Maintenance & Technical > KX500 Original

Front end likes to "wash out".....

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woodsy:
Hi folks;
I have been spending ALOT of time on my KX500 and have a problem that I have, to this point, been unable to over come.  I am an aggressive woods rider, weigh 224 (fully geared).  My K5 is a year 2000 that was new (maybe 10 hours on it) when I bought it this spring.  It had Dunlop 752's front and rear when I purchased it and I have since worn out the rear and replaced with a Michelin MP11 (hooks up WAY better then the Dunlop did).  My Mono is set at 4 inches race and 1 inch static sag - 12 clicks on compression and 10 on rebound.  Forks are 10 and 12.  Both have stock springs/valves/oil.  My forks are set at 2 millimeter above the triple clamp.  The bike now has over 100 hours on it and feels "normal" with no stickyness in the forks or mono.  No sign of any thing wrong (fork leaks or the like).  The problem I am about to explain has been consistent throughout my ownership.
My problem is washout on the front end during serious cornering.  I have been down a few times because of this and it is starting to effect my "trust" in the bike to the point of becoming reluctant to lay it down (get a good corner).  Current settings seem to work ok on harder surfaces but in the dry sand it gets real scary!   The new rear tire helps alot but it is still not right.  
Any insight/suggestions setting this puppy up would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance.
Woodsy :roll:

Paul:
You're my size and those front .40 springs are WAY too soft. Drop in a set of .46 and you'll be golden.

woodsy:
Hey KX500:
Thanks for the  FAST reply!
Does it matter that the springs are "new"?  Any suggestions on where to find the .46 springs (best prices).  Do you know if I replace them by removing the top caps from the forks or do I have to completely breakdown the forks?
Any reason to question the stock mono spring in the same light?
Thanks SOOOOO much!
Woodsy

Paul:
I desert race so I opted for a 5.4 instead of the stock 5.6 shock spring.

After unscrewing the caps, push up on the front wheel and the spring along with the caps will come out the top. You still need to unscrew the caps off of the dampening rods (I guess thats what they're called) to be able to get the fork springs out.

If you get stuck stop, post a message and we'll get taken care of  :wink:

Rick:
Yup, I agree on the springs.  Only difference is that I don't go quite as high on the rate, but still agree this fix is the right direction.  I purchase all my springs through Race Tech.

Also, you did not say whether the bike is over steering or under steering.  I assume that the bike is under steering, which will be helped by the fork springs.  However, if you are driving over the top of the berm, that is a different problem.

Rick

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