineers/testers/Pro inputs)
I have 48 N/mm rear spring so I'm at compensated 10bar up front (meaning I started at @9.9 bar)

 

[retromlc]

I'm interested in these, there's a few reviews from Australia mags and fact and fiction.
Checking pressure before every ride is no big deal, u check, chain tension, oil filter, TUbliss pressure, etc etc before every ride, so checking fork pressure is nothing to stress about.yiu could always fill air with a pump with a moisture filter like they have for air rifles.to clean the air up

 

[fletchman45]

Simply put....dont be a hater or envious of something you are not sure about....last air forks 2017 tc 250....rebuild at 60 hours...condition at time if rebuild...oil still looked good...fork seals fine...replaced for maintenance reasons only....new 2018 tc 250 forks...18 hours... last race performance Huntersville enduro...2nd place super senior A.....30th overall...how often air pressure checked...lol same as tire pressure...once a month if needed or not...best advantage to AER....simple almost four pounds lighter then a spring fork! My 18 te 250 with explorer fork...PLUSH...not great when pushed....(however a te is porky compared to a tc!)...my AER revalved fork feels better then ANY of my red bike kybs....(they were revalved) as well...and honestly my 15 4cs revalved fork wasn't half bad either...if you need electric start...i think tx 300 would be the ticket...however I prefer the motocross 5 speed (with 13 to 50 gearing) over my six speed te....(I didn't keep it long) hated six speed in woods...extra 15 pounds as well...very nice stock suspension for average rider...i have talked to people who have had the air fork do a sort of collapse in cold weather....i love these forks! I wish they had a tx 150....

 

[95jersey]

Simply put....dont be a hater or envious of something you are not sure about....last air forks 2017 tc 250....rebuild at 60 hours...condition at time if rebuild...oil still looked good...fork seals fine...replaced for maintenance reasons only....new 2018 tc 250 forks...18 hours... last race performance Huntersville enduro...2nd place super senior A.....30th overall...how often air pressure checked...lol same as tire pressure...once a month if needed or not...best advantage to AER....simple almost four pounds lighter then a spring fork! My 18 te 250 with explorer fork...PLUSH...not great when pushed....(however a te is porky compared to a tc!)...my AER revalved fork feels better then ANY of my red bike kybs....(they were revalved) as well...and honestly my 15 4cs revalved fork wasn't half bad either...if you need electric start...i think tx 300 would be the ticket...however I prefer the motocross 5 speed (with 13 to 50 gearing) over my six speed te....(I didn't keep it long) hated six speed in woods...extra 15 pounds as well...very nice stock suspension for average rider...i have talked to people who have had the air fork do a sort of collapse in cold weather....i love these forks! I wish they had a tx 150....

YES. The AER fork is one of the best forks I have ever ridden. I have had KYB SSS with $1000 revalve mods, and I like the stock Air fork better. It is SO plush, yet firm at the same time. It is super light and the front end has race car precision. I bought the TX simply so I could get the fork. I would not buy a TE or any Husky that did not have this fork. Never had any failure, the fluctuating air pressure is a NON-issue. It may increase 2-3lbs from AM to end of day, but it doesn't really effect the plushness of the fork. You really don't need to check it every ride. It does not lose air between rides. This is sitting for a couple weeks. Having the flexibility to change the fork pressure to ride in rocks, then sand or motocross is awesome. Once you have the fork, you wouldn't buy a KTM/Husky without one. Yes that good.

 

[robertaccio]

I am 100% with Fletch on these things---once set up they are like air pillows in the heavy load g out stuff and react flawlessly to high speed hits (sharp rocky stuff) all while being noticeably lighter up front!!

 

[dirt addict]

The difference between a nitrogen molecule and oxygen plays a part. Nitrogen is smaller. It requires a tighter tolerance. At least thats what Ive heard.
I like the air forks so far. I check the pressure at the beginning of each day i ride. I have a set of explore forks too. They work great... imho....

 

[tahoeacr]

Nitrogen molecules are larger. Oxygen has one more proton so the nuclei has a greater positive charge that pulls the protons in closer. Nitrogen doesn't have the water content that you get in air. The water is what expands. If someone didn't like the AER forks because their getting stiffer at the end of a race they should purge the air out and run nitrogen.

 

[95jersey]

I love my aer but lets be accurate here. Air and nitrogen expand almost the same amount with heat, as per boyles gas law. Basic physics and chemistry. Google the nitrogen institute. Water does not expand until it approaches vapour temp (boiling). If your forks get over 212f there might be other issues. This is not a discussion for here. I would rather talk about diy valve stack changes to tweak the fine aer for roots and rocks. Cam

Sorry this is not accurate. That is why they put nitrogen in tires now because it expands far less than air. I have nitrogen in my trailer tires and wether it is 50F or 85F out the pressure is relatively consistent. In my air forks if I put in 140lbs at 80F and the temp drops to 55F overnight, the pressure drops like 5lbs, and does the reverse the other way around.

In the AER, it really isn't an issue because unless you keep your bike in a refrigerator a temp variant of 10-15 degrees is not enough to cause a major spike in pressure. So say the day starts out at 75F in the AM, but then gets to 85F in the PM, you may see an increase of 1-2 PSI but nothing that will effect the way the suspension works. Contrary to what you hear 2 PSI has little effect on the performance of the air fork. I found you need to go 5 PSI to notice a difference.

 

[retromlc]

I thought they used nitrogen because the molecules are bigger and they leak down less.

 

[robertaccio]

Let's not be brain surgeons just use the WP air pump record your changes/settings and get your spring rate setting (because that's what the air is just a spring rate), mine has climbed as much a 5psi with a notable feel change , but now we are in a much more constant temp season here so I have seen the rise be noticeable on the gauge at a few psi but not feel noticeable as stated above. a few psi no worries. just set a little bit low to compensate for frictional heat and OAT (outside air temp) and on site for local altitude. And ride the thing.

 

[robertaccio]

balance is so important. and that 35mm 105mm sag recommendation from Husky really is spot on, just match that spring rate up rear to front and find the sweet spot using clickers. Like I said I'm now using the chart for balanced spring rate setting and then using the clickers to make it move where I want it. Remember that clickers/valve setting will hold up suspension in the travel. I like open comp up front with open reb out back for turning.

 

[omamari]

Hi Team

First time poster. I have a 2017 TX300 with... the AER48s. Going great - until they lost pressure. May have been because I transport without a fork saver ( I won't from now on! ), may be random, may be because I bottomed out at the MX track, or maybe I bottomed out because I already lost pressure. Anyway, here I am. Sad. Bike has around 95 hours.

Has anyone rebuilt these, and could provide some pointers? Or know of any instructions to rebuild the air cartridge? I assume the X ring seal has gone. See article: https://transmoto.com.au/wps-air-fork-improved-2018/ Any idea where I can order parts from?

The local Husky dealer which I never go to, because a) they are hopeless, b) they are expensive and c) I like doing my own work - didn't know what an air fork was, and didn't know how to service them. Go NZ.

Thanks heaps

 

[Ward125s]

Had my 18 lowered 3/4 of an inch (I'm 5'7"). Wasn't looking to touch the ground. I wanted to be able to leverage the bike better. Was told by many suspension companies that lowering would be permanent. Found a local guy who said that was incorrect, so I gave it a shot. Explained the bike needed to be valved off-road, but occasional moto as well. I really liked lowering the bike, but the valving was more impressive. Action was smoother than stock. Happy with the way the bike motos and rides off-road.

 

[ptkatoomer]

Had my 18 lowered 3/4 of an inch (I'm 5'7"). Wasn't looking to touch the ground. I wanted to be able to leverage the bike better. Was told by many suspension companies that lowering would be permanent. Found a local guy who said that was incorrect, so I gave it a shot. Explained the bike needed to be valved off-road, but occasional moto as well. I really liked lowering the bike, but the valving was more impressive. Action was smoother than stock. Happy with the way the bike motos and rides off-road.

Curious who did your suspension?

 

[lankydoug]

Hi Team

First time poster. I have a 2017 TX300 with... the AER48s. Going great - until they lost pressure. May have been because I transport without a fork saver ( I won't from now on! ), may be random, may be because I bottomed out at the MX track, or maybe I bottomed out because I already lost pressure. Anyway, here I am. Sad. Bike has around 95 hours.

Has anyone rebuilt these, and could provide some pointers? Or know of any instructions to rebuild the air cartridge? I assume the X ring seal has gone. See article: https://transmoto.com.au/wps-air-fork-improved-2018/ Any idea where I can order parts from?

The local Husky dealer which I never go to, because a) they are hopeless, b) they are expensive and c) I like doing my own work - didn't know what an air fork was, and didn't know how to service them. Go NZ.

Thanks heapsView attachment 96209

I've done a set for a friend. He bought all the special sockets form Rocky Mountian ATV and new seals. They are pretty straight forward forks. If someone put a gun to my head and said I had to run air forks or die I'd pick AER 48s. If you've done KYBs or pretty much any fork you'll be able to handle doing them.

 

[geastman]

... If someone put a gun to my head and said I had to run air forks or die I'd pick AER 48s...

Don't hold back, what do you really think about air forks?

 

[lankydoug]

Don't hold back, what do you really think about air forks?

The problem with air forks is if you're a big guy and very far outside the average guy window of 5'10' 165 lbs then you have to increase the air pressure which is no different than preloading a spring. If you have to go too far it stacks just like preloading a weak spring. The solution would be to make the fork tube bigger so you could have a bigger air chamber. Of course no manufacturer is going to do that so I'll have to stick with a spring fork. I will admit that the Husky I rode with the AER48 forks felt really light up front, I got more feedback on the little stuff but not in a bad way just different. For me KYB has them all beat.

 

[robertaccio]

OK I will admit (to Fletch especially) for my pre race 2019 Tecate enduro my local suspension guy is installing NK696s WP spring cartridge kit into my AER48 fork, (NK696 has WP cone valve WP factory stuff for 2020) so I have a more old guy plush for the long rock filled single tracks of the Tecate Enduro. And no I do not dislike the AER48s they are great racing forks it's the fact that when I go in the 95% mode they are brilliant and very safe. It's just when I get into the long test enduro mode I'm at 75% mostly and for those really ugly sections meaning slow bounce spine compressors/trials type stuff My suspension is a little on the stiff side. I asked S101 George Spinali, Suspension 101 for a more plush old school enduro set up. So it goes like this.
The shortest possible fork spring with a spacers to keep weight mass down combined with the WP Spring kit/cartridge, probably a .48 spring rate (still don't know) with a ported valve and some Belleville washer type valve stack S101 magic and base valve anti bottoming set up with midvalve direct external preload adjustment. Out back we are doing a bigger bleed on comp and for now sticking with my 48N/mm single rate WP spring, with the option of using a progressive rate spring ( 3 different ones on order). Testing will commence asap. All my AER48 components will be kept intact if I want to reuse install.

I feel nervous about relenting...….but I am keeping this bike into the 2020 season so a new setup feels well....like a new bike and plus I'm pushing into my 59th year =OLD.
This is the only bike in forever that I have not done any suspension mods to other than spring/air pressure rate changes. So here we go!!! See picture this is the WP factory kit we are installing, PS I got the Italian compadre (goombah) discount on the system that retails for about @$700.

 

[robertaccio]

For Fletch the weight of the system according to WP is 6lbs!! We will cut that by using a short spring with a plastic/PVC pipe spacer with very very little preload, just enough to prevent (my dreaded) spring rattles!! BTW NK696 is Noah Kepple.
factory Connection says the kit (theirs which is basically the same thing) adds 2.8 (3 lbs)