Front forks

[Motorrad]

Okay I am in a pickle and need your guys honest oppinion

for those of you with DLC coated forks.

Just got a set of 08 450 forks mounted up to my k5 and the seals leak. No chance to ride them to get an oppinion of them (never ridden a new 450 either). The issue I'm having is do I put in new seal and ride stock for a season. Or pop the $$ and have them resprung and valved to desert racing right off the bat. 

Sooooooo

How do they perform stock??
What's your weight?
Riding ability?
Terrain?

[Motorrad]

17 views and no one has ridden a 08-10 kx450??

[Danger4u2]

How do they perform stock?? 
Keep in mind I have a 500 engine in a 08 450 chassis.  It handles better than stock CR and KX500. I don't get very high on jumps, 3 ft. off the ground is a big jump for me.

What's your weight? 
My standing weight is 245 add the gear I wear and the items I carry, a few tools, water in a camel back = combined weight of 300 pounds.

Riding ability?
Veteran C class, ride for fun, I was out run by a 16 year old girl on a KTM 300 in the woods.  She came up behind me, I pulled over to let her by and then tried to keep up with her.  After the second turn I never saw her again.  I asked a KTM guy parked next to my truck about the "chick with the pony tail" and he said she races and she's fast.

Terrain? 
Single track woods rider with a mix of rocky single track in the small mountains here in Oklahoma. I ride at organized dual sport meets,  07 KLR650, 04 street legal KX500 so I don't have much to compare with a KX450.

The issue I'm having is do I put in new seals and ride stock for a season. Or pop the $$ and have them resprung and valved to desert racing right off the bat.
I had my forks and shock revalved and resprung by Factory Connection in Muskogee OK. for my weight and riding style.  One day service. Had a cracked plastic part that cost $158 from Kawasaki total with part was about $1100.  Have not ridden the bike yet, still in the assembly process.
I hope be together this weekend for the first ride after taking the whole bike apart.
I would say install the seals and see how you like it if you are doing the work.  If your having someone else doing the work it might be cheaper to do it all at one time.  Unless your heavy like I am or money is not an issue, respring/revalve.

[Motorrad]

Well I'm 200lbs In full gear (on the nose). 

Very fast open desert.

Not sure how the a b c class's work
the way a desert race is setup is
expert (destry Abbott runs in this class)
amature (the class I run in)
novise
beginner

my 91 ex factory bike suspension set to me I can out run the suspension pretty easy. 

I guess honestly I'm just dreaming that I don't have to touch it. As I was trying to convince myself that motorcross suspension on a heavyer guy would be fine for desert.  Keep dreamig right?

I am going to have race tech build me one of their one off custom shocks. Might as well have em do the forks at the same time.   

Now how to hide the $$ from the wife?

[Danger4u2]

Veteran C class = Have fun, go home unhurt.
I've never raced other than playing chase on trails or unofficial sand drags with buddies.
I'm one of the ride leaders at most of the dual sport meets I go to.
I guess you would call our group novice and the ride we do would be called
hardcore. No beginners.  We do a 200 to 250 mile loop.  About 25 percent single track,
50 percent fire roads 60 to 70 mph, 25 percent black top for gas and eats.
Most of us ride our bikes to the meet.  But the last 2 that I have attended I trucked
my bikes because the weather look like rain all the way there.

[ID KX500]

I know nothing about forks. My dealer sets up my bike for me. He is a very experienced racer so I trust his judgment. I have raced the Open B class in the Hare & Hound series from time to time over about 20 years. My best ride was on my then new 03 K5 finishing first for my class. The K5 is the holeshot machine for desert that's for sure, and can haul you as fast as you ever care to go. I messed up my shoulder and had a heart attack after that, so I suppose I'm retired now. I'm the #12 guy on this list for 2004.   http://home.ama-cycle.org/raceresults/narres.asp?s=13&cls=213&year=2004

Good luck

[dirtjunkie85]

I rode most of my first season with my KX450F 2009 with the stock seals in my forks. I did put the tusk fork bleeder valves on it, but other than that I think I didn't change it up. I do ride mostly motocross track on this bike but I never had any fork problems, it was a little stiff but that's because, I'm not too big about 160lbs and 5'9". I did finally get my suspension all redone and now it is great. Pro Action is pretty much the bomb.

[don46]

hey Motorrad,

What did you use for triple clamps? I used the 450 clamps and modifyied them to fit the K5, however, I recently realized that the steering stem is at a different angle and as such my forks are raked out 1-2 inches more than the 500, and it had plenty of rake as it was.

[Motorrad]

hey Motorrad,

What did you use for triple clamps? I used the 450 clamps and modifyied them to fit the K5, however, I recently realized that the steering stem is at a different angle and as such my forks are raked out 1-2 inches more than the 500, and it had plenty of rake as it was.

Sorry Don.. Dont float into this section often..

From my research... the stem angle is the same (according to Gary Emig).
BUT the offset is differnt..

I ran 2008 clamps...  24mm
the kx500 is             22mm

I didnt mind this. as after talking to Destry Abbott... they ran 24mm aftermarket clamps on thier race bikes..  Being I race desert also... this was a added bonus..

More info if you havnt stumbled in here yet
http://www.kxriders.com/forums/index.php/topic,6712.0.html