KYB SSS Valving Input Please

[(F5)]

Having clickers way out is never a good plan they will make little difference but they will cause the stroke to blow through then spike as they orifice limit.

[Jakobi]

As F5 said. Too soft can be read as a spike/harsh feeling as well.

How much oil are you running in the outers at the moment?

Given that the change has been a move in the right direction, I'd be inclined to drop a 13 clamp on the base valve and see how it feels. (You could throw a 12 clamp on one leg, and the damping will average across the two, if you didn't want to wait on shims or pull 2 legs down again).

Aim to have the clickers in the middle. A few clicks each side of 13 seems to be the sweet spot.

It sounds like you like a bit more free bleed as you tend to have the clickers open. You might like a touch more float with no changes to the base valve, but I personally wouldn't go this route at this stage. Try as above and see if you like it.

[Zman]

Thank you both.

The harshness is hitting roots and rocks at speed where the same size roots and rocks size seem to provide less feedback when I go slower.
I am presently running about 310cc of maxim 5w. I was thinking maybe 290 or 300cc

Should I run the 12mm or 13mm in addition to the 14mm or in place of the 14mm?

[Jakobi]

Understood.

So fast shaft speed. Volume of fluid that needs to be displaced over a short period of time. I think you'll find the smaller clamp will help.

I'd put the 13 or 12 in addition to what is already there.

I've never really considered a bit of feedback through the bars to be a bad thing, as long as it's not deflection. I guess I mean I don't mind feeling the ground beneath me as long as the chassis isn't being disturbed. I know not everyone feels the same way though. It's all very subjective.

I don't think I'd worry with the oil volume at this stage. That is more in line with your bottoming resistance and air spring. This sounds more like short sharp edges that aren't necessarily using a lot of stroke, but they forks aren't reacting fast enough to be plush. At lower speeds you have similar displacement over a greater duration.

[Zman]

I agree and I do not want to be disconnected from the trail input but I have tendonitis that comes and goes. Too much jarring feedback makes it worse. These KYBs replaced some WP43s done by LTR that were pretty good for what they were and I did not have tendonitis problems with them. I expected the KYBs to be better across the board but I guess I need to do a little more tuning to get there. I sure am glad I like working on dirtbikes!

The 12mm (I already have) are only 0.11mm thick. Do you think it is worth adding the 12 x 0.11 below the 14mm clamp or should I order up some thicker 13mm shims?

Oil Level - To test the stroke I was intentionally hitting big sand whoops faces to try to bottom the forks. They soaked up the hit great but they never came close to bottoming so I do not think I will be able to make full use of the travel unless I land some big jumps and my GG rarely sees the MX track. That is why I thought I could use a bit more air volume to try to use more of the stroke.

Before I pull them apart again I will double check the sag in the front and rear to make sure everything is matched. I think my fork spring preload is between 4 to 5 mm with the 48 springs.

One more thing, during the first enduro loop the front end was washing out a bit so between loops I dropped the front end about 3mm and that helped the front wheel stay put but it got firmer which is when I loosened the clickers all the way out. I think the ride height is about correct now so once I get the dampening sorted out I should be set.

[Jakobi]

Try the 12mm clamps straight up on both legs if you want (place below the 14). If it's too soft then, you could look at the 13mm.

It's interesting that placing more weight on the front resulted in your wanting to soften them more. Usually you'd want to firm them to keep them up in the stroke a bit.

I find rebound helps a lot in push/tuck as well. Basically how well it settles and tracks when weighted and tipped in. Too quick and it'll want to stand up and blow the turn. Too slow and it'll tuck a bit.

[Zman]

As always thank you for the education and guidance! I will work on them this weekend.

[Jakobi]

No worries. Next comes the real struggle. When does close enough become good enough?

[Zman]

Indeed!!!!

[Zman]

I installed the 12 x0.11mm below the 14mm and I think that took care of my issue. They feel great and now I can have the compression clickers in the middle.

Side question - has anyone ever found coagulated snotty stuff that looks like egg whites in your fork oil? I am not sure if it was the result of mixing two different brands of fork oil because I ran out of Maxim. It was only in one fork and not both.

Thanks again!