Aftermarket forks, not sure what to look for

duckonquack
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duckonquack
Whats up guys, I have decided to get rid of the stock air forks on my 2015 kx450f. My skill level has gotten better over the past year and the importance of a good suspension setup is really starting to show. Im looking for some aftermarket spring forks that will fit in the triple clamps of a 2015 kx450f. I do not really want to machine out the stock clamps to fit bigger forks because I plan on putting the stock air forks on when I sell the bike. I have no idea what to have for a price range but obviously cheaper is better.

Some things about myself

Im 200 pounds
5'9
high C low B rider
Track types vary but almost exclusively race motocross

Any suggestions you guys have would be great, Thanks! Let me know if you guys need any more info or have any questions
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BobPA
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BobPA 5/2/2017 7:20am
5/2/2017 7:20am
What is your budget?
duckonquack
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duckonquack 5/2/2017 8:54am
5/2/2017 8:54am
$1000 maybe? That was a guess. Im a complete stranger so I have no idea how much I should spend, or most good setups will cost me.
Tracktor
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Tracktor 5/2/2017 9:07am
5/2/2017 9:07am
Why not just convert the stockers to spring forks? Race Tech and a few others make a kit........
duckonquack
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duckonquack 5/2/2017 9:08am
5/2/2017 9:08am
Tracktor wrote:
Why not just convert the stockers to spring forks? Race Tech and a few others make a kit........
That is also a good idea, just depends what will work best for me performance wise.

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Tracktor
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Tracktor 5/2/2017 9:42am
5/2/2017 9:42am
Tracktor wrote:
Why not just convert the stockers to spring forks? Race Tech and a few others make a kit........
duckonquack wrote:
That is also a good idea, just depends what will work best for me performance wise.
My suspension guy did his KX450f and loved it. Worked great....
MXD
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MXD 5/2/2017 12:00pm
5/2/2017 12:00pm Edited Date/Time 5/2/2017 12:01pm
The spring conversion is an option but it will add little value when you go to sell the bike so you'll lose a good chunk of that money. For close to the same money, you can buy a set of spring forks from an 08-12 KX450 and they will bolt right up with no modifications. They will run you $500-$700 depending on condition and you can pull them off when you sell the bike and recoup most or all of your money. All I would recommend is getting it set up for you with the right springs and maybe a revalve.
duckonquack
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duckonquack 5/2/2017 1:03pm
5/2/2017 1:03pm
MXD wrote:
The spring conversion is an option but it will add little value when you go to sell the bike so you'll lose a good chunk of...
The spring conversion is an option but it will add little value when you go to sell the bike so you'll lose a good chunk of that money. For close to the same money, you can buy a set of spring forks from an 08-12 KX450 and they will bolt right up with no modifications. They will run you $500-$700 depending on condition and you can pull them off when you sell the bike and recoup most or all of your money. All I would recommend is getting it set up for you with the right springs and maybe a revalve.
would the stock forks from 08-12 perform better or as good as a new set of aftermarket forks from a third party company? obviously a loaded question but in terms of performance how do they stack up against some of the better companies?
MXD
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MXD 5/2/2017 1:16pm
5/2/2017 1:16pm Edited Date/Time 5/2/2017 1:17pm
MXD wrote:
The spring conversion is an option but it will add little value when you go to sell the bike so you'll lose a good chunk of...
The spring conversion is an option but it will add little value when you go to sell the bike so you'll lose a good chunk of that money. For close to the same money, you can buy a set of spring forks from an 08-12 KX450 and they will bolt right up with no modifications. They will run you $500-$700 depending on condition and you can pull them off when you sell the bike and recoup most or all of your money. All I would recommend is getting it set up for you with the right springs and maybe a revalve.
duckonquack wrote:
would the stock forks from 08-12 perform better or as good as a new set of aftermarket forks from a third party company? obviously a loaded...
would the stock forks from 08-12 perform better or as good as a new set of aftermarket forks from a third party company? obviously a loaded question but in terms of performance how do they stack up against some of the better companies?
Better or as good? Probably not since the next step up would be kit forks and that's not a fair comparison. But still damn good and probably more than good enough. A well set up pair of KYB spring forks perform exceptionally well. They are a real nice upgrade from the TAC fork. The next jump would probably be a set of Cone Valve forks which would probably run you $2600-$3000 used or right around $4000 new. There really isn't anything in between. I have some KYBs on my 17 KX450 now and I love them. I also have a set of Cone Valve forks on the way to me. I expect the Cone Valve forks to be better but I'm not sure by how much. I bought them for a good enough price that I can sell them for what I paid so my plan is to spend a month on the Cone Valves and decide which fork I want to keep and sell the other. To make a long story short, I can only speculate but in a couple of weeks, I'll be able to say for sure.



duckonquack
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duckonquack 5/2/2017 6:21pm
5/2/2017 6:21pm
Bump, are forks exclusive to their respective stock model? For example could a yahama fork set fit the kawasaki, or is the wheel and axle measurements off? what is the measurement i should be looking for to see if the forks will fit the triple clamps? I would assume the diameter of the fork.
pCp 252
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pCp 252 5/2/2017 8:10pm
5/2/2017 8:10pm
You should be looking at the diameter of the fork tubes where they will slide in the triple clamps, as you noted. Some tubes will taper or be wider in certain areas, make sure you're measuring where the triple clamps would clamp the tubes.

In addition, the lugs will differ between makes. Yamaha has different brake caliper mount spacing than say Kawasaki. KTM has a larger diameter axle. They forks will also differ in total length and lug offset. So yes, if you have a Kawasaki you'll want to get Kawasaki forks unless you want to embark on a fork lug change which IMO is a total pain.

Showa SFF (single spring) with 48mm lower tubes from 2013 - 2017 KX250F will bolt right up to your 2015 KX450F without any changes. I may have a set from a 2015 with less than 10 hours on them for sale if interested.
BobPA
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BobPA 5/2/2017 8:13pm
5/2/2017 8:13pm
Everything is different, but you can make anything work with a certain amount of tinkering. You're best off staying with Kawi stuff though, just so much easier. The spring forks from the previous Kawasakis are not bad. Just get them sprung and valves for your weight.
duckonquack
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duckonquack 5/2/2017 8:22pm
5/2/2017 8:22pm
pCp 252 wrote:
You should be looking at the diameter of the fork tubes where they will slide in the triple clamps, as you noted. Some tubes will taper...
You should be looking at the diameter of the fork tubes where they will slide in the triple clamps, as you noted. Some tubes will taper or be wider in certain areas, make sure you're measuring where the triple clamps would clamp the tubes.

In addition, the lugs will differ between makes. Yamaha has different brake caliper mount spacing than say Kawasaki. KTM has a larger diameter axle. They forks will also differ in total length and lug offset. So yes, if you have a Kawasaki you'll want to get Kawasaki forks unless you want to embark on a fork lug change which IMO is a total pain.

Showa SFF (single spring) with 48mm lower tubes from 2013 - 2017 KX250F will bolt right up to your 2015 KX450F without any changes. I may have a set from a 2015 with less than 10 hours on them for sale if interested.
I would be very interested in those forks, shot me a txt whenever at 715-212-2917

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