Posts
746
Joined
3/6/2017
Location
Indian Trail, NC
US
Interested in theory behind tuning air forks for the "heavier" guy. I'm 250lbs+, 2017 KTM 350 SXF (WP AER), average vet class speed. I've had a few tuners tell me that air forks don't work for people over a certain weight given the characteristics of the Air Spring through the compression and rebound of the forks since you need a very high air pressure to balance with a properly sprung and valved shock. I've had one tuner who told me that he thinks the WP AER would work for my weight.
Standard theory - When you jump up spring rates necessary for the bigger guys tuners adjust compression and rebound damping to counteract the force of the spring.
My question - Is it possible to go stiffer and more progressive in the valve stacks so that the valving takes some of the load off the air spring and balances the bike with less air in the fork?
Not even sure if I'm on the right path here. Debating getting a spring conversion and I'm interested in information from people who know what they're talking about.
Standard theory - When you jump up spring rates necessary for the bigger guys tuners adjust compression and rebound damping to counteract the force of the spring.
My question - Is it possible to go stiffer and more progressive in the valve stacks so that the valving takes some of the load off the air spring and balances the bike with less air in the fork?
Not even sure if I'm on the right path here. Debating getting a spring conversion and I'm interested in information from people who know what they're talking about.
The one tuner said verbatim "I wouldn't convert that fork (WP AER), its light years ahead of the other air forks. Your best bet is to valve/spring the rear shock so that you can set the sag. Leave the forks stock, but increase the pressure so that the front end balances with the shock, and ride it. At most we would need to valve/spring the shock, then revalve the forks."
I would go with the guy that wants to setup your shock- air forks can be tricky to setup, but if you get a good shock setting, it holds the bike up properly and makes the fork do its job.
The Shop
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