Looks like after decades of playing with air forks on and off they have found the solution to many air fork issues. 2.5 pounds lighter, far more adjustable and a step up from the spring forks. Reading some really good reviews. Pretty cool. http://www.cyclenews.com/354/24921/Racing-Article/First-Ride--2015-Suzuki-RM-Z450.aspx
It would be nice to not have to buy springs for your weight and you could also adjust daily for different heavier riding gear. Is nitrogen recommended are just plain air from a bicycle pump?
Most use straight air I believe as i have seen the fancy air pumps for these and there is no bottle. Supposed to not be able to fail completely if you loose a seal so you can at least ride back.
Sounds like a great option for MX but I'm not convinced the daily air pressure adjustments and checks are for my style riding.
I don't think the new ones require that. I check my tire pressure before every ride. Would not be a big deal to do one fork as well.
I was told that the Honda doesn't lose air pressure from day to day but apparently raises pressure when it heats up. I check Tubliss before every ride so no big deal to add forks to the list. My weight can easily fluctuate 30 lbs during a year depending on how good of shape I'm in. 200-230 lbs. I think with these forks a guy would be able to establish a baseline on what works for him and then keep a notebook and have custom settings for the terrain or how much beer you had been drinking in past months vs. working out at the gym.
Thats my hope too. I ride tight woods to open dez to dunes. Might even do moto once in a while. My woods bike sucks in the dez. My dez bike sucks in the woods. Suspension is a lot of that. - Wonder when airshocks will make the main stream...
I still don't get how these things can be consistant. They talk about significant pressure rise in the coarse of a hard moto (like 2-3 lbs-that's a LOT) It would be cool if they could design some kind of adjustable pressure relief valve that you could set at your desired pressure........
I'm the guy that can't believe people complain about Efi. In my eyes, best thing to happen to dirt bikes...well and estart . I guess I finally understand where they're coming from. I'll stick to springs
the new three chamber design has a negative chamber that fixes this issue. they are now very consistent and getting rave reviews.
I was right there with you til this year and the triple camber airforks. I think they found something that really works. 2-3 years we might see them on everything. Right now my favorite for is the SSS KYBs with TBT revalve. My KTB TE511 forks with ZipTy is neck and neck with the SSS/TBT stuff. Both amazing. My buddy with the KTM 350 whines every time that my suspension rules. His is going to ZipTy soon.
Remember what I keep saying about mountain bike suspensions? We've been on air forks and shocks for decades now. The tech is finally going the opposite direction. It's been more than proven in the mountain bike world with positive/negative air chambers and speed sensitive valving. When the air stuff was new I used to have to set my air pressure on my (Rockshox and Marzocchi) forks daily. My current Rockshox hasn't needed air in 6 months -- that's just when I checked it last, didn't need it then either. The only problems I've had were with plastic innards. They couldn't take the abuse, but when I sent them in for warranty repair, I was sent back a higher end model with aluminum innards. That replacement fork lasted until I sold the bike.
Not too sure about the air forks, they may not change from outside temperatures, but what about internal changes? I can tell you that something really needs to change with the 4CS forks. I hear all the time how people have made huge changes to 4CS, but they always turn them into open bath systems. The best fix is to add the adapter and install Zokes. Travis's re-valves are okay, but he is more of a shim jockey where Ty's suspension had been re-engineered. Don't let Ty hear you comparing his stuff, your likely to be kicked off his friends list lol :P
I'm sure Travis has input but it is Dave at TBT in Washington that does this stuff on my buddies bikes. Has like 7 Yamahas (450s, 250s and a 125) and 4 or 5 of them have Dave TBT setup and all are remarkable. Very impressive work but he is also starting with very good components stock. And your right, shim jockey, but a good one. The lack of info and communication was irritating when I had TBT do my 165 shock (and I personally know the guy) but the end result spoke for itself. As for Ty and his work he flat nailed what I asked for. My Te511 went from a walloy handful in the huge dez whoops to a whoop eating monster yet still retained a supple feeling in the woods on rocks. Pretty amazing.
Answer- noble gas ie; Ni all those high end guys will have Ni carts to fill their forks, Ni is safe and is very inert and not very reactive under heat. people in work at the highest level of tech for these type of forks. They are acknowedged as the next gen. they just need more R&D and race test time, like any "new" tech device.
My 84 IT has air nipples for adding air to fine tune. I just made sure they are valved and set with proper oil viscosity and level, and the right pre load. I do use the valves though. I make sure all the air is bled out before every day of riding.
I'm getting a little OT here but the forks on my klr are 80s type tech and have the schrader valves on top. I put 12-15 PSI in them when the bike is loaded for a trip or riding two up. It gets them up in the stroke and balances the rear Moab shock very well.
