All 2st Revalve or Replace Front forks?

[Sandgroper]

Just wondering why people are complaining about the Marz forks on the 09. Are they that bad compared to the KYBs? I have only been offroad on my 09 once and wasnt too worried about the front end as it needs to be run in first. I did notice it was soft but at the same time it didnt bottom out on me in the dunes.

If 300 riders were to upgrade the the front end what would be the best option to improve the ride up front:

Revalve (aftermarket high flow valve kit)?
or
Replace with a decent secondhand pair of forks from something like a KTM 300 EXC? or 450XC?

The riding I do is mostly open desert and lots of dunes.

 

[motosapiens]

They might work fine in the sand. I found them fine for trailriding, but for racing (expert class) they were too soft on big hits while still being a little harsh in the rocks. Les at LTR (not very close to dubai) revalved them so they work awesomely for my terrain, which is a mix of sandwashes, extreme rocks, chop, whoops, mud, dirt, more rocks, logs, etc.....

 

[rich300]

I had my 09 300 revalved by enduro enginering and they work great,dont buy some old used ktm fork that you would need to rebuild.just fix your new forks.:ride:

 

[lankydoug]

I think the 50mm forks on the 09s are a great place to start. I weigh 210lbs so pretty much any bike I buy will have to be set up with different springs and valving on both front and rear. Les at LTR told me that he could get my 09 wr250 working as good as the Ohlins on my GAS GAS and that is all I needed to hear. I made a deal on a left over bike the next day. IMHO besides the rider suspension is the next most important part of the combo. If you can't get the power to the ground what good is a screaming motor.

 

[ohmygewd]

Well a 'decent' pair off a KTM300 or 450 won't help you either???

Replacing OE front forks is extreme IMHO unless you are Antonie Meo and racing WEC because they still need to be revalved for the rider, his style and the terrain - get them revalved and sprung for your weight and riding conditions both front and back.

 

[dartyppyt]

Think of them as going to go get a new pair of sneakers (tennis shoes). Right now, you got a pair of sneakers included in the purchase, that fit everyone in general. They could be too tight on your feet or too loose or too stiff.
Now you go to a shoe store and the shoe salesman comes over and says, may I help you? You say, I want to buy a new pair of sneakers! Salesman says what kind, I have about 30 pairs up on the wall. He says, what do you need them for? You say, I want to start walking 2 miles every morning. He says well, lets look at the walking tennis shoes. I don't think your going to walk every morning in a pair of leather sole dress shoes, right?

You have a good pair of forks/ a shock, they are tuned for everyone in general. They are usually stiff at first and need broken in. Then you need to have them sized (springs) for your weight and then fitted (revalved) to what your going to use them for/your level of riding. I always figure that the forks/shock get done 1st on my list (every bike has to have them done). Interview some suspension guys on the phone and then make your choice. The one that usually takes the time out, listens to me, tells me what he'll do, get's my business. Also, try and support the suspension guys on this site because they get involved and care about us!

 

[Sandgroper]

Ok darty I will keep my shoes on as they are not run in as yet
I will also hunt for a decent relvalve kit.
I need a kit that I can put in myself or send to the local shop and have them put it in.

Any recomendations for a campany that may have a desert suitable kit appreciated

 

[tony_dt]

If I replaced it I wouldn't use the forks off of a KTM. I like KTM's also but I don't care for the WP forks. I would probably go the Kayaba route. The Marks are good forks, but not much options for valving. I did use the Racetech valves in mine and sprung appropriatly. I would use LTR in a heartbeat also.

 

[pvduke]

before you send your suspension out, what is it doing that you dont like? what problems are you having? is it broken in?

have you adjusted it from your baseline and made notes of same and the changes effect?

it takes several hours to break it in. i've seen guys send in their suspension before they even rode the bike, why?! also- after break-in, get the oil changed. then you can accurately re-evaluate.

start with a base line as in the OM, or one that you like, then make one change at a time to one circuit, then re-test, to address an issue you are having (if any) and ride it on a closed loop.

one click can make a BIG difference.

a telescoping m/c fork is little more than a valved piston moving trough oil with a spring to rebound it after compression, regardless of the name on the leg. barring any glaring defects and very slight design differences they are all the same and infintely adjustable internall and externally.

 

[motosapiens]

Ok darty I will keep my shoes on as they are not run in as yet
I will also hunt for a decent relvalve kit.
I need a kit that I can put in myself or send to the local shop and have them put it in.

Any recomendations for a campany that may have a desert suitable kit appreciated

since you are in a place that makes shipping to the US unreasonable, I would start by contacting either les at LT racing, or javier at Trailtricks. I know javier has in the past made DIY valving suggestions for folks with wp forks.

If you have never worked on forks before, it's a little intimidating, but not really hard, esp if you are only working on the base valve.