Maintenance & Technical > KX500 Original

Shock and fork mods.... What works and what doesn't

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sandblaster:
We all spend a bunch of time fine tuning and modding our engines.
Yet, what would make us all improve our game is getting the suspension dialed in for our weight, riding style, and conditions.
I'll admit, the glory days of riding are behind me but I still ride and I want to ride faster over the rough nasty stuff then anyone else.
Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't  :roll:
So, thanks to Motorrad we have our Modded dog bones. THANK YOU!

What's next?
In the past I have always taken my bikes in and had the suspension done.
Oh sure I set the sag and played with the settings but that's it.
But recently I started disassembling my suspension, reading my Race Tech manual, and rebuilding my rear shock.
The mechanics of disassembling, putting in replacement parts, and reassembling are pretty straightforward.
Piston porting and shim stacks are well beyond me so I'm doing what the book and charts call for.

It occurred to me that one of the things that has happened over the years is reducing friction.
Friction causes heat and like it is in many other things heat is bad unless you are cold (Thanks Cap't obvious)
Besides heat, friction can cause uneven suspension actuation.
So, we see DLC coatings and different compounds of seals, fancy suspension lubricants ect.
As I was rebuilding my shock I looked at the inside of the shock body.
It feels smooth but it is by no means polished.
Wouldn't lightly polishing the interior of the shock body reduce friction with the Teflon piston seal?
Or, what about having .0002" of industrial Chrome plating put in there?

Comments or suggestions are always appreciated...

Goat:
Polishing would reduce friction but I think it need some kind of crosshatch holding oil to lubricate the seals on the piston as it moves in the housing but I could be wrong. I'm just looking at it as a piston with rings needs that oil film so the shock piston probably does as well.

sandblaster:
I was waiting for someone to reply  :-D
I briefly scanned over the Race Tech manual and reducing friction, even a little helps.
Then I confirmed with a road race suspension specialist that they polish everything internally and externally.
Well.... it's too late for my bike as I am already done with the suspension.
But who knows what is next  :-o

sandblaster:
A little blurb on Hard Chrome Plating.
Low Coefficient of friction
Hard Chrome has a very low coefficient of friction, approx. one half that of Steel. The coefficient against Steel of 0.16 lubricated (0.21 dry), makes it ideally suited for such applications as Bearing and Seal surfaces, and machinery components.

Diamonds are awesome with a coefficient of friction of 0.1  :-o

Aluminum against aluminum is 1.05-1.35
Aluminum against mild steel is 0.61
Teflon against Teflon is .04
Teflon against steel is .4-.6

I'd really like to see aluminum against teflon using different surface finishes...

Anybody?

DoldGuy:
Hard Anodized.... :-D

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