kx forks help.

TSCHAM101
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TSCHAM101
Edited Date/Time 5/9/2018 10:00pm
Going to either go A-kit spring or find a good set of springers to convert my 16 kx450.

What are the best forks that i can use to either replace my TAC garbage?

Or what were the best forks on Kawi's as of late?
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JBecker 72
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JBecker 72 5/9/2018 6:44am
5/9/2018 6:44am
I did a 2011 KX450F fork swap. They are the Kayaba AOSS and are just like what comes on new Yamahas. Everything bolted right up. No need to change the wheel or triples. From what I understand 2010-2012 forks are what you want. This really changed the bike for the better.

TSCHAM101
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TSCHAM101 5/9/2018 6:50am
5/9/2018 6:50am
Okay, i will see if i can find a set for a decent price.. im tired of the Air bullshit.. right now, i can either get it plush in big breaking bumps... (glen helen), and then it will blow through and bottom on any G-outs or big jumps.. or i can get it to not bottom, and then it feels like im riding on 2x4's...

Maybe its because im fat at 205lbs?? and too hard on the air chamber? idk.. .
Markee
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Markee 5/9/2018 6:55am
5/9/2018 6:55am
JBecker 72 wrote:
I did a 2011 KX450F fork swap. They are the Kayaba AOSS and are just like what comes on new Yamahas. Everything bolted right up. No...
I did a 2011 KX450F fork swap. They are the Kayaba AOSS and are just like what comes on new Yamahas. Everything bolted right up. No need to change the wheel or triples. From what I understand 2010-2012 forks are what you want. This really changed the bike for the better.

How new for the yamaha forks? I have a set of 2010 yamaha SSS forks on my kx 500 that uses KX 450 trees and had to bore the top clamp. So at some point yamaha changed the upper clamp diameter? Wonder what year?
JBecker 72
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JBecker 72 5/9/2018 6:57am
5/9/2018 6:57am
TSCHAM101 wrote:
Okay, i will see if i can find a set for a decent price.. im tired of the Air bullshit.. right now, i can either get...
Okay, i will see if i can find a set for a decent price.. im tired of the Air bullshit.. right now, i can either get it plush in big breaking bumps... (glen helen), and then it will blow through and bottom on any G-outs or big jumps.. or i can get it to not bottom, and then it feels like im riding on 2x4's...

Maybe its because im fat at 205lbs?? and too hard on the air chamber? idk.. .
I’m 193 as of this morning, so similar weight. Riding weight I’m about 205 I guess. I ran mine stiffer to combat that big hits, but then had to deal with harshness. So my biggest issue was the vague front end feeling in corners, especially on entry. Can’t tell you how many times I tucked the front thinking I had grip still.

Once I went to the spring Kayaba fork I fell in love with the bike all over again. It definitely solves the harshness issue. Mine have Factory Connection valving and .5 springs. It’s plush but has excellent bottoming resistance.

Out back I had a revalve, low friction piston band, and a 5.7 spring. Stock is a 5.4 I believe.

The Shop

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JBecker 72
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JBecker 72 5/9/2018 7:00am
5/9/2018 7:00am
JBecker 72 wrote:
I did a 2011 KX450F fork swap. They are the Kayaba AOSS and are just like what comes on new Yamahas. Everything bolted right up. No...
I did a 2011 KX450F fork swap. They are the Kayaba AOSS and are just like what comes on new Yamahas. Everything bolted right up. No need to change the wheel or triples. From what I understand 2010-2012 forks are what you want. This really changed the bike for the better.

Markee wrote:
How new for the yamaha forks? I have a set of 2010 yamaha SSS forks on my kx 500 that uses KX 450 trees and had...
How new for the yamaha forks? I have a set of 2010 yamaha SSS forks on my kx 500 that uses KX 450 trees and had to bore the top clamp. So at some point yamaha changed the upper clamp diameter? Wonder what year?
My YZ250 also has the wider top part. I was just saying that internally they are the same forks as what Yamaha uses (other than valving). From reading on here the SSS name is just what Yamaha calls them. Kayaba calls them AOSS.

I have heard of people using the Yamaha forks, but I’m assuming that requires different clamps and probably different fork lugs.
DTR830
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DTR830 5/9/2018 7:11am
5/9/2018 7:11am
I have 06 kx450f spring forks. They were just rebuilt for my 96 build but found some DLC ones
TSCHAM101
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TSCHAM101 5/9/2018 7:41am
5/9/2018 7:41am
damn.. the only set i can find in that price range they are asking 1,000 for scratched forks or 1250.. if i have to spend that kind of money for springers, it might be more worth it to go A-kit?
HenryA
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HenryA 5/9/2018 7:58am
5/9/2018 7:58am
TSCHAM101 wrote:
damn.. the only set i can find in that price range they are asking 1,000 for scratched forks or 1250.. if i have to spend that...
damn.. the only set i can find in that price range they are asking 1,000 for scratched forks or 1250.. if i have to spend that kind of money for springers, it might be more worth it to go A-kit?
...or the Öhlins TTX cartridge kit
JBecker 72
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JBecker 72 5/9/2018 8:13am
5/9/2018 8:13am
TSCHAM101 wrote:
damn.. the only set i can find in that price range they are asking 1,000 for scratched forks or 1250.. if i have to spend that...
damn.. the only set i can find in that price range they are asking 1,000 for scratched forks or 1250.. if i have to spend that kind of money for springers, it might be more worth it to go A-kit?
I managed to trade a guy straight up for my TAC SFF. Very lucky. They can be spendy. I also got a quote of $2200 for a set of new forks from the dealer. I also looked at going the A kit route, but kept running into sets that looked real rough and obviously had a lot of hours on them.

The set I got are low hour and my suspension guy went through them and said inside they were in great shape.

ky_savage
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ky_savage 5/9/2018 9:40am
5/9/2018 9:40am
I'm thinking about trying to sell my '16 forks and getting some from a few years ago as well. JBecker 72 I'd love to find someone to trade straight up!
jsmi33966
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jsmi33966 5/9/2018 9:53am
5/9/2018 9:53am
All I did was watch youtube videos on how to adjust air forks, downloaded the app and put the settings from MXA now they feel as good as KYB the rear shock sucks. I am having a revalve right now from ENZO and a respring on the rear.

Has every one that complains about AIR TAC forks tried making adjustments? You are going to add weight to the bike and loose usability.

Yea I would go with KYB since there a ton of them on ebay for relatively cheep.
JBecker 72
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JBecker 72 5/9/2018 10:33am
5/9/2018 10:33am
jsmi33966 wrote:
All I did was watch youtube videos on how to adjust air forks, downloaded the app and put the settings from MXA now they feel as...
All I did was watch youtube videos on how to adjust air forks, downloaded the app and put the settings from MXA now they feel as good as KYB the rear shock sucks. I am having a revalve right now from ENZO and a respring on the rear.

Has every one that complains about AIR TAC forks tried making adjustments? You are going to add weight to the bike and loose usability.

Yea I would go with KYB since there a ton of them on ebay for relatively cheep.
I rode the bike for a year on air and tried many different settings. Had my local suspension guy give me settings to try too. They just aren’t as good as a dialed in spring fork in my opinion.
TSCHAM101
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TSCHAM101 5/9/2018 11:17am
5/9/2018 11:17am
jsmi33966 wrote:
All I did was watch youtube videos on how to adjust air forks, downloaded the app and put the settings from MXA now they feel as...
All I did was watch youtube videos on how to adjust air forks, downloaded the app and put the settings from MXA now they feel as good as KYB the rear shock sucks. I am having a revalve right now from ENZO and a respring on the rear.

Has every one that complains about AIR TAC forks tried making adjustments? You are going to add weight to the bike and loose usability.

Yea I would go with KYB since there a ton of them on ebay for relatively cheep.
JBecker 72 wrote:
I rode the bike for a year on air and tried many different settings. Had my local suspension guy give me settings to try too. They...
I rode the bike for a year on air and tried many different settings. Had my local suspension guy give me settings to try too. They just aren’t as good as a dialed in spring fork in my opinion.
this i have been playing with mine. have had 2 different tuners tune them.. played within 20psi with each revalve and cant find anything i like... there is no overall middle ground.. i go from one extreme to the other.
JBecker 72
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JBecker 72 5/9/2018 12:33pm
5/9/2018 12:33pm
jsmi33966 wrote:
All I did was watch youtube videos on how to adjust air forks, downloaded the app and put the settings from MXA now they feel as...
All I did was watch youtube videos on how to adjust air forks, downloaded the app and put the settings from MXA now they feel as good as KYB the rear shock sucks. I am having a revalve right now from ENZO and a respring on the rear.

Has every one that complains about AIR TAC forks tried making adjustments? You are going to add weight to the bike and loose usability.

Yea I would go with KYB since there a ton of them on ebay for relatively cheep.
JBecker 72 wrote:
I rode the bike for a year on air and tried many different settings. Had my local suspension guy give me settings to try too. They...
I rode the bike for a year on air and tried many different settings. Had my local suspension guy give me settings to try too. They just aren’t as good as a dialed in spring fork in my opinion.
TSCHAM101 wrote:
this i have been playing with mine. have had 2 different tuners tune them.. played within 20psi with each revalve and cant find anything i like...
this i have been playing with mine. have had 2 different tuners tune them.. played within 20psi with each revalve and cant find anything i like... there is no overall middle ground.. i go from one extreme to the other.
Totally understand. Plus it’s not like the 3 pounds I gained by swapping forks is a noticeable weight gain.

If I could have afforded a low hour A kit, I would have gone that route. But $4k plus setup costs is a hard pill to swallow when that’s half of a new 450.
zlowery
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zlowery 5/9/2018 12:53pm
5/9/2018 12:53pm
Everyone here in PA has been doing the spring conversion. Locally, Pro Action and PR2 does it. Very reasonable prices from what I understand. Good (a/b) riders swap bikes at local tracks and run to get springs days later. Hepler let a friend try his PR2 spring job and converted days later. Another tried a friends Pro-action conversion and did his days later. The consensus is that they absorb EVERYTHING.

I avoid air forks like the plague after 2013 honda 450!
cwtoyota
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cwtoyota 5/9/2018 1:01pm
5/9/2018 1:01pm
Markee wrote:
How new for the yamaha forks? I have a set of 2010 yamaha SSS forks on my kx 500 that uses KX 450 trees and had...
How new for the yamaha forks? I have a set of 2010 yamaha SSS forks on my kx 500 that uses KX 450 trees and had to bore the top clamp. So at some point yamaha changed the upper clamp diameter? Wonder what year?
I believe the fork tube change on the YZ was for the 2014 model four stroke bikes. The two stroke may have changed for 2015, I am not sure.

The later forks have a smaller diameter at the upper clamp. The lower clamp diameter is the same.

Keep in mind that the axle diameters and front wheel bearings also changed on the YZ forks.

From 2002 up through 2013, the Yamaha axles are the same diameters as the 2009+ Kawasaki 450F.
The later Yamaha forks (2014+) with the smaller upper tube diameter also have a larger axle diameter.

Also, the brake caliper bolt pattern changed on YZ forks in 2007 (The KX caliper bracket won't bolt up to the later YZ lug).

It's possible also that the fork-lug offset is different between the KX and YZs, I've never taken that measurement on the YZ. If it's different, you'd have to pick the right clamps to get your total offset (thus trail) back into KX spec.

The 2012-ish KX fork would be a better fit for sure on the Kawi.
theycallmeebryan 5/9/2018 1:20pm
5/9/2018 1:20pm
I'd be interested in buying your air forks if you decide to get rid of them. Let me know.
999
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999 5/9/2018 2:20pm
5/9/2018 2:20pm
May be a dumb question but would adding spring forks or doing the conversion mess with the weight balance of the bike? I'm not sure if they designed the bike with lighter forks in mind or just threw them on, but I feel like it could possible make it feel really front heavy and want to nosedive.I was looking at a 18 KX250f but I can get a 450 for $400 cheaper, they're practically giving them away.

Pit Row

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JBecker 72
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JBecker 72 5/9/2018 2:35pm
5/9/2018 2:35pm
999 wrote:
May be a dumb question but would adding spring forks or doing the conversion mess with the weight balance of the bike? I'm not sure if...
May be a dumb question but would adding spring forks or doing the conversion mess with the weight balance of the bike? I'm not sure if they designed the bike with lighter forks in mind or just threw them on, but I feel like it could possible make it feel really front heavy and want to nosedive.I was looking at a 18 KX250f but I can get a 450 for $400 cheaper, they're practically giving them away.
It doesn’t matter. The 3 pounds you add by going to spring forks is a non factor. Imagine how much weight you add on a mud ride. Also, look at all the race bikes running a spring A kit. You don’t even notice the weight gain.
mjn81
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mjn81 5/9/2018 5:26pm
5/9/2018 5:26pm
TSCHAM101 wrote:
Going to either go A-kit spring or find a good set of springers to convert my 16 kx450. What are the best forks that i can...
Going to either go A-kit spring or find a good set of springers to convert my 16 kx450.

What are the best forks that i can use to either replace my TAC garbage?

Or what were the best forks on Kawi's as of late?
I sent you a PM
WOLF 918
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WOLF 918 5/9/2018 6:19pm
5/9/2018 6:19pm
I have a 2015 kx450 with tac forks also. Went in circles trying to figure them out only to send them off to enzo. I got my forks back and could not be happier. After craig at enzo worked them over, i'm confident these air forks are better than spring forks in everyway. They are plush, they hold up, they give good feel, and are very predictable. Being honest with the suspension tuner i believe, is one of the biggest problems with getting tac forks working properly.
I spoke with the guys at factory connection and they were great, but they were not confident they could make me happy without spending alot of money. Then if i still wasnt, i would be stuck with a spring conversion. One call into craig and he was 110% in on making these forks work the first time.
braap981
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braap981 5/9/2018 7:42pm
5/9/2018 7:42pm
TSCHAM101 wrote:
Going to either go A-kit spring or find a good set of springers to convert my 16 kx450. What are the best forks that i can...
Going to either go A-kit spring or find a good set of springers to convert my 16 kx450.

What are the best forks that i can use to either replace my TAC garbage?

Or what were the best forks on Kawi's as of late?
I had a 2016 kx 450 im on an 18 now, alot of people talk down the air forks and i actually found a good setting on my 16 and got really comfortable with the setup i ran stock valving and im really close to your weight maybe a little heavier with gear on

My settings were-
Balance-204psi
Low pressure side-14.5psi
High pressure side-174

Rebound on 12 out
Compression 8 out

Give these a try might help you decide to keep the air and save the money if you like these settings.
ledger
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ledger 5/9/2018 8:39pm
5/9/2018 8:39pm
A bit off topic but hopefully someone will chime in.... How are the forks from a 16 KX 250 F ?? I purchased them brand new off eBay for cheap and plan to use them on a 2005 KX 250. To TSCHAM.... I may have just what you're looking for, and at a good price.
user760a
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user760a 5/9/2018 10:00pm
5/9/2018 10:00pm
I have 2012 forks on my newer air fork kaw. I see that the 18 models can be had under 6 grand. How is that air fork bullshit working out for ya, kawasaki? dumping new current model year bikes at used prices lol nice

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