Getting more stability from the front end

[Drinky]

Recently I've been riding her hard and noticed that the front end isn't really doing what I want it to do. She wobbles when letting go of the throttle, wobbles in high speed turns and feels a bit light on the front. I'v got a steering damper adjusted to almost full hard to aid this a bit, but it's more like putting a bandaid over the problem.

Now I've heard/read that people here jack the rear up to make the front feel more planted. I was wondering how you should adjust the bar. Should it have 5 threads max on both sides or one side?

Secondly, I read about replacing the springs, but I only weigh 183lbs and find the stock springs hard as it is right now. The only thing bothering me is the initial dive it takes after which it gets super hard. I'm not even using the full travel of this fork, so why did they use a longer fork in the first place? Will replacing the springs for harder/softer ones help with my issue?

I've considered cart. kits, but they are just too expensive to justify the cost for me, other forks are also no option.

I know I've been flooding the forum a lot these days but I'm just a bit overwhelmed by the hyper

[Hazzbin]

I am of the opinion, and it's a VERY humble opinion which many may disagree with, that it's not just the spring rate but also the fact that it's a progressive rate spring. My own experience with progressive rate springs has not been good, and that they're more prone to wobbles going into corners.

There's also more to making the front end work than just the spring rate. Find a competent suspension guru who can aid you with not only the correct spring but the right oil and setup. Springs and oil are a lot cheaper than a cartridge kit, too.

[johnnie27]

Originally Posted by Drinky

Recently I've been riding her hard and noticed that the front end isn't really doing what I want it to do. She wobbles when letting go of the throttle, wobbles in high speed turns and feels a bit light on the front. I'v got a steering damper adjusted to almost full hard to aid this a bit, but it's more like putting a bandaid over the problem.

Now I've heard/read that people here jack the rear up to make the front feel more planted. I was wondering how you should adjust the bar. Should it have 5 threads max on both sides or one side?

Secondly, I read about replacing the springs, but I only weigh 183lbs and find the stock springs hard as it is right now. The only thing bothering me is the initial dive it takes after which it gets super hard. I'm not even using the full travel of this fork, so why did they use a longer fork in the first place? Will replacing the springs for harder/softer ones help with my issue?

I've considered cart. kits, but they are just too expensive to justify the cost for me, other forks are also no option.

I know I've been flooding the forum a lot these days but I'm just a bit overwhelmed by the hyper

its a dirtbike dont forget , you cant compare the handleing of the forks to a sports bike..esp the front end..you have killer wide bars a ton of suspension travel..thats what happens when you push them around.as the front isn't that weighted under hard gas applications..i pulled my folks 8mm thru the tripples to get her to turn a tad faster....just losen your grip on the bars and ride it out.....again just my opinion as a DB lover

[Drinky]

Originally Posted by johnnie27

its a dirtbike dont forget , you cant compare the handleing of the forks to a sports bike..esp the front end..you have killer wide bars a ton of suspension travel..thats what happens when you push them around.as the front isn't that weighted under hard gas applications..i pulled my folks 8mm thru the tripples to get her to turn a tad faster....just losen your grip on the bars and ride it out.....again just my opinion as a DB lover

My brother has a KTM 525exc with a nice WP dirtbike/SM fork on it, it achieves a lot of travel, feels soft over bumps, but still hard enough to carve with it. At the same speeds it behaves much better. The problem with this bike is that it's just not achieving it's full travel, it's maybe getting half of it. Turn in is great as is.

PS: also a DB lover

[johnnie27]

Originally Posted by Drinky

My brother has a KTM 525exc with a nice WP dirtbike/SM fork on it, it achieves a lot of travel, feels soft over bumps, but still hard enough to carve with it. At the same speeds it behaves much better. The problem with this bike is that it's just not achieving it's full travel, it's maybe getting half of it. Turn in is great as is.

PS: also a DB lover

cool, perhaps a bumb/rebound adj is needed? all the best my DB friend

[ccemn1]

It's my understanding that "lowering" the rear will create more rake on the front end, stabilizing more? I know the more vertical you get the front end, the quicker it turns, but also the more prone to tank slappers. I'm in the process of installing an active dampener, but will probably also be lowering the rear, as I feel some instability too, and refuse to tolerate it on a street bike!

[ex-tuononono]

Visit Hyperpro, they will set it up for you for free, don't know where in cloggyland you live but mine was done at Alphen a/d Rijn. Huge change in handling, if this doesnt'do it for you then new springs and oil or.......forks

[Rikosintie]

Originally Posted by ccemn1

It's my understanding that "lowering" the rear will create more rake on the front end, stabilizing more?

If a lack of rake is the problem. It's the consensus on the forum that a lack of rack isn't the root cause. Search for posts from 08hyper, decreasing dave and freezer101. They have done a lot of suspension tuning and track days. They have posted detailed explanations of what they did.

I set mine up following their suggestions, higher in the rear (stink bug they call it), and it is much more stable. Tthis book is under $20 and does a great job of explaining suspension setup -

Amazon.com: Sportbike Suspension Tuning (9781893618459): Andrew Trevitt: Books

Amazon.com: Sportbike Suspension Tuning (9781893618459): Andrew Trevitt: Books

Michael

[08hyper]

Originally Posted by Drinky

Recently I've been riding her hard and noticed that the front end isn't really doing what I want it to do. She wobbles when letting go of the throttle, wobbles in high speed turns and feels a bit light on the front. I'v got a steering damper adjusted to almost full hard to aid this a bit, but it's more like putting a bandaid over the problem.

Now I've heard/read that people here jack the rear up to make the front feel more planted. I was wondering how you should adjust the bar. Should it have 5 threads max on both sides or one side?

Secondly, I read about replacing the springs, but I only weigh 183lbs and find the stock springs hard as it is right now. The only thing bothering me is the initial dive it takes after which it gets super hard. I'm not even using the full travel of this fork, so why did they use a longer fork in the first place? Will replacing the springs for harder/softer ones help with my issue?

I've considered cart. kits, but they are just too expensive to justify the cost for me, other forks are also no option.

I know I've been flooding the forum a lot these days but I'm just a bit overwhelmed by the hyper

Raising your rear will make the Hyper front end "feel" much more planted, increase ground clearance & the bike will turn in better. 5 threads on each is the "max"

If you have the adjustable bar, one end of the heim joint has reverse treads, so when you turn the center of the bar it will "extend" or "retract" the same amount on both sides.

For your weight the stock springs should be close, maybe increase the air-gap, try 120mm with the springs out forks compressed, and refresh the oil with new 7.5w fork oil. Aloha Alex

[Rikosintie]

Thanks Alex!

Could you elaborate on your sag settings also? I think sag and air-gap/oil change was the big improvement for me. I didn't actually raise the ride height and mine is much better than it was from the factory.
Michael