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...but just curious what everyone thinks about the revalve or the A kit or simply spending money on your suspension in general?? I like the looks of the FMF systems... I like the hose kits...etc...but I know that's mostly just cosmetic. Is it worth it to spend $$$ on a suspension upgrade? Had a guy tell me once it's the most important thing to do because if the bike isn't set up properly, you won't ever know if you made the mistake or if the bike made the mistake. Made sense to me, but then again I'm kind of a easy sell.
I have a 2016 KTM 350sxf by the way. 6'. 200 lbs. Moderate to $hitty rider.
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Faster riders will notice revalved suspension much more than slower ones. If you truly are a moderate to $hitty rider, you might be better off spending some time on setup first. (Set your sag, check the free sag after that, play with the clickers for a day at the practice track, etc.) I've been able to make stock suspension work pretty well for me under those conditions.
Riders who are heavier or faster can often use heavier spring rates to their advantages. I'm not sure how the 350SX is sprung, but if it is different than the 450, my guess is that it is lighter-sprung. You might need stiffer springs at 200 lbs.
If you are capable of winning or competing for the win in the Novice or "C" class at a well-attended local race, I'd say that's about where the speed level starts becoming significant. Any less talented than that and you might not notice the difference (or worse, suspension mods might make your bike more difficult to ride).
is out of the question.
Second best thing you can do is have a really good diet and exercise program. (Actually, that's probably
the top of the list but for the sake of this conversation...)
Personally I use FC for my suspension, been using them for a while now, never let me down.
Pit Row
In most cases when guys aren't used to touching their suspension I recommend starting with fresh quality fluids and proper spring rates; however, your KTM 350 has WP's 4CS forks on it. In this case, based on the feedback of riders and customers I talk with daily; they are the modern forks that leave the most room for improvement. Considerably more discontent with this stock setup than any air fork even, and there are a lot of riders out there who can't get comfy on air.
It's a unique fork design and fairly new. Many tuners never really have gotten the hang of this fork from my experience, thus you will read many riders saying the only way to fix them is to replace them with Cone Valves. While the Cone Valve forks are an excellent product; for a majority of riders it isn't a requirement to make the bike work. It does however take a good bit of modification to make your 4CS forks work. We've (Race Tech) has been getting very good feedback from modifying the stock forks with our internals and converting to an open chamber fork for quite some time now. You can even find some of that feedback here on Vital.
With all of that said, it does take more than a "standard" fork to make work which increases the cost; however, the end result is guaranteed to exceed your highest expectations. On the shock side, it's pretty standard to get dialed in for an experienced tuner.
If you'd like to talk a bit more about what Race Tech has to offer or get a quote, definitely shoot me over an email and I can get you an in-depth breakdown of what we offer and why. Make sure to mention you're from Vital for our site discount as well. chris@racetech.com. Even if you decide to not move forward, I'm happy to answer any questions and help you make a decision.
Now that I wrote a book...there isn't much more you can do to your bike to improve your riding experience, speed, and comfort versus suspension.
Correct springs, and sag is very important, like some many have said. I think this is important at almost any skill level. Get the bike balanced and in the correct part of the stroke, while carrying your carcass.
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