Front Fork Spacer, by Kev - .: XT660.com

Kev · # 1 18-10-06, 09:33

A cheep way to get a stiffer feeling front end. Tired of the front end diving excessively when braking hard, fitting the spacers adjusts the preload & raises the sag which alters the caster angle & makes for a better handling front end.

Then this mod is for you, the sizes are 30mm in length, width is 38mm & inside diameter is 20mm

CaptMoto · # 2 18-10-06, 11:05

Thank you Kev for another excellent Mod, I am sure a lot of people will be interested in this inexpensive solution to a soggy front end.

Buck · # 3 18-10-06, 11:30

Yep that will make a difference,i added spacers to my old Suzuki sv ,made it feel a whole lot better .

Kev · # 4 18-10-06, 12:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buck

Yep that will make a difference,i added spacers to my old Suzuki sv ,made it feel a whole lot better .

I have had a set in my forks for about 6 months now. I have been trying different sizes & now have come up with a set that does the job well.

I have had to get these spacers made up by a machine shop.

nobby · # 5 19-10-06, 05:06

G'day Kev,nice mod

.I'm interested in the measurement's

.

CaptMoto · # 6 26-10-06, 10:58

For those new members that are not aware of this last summer Kev donated 4 Kev Mod's to 4 members to keep for good and to report in the forum their impression of how good or how bad this mod is.....

We we received 4 excellent reports from them and you can find that report somewhere in these forums, but then.... we decided to give an extra one for free to mystery registered member no 660 as a reward for having achieved such a milestone in terms of user's number.

We are now doing it again, in fact, as Kev suggested we will donate one of the Kev front suspension spacer upgrade kit to mystery number....... errr 660+660 =1320!!! not too far from now really, as we already have 1200 users, so... lucky man or woman #1320 will be sent a free spacer kit as soon as they are registered.

Well done to all.

The Kev Front Suspension Spacer Kit designed to give a stiffer front end (oh errr MATRON!!!!) will be yours soon, you lucky people.

tlexup · # 7 19-11-06, 11:09

Nice input Kev, thats a reasonable low cost mod. I also try in other bikes to raise a bit the oil level, just a bit no more than 25-30 cc wich is aprox 20mm level. Thats provide an extra stiff force on the last travel of the forks. The suspension become stiff when is almost topped down. It has no efect on the fist 2/3 of the travel. But you have to be carefull do not overfil the legs or you'll blow out your seals soon.

Just an input...nice mod KEV

Freez · # 8 29-11-06, 10:17

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.

Kev · # 9 29-11-06, 11:08

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.

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.

Freez · # 10 30-11-06, 08:26

Hi Kev.

I ride a XTR, with the 21" wheel.

The only reason I set the rear softer was to see how it felt like. Hardly notice any difference compared to the stock setting, so I left it there. It felt nice and comfy when you ride dirt roads, but with the rear harder now, it�s not bothering me doing the same riding.

I ride basically all 3 types of riding each day I travel from home to work and back.

I do some traffic, then a small bit of off-road to cut across and join up with a freeway where I get up to 130 or 140, depends how I feel like and end off to riding in traffic again. Going home is the reverse.

I must say that this morning, it felt like I was settling into the new feel of the bike a bit better and it was not bothering me much anymore.

I also like the slight little bit of ground clearance when doing the off road bit.

Like I said, I need time with the bike.

Also, according to the manual, the X's front shock springs are already longer and harder than the R's. So running those spacers in the X is even going to make it more stiffer than what I am running now.

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