hey all-

i am a new owner with a low mile 98. i'm a big guy and tip the scales close to 300lbs. my suspension is stock and it's not cutting it. besides losing weight what can i do to my forks to improve the ride? are there simple & inexpensive mods that i can do that will yeild decent results?

i was thinking about progressive springs and a heavier oil.

also, what is the deal with those two screws on the tops of the fork legs that have the "H" and "S" on them?

thanks,

plan9

 

Get 0.95 or 1.0 kg/mm springs. Don't forget to upgrade your shock spring, too. While the forks and shock are being worked on, it would be a good idea to get them refreshened/upgraded since the bike is older.

The adjusters on top of the forks are to adjust the rebound setting from Hard to Soft. There is no compression adjuster for our bikes. The large nut around the rebound adjuster controls preload.

 

Yup, get the heaviest rate springs you can find. The rebound adjusters are for the suspension action and shouldn't be "cranked up" just because you're heavy.
See if the owners manual is still under the seat.

 

I weigh 225 and I have 1.05 kg/mm springs. I would recommend 1.1 or 1.15 if you can get them. You are going to have problems with rebound damping with those stiff springs though, so I recommend a revalve of the forks as well. Thicker oil will help but will then make your compression damping WAY too harsh, as you will already have stiff springs in there.

 

"Super" Moderator? When did that happen. Congrats on the promotion!

Sorry for the jack. Now back to our regularly scheduled thread...

 

Plan9? You live in VA?

 

Yeah, I have "special" abilities. hehe When we fixed the birthdate issue it also allowed custom titles.