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6/8/2013
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Melbourne, FL, USA
Edited Date/Time
5/19/2014 7:36am
As you all know by now, the 2015 rmz450 comes with Showa Triple Air Forks.
Do any of you know how the triple air fork differs from the regular air forks, and how this would perform on the track? I read on Transworld that it offers a larger range of adjust-ability, but I have no idea what adjustments can be made on it.
Do any of you know how the triple air fork differs from the regular air forks, and how this would perform on the track? I read on Transworld that it offers a larger range of adjust-ability, but I have no idea what adjustments can be made on it.
The main air chambers in this fork require very high pressure, so there will be a digital gauge/pump from Suzuki to handle the inflation duties.
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With a conventional fork with a spring it the oil level works as a second spring since you cannot compress a liquid as the for compresses the spring and the air in the for both compress The higher the oil level the smaller the chamber the stiffer the initial stroke gets on the fork.
With the Kayaba PSF forks on the Honda and Kawasaki 450's The metal spring is replaced by an air spring chamber This saves about 2 pounds of weight over a conventional fork. If the Air chamber has 35 psi in it with the forks extended when you compress the fork by 1/2 of its travel the pressure goes up to 70 at 3/4 travel it is now 140 at 7/8ths travel it is 280 pounds and just keeps going up from there "Boyles Law" The problem with this design is if the initial pressure is too low the forks will sink down in there stroke and yet will still give good bottom out performance yet if it is too high it will be too stiff throughout the entire stroke.
The SFF triple chamber fork has a high and low pressure chamber on the top of the leg the low pressure chamber acts the same as the air chamber in a conventional fork, the high pressure chamber works like a metal spring in a conventional fork. The chamber on the bottom acts as a negative or top out spring to control the fork at full extension by slowing it down based on its pressure.
With a conventional fork to change spring rate you have to take apart the fork to replace the springs. With an air fork air pressure is the spring and can be changed with just a few strokes of a pump. Air suspension is in it's infancy on a motocross bike, To really see the state of the art in air suspension just go and take a look at the forks and shocks on top of the line mountain bikes. They are very adjustable and very much reliable.
IMHO the Showa SFF is a step in the right direction.
Anyone have photos of cut down SFF air forks yet?
Triple rate should be amazing compared to the single rate stuff out now. My problem with the single rate air is the spring rate isn't as linear as a coil spring. The spring rate goes up as the fork is compressed more. I can feel it when I ride air forks, Initial stroke is vague. Deep in the stroke is too harsh.
Pit Row
I've don't know how much it affects them as I've never had them
How would a regular guy fill their forks with nitrogen before every ride? I'm seriously asking lol
i'vr just put ni in my car tyres, but there are filling station at some gas stations and I live where its always fookin hot......right now 10 am 35+ c
These new ones will have a higher air pressure than the current crop of air forks, so the increase in pressure may have less an impact.
Touch wood I've not had a single seal leak, (keeping the seals clean with those short neoprene seal savers) or anything dramatic happen with them. When I first got them and it was all new I was always checking and adjusting pressures between and before motos. Yes the pressure may go up a bit during the day but I can't say I've ever felt a difference riding.
I'm not experiencing any loss of pressure between race meetings, it stood for months over the winter and pressure was the same when I got it in Spring. Truth is sometimes I forget to even check the pressure from one week to the next now. I'm sure I'm not the only one...
With atmospheric air using a hand pump a person in the desert southwest will have less of a change than a rider on the east coast or areas with a higher relative humidity.
As for filling at the track with nitrogen you will need a small cylinder 5lb, Regulator, I would recommend that you change the output gauge in the regulator to an aircraft gauge as they are more accurate and a fill nozzle with a digital gauge. This set up should set you back $300-400 but once you have it you can always charge your buddies a few buck to charge there forks and shocks
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