250-500cc Spring rates for 09' wr300??

[PC.]

Anyone know?

 

[BikeSDP]

I believe the stocker (rear) is a 5.4. Check w/ Kelly at MotoSportz. I got a rear spring from him

 

[motosapiens]

i believe 5.4 is correct. iirc, forks are .47 stock. LTR recommended .44's for me.

 

[Vinduro]

On my WR150, I have settled on .40kg fork springs and a 6.0kg shock spring. My sags are perfect for a 180-185lb. rider. The 300 should not be much different. Springs determine how the bike sits in it's stroke. Bottoming is controlled by the valving / damping. Oh, I had about 25% of the high speed damping removed. I race H/S and Enduro. "A" + Class rider.

 

[PC.]

My local tuner is telling me .48 and 5.6 for me @ 200# without gear, which seems pretty consistent with what other tuners have done for my suspension on other bikes.

Vinduro,
your spring rates do not seem very standard. Not saying they are not correct, but they do not sound like the norm for a 185# rider from the little suspension knowledge I have learned over the years. I assume you have access to various spring rates to test with and came to these rates through trial and error. A luxury I dont have with springs costing $100 a pop.

That fork spring rate seems really soft for a 180# man, no?

 

[Xcuvator]

Vinduro,
your spring rates do not seem very standard. Not saying they are not correct, but they do not sound like the norm for a 185# rider from the little suspension knowledge I have learned over the years. I assume you have access to various spring rates to test with and came to these rates through trial and error. A luxury I dont have with springs costing $100 a pop.

That fork spring rate seems really soft for a 180# man, no?

It sounds a little light to me on the front and heavy on the back. To get the right sag he may not be using much, if any preload in the back

When I weighed 185 Les set me (not an "A+ rider") up with a .42 and 5.4 on my WR250. Now he has me set up with a 40 front and 5.2 rear for 160#, which is a little light for big whoops/jumps but works good in the tight bumpy stuff.

I'm pretty sure my 610 came with a 6.0 rear and that was a stiff ride on that bike and I wonder what it would be like on a 150 or 250 WR....

 

[Vinduro]

No, it isn't too light for a 125 sized bike for sure. My KTM 525 and 530EXC both came with .42kg fork springs. My 2007 250XCF (315cc) KTM came with .40kg fork springs and they were fine for my weight. My 2008 250XCF (350cc), came with .42kg fork springs and I hated them. Bike wouldn't turn worth a crap and I couldn't get my rider sag numbers right. I swapped with a heavier rider for .40kg springs and I was happy again. (PS: The heavier rider wished he hadn't swapped, LOL). Most of the suspension tuners, tune for MX & SX bikes. Not offroad bikes. The California tuners are the worst at over springing the bikes. Especially on the forks. MX riders have berms to bounce off in the corners. Offroad racers do not. You do not want a lot of preload on the fork springs nor the shock spring for best results. If you want your bike not to work its best then over spring it but if you want a plush and compliant ride, set your sags properly. Your sag numbers tell you whether you have the right spring rates nothing else does. You want approx 25% of available fork travel to be rider sag. Static sag should be approx. 40mm (35-45mm is good). On the rear you want 34% (33-35%)of available rear wheel travel to be rider sag. Static sag should be about 30-40mm (25mm is passable for some, but 30-35mm is best). Preload should not excede 10mm. A KTM with 13.2" of wheel travel (335mm) will need a rider sag of about 115mm. Our Husky has 11.6" of rear wheel travel or 295mm. Approx 101mm (4") or rider sag is best. Husky forks have same travel as most brands at 300mm or 11.8". Rider sag should be about 75mm. With less sag the bike will not settle into corners and the front will push. Picking the correct springs is not hard and most places that sell springs will let you exchange springs if you don't ride with them. Just put them on and check your sag numbers. You might be surpprised at how well your suspension will work with the correct spring rates. I too was shocked at how much rear spring was required to get the correct sag. But with very little preload and correct sag numbers the suspension can react quickly to sharp impacts and actually be plusher than too soft a spring with too much preload.
OH, Jay Hall weighs 215lbs and he uses a 6.8kg spring on his WR125 and WR150. So with that knowledge I didn't feel too bad about using a 6kg spring for my weight. I might could have gotten a .38kg spring to work on the front with a bit more preload but the .40kg spring numbers worked out perfectly.
Good Luck,
Dwight

 

[motosapiens]

It sounds a little light to me on the front and heavy on the back.

I would agree, at least for my riding style and conditions. I stand most of the time, and ride alot of sand and whoops, so i like stiffer fork springs to hold the front end up.

I get the impression that vinduro's riding style is somewhat different from mine, but there's no doubt that it's very effective.

I weigh 165-170, 200 lbs fully geared up with water, tools, etc.... I found .40 springs on the front of my 200 to be decent, but the .42's just worked better for me all around.

 

[Vinduro]

The bike just won't corner properly with .42 springs. If you were just going to race MX then maybe you might use a step stiffer spring but The rules I laid out have been around for many years and I didn't make them up. Your damping is what holds the bike up in the whoops. The spring just hold it up enough for the damping to work properly. I didn't tell them how to adjust their damping. I run mine very soft but the springs I run are what is needed to get the proper numbers. Some say I have too heavy a rear spring till they ride my bike and find it very compliant. If your front spring doesn't allow for enough rider sag the bike will handle like crap in tight situations and flat turns. Too much preload in the rear shock will make for a rough ride even if the spring is soft. You want minimal preload front and rear.

 

[lankydoug]

LTR set up my GAS GAS perfectly using .46 front and 5.6 rear. I weigh 205 with no gear and this worked like a dream. I ride in the woods and I'm too old for motocross and landing triples so I wanted it a little on the soft side. Once my Husky is broken in I will have it set up the same way.

 

[Vinduro]

WOW, that is a heavy spring for the front end and you only weigh 205lbs ???
I can't comment on the rear spring because of different linkage rising rate ratios. It can vary greatly from brand to brand. I say check the sag numbers. That will tell you if you have the correct spring rate for you and your bikes weights. Riding styles have little to do with spring rate. Damping does.