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5/1/2022
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CA
Edited Date/Time
10/11/2024 11:23pm
2023 KTM 350 SXF. 44-year-old C level rider. 6'4, 245-255 lbs with gear. I am looking to get the most out of the stock suspension. Currently have a 5.8 rear spring installed.
Really curious to hear from others what clicker settings they are running to get as much plushness from the bike as possible. Also, suggested sag numbers that seem to work best for taller heavier guys like me that keep the bike well balanced so the forks work as well as they can.
26 hours on it now so definitely broken in. I feel like there is still potential and would like to squeeze the most out of the stock setup before I commit to a spring conversion.
Thanks
I’m also a 44 year old C rider with a 23 350 SX-F. One cheap thing you can do is upgrade to the ‘25 motor mounts as they add more flex and at $80 are a bargain.
For the rear I installed the Luxon knuckle. It changes the progressiveness of the shock allowing you to run the compression softer but still have good hold up and bottoming resistance.
I never got the air fork to be comfortable. It just beat me up so bad in the small braking bumps. I played with the air pressure and clickers but never could get the comfort out of it I wanted. I ended up with the JBI 6500 kit that I love.
Forks:Use a zip ty or snug fitting rubber oring on one of your fork tubes to judge how much travel you are using…play with air pressure until you are about an inch from bottoming, thats your air pressure, then fine tune with clickers….I like shock sag around 103-105 but everyone is different, less sag will put more weight on forks…try one adjustment at a time…
The forks come with o-rings from the factory to monitor travel.
Air will never be as plush as a dual coil and the factory valving is lousy like it's been for decades. A revalve can get it working decently, even with the air.
What’s your static and race sag with that spring? I ran a 5.3 at around 215lbs so that seems a tad on the heavy side
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I have a 5.5 spring for sale that is perfectly suited to 240lbs
Thanks guys. I went with the 5.8kg/mm spring based off the spring chart at Slaves Racing. The 5.4kg/mm is advertised as rated between 231-254lbs and the 5.8 between 254-276lbs. I thought maybe better to go a bit stiffer than light, since I am on the edge. Value in trying the 5.4? Or try a bit more sag instead? I have read lots of comments about how important proper balance is on these bikes for the stock air forks to function optimally. So not opposed to trying a 5.4 if that is a better option.
I do not remember the sag numbers off the top of my head, but I believe static was 35 or 36mm and race sag was 105-106mm.
Your numbers are actually pretty good sag wise
I am not a KTM guy but if you are close the springs overlap. You are better with the heavy spring.
You really need a revalve going that much higher on spring rate. Probably needs a lot more rebound damping.
I have a question for everyone regarding the fork travel. I use the zip tie method and it works great, I have found my air pressure setting to keep me about 1-1.5 inches from the bottom, BUT there's always some point that i come up short on a jump and have a really hard landing, likely that's where I'm using all my travel.
So the question is, as I become a better rider and become consistant in down siding all the jumps, should I lighten air pressure to accommodate? Or should I keep my pressure set at that 1-1.5" mark in case I have a hard landing?
Probably just personal preference, but curious what you all think?
I would say keep it there...no matter how good you are, you're never safe from over-shooting or short landing a jump. And as a matter of fact, you may want to try going up on air pressure as you get faster as you will charge into jump faces and breaking bump faster.
Keep it there… you should bottom slightly in that scenario..IMO…. Even spring forks will bottomin that scenario, yiu dont see guys replacing their springs every time they bottom out… one of the biggest issues with the air fork is guys never stop adjusting the air… makes consistency difficult…
Spring is based almost entirely on weight/inertia. The rate that best suits you and your bike does not change much. As important as rate front to rear balance is key. Riding a bike with balanced springs allows better control even if the rates are off by a large amount. Damping is used to control bump absorption and oil level to control bottoming.
Once spring rate is dialed you shouldn't change it for the most part. What I am saying is you should be controlling the bottoming with oil level and not air pressure.
I was just about to ask the very question you more or less answered. That was, will the spring rate and sag effect the suppleness of the suspension (assuming neither is way off), or is that only the valving of the shock and compression/rebound dampening?
Ultimately what I am trying to understand is whether if I were to go down one spring rate, even though it might be considered a bit on the lighter side for my weight, would that offer a plusher ride given that I am slower C level rider?
Couple of great questions. Yes they will effect the initial feel but not always the way you might expect. If things are close I wouldn't stress over it. Likely a damping issue.
As long as you are in range the lesser compressed higher rate works better.
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