1. 4 Stroke Husqvarna Motorcycles Made In Italy - About 1989 to 2014
    TE = 4st Enduro & TC = 4st Cross

Front fork help

Discussion in '4 Stroke' started by chamber66, May 25, 2009.

  1. chamber66 Guest

    When I got my bike I was very happy with the suspension, but as i got used to it I started to have a few issues. When I checked the settings they were nearly al the way out:eek:
    Any way after a couple of weks of trial and error I have got it pretty much as I would like. My only problem is I have started to suffer from deflections and occasionally lose the front end, which isn't fun
    Here are my settings, and would appreciate if someone could tell me where I have gone wrong

    I am about 190 Lbs
    Fork
    Oil is 5 weight at recomended level
    compression is 10 cliks out
    rebound is 10 cliks out

    Shock
    Low speed damping is 16 cliks out
    High speed damping is 18 cliks out
    Screw on bottom of shock is 16 cliks out and I have a 1.75" lowering link fitted
  2. hammer Husqvarna
    AA Class

    What bike?
  3. chamber66 Guest

    OOP's sorry :doh:
    It's a 2005 te 450
  4. Pete Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Victoria, Australia
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2014 TE300
    Watching with interest i have the same issue.

    I have the fork re valved and resprung for me 200lb. I couldnt jump it or the front would wash out so i set the race sag (it was on 65mm i set it to 95mm) and jumps felt much nicer, i lowered the comp and rebound to 14/12 but it stil felt quite skatey on the front on faster bumps and rocks. Changed it to 12/10 but its still no good.

    The bike doesnt feel balanced - if i stand the bike against the wall and put some weight on the peg the back suspension goes down a lot before the front moves.
  5. chamber66 Guest

    I can't say I have that problem. Only starts to get sketchy when you up the pace a bit
  6. MOTORHEAD Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Mount Vernon, Indiana
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    none
    Other Motorcycles:
    2014 YAMAHA YZ250
    Are your forks lowered also?
  7. chamber66 Guest

    Yes as far as i can
  8. Eurofreak Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Western NY
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1986 TE 510, 1982 CR250, 2008 WR250
    Other Motorcycles:
    70's Triumph , Bultaco , Maico, etc
    make sure your sag is set correctly-check the manual but i think it's 100-110mm. A good test was described by PETE but take it a bit further. 95mm is a little soft.
    Have someone balance the bike while you stand on the pegs with your riding gear on. Bounce up and down. both the front and rear suspension should compress and rebound at the same time. If the back end is moving too much increase the preload. A little can make a noticeable difference.
    Next, check the rebound on the rear by going up a rough uphill. Increase the rebound until the back end does not swap side to side.
    For the front, make several passes through rough trail that deflects. Increase the rebound a couple of clicks and try it.
    See if that helps
  9. 420skirider Husqvarna
    A Class

    Location:
    Phila, Pa
    What springs did you put in the forks? I'm 180 lbs and the re-valve and going to a .42kg fork spring resolved the issues. Sounds light if you look at the charts but it's not. I run my clickers in the middle range ( 12 comp/10 rebound) with the new springs and the bike handles way better. Also have some reserve to go harder/softer if conditions require it.
  10. kleemann Husqvarna
    A Class

    Location:
    Colorado
    Does this equate to: "Slow speed suspension movements are too harsh?" Like little square edges and baby heads etc? You are loosing the ability for the front wheel to stay on the ground/track your intended line because the suspension is too stiff?

    The 45 mm Zokes are garbage compared to virtually any fork leg made in the last 10 years. On top of that Husky delivered them for a 180lbs A rider- a bit too harsh for everyday use- you really have to be hustling to get them to settle in and behave. You have to get into the fork valving IMO to get it feeling good- I even changed the shim stack on the midvlave to get mine where I wanted them.

    Sounds like a call to an Zoke builder with a good description of how you ride and how you want the suspension to feel is in order.

    OR...

    If you are mechanically inclined- get a RceTech GV1 set and install that. Be honest to your self when you go online and do the "digital valving" where it suggests the shim stack. I took 2 of the 8 mm center bore shims from the main valve and stiffened up the mid valve a bit and then used a "2 stage" stack from RT on the soft side and its very comfy now. It will handle the big hits, jump faces and flat landings while staying plush on the chop and tracks very well. Im running 80 mm fork oil height, and its Silkolene 5 WT.
  11. stainlesscycle1 Husqvarna
    A Class

    Location:
    morgantown, wv
    .42kg springs solved my slow speed harshness problem also - 180lb rider...
  12. tadgh Husqvarna
    A Class



    might be worth a call to a shop called dr shox (endurotech) a chap called chris hockey. he set up my front forks and gave me good settings for some harshness i was experiencing on a te250.

    he is based in the uk
  13. Pete Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Victoria, Australia
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2014 TE300
    I dont know what springs he put in i never asked. But i am going to try a few things this weekend.

    1. Stiffen the rear up a bit until i have as much sag under 90mm as i can get while keeping the bike balanced.

    2. Pull the front wheel off and put it on again, properly. I have read that not installing it properly can cause stiction? I just whacked it on last time i had it off.

    3. Reset all clickers to manual defaults

    4. Ride it and try to understand whats not quite right.

    5. Make small changes, 1 at a time and keeping a log until i get it feeling nice using the following guides;
    http://www.teknikracing.com/informa...ad515458fb564930e27bc134e.e3eSbNmQaheLe3aSay0

    http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=271120

    If i cant get it right i am off to the suspenders shop again. I love this bike, i want to keep it but if i cant get it to handle nice i will either whack in 50mm zokes/triples from an 07 model or upgrade. (prefer not to upgrade)

    PS: My front tyre is a Michelin S12, made in Thailand. I am going to change this for a Bridgestone. I hope this will help with some extra sure footedness in corners.
  14. chamber66 Guest


    I have reset the clickers to the default settings, and i keep a chart. I am now pretty happy with the setup, and don't find the forks to harsh. In fact I find them better than any WP forks I have had in the past (Personal oppinion) it's just the deflections and occasional washout problem??
  15. Dirtdame Administrator

    Location:
    Rock Springs Wy
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    11 WR300,13 WR125,18 FE501
    Other Motorcycles:
    17 Beta Xtrainer
    Too bad you don't have a bike like my KX250. It's really plush!:lol::lol::lol::lol:

    [IMG]