TE/TC KYB forks on husky instead of 4CS

Hi all,

As I am waiting to take possession of my new TE125 .. I am reading all those scary 4CS posts...

Has anyone been successful in installing KYB SSS forks on husky/Ktm?


I ended up doing KyB forks on my beta 300 and very happy with the results.

Go over to the suspension section of KTM Talk and you'll find your answers.

The 4CS forks work fairly well, with the weight and geometry of the TE125. I rode them stock for a good while, before having them lowered, revalved and correct springs for my weight installed. They weren't that bad stock and they are better now. My suspension guy stayed with the 4CS system and no big voodoo. Important note... 4CS fork legs are shorter, so I run them flush, as opposed to 2 rings showing typical setting. Ditch the front Dunlop AT-81, as it is junk after a few rides. It will have you chasing suspension, triple clamps and everything else. It breaks away when you least expect it and will put you on the ground. I put a Kenda Washougal II DC on and it's like night and day. Also... put a 100/100-18 on the rear. The 110 Dunlop sort of overwhelms the bike, in power delivery and handling.

Don't fear the hype on the new forks.

Hadn't thought of it until you mentioned it but the pre-14 Huskys had Brembo brakes so a set of pre-14 Husky KYBs would eliminate one conversion headache...you would just need a pre-14 Husky front wheel and a '14 TE front fender (though two of the holes will still need re-drilling.

Just revalve.... My Factory Connection stuff is sweet

I keep hoping to hear more about the Factory Connection work on the 4cs. Did you get their special BCV?

I usually check in the suspension forum at ktm talk every day but over there every thread gets derailed by the same two or three people trying to push Krefts' work or a combo of DIY mods mixed with Race Tech valves.

Do you race? If so what level are you at?

I race Senior A in XC..... The original stuff was the absolute worst forks I've ever ridden.... so bad the 86' 250XC with 40mm right side up were light years ahead of these.... the deflected off everything and were dangerous.... now it tracks straight and doesnt deflect off anything....cant feel the small stuff and soaks up the big G outs also....

They did the updated the BCV valves, revalved and rebuilt them.... its butter now....

Merge racing does a modification that allows use of the kyb or showa cartridge in the 4cs outers.

A friend of mine has them and the cone valve forks on his 350's. He likes both setup much much better than the stock 4cs forks.

4cs sure do seem like an epic failure...

Later,

In the same vein ZipTy uses those Marzzocchi cartridges in the WPs

I was in that same boat until this revalve.... I'll ride ride air fork if they can make them work good... Guess they are keeping the after markets in business coming up with different crappy valves forks year after year... I also believe putting these forks on that most feel they need to revalve is opening the door for the other brands to pick up market share....

perfect summary Kelly!

Mine are great with a $180 re-valve and correct springs. Hence my point.

Why are guys throwing mega $$ at these things, extensive Kreft reworks, etc? Are the Husky versions that much different? Just curious. On the flip side, an amature tuner like me can ebay a set of KYB SSS and get them 90% on the first try. Of course there are other things to consider in a conversion but valving is relatively easy.

I didnt take my forks apart but these forks were not rideable.... not sure if the valving is different between brands but my guess is yes....

Not sure why KTM just cant seem to get it right when Yamaha SSS are pretty good straight away....

After a little playing with my '15 TE250 I have settled in on an opinion that the 4CS forks are "fine" for my riding. They don't blow my mind in a positive or negative way, but I can say that they treat me well in a non-race environment with spirited riding. When its time to have the fluids changed and seals replaced I might just go ahead and have a revalve done just to see the outcome. I too thought the sky was falling after reading forums on the internet about these forks, but when the bike arrived and I got some time on it I can say that IMO they are not as disgusting as I was led to believe. I guess the saying "in the eye of the beholder" has some merit.

Revalve and springs for my weight..they work fine for me.

Yep, don't sweat the new Huskie fork. Yes the Yammie fork rules and still need a re-valve for the nasty single track unless you are Hercules. I must be as I bought a YZ the day before the Unadilla GNCC and got on the podium. LOL.

I've been riding on SSS stuff for 3 years now before buying my 15 TE300. I was not very happy with the 4CS from the start, but after 15 hours I am now getting along with it. I have heard a local KTM dealer is putting the Husky valving in the XC's at people request for a 'revalve.' It can always be better but I found that I had to really really soften my fork up, as in 2 clicks in from full out. I may go another click in stiffer. I'm around 11-12 out from full in on the rebound. I'm a top Mid A, top B enduro rider and I've always had my stuff set up pretty soft for logs and rocks, etc. The 4CS on the Husky is just a tad overvalved i guess for me. The stock springs are the right rate for my weight. I felt like hitting logs I was unable to keep the bike going straight, it would shoot off to the right or left. I was getting arm pump quickly, and for me that means i'm fighting the bike too much. Now it feels like home! I'll still go for a re-valve with PG Powersports when I get to the 20-30 hour mark and it's convenient for me.