Race Tech Fork springs

[AHTHUD]

I'm toying with fitting Race Tech fork springs (along with Emulators) and was wondering if anyone here has used them? I had a look on the Race Tech website and they recommend a spring that is 35 dia and 340 long compared with the standard spring at 384 long! Is this right? and did you have to make up spacers to take up the slack? I have e-mailed Race Tech a couple of times to query this but as yet I've had no reply!

[cobbadiggabuddyblooo]

Wasnt someone else questioning emulators being slightly larger than std dampers(only last week??) as such and the problem with using olins springs being a full length spring that dispenses of the solid metal spacer thus meaning you would have to trim the spring to fit??? I realise now why the EIbach springs I have just fitted, I had to fit a 35mm spacer( with the preload on the fork cap with all the lines showing), when I fit emulators,just remove the 35mm spacer I had to fit...bingo and still have all the preload adjustment to set my sag

[bazzee]

All things being equal (wire material and diameter, coil pitch) a shorter spring will have a higher rate than a longer one. So it seems reasonable that an Eibach spring (at, say, 0.9kg/mm) is shorter than the stock spring (which Racetech say is 0.55kg/mm). Any difference in length needs to be compensated for with a longer spacer. If you are fitting emulators then the length of the spacers can be reduced by the height of the emulator. I don't recall seeing any advice regarding the proper length for the spacer, but I would guess that you probably want the whole stack (spring, emulator if fitted, spacer) to stand proud of the fork stanchion by about 25mm before doing up the fork caps.

I have just ordered some new Eibach (i.e. Racetech) fork springs from Shock Treatment, I am hoping these will get the front suspension working properly. I fitted emulators about 8 years ago, with stock springs, and have never really had satisfactory performance from the front suspension. I will report back when I've got something to report!

[TimTrix]

Hi,

Did this mod to my bike over the winter (springs and emulators), the spring kit comes with spacers (aluminium tubing) that you have to cut to get the correct min pre-load. The instructions are pretty good but you will have to cut off the compression damping adjuster rods attached to the forks caps (they will interfere with the emulators) and braze/weld up the holes in the top of the damper rods.

All things considered, the difference is massive!!

No more squidgy, bouncy forks.

[cobbadiggabuddyblooo]

can someone give me a explaination on how these dooverlacky's work(emulators) do you have some form of adjustment as in preset before installation so if need be you can pull your forks apart again and finetune to suit your riding style or needs??? Or can someone head me in the right direction to a website that explains the theory or engineering behind these.

[AHTHUD]

Hi,

Did this mod to my bike over the winter (springs and emulators), the spring kit comes with spacers (aluminium tubing) that you have to cut to get the correct min pre-load. The instructions are pretty good but you will have to cut off the compression damping adjuster rods attached to the forks caps (they will interfere with the emulators) and braze/weld up the holes in the top of the damper rods.

All things considered, the difference is massive!!

No more squidgy, bouncy forks.

Cheers for that. What weight springs did you go for?

[AHTHUD]

can someone give me a explaination on how these dooverlacky's work(emulators) do you have some form of adjustment as in preset before installation so if need be you can pull your forks apart again and finetune to suit your riding style or needs??? Or can someone head me in the right direction to a website that explains the theory or engineering behind these.

They work like a cartridge fork in that they control flow via a shim stack rather than holes in the damper rod. You have to drill out the damper rod holes so they have no effect on damping and the emulator take over. They can be adjusted for rebound, with compression being adjusted by oil weight. If you Google Racetech Emulators there quite a bit of info out there.

[bazzee]

AHTHUD, it's the other way 'round! Rebound is adjusted by choice of fork oil viscosity (and the size of the rebound holes in the damper rod), compression is adjusted by varying the preload on the emulator valve spring (plus, you can get different valve spring strengths).

The installation requires that you sacrifice the rebound adjustment facility, by brazing up the holes for this in the damper rod. Possibly not a very big sacrifice - I don't recall noticing much difference between adjustments.

Some useful links:

An explanation relating to installing emulators in Laverda forks:
http://www.laverdamania.net/emulatorgb.htm

YSS make a similar product. May be cheaper than the Race Tech emulator:
http://www.yss-australia.com/products_y ... PDASSEMBLY

Cheers,

bazzee

[AHTHUD]

AHTHUD, it's the other way 'round! Rebound is adjusted by choice of fork oil viscosity (and the size of the rebound holes in the damper rod), compression is adjusted by varying the preload on the emulator valve spring (plus, you can get different valve spring strengths).

The installation requires that you sacrifice the rebound adjustment facility, by brazing up the holes for this in the damper rod. Possibly not a very big sacrifice - I don't recall noticing much difference between adjustments.

Some useful links:

An explanation relating to installing emulators in Laverda forks:
http://www.laverdamania.net/emulatorgb.htm


YSS make a similar product. May be cheaper than the Race Tech emulator:
http://www.yss-australia.com/products_y ... PDASSEMBLY

Cheers,

bazzee

never could remember upy, downy, lefty, righty! The laverda link was well worth reading, cheers

[dandywarhol]

I put some info on fitting them on a webpage a few years ago - hope it helps........

http://www.geocities.com/citroen54/racetech_page.html

[TimTrix]

Have a look at the Racetec US website

http://www.racetech.com/

and also this page

http://old.racetech.com/evalving/englis ... me=english

They list the springs and emulators etc for the TRX850.

If you click on the 'Custom Fork and Shock Spring Calculation and Available Rates' you can calculate the type of springs you should be using for your weight and what application e.g Street or Race. I chose Street since I don't track my bike.

I was a little dubious about butchering my forks and losing the compression adjusters but the difference is worth it and I've found the emulators and springs work well on the recommended settings so I've not fiddled with it for the time being.

[dandywarhol]

Have a look at the Racetec US website

http://www.racetech.com/

and also this page

http://old.racetech.com/evalving/englis ... me=english

They list the springs and emulators etc for the TRX850.

If you click on the 'Custom Fork and Shock Spring Calculation and Available Rates' you can calculate the type of springs you should be using for your weight and what application e.g Street or Race. I chose Street since I don't track my bike.

I was a little dubious about butchering my forks and losing the compression adjusters but the difference is worth it and I've found the emulators and springs work well on the recommended settings so I've not fiddled with it for the time being.

What you've lost are the REBOUND adjusters, and gained 2 stage COMPRESSION adjustment. It takes a few times to get it right, once set, as you say, the jobs done.

[TimTrix]

Sorry..quite right, Rebound adjusters.

Incidentally, I had a go on my brothers FZS600 Fazer and I'm going to persuade him to do the conversion as well (easier on a Fazer no Rebound adjustment, so no holes to braze up or rods to cut.) as his forks are awfull.

[cobbadiggabuddyblooo]

THANKS mate plenty to sink the teeth into there... A worthwhile investment for only a few hundred dollars I feel..Next on the shopping list... Noticed with the stiffed rear spings already just how well worn the std rear is after 99,960km

[AHTHUD]

Just e-mailed a supplier in the US to see if they have the emulators in stock as they are only about £100 including postage from the us against £150 from PDQ in the uk. So will work out cheaper even with vat and duty.

Im going to go with Maxton springs at £80 delivered.