AC9 BFRC

Stewable
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1/12/2020 10:40pm Edited Date/Time 1/17/2020 4:37am
AC has been running the BFRC shock on the 450. With as controversial as the shock is (especially in supercross) it doesn't seem to be holding him back any. Did Adam have the choice of running the BFRC vs conventional shock? Do you think the BFRC has been "figured out" or was it all just rumors from the beginning?
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Talisker
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1/13/2020 12:51am
They may have it figured out. Cant be that bad, Right?
I think if Suzuki would have spent just a little more time on settings we would all be singing a different tune.
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tcallahan707
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1/13/2020 1:49am
Talisker wrote:
They may have it figured out. Cant be that bad, Right? I think if Suzuki would have spent just a little more time on settings we...
They may have it figured out. Cant be that bad, Right?
I think if Suzuki would have spent just a little more time on settings we would all be singing a different tune.
I don't know the names of some manufacturers' production bike testers and others I do. May be a complete coincidence but the ones I know of happen to work for the companies with colors seen on the shootout podium the last few years. That indicates to me the connection the test rider has with the racing world.

I think I have underestimated the impact of the "middle man" between the race teams and the factories. The open flow of information and the ability to communicate/translate feelings into words is much more important than I probably ever realized.
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mx_phreek
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1/13/2020 5:38am
Worked pretty good for Joey last year too. And Bowers had done a lot of the testing on it before Joey got it last year.
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The Shop

Mr. Afterbar
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1/13/2020 6:32am
Will the BFRC shock replace air forks as the suspension component that people who haven’t tried it will cry about it and cause it’s demise?
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mattyhamz2
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1/13/2020 6:37am
Will the BFRC shock replace air forks as the suspension component that people who haven’t tried it will cry about it and cause it’s demise?
Yup
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kb228
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1/13/2020 6:37am
I thought the shock was good, but the suzuki one was just bad?
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MXVet261
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1/13/2020 6:55am
I wonder if the JGR 450 guys are using the BFRC shock? I have not found a closeup pic of the JGR 450s to see if they are using it or not.

I know HEP uses Ohlins suspension so obviously they do not. Kawasaki has been testing with the BFRC going all the way back to RV2.
Larry450
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1/13/2020 9:00am
Few years a ago JGR was running BFRC. I think its only was mookie who had it. Something about Showa wanting atleast one rider with BFRC.

Gajsers bike has BFRC. He is the world champ and top dog at HRC Honda at Europe. I think he can have what ever he wants on his bike.

Savatgy was always on BFCR? Then again his bike was blowing up at the nationals like it was a kxf 250 from 2004. He must have been testing all sorts of bells whistles on his bike.

Maybe kawi and showa have some sort of deal like JGR. Then again I just read this shit from the internet...
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motomike894
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1/13/2020 9:25am
I have been using the bfrc for two years now and never once has it done anything weird, affected me, made me endo, crash or any other bullshit everyone says its done to them lol.

It is revalved by TZR and sprung for me, but like I said zero issues with it.

I think anyone that has had a issue is riding it stock, or been revalved by someone that's clueless and or they messed with the adjustments too much since theres no clicks they both just turn, hell I don't know.
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GuyB
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1/13/2020 9:45am
MXVet261 wrote:
I wonder if the JGR 450 guys are using the BFRC shock? I have not found a closeup pic of the JGR 450s to see if...
I wonder if the JGR 450 guys are using the BFRC shock? I have not found a closeup pic of the JGR 450s to see if they are using it or not.

I know HEP uses Ohlins suspension so obviously they do not. Kawasaki has been testing with the BFRC going all the way back to RV2.
JGR? No.
Bruce372
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1/13/2020 10:07am
Will the BFRC shock replace air forks as the suspension component that people who haven’t tried it will cry about it and cause it’s demise?
It's ok, 90, 99, 99.9% of people cant ride a cr125 to its limit, but those airforks have gotta go because cone valves are needed to complete very open practice Woohoo
MZ193
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1/13/2020 10:08am
What is this bfrc shock everyone is talking about?
Different system? I never heard of it
Mr. Afterbar
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1/13/2020 10:14am
MZ193 wrote:
What is this bfrc shock everyone is talking about?
Different system? I never heard of it
Google it.
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twotwosix
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1/13/2020 10:15am
MZ193 wrote:
What is this bfrc shock everyone is talking about?
Different system? I never heard of it
Yes. 'Balance Free'. The Showa BFRC shock is what comes on the new RMZ450. Technology bled over from road racing. It's a fantastic design, just hasn't really found any traction in moto yet. MANY top pros have either tested or raced with it, but few end up using one consistently. Always seems to have more success in SX than MX.
MXVet261
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1/13/2020 10:33am Edited Date/Time 1/13/2020 10:38am
twotwosix wrote:
Yes. 'Balance Free'. The Showa BFRC shock is what comes on the new RMZ450. Technology bled over from road racing. It's a fantastic design, just hasn't...
Yes. 'Balance Free'. The Showa BFRC shock is what comes on the new RMZ450. Technology bled over from road racing. It's a fantastic design, just hasn't really found any traction in moto yet. MANY top pros have either tested or raced with it, but few end up using one consistently. Always seems to have more success in SX than MX.
Actually the opposite. The knock on the shock was it couldn't handle SX tracks.

It seems strange to me that a manufacturer (Kaw) continues to use it previously with Savatgy and now with AC, but the factory team of the manufacturer that puts the shock on the bike OEM doesn't use it. Bad look to me.

I've never had an issue with mine, and if you have ever worked on a shock or changed oil you would love the simplicity involved in servicing the BFRC.

I have Race Tech valving front and rear on my RMZ, love it.

Really, my 18 RMZ is a terrific bike. The only thing I really wish it had was the magic button.
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CivBars
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1/13/2020 10:33am
Just imagine how well he'd be riding without it?
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Rooster
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1/13/2020 12:55pm
MXA said this about the BFRC shock on the 2018 RMZ

Q: HOW GOOD IS THE INNOVATIVE BFRC REAR SHOCK?

A: We love innovation, even innovation that is borrowed from someone else. Thus, we wanted to love the all-new (if you don’t count the Ohlins TTX shock it was borrowed from) twin-tube Showa BFRC rear shock. On a traditional rear shock absorber, a plunger pushes a valve with holes in it down through the oil in the shock body. The holes are covered by thin, circular metal shims of varying thicknesses and diameters. The oil, which is being compressed, has to bend the shims out of the way to get to the other side of the valve. The configuration of shims, on both the compression and rebound sides of the valve, determines how much damping the shock has. Since the plunger strokes up and down in the shock body, the damping changes with both plunger speed, direction and position. That is how most motocross shocks work. But not the BFRC.

The Balance Free Rear Suspension (BFRC) shock plunger doesn’t have a valve with shims on it. It is just a plunger, nothing more. It cycles the shock oil out of the main shock body tube into a secondary tube that brings the displaced oil up to the cavity where the clicker adjuster is located. The clickers share this space with the compression and rebound shim stacks that are no longer in the shock body. Taking the shim stacks off the plunger reduces the cavitation that comes from the oil sloshing around, and the two types of damping can be better controlled.

It sounds good, but it is not ready for prime time. The problem is that Suzuki’s BFRC shock isn’t well damped. Its shim stacks are not properly configured. It moves too freely, and harnessing the loose feeling uses up most of the available clicker settings (noting that the clickers on the BFRC shock do not click). The BFRC got its best results in road racing, which has much different load characteristics from motocross. The result is what test riders referred to as “wobble,” “wallow,” “waggle” and “see-saw”, all referencing the shock’s unwillingness to take a set unless the rear tire was hooked up and driving.
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seventeen
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1/13/2020 3:15pm
I have been using the bfrc for two years now and never once has it done anything weird, affected me, made me endo, crash or any...
I have been using the bfrc for two years now and never once has it done anything weird, affected me, made me endo, crash or any other bullshit everyone says its done to them lol.

It is revalved by TZR and sprung for me, but like I said zero issues with it.

I think anyone that has had a issue is riding it stock, or been revalved by someone that's clueless and or they messed with the adjustments too much since theres no clicks they both just turn, hell I don't know.
For those of us with less than pro speed ( and I assume you are included in this category) the fact that the shock needs a revalve to begin with says all I need to know...
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Rupert X
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1/13/2020 3:20pm
BFRC ? Beating Ferrandis Really Challenging ? Beefy Frames Reducing Cooling ? Best Friend Ricky Carmichael ? Burly Frenchmen Require Coke ?
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Rupert X
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1/13/2020 3:24pm
Busty Females Really Chill ?
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motomike894
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1/13/2020 3:28pm
I have been using the bfrc for two years now and never once has it done anything weird, affected me, made me endo, crash or any...
I have been using the bfrc for two years now and never once has it done anything weird, affected me, made me endo, crash or any other bullshit everyone says its done to them lol.

It is revalved by TZR and sprung for me, but like I said zero issues with it.

I think anyone that has had a issue is riding it stock, or been revalved by someone that's clueless and or they messed with the adjustments too much since theres no clicks they both just turn, hell I don't know.
seventeen wrote:
For those of us with less than pro speed ( and I assume you are included in this category) the fact that the shock needs a...
For those of us with less than pro speed ( and I assume you are included in this category) the fact that the shock needs a revalve to begin with says all I need to know...
I go pretty good my issue is my weight combined with my speed lol, I can’t ride any bike stock it’s not possible I weigh too much, if I only put a spring on the dampening be so out whack it would be unrideable and shock, I’m running a 6.8 spring stock is 5.6 I think
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1
1/13/2020 3:40pm Edited Date/Time 1/14/2020 7:31am
I have been using the bfrc for two years now and never once has it done anything weird, affected me, made me endo, crash or any...
I have been using the bfrc for two years now and never once has it done anything weird, affected me, made me endo, crash or any other bullshit everyone says its done to them lol.

It is revalved by TZR and sprung for me, but like I said zero issues with it.

I think anyone that has had a issue is riding it stock, or been revalved by someone that's clueless and or they messed with the adjustments too much since theres no clicks they both just turn, hell I don't know.
seventeen wrote:
For those of us with less than pro speed ( and I assume you are included in this category) the fact that the shock needs a...
For those of us with less than pro speed ( and I assume you are included in this category) the fact that the shock needs a revalve to begin with says all I need to know...
It seems like Suzuki just completely missed on their base settings. They also delivered the new RMZ250 with a harsh, oversprung feel on the same basic KYB 48mm twin chamber design that people have been raving about for years on blue bikes.
plowboy
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1/13/2020 3:48pm
Rupert X wrote:
Busty Females Really Chill ? [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/13/397912/s1200_95F89740_96DA_4F2F_9C6C_E87FEE88EDA4.jpg[/img]
Busty Females Really Chill ?
Just a guess Rup but I bet you get this look from a lot of bartendersEvilTongue
3
Phillip_Lamb
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1/13/2020 3:55pm
translating from what MXA said: the shock from the factory has terrible settings that no one spent anytime actually testing.

bottom line is manufacturers regularly sell a bike with bad suspension, the list would be long with every bike that was poorly setup from factory

From some buddies who've bought the RMZ and having talked with a few riders the BFRC isnt bad, it just needs to be tested and tuned. If every media outlet hadnt quickly shamed the shock immediately out of the box and just as quickly swapped it out for anything else in their builds more people would catch on.
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Falcon
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1/13/2020 3:58pm
Rupert X wrote:
Busty Females Really Chill ? [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/13/397912/s1200_95F89740_96DA_4F2F_9C6C_E87FEE88EDA4.jpg[/img]
Busty Females Really Chill ?
plowboy wrote:
Just a guess Rup but I bet you get this look from a lot of bartendersEvilTongue
"Really Chill" is not how I'd describe that one, either. Smile
mx317
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1/13/2020 4:01pm
Pretty sure the shocks they are running are a generation or two ahead of what we get. I'm sure the can be made to work.
ML512
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1/13/2020 4:08pm
I've personally ridden a works version of the BFRC on a few different occasions and have gone through the internal differences. It's a bit different than what's in the production version...namely what's going on with the piston/plunger. It has much better high speed damping characteristics for both comp and rebound.
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seventeen
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1/13/2020 6:38pm
I have been using the bfrc for two years now and never once has it done anything weird, affected me, made me endo, crash or any...
I have been using the bfrc for two years now and never once has it done anything weird, affected me, made me endo, crash or any other bullshit everyone says its done to them lol.

It is revalved by TZR and sprung for me, but like I said zero issues with it.

I think anyone that has had a issue is riding it stock, or been revalved by someone that's clueless and or they messed with the adjustments too much since theres no clicks they both just turn, hell I don't know.
seventeen wrote:
For those of us with less than pro speed ( and I assume you are included in this category) the fact that the shock needs a...
For those of us with less than pro speed ( and I assume you are included in this category) the fact that the shock needs a revalve to begin with says all I need to know...
I go pretty good my issue is my weight combined with my speed lol, I can’t ride any bike stock it’s not possible I weigh too...
I go pretty good my issue is my weight combined with my speed lol, I can’t ride any bike stock it’s not possible I weigh too much, if I only put a spring on the dampening be so out whack it would be unrideable and shock, I’m running a 6.8 spring stock is 5.6 I think
Oh I see. Gotcha man...👍🏻
1
TeamGreen
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1/13/2020 7:06pm
ML512 wrote:
I've personally ridden a works version of the BFRC on a few different occasions and have gone through the internal differences. It's a bit different than...
I've personally ridden a works version of the BFRC on a few different occasions and have gone through the internal differences. It's a bit different than what's in the production version...namely what's going on with the piston/plunger. It has much better high speed damping characteristics for both comp and rebound.
So, the problem is that the production shock is not Gooch?!

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