Front Race Tech springs install help.

[sandman900]

On 1/28/2022 at 11:17 AM, fr8dog said:

I had K-Tech piston kit and springs installed. Noticeable difference for the better. 

I've been less than impressed with my Racetech stuff over the years and am going to try another brand. Always felt that their instructions were intentionally non model specific so that you'd have them install parts correctly. 

Very interested in K-Tech, critical to find a suspension shop that will do it right I think.

[fr8dog]

9 hours ago, sandman900 said:

I've been less than impressed with my Racetech stuff over the years and am going to try another brand. Always felt that their instructions were intentionally non model specific so that you'd have them install parts correctly. 

Very interested in K-Tech, critical to find a suspension shop that will do it right I think.

Check with 2 and 3 here on the forum. He may offer a helping hand. He's outside of Chicago. Bring him a gallon of frozen custard. 

The Dave Moss video is good. You can rent tools from Stoltec. 

Norwest Suspension is good. He's in Idaho. He rebuilt my stock shock. Innards from a FZ8 and Eico spring for my weight. Pretty good for 300 bucks. I also bought a shock from Nitron. It's great in the twisties, but harsh in town. 

Anyway, the shop I used for the forks didn't assemble them correctly. I don't have all of the rebound available. A common problem if they don't know what they're doing. Kind of surprised since the mechanic there has all 3 models with the CP3 motor. Problem is we moved 500 miles away a few days after completion. Didn't notice for a while cause the bike sat during winter.

I might rent the tools from Stoltec and give it a go. Probably end up sending them up to Norwest. 

 

[betoney]

38 minutes ago, fr8dog said:

Anyway, the shop I used for the forks didn't assemble them correctly. I don't have all of the rebound available. A common problem if they don't know what they're doing.

I don't believe that should be too difficult to correct, I think the fork cap is simply adjusted wrong before assembly.

Audio from Dave Moss Podcast

 

[OZVFR]

It’s really not that hard working out spacer length even with generic instructions. It always surprises me that people knock racetech for this. It’s not meant for people that don’t have any idea what they’re doing. 
You just want to end up with a spring and spacer length that will squash down to the stated preload. 
15mm preload means that your set up should be 15mm longer than the leg closed length. 
And yes, oil is different heights as cartridge is only on right leg, left leg only has spring. 
 

[peteinpa]

Heck, I gained damping positions from factory when I did it myself. Yamaha didn't even have it optimized. In the owners manual it even says 14 or more positions. (From memory.)

[piotrek]

9 hours ago, peteinpa said:

Heck, I gained damping positions from factory when I did it myself. Yamaha didn't even have it optimized. In the owners manual it even says 14 or more positions. (From memory.)

SM notes 11 clicks. The adjuster on the cap has more clicks... but I would assume that 11 is the number of effective clicks, i.e. click #12 and beyond (CCW from closed) will have the valve just as open as #11. I will typically get within a click or two on the plus side after assembling, and call it good.

Edited February 10, 2022 by piotrek

[2and3cylinders]

On 2/9/2022 at 10:17 PM, fr8dog said:

Check with 2 and 3 here on the forum. He may offer a helping hand. He's outside of Chicago. Bring him a gallon of frozen custard. 

 

 

 

LOL!  I've been cutting back on frozen custard since I gained so much weight during Covid.

 Sure give me a shout. Coincidentally I'm going to be changing my fork fluid within the next week or so.

 Make it worth my while, my shop is heated.  Again lol

[DT675]

On 2/10/2022 at 12:37 AM, OZVFR said:

It’s really not that hard working out spacer length even with generic instructions. It always surprises me that people knock racetech for this. It’s not meant for people that don’t have any idea what they’re doing. 
You just want to end up with a spring and spacer length that will squash down to the stated preload. 
15mm preload means that your set up should be 15mm longer than the leg closed length. 
And yes, oil is different heights as cartridge is only on right leg, left leg only has spring. 
 

What model year are you refering to?  My '17 has a spring on both sides.

For those of you that have a spring on both sides, do we have a cart on both sides as well?  Equal or uneven oil levels?  I have the RT springs and am just starting to work on this now. I have no probelm cutting the OEM spacers- I've had to do that on a couple other bikes as well.  Its not all that uncommon.

Edited January 18 by DT675

[OZVFR]

All Tracers have springs in both sides, early ones only have one cartridge. 
If you have one cartridge, oil levels are different, otherwise the same level on twin cartridges. 

Edited January 17 by OZVFR

[DT675]

Well, there won’t be any cutting of the OEM spacers~ the RT springs are shorter than the OEM springs. So I’ll have to add some length. They are supposed to be supplied with aluminum spacer material but none was in the box. Good thing I’m also re-springing another bike at the same time and that one came with spacer material of the proper diameter for this bike as well. 

One thing of note- the OEM springs appear to be progressive where the RT springs are linear. 

[RaYzerman]

I've never had any spacer material in a RaceTech kit...... you can use 1" PVC pipe if you don't have steel or aluminum tubing.

[DT675]

3 hours ago, RaYzerman said:

I've never had any spacer material in a RaceTech kit...... you can use 1" PVC pipe if you don't have steel or aluminum tubing.

 

Yup, PVC works too. 

[2and3cylinders]

I determined I only needed one of the washers shown above below my .90 Sonic straight rate springs with two more on top in each leg with the OEM plastic spacers for my 15 fastest red FJ.  I also installed Forks by Matt custom cartridges with OEM rebound  / preload cap and rod to the left leg along with Matts adjustable compression, and kept the OEM rebound components with new fixed compression in the right leg.  I polished the stanchion tubes, and replaced the seals and bushings as well as the dust collars (with OEM).  Since then I have dumped and flushed with ATF every 20k or so miles replacing the 16 cSt @ 40C fluid set with an air gag compressed at about 5.5 inches. 

To work with the massaged forks, I installed a K-Tech Razor R shock supposedly set for me that Matt added a spring preload spacer and needle thrust bearing to ease adjustments.

Maintaining the swing arm and linkage bearings + steering head bearing greasing & adjustment, and refreshing the Razor R every couple of years, along with freshly baked doughnuts at least once a season allows my Gentleman's Express fly low wonderfully...