Quote:
Originally Posted by
Freez
I friend of mine was kind enough to make two sets of those spacers and gave me one of those sets.
We installed it in both our XT's
He loved the stiffer suspension, and raved about it, so I was next.
This brings me to my impressions.
To be honest, I am in two minds about this mod.
Please don't get me wrong, not trying to say it is bad, I just personally need more time with this mod to grow on me.
Here are my impressions.
My stock XT felt very nimble and required very little force to make the steering go where I wanted it to go. The bike felt very light and I loved that feeling. My rear suspension was set up to the softest setting. The ride was very plush.
With the spacers, besides the harder ride, I get the impression that I need to use more force to turn the bike. The bike also feels a lot higher, and even the handlebars feel out of place, even thought I made 100% sure they go back the way they came out. With the mod, I even had to adjust the mirrors, so there was quite a bit of change to the front setup.
So, in one way the bike now feels heavier to ride and takes more effort to corner, if you understand what I am trying to say. This is what bothers me. Not sure if I like the new feel of the bike, maybe I am just being crazy here.
A day or so after fitting the spacers, I made the rear also 2 clicks harder. The good side is that the bike feels more stable at high speed now. Maybe it is a result of the "heavier" steering. I still get a slight twitch at 140 to 150 Km/h, now and then, but for the rest, I get the impression it is more stable.
It also feels better under breaking, with the nose not diving so badly, so that I also like.
So, that’s my verdict. It's a bit of a gain here and a loss there kind of thing for me personally.
I have not taken the spacers out, and will give it a few weeks to settle in. Maybe I just have to get use to the new feel of the bike.
That heavier steering just feels wrong to me at low speeds, but it could be a good thing at high speed. I just have to get my brain around it.
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Hi Freez Thanks for your valued input. Which XT do you have, R or X? You did the right thing by adjusting the rear suspension, suspension sag should be the same front & rear. I find my XTX is alot faster through tight hard corners & I feel I'm more confident with the front end, under hard braking & turning in, that's with a 17" front wheel. With a 21" front wheel there might be a different feel, the turning in of the front under hard braking might behave differently. It all depends on the individual. Having your suspention set to it's softest setting, tells me may be this mod is not for your type of riding. That's no problems, all comments are welcome, that's what a forum is about. Let us know how you get on. Spacers, in or out.
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Mods that I have done to my XTX's
My 04 XTX
Stage 1 & 2 DNA filters / Kev fuel mod / snorkel mod / Drilled air box mod / Engine breather mod / Fork Spacer mod / 15w fork oil /
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My 07 XTX
Raptor 700 cylinder 102mm
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Modified Crank Case to take a 105mm Raptor Cylinder
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11:1 102mm JE Raptor piston
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Stage 1 Raptor Hot Cam
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Ported head
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Colder Spark Plug
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+2mm Throttle body
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DNA stage 1 & 2 filters
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Modified Air Box
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Snorkel removed
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Worry Brothers stage 2 filter cover / 6mm & 8mm Bolts Replaced with Titanium Bolts
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Recovered seat in Black
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O2 Eliminator
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My 09 XTX
59HP
at the rear wheel
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Stage 2 Raptor Hot Cam
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DNA stage 3 Air Box
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Carbon Can Exhausts
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Modified Exhaust Link Pipes
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PCIII With Custom Fuel Map
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Wideband Commander O2 Data logger
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LCD100 Dyno Jet display & fuel adjuster
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2500 OHM HT lead instead of a 10K OHM XT lead
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Extra Coolant Cooler
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Protaper Fat Bars
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Tail Tidy With LED Tail Light
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OKE Protection Knobs
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LED indicators
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AIS blocked
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Modified rear sprocket rubbers
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Rear Foot Pegs removed
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09 ECU With 02 Sensor Changed To A 06 ECU
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Complete wiring harnes Changed from 09 to 04
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Home made LED resistor flasher
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Hole drilled in the fuel tank filler neck to allow quicker filling
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Modified Bar End Weights
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Progressive front fork springs, 15W fork oil, forks lowered 25mm, used XTR rear links lowering the rear 20mm, rear spring one click stiffer
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Changed front & rear guards from blue to black
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47T rear sprocket
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Speedo Healer V4.0
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Kev throttle cam mod
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Throttle grip mod
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The new 2010 O2 sensor mod is out, works a treat, The new 2012 O2 Controller is out, PM me for details
Now ride a 2018 MT09SP ABS + TCS
My KTM 990 SMR Mod book. http://www.ktmsmt.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4946
Last edited by Kev; 29-11-06 at 11:12.
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