All 2st Head Shake, forks and steering stabilizer

Got a few questions related to suspension on the '09 WR125.

Forks: initial action is harsh. Anyone fix this without a complete revalve?

Headshake: Anyone running a steering stabilizer? Which one?

Sag: Are you running what the manual recommends, or find a better setting. I weigh about 170 without gear.


Thanks!
JS

not sure of your riding ability but my biggest mistake when i jump from my wr to my kx is my riding position. on the kaw i let my butt slide to far back and it ruins the handling of the bike. if i slide up and ride closer to the gas tank most of the characteristics i used to hate about the bike go away.

have a friend thats knows what to look for follow you around and point out mistakes in your riding. it helped my learn to have more fun on my kaw then i ever have.

my 06 wr has never given me any reason to think i would need a stbilizer though, rock solid stabil steering.

Forks need a revalve to work at their best. I use A.C.E. at Bottones and their work is terrific.

On my '09 I run a WER damper. It's my first damper and I run it more for the hits from rocks, roots, etc, than high speed straight line stability. Without one the WR never shakes its head, even 6th gear pinned on some rough lanes. The damper just makes it better in rough stuff. Run at least 100mm of sag. My bike is lowered 1" and I still run 100mm, which is higher than standard when you figure it as a % of travel. This frame doesn't like when you run not enough sag.

my forks are done by a.c.e. as well.

+1. Start by setting the sag. I rode my previous bike far too long before getting it set. That change alone made a huge difference. I don't mess around anymore. Every other bike I get will go directly to the suspension guy. If you have a local suspension guy, they usually charge around $20-40 for a consult, to set your sag, and give you a starting point on your clickers. It's the best money you'll ever spend, IMO. From there, you can decide whether to spend money on springs, valving, and dampers.

Thanks. I am going to go in the garage and set the sag. Then start playing with the clickers. Then remove a bit of fork oil to soften the initial hit.

Those progressive fork springs sound very good...if they got rid of the initial deflection, but kept the bottoming resistance.

I think a stabilizer will be in the work no matter what. The bike is pretty stable, but will shake a bit at high speeds over rutted and whooped trails.

Joshua

You are on the right track. Exactly what I did with both my WR 250 and my sons CR 125 Set the sag, lower fork oil height, set your clickers and adjust up or down 2-3 only at a time. And make sure the forks are all the way down ,maybe 2-3 mm above the upper triple clamp. That change alone stopped the head shake in both bikes. After that, they don't need a damper IMO.

Thanks. I did not even think about pushing the forks down in the clamps.

JS

Had some trial and error getting the GPR4 tofit on my 2009 WR 144.I am now very pleased with the outcome. Unfortunately the under bar unit will not work with the stock upper triple clamp as it restricts full lock to lock steering.GPR went to work using my stock clamp as a template. They machined a billet clamp that now allows full turning radius and looks great. It also incorporates double pinch bolts compared to the stock single bolt arrangement. Check it out.

Service fork, get it surgical clean inside. Then drop tubes down to first line- torque clamp to spec and make sure there is no oil on sliders or clamps- must be clean metal to metal, set your axle per Upitite specs. Then back out rebounder 2 clicks. Keep forks bled.

Then set sag to 105mm. Then increase shock rebounder 1 click. Retest.

we dont run a dampner on either of our bikes but thats just because i havent bought the mounts yet! dampners at the least give you some peace of mind that your bike is not going to throw a front end fit! my son only gets headshake on the roughest of the rough so the bikes are pretty darn stable.
we run between 100 to 105mm sag depending on what we are doing, normally run the forks at the first line below the fork cap, sometimes we run it flush. 12psi in the tires, if youre in rocks you probably want a lil more.

I've had bikes shake with dampers. Dampers can damp out some/way lot's of the massive movement of the bar but they are best at saving your wrists and thumbs when ya whack something and they cut down on the trail chatter and really shine in sketchy downhills.

Bike shake their head's for a lot of reasons. Ever ride an RM? Man they turn good but man are they NERVOUS if ya set them up to capitolize on their inhearent turning abilities.

Two best dampers ever are Motosportz and RTT. I've literally tried them all.

Here is Uptite axle information

http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/proper-technique-for-front-wheel-fork-alignment.18519/#post-161203

Thanks bud I couldn't find it.

Those forks stock to me are not that good I had mine revalved (Halls) 0 wt oil and even went to a #40 fork springs (#42 is stock) I weigh 167-171. Now the forks work pretty nice!! This frame is the first time I have ever used a steering dampner. It is more for deflection than anything else. I use a scotts. (Beware if you have an IMS tank, you will have to modify the piece that goes on the frame, to clear the tank) Dampner seemed to help. I run alot of sag! Make sure you have the right springs for your weight. Bike has confused setting 5.0 stock shock spring I believe ( a little light) and .42 fork springs (alot in my opinion for a bike this light) Stock riding those bikes I HATED THE STOCK FORK ACTION. HARSH is being nice. Also critical to handling is what height you set your forks at. (Every rider different) But unless mine are on the first line, the bike feels a little nervous to me. I will assure you that once you dial that puppy in to your tastes, you simply will LOVE the way the bike handles. I can ride this framed bike as fast or faster then anything I have rode. Remember it is so light, it will dance around from time to time if pushing the envolope. Good luck!

Personally 2009 wr 125 you don't need a damper as these forks are stable even running them below yokes on 3rd ring for quicker turning, seriously never had a headshake from mine, but the plushnesh for marzocchi are poor on the 09 and need work, maybe springs(lighter) and a revalve, coming from a ktm they are still better coz of rear linkage, but can be made the perfect enduro bike with a little patience and time,

I run a sub mount GPR V4. I bought it for my KX 250 but moved it to the WR144 when I sold the KX. It really shines in the open high speed rocky stuff but still helps in the tight trail with rocks and roots. I did have to mold the front of my IMS tank for it to fit.

I weigh 185lbs naked. I have a 2011 WR150. I run .40kg fork springs with 20% of compression taken out. 5wt fork oil. I have a 6kg shock spring. 25% of compression removed. Hall's did revalve.
Static sag on rear is 33mm. Rider sag is 103mm. Fork static sag is 40mm. Rider sag is 75mm. I don't need a steering stabilizer. Bike is very stable.