Suspension for woods riding.

I don’t know your area specifically, but every experience I’ve had with FC I was quoted damn near double for the same work from my local guys. You could bring them 0 hour forks and they’ll still charge you for bushings and seals and such. 

Change springs and DIY it would be my advice.  Folks don’t know how doable it is to change the springs and oil on their own with only a few specialty tools. Especially for a 2001 bike, seems like a no brainer to me to DIY and gain a new skill. 

I had the same problem when looking to get my Crf250r done by FC. They were double the price of everyone else. 

Lighter springs, take about 20cc of oil out of the forks and open up the clickers 5-10 clicks would be a big improvement. Otherwise a re-tune would be better but a lot more $$

If Factory Connection is close by, I'd go with them. It's possible you may only need new springs and a different baseline for your dampening and rebound adjustments.

I would call them and have this discussion with them directly, go to the source! They have been nothing short of great anytime I've reached out to them over the phone.

If you can do it, I would look into the gold valve setup from RT and install them at home. it was like 1/3 the price of anywhere else, taught me a TON, and is the best i've ever felt. @sgrimmxdad / TAG got me set up. They can help you plenty and racetech after sales support is great too.

EVO. Period. 
 

There is a reason that 80% of the folks at any given off road race in the PNW are running their stuff….it works. 
 

Moto pro is in Redmond WA I believe.  I know John he's very knowledgeable, and he tunes specifically for Woods/Enduro type riding. 

Kent Swick   Swick's Suspension Solutions

runswicks.com

McMinnville Oregon

Off Road is his specialty

Hit up Matt at pinnacle suspension, localish to you he is up in Monroe and a very good mx and woods setup dude! always tries to give out deals where he can! 

They like to say wear parts "As needed" but then, as you said, replace everything regardless of condition.

I had SKF dual layer fork seals (expensive for seals) and all new bushings on my forks when I decided to get them revalved after all. FC replaced them all and the seals they sent back in the bag of "worn" parts weren't SKF.

I get that they don't want to take a chance of sending someone back something that starts leaking because of an old seal, but they should just include it in the price up front instead of pretending that they might not replace them.

Not sure how involved you want to get with that bike, but there are better/newer forks and shock from crf250/450 that will be a decent upgrade. Shock,not quite as much, but if it has a lot of hours, the damper rods and seals in the forks can be worn, as well as the shock body. The parts to rebuild can be more than a clean set of used crf450r or x suspension. Then you got the linkage and swingarm bearings, if they haven’t been replaced or serviced recently. Find someone local that does Honda/showa suspension. I think checkpoint off-road knows showa suspension and are close to pnw. Race Tech is very good also.

For woods, i highly suggest Travis at SRS in Ohio. 

I had FC revalve my 23 crf450r for woods and $1200 later I am not impressed at all. Everytime I have to send them back shipping is on my dime, and it isn't cheap shipping forks and a shock. But being you are close enough to drop them off maybe all you will lose is your time taking the stuff off and bringing it back and forth to them. Seriously send it somewhere else.

I raced an off-road series this year in TX (TORCS) with a revalve from Enzo for the type of courses in this area. The off-road setting I had was dramatically better than an MX setup done for me (also by Enzo).  

Two things I’d consider for a new to me bike: for the type of courses in my area, I think stock MX suspension with the right springs would be about right for me at 200 lbs. If you have a lot more tight single track or your stuff is stiff already (I had an ‘01 CR250 and it’s pretty stiff), then you might need a revalve. 
 

Second thing: I’d check whatever local race series is near your riding areas and see who the racers use. A lot in my area use a guy who installs RaceTech kits primarily. Most of those guys are very happy. If you can DIY, then you’ll likely save money and get a better outcome. 

Congrats on the weight loss....best performance upgrade!

On that bike? I’d try AHM and see if that have a set up for what you’re looking for. 

I second what Manny said if you’re going to ship. Our team switched to AHM this last year and we have been extremely happy with their valving, settings, and customer service. 

Hi Chance,

You might give Jason a call at mxtrendsuspension.com   951 315-3526

They are located in South Hill Puyallup about 30-35 minutes away from you.

He has quite a lineage with Honda suspension and will support after valving/spring changes to get things dialed for 'you'.

I’ve done Race tech myself, and it works Really well, and it saved me shipping cost,  down time . Not worrying about stuff getting lost shipping 

just do a simple dual stage compression stack … it’s pretty easy. The Race Tech videos are all on youtube that show you how to do it on your own, just invest in a seal driver, cap wrench, and inch pound torque wrench! 

Lt racing in port orchard.
Never used em before talked to him a few times for parts. Just throwing out another option for ya.