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Old March 8th, 2013, 04:06 PM   #1
old3
ninjette.org sage
 
Name: Jim
Location: NJ
Join Date: Nov 2012

Motorcycle(s): Ninja 300, KTM EXC610SMR

Posts: 913
Front Race Tech Emulator installed

Forgive the copy/paste from my post elsewhere, I saw a question about springs and figured I'd ad this info...

I got the Emulators installed. Took all of a lazy hour.

I decided to start off with them at a base starting point of yellow springs, 3 turns preload, stock damper rods (no drilling) and stock oil levels.

My reasoning was that I prefer stiffer suspension, you can't easily make the damper rod holes smaller after you drill them. If I need more oil flow, they come apart and I'll drill 2 holes per leg till I get what I want.

So, off with the brake, the wheel, the fender, out come the fork tubes.

Next, compress the center of the top fork caps and pop out the C clips. Remove the cap, the spacer, the washer and the spring in that order. If you go slow removing the springs you don't lose any oil.

I cut the preload spacers 16mm to match the overall height with the emulator under the spring and cleaned them up. I dropped the Emulator in the tube, spring on that, washer, preload spacer and finally the cap, compressed it in the tube and seat the C clip back in the groove.

The test ride went well. The forks no longer bottom on hard braking. They seem to actually match the firmness of where I have my GSXR shock set. Bumps transmit thru the bike with the same effect, firm and controlled. I tried to hit as many hard, sharp bumps as I could. I can't get them to give me the hammering lock up they had before. I'm guessing they stay up higher with true damping control and don't move as much towards full blown bottoming, which was pretty regular for me.

I'm thinking they are about 50% to where they would be ideal, only because it is snowing and I can't hit the really nasty braking bumps in the mountains. If they deal with that, I might not do much more. As far as I can test them today, they are right on the $. I'll reserve final judgment for a good thrashing road to see if the complete transformation has been achieved.

Totally worth the price of admission, and if I need to tune them further there are quite a few options at my disposal. Different springs to open the valves, and different preload on both sets of springs along with any combo of those adjustments per fork leg. Also more/less spring preload, 12 different holes to open up on each damper rod, and oil levels along with different spring rates, which as of now I am happy with.
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