Kouba Link or Not

[Mike Rotella]

I dont believe the geometry is screwed up if you use a link. There are so many adjustments with the fork and shock, nothing is right to begin with. I only weigh 180 but I had to crank that preload down on the shock an inch to get 100mm. And these guys that say oh I run 95 or 105, much better, please Mr., eat a sandwich or fill a camelback and that 105 is now 110. Free sag? forget it, you'll never get that right. Oh how about when the temp drops ten degrees? Guess what, that shock is filled with gas, guess what gas does? Thats right, set the sag again!! Do you think I'm going to adjust my sag every time I take a sh*t? My 310 has a horrible fork and a crappy shock. My bike slides out every time I give it gas on EVERY turn. I really cant make it any worse, but at least I can touch the ground now, and I will NOT spend $800 bucks to have some guy put $200 of parts in my stock suspension on a bike I spent 8 grand on that is now for sale for 5. I dont need your special valves, come on, I'm an average rider and if I can tell the bike stinks then imagine what people think of it that are pros. (BTW they dont come on the forums) I cant go through a field for more than 30 seconds without the fork shaking and banging my hands to death, so bad that I have to let off and stop. Sorry Husky lovers, but thats not how its supposed to be. Back in 05 I raced a CRF250R a full season and never touched the bike. It was perfect, it never broke and never let me down. It was an MX bike that I raced in the woods and was plush as could be. I will pin this Husky until it blows up and then put it in the corner and go buy a freakin Honda like I should have in the first place! Ahhh, I feel much better now.

 

[Xcuvator]

I dont believe the geometry is screwed up if you use a link. There are so many adjustments with the fork and shock, nothing is right to begin with. I only weigh 180 but I had to crank that preload down on the shock an inch to get 100mm. And these guys that say oh I run 95 or 105, much better, please Mr., eat a sandwich or fill a camelback and that 105 is now 110. Free sag? forget it, you'll never get that right. Oh how about when the temp drops ten degrees? Guess what, that shock is filled with gas, guess what gas does? Thats right, set the sag again!! Do you think I'm going to adjust my sag every time I take a sh*t? My 310 has a horrible fork and a crappy shock. My bike slides out every time I give it gas on EVERY turn. I really cant make it any worse, but at least I can touch the ground now, and I will NOT spend $800 bucks to have some guy put $200 of parts in my stock suspension on a bike I spent 8 grand on that is now for sale for 5. I dont need your special valves, come on, I'm an average rider and if I can tell the bike stinks then imagine what people think of it that are pros. (BTW they dont come on the forums) I cant go through a field for more than 30 seconds without the fork shaking and banging my hands to death, so bad that I have to let off and stop. Sorry Husky lovers, but thats not how its supposed to be. Back in 05 I raced a CRF250R a full season and never touched the bike. It was perfect, it never broke and never let me down. It was an MX bike that I raced in the woods and was plush as could be. I will pin this Husky until it blows up and then put it in the corner and go buy a freakin Honda like I should have in the first place! Ahhh, I feel much better now.

I'm feeling your pain and it is nice to hear you are feeling better. Really. But a couple of things you said in your rant stand out (more than others) to me.
You say "I dont believe the geometry is screwed up if you use a link.", but then you say "My bike slides out every time I give it gas on EVERY turn. I really cant make it any worse, but at least I can touch the ground now,".
I played around with a 1" link on one of my bikes. Long story short, I was careful not to scratch it and was able to return it.
Huskys aren't for everyone, but then neither are Hondas.

 

[Micfasto]

Someone would make a fortune if they sold a "short" version of a full sized dirt bike.

The 2012 TE250 was factory lowered. I have not ridden one but I do not think they sold a lot of them.

 

[Mike Rotella]

I'm feeling your pain and it is nice to hear you are feeling better. Really. But a couple of things you said in your rant stand out (more than others) to me.
You say "I dont believe the geometry is screwed up if you use a link.", but then you say "My bike slides out every time I give it gas on EVERY turn. I really cant make it any worse, but at least I can touch the ground now,".
I played around with a 1" link on one of my bikes. Long story short, I was careful not to scratch it and was able to return it.
Huskys aren't for everyone, but then neither are Hondas.

The slide outs were before the link, I haven't ridden it with the link yet. I think the factory tires are the reason.

 

[Mike Rotella]

The 2012 TE250 was factory lowered. I have not ridden one but I do not think they sold a lot of them.

Yeah but that was a TE250, a foo foo bike, I meant a real dirt bike.

 

[Kyle Tarry]

I dont believe the geometry is screwed up if you use a link. There are so many adjustments with the fork and shock, nothing is right to begin with.

That's why you have to set the sag. If the sag isn't right (or if you lower only one end), the geometry isn't right.

I only weigh 180 but I had to crank that preload down on the shock an inch to get 100mm.

Well, the rear spring on the bike might not be stiff enough for your bike.

And these guys that say oh I run 95 or 105, much better, please Mr., eat a sandwich or fill a camelback and that 105 is now 110. Free sag? forget it, you'll never get that right. Oh how about when the temp drops ten degrees? Guess what, that shock is filled with gas, guess what gas does? Thats right, set the sag again!! Do you think I'm going to adjust my sag every time I take a sh*t?

Rear sag varies by something like 0.2-0.4 mm per pound of rider weight (approximately, depending on weight, spring, etc). So, to get 5mm of race sag change, you need to change by 13 pounds. If your dumps are that big, see a doctor. The sag should be set with your camelbak and all the gear on.

And, frankly, a 5mm sag change is not astronomical. If you're within 5mm of the target, you're doing fine.

My 310 has a horrible fork and a crappy shock. My bike slides out every time I give it gas on EVERY turn. I really cant make it any worse, but at least I can touch the ground now, and I will NOT spend $800 bucks to have some guy put $200 of parts in my stock suspension on a bike I spent 8 grand on that is now for sale for 5. I dont need your special valves, come on, I'm an average rider and if I can tell the bike stinks then imagine what people think of it that are pros.

So let's see. You don't have the right spring rate, your sag isn't set right, you have a lowering link so the geometry is all wrong, you're running tires that you agree might be the problem, and you refuse to get a revalve, and you're upset that your suspension doesn't work right?

Huskies don't use some magical (or crappy) suspension. They use basically the same stuff that every dirt bike uses. Some bikes need a revalve.

Additionally, the TXCs are set up for faster riders/riding, more of a GNCC-style setup. You should have known this when you bought it. It sounds like this isn't right for the way you want to use the bike, but how is that the bike's fault?

 

[Mike Rotella]

Those are some good points, yes it can be looked at both ways, some people can polish a terd. I agree, the rear spring is too light, but I'm only 180, who the heck rides a woods bike and weighs 150? And who are the forks setup for? Somebody who weighs 225? Its just setup wrong, you cant argue that. How about the cooling hoses under the fuel tank that are having holes worn in them as we speak, the crappy starter that wont start the bike in gear or while its hot. Or maybe the ridiculous oil line/screen that we have to remove and clean during an oil change at the bottom of the tranny? Or how about the giant nut(for the steering stem) that fell off(yes fell off!) after my first ride when i was lifting the bike to put it on the stand, or maybe the engine that was covered with oil one day because the valve cover was loose? Lets talk about the tool we have to buy to remove the front wheel, Really? Come on, the list goes on and on. You're loyal to the brand and thats ok, but these are facts, not opinions.

 

[Kyle Tarry]

Wait, are we complianing about suspension or is this just a general bitchfest?

I'm not brand loyal. Both of my Huskies have been great, I am sorry yours have not. Some of those problems are definitely unacceptable. However, a lot of it apparently is due to your unwillingness to make adjustments to your bike to suit you.

I'm not going to argue with you about it. Sell your bike and buy something that doesn't result in you posting complaints online.

 

[Mike Rotella]

It's not an arguement, I dont even know you. It just seems like we were all snookered. I've already posted asking for help. "sending my stuff to ZipTy" is not an answer. Not one person could even give me a freakin clicker setting or a spring weight suggestion. One guy did tell me to take out some oil and I appreciate that. Looks like Husky built a complete line of new bikes, advertised the crap out of them, then sold out possibly knowing there were issues with the bikes. Just my thoughts. I'm glad yours are working out for you. I will be getting rid of mine, thanks.

 

[Kyle Tarry]

I'm "snookered" because you're mad that a bike that you haven't bother to set up right, which isn't designed for your use, isn't the way you want it. That's not a reasonable expectation.

I don't buy your "I couldn't get help" argument. There is a GIANT thread on here about what your static and race sag should be, so that gets you spring rates, and lots of guys in there will make recommendations. For clicker settings, you need to try adjusting them, it's not that hard, but to start put the compression all the way out and the rebound half out. And yes, you might have to send the forks in!

Not like it's any use to "help" you now, you're clearly on the way out the door anyway.

 

[Kawagumby]

I've never owned a bike I didn't have to do suspension work on to make it work for me, and I've been riding dirt since the 60's.

I can't speak for the newer 310's, but the 09 I have has the best rear shock I can remember, the front, not so much, but I'm working on getting it dialed.

 

[oregonsage]

The 2012 TE250 was factory lowered. I have not ridden one but I do not think they sold a lot of them.

The short TE250s sold just fine, they only made a limited number and they sold quickly here. Husky had someone do internal lowering of both the forks and shock, not linkage changes. Dealers have used this trick to sell bikes to shorter people for some time. A TE250 with shortened suspension is still a more offroad capable machine than the TTR class bikes that usually get bought for this purpose....and TE250s are easy to hop up if you want the full TXC treatment.

As for the rest of this thread, sometimes you get lucky and a bike's stock suspension setup fits you perfectly... Ive never had that be the case with a Honda but sometimes one end or the other of my Husky's is pretty dang close so that clicker adjustments are all I need. I had to stiffen up my last BMW to ride it on the street!

 

[Ron West]

I realize this is an older thread, but I thought I'd post a question. I found an H-2 Kouba link for dirt cheap on ebay so I thought what the heck. I dropped the front forks as much as possible. It feels like the front is getting pushed around and I was searching for front traction all day. I had just put on a new Kenda k-760 so I'm not sure if it's me, the Kouba link or the tire, but I definitely need some advice. (other than I should have made one change at a time..... that ship has sailed)

 

[robertaccio]

not, much better to have both ends professionally lowered.

 

[Kawagumby]

Kouba links can be installed for two reasons, or a combinatin of the two; lowering and/or changing the way the rear end responds to terrain. The Kouba link changes the rising rate and effectively can soften the rear response if done properly, without changing geometry. If you set the sag for just lowering, and the front end sits too high, your geomtry is off and the the front end will push. The trick is to increase the preload on the shock spring to the point where you will still have some lowering, and still have good steering. For example, if you previously ran 4" sag, now with a Kouba, you'd run only 3.5 inches of sag to get the right geometry with a different rising rate. I'm experimenting now with two different bikes to find the sag (sweet spot) that nets some lowering and still have a rear suspension that laughs at stutter bumps and roots. Kouba has some guidelines on their website for performance setups vs lowering.

Check to make sure the kouba setup doesn't cause the shock to hit the swingarm on your bike - the website has some info on that also...the H2 can require some swingarm filing if it's set just for lowering.

 

[stushusky]

Put it this way, lowering the rear changes the angle of the forks to something more like a chopper, more stable in a straight line but harder to turn. That's why the front feels like it's pushing out in corners. You can drop the forks in the clamps but not enough for quicker steering, the tire hits the fender on full compression or the handlebars are in the way of the fork tubes. Better to get an extra inch by trimming the seat IMHO.

 

[Ron West]

Thanks for the info. I trimmed the seat, but then it got even more uncomfortable. I went with a Seat Concepts seat, which is amazing. I can ride almost all day long, but that brought me back up to where I'm searching for the ground if I need to dab a foot. I'll play with the sag. Prior to installing the Link I lowered the sag about as much as I could, and come to think of it, I didn't measure the sag after installing the Kouba link. I'll check out their website for info as well.

 

[Xcuvator]

Like I said in an earlier post, by the time I dialed the Kouba Link recommended sag my bike was back the the same ride height.
I was careful not to scratch it and was able to return it.

 

[ripnriding]

meh...makes ya grab more throttle and squeeze the tank harder in the technical sections hehehehe..this coming from a guy 5'6" with a 30" inseam...if your dabbin' ya ain't commitin

 

[Ron West]

meh...makes ya grab more throttle and squeeze the tank harder in the technical sections hehehehe..this coming from a guy 5'6" with a 30" inseam...if your dabbin' ya ain't commitin

I'm sure you are correct! But, there are a few boulder gardens around and it would be nice to reach the floor. Maybe I should just pick up an old trials bike and call it a day!