Where to buy stiffer springs for from forks MK2

[lloydspencer]

In the suspension post in the FAQ section it says there are three things you can do. Increase oil weight, smaller air gap. The third which is stiffer springs. Where can you get these from? Thanks

[eddie666]

if you use your bike on the road more than off road, what i did is add an extra 100ml of fork oil in each leg, this will stiffen them up, it stops all the ducking and diving under braking, use a 15 grade or 20 grade when adding to your old oil in the fork legs,

i know it a cheap fix but it makes all the diffrence,

[leecoulson]

what about if you use it off road?

[knackeredMk1]

Adding oil makes for harder bottoming or even hydraulic lock if using lots of travel.

[eddie666]

just change your fork oil to a grade thicker and add a bout 30 mils extra in each leg,
i do not know if you can add washers on the spring tops to make the springs firmer on the crm , ive not looked whats the set up is, but it can be done on some forks very easly,

you will have to look what the set up is and if washers could fit on top of the springs and still be held in place by the retaining bolt so the washers stay sitting on the spring tops and not try to slide down the sides or slip on just one side of the spring,

it has been known for motox lads to pack out the caps to give more presure to the springs ( with rubber bushes / whashers / power bolls / all sorts , then just push it on the spring and screw it down.
this will only work on conventinal forks that do not have a retaining bar like or up side down forks,

[knackeredMk1]

If you put washers or spacers into the springs you are increasing the preload you are not increasing the spring rate. So you are reducing the amount of sag not decreasing the rate at which the forks compress.

[fallenmikethebike]

If you put washers or spacers into the springs you are increasing the preload you are not increasing the spring rate. So you are reducing the amount of sag not decreasing the rate at which the forks compress.

Which means firmer, quicker, but not harder overall?
So a higher rate spring is required to maintain some progressive damping.
Probably something from the CR range, though which one
Or, as already mentioned, it's the Cr125, route, perhaps the whole bike, and save the CRM for the Road/Trail.

Mike

[eddie666]

thicker oil and more oil will slow the rate of movement damping plus washers will make the spring stronger,

over all it will give you the firmer results you are looking for,

if you were to put a stronger or longer spring in the fork it would do the same as a old fork spring using washers to make it compress more ,making it stronger when the cap is screwed on,
the inrernal oil feed wells would still be the same spec , so you would still have to use thicker / more fork oil to dampen the forks movment, ( thats eliminating the damping screws on the fork leg, that could be working or seized ).

also making the springs stronger will make the bike sit up more, so when you brake hard and the bike will keep more of its weight up right and help from adding more ( tipping ) weight on the forks that would compress the forks even more giving the back end a lighter feal,

also this will make the back end stiffer under exselaration and will help with the back end from dipping when the power is put on ,as there is more weight on the rear shocker making it compress harder from the bike sitting up more from the stiffer springs at the front,

you could also let the forks rise up through the yokes to get the angle or weight back on the front end again and off the back if you want by shifting the the forks higher or lower in the yokes,

[eddie666]

if your fork springs are old worn and sagging through age and use,

adding more pressuer throught using washers will at best bring them up to a closer new standard condition, which is better than the old worn sagging condition that they are now,

providing you do not add lots and lots of washers, 1 or 2 should be about right on each fork leg to help it come back to its standard condition of strenth,

[eddie666]

i konw that some of the form members think that i give cheep fix options on bike faults,
but if its old and worn, sooner or later it will have to be replaced at a cost,

a lot of us only use or bikes as a toy for the week end, so if you can find a cheap fix that gives the results you want on a part that one day will need replasing, for the odd times we do use them the cheap fix could last a long time before spending money on the new parts or you end up selling the bike because of lack of use or you need some money,

some people can afford to spend and spend on there bikes and have all the best stuf all the time,
i try to help those who want to inprove on old and worn parts that they know will some day have to be replaced any way, but for now they could make last a bit longer untill they have the money for new or find a good secondhand replacment,

so i know not all fixes are the corect or exact way of doing things on the old parts , but if it helps to make it last that bit longer then it must be helpfull for people on a tight budget or youngsters just getting in to this kind of bike,

so please do not think of me as a cheap skate, its the years of helping out kids that came in to the bike shop who had very little money or no money wanting to inprove on there old worn parts, so we would give them cheap tips on what would help it work better for the condition it was in,

[knackeredMk1]

Please take the above posts by me how they are intended.

Yes putting washers/spacers in to forks springs will increase the initial 'stiffness feel' and help the bike situp more. It will help in the initial feel for say half the suspension travel but it wonn't help the way the suspension behaves, particularly off road. By upping the preload you are changing the way the forks react and they will 'top out' much more readily over bumps.

Putting heavier oil in will help as this will slow down the rebound (as well as the compression).

Eddie is right that what he proposes will probably improve things for most bikes given the very soft suspension that CRMs have but only by making small changes. Putting big spacers or a lot more oil will give potentially dangerous side effects.

I appreciate that there are a significant proportion of CRM owners that run their bikes on shoestring budgets. I know what it is like because I've been there. Many of Eddie's proposals will suit these owners and improve their bikes' handling.

If however, people have the budget then they should get the correct springs and change the damping as they will end up with a substantially better handling bike.

[knackeredMk1]

Eddie - Don't think your posts are unappreciated. As I say above some budgets don't stretch anywhere near to a 'full rebuild'. I'm in the fortunate position of having a bit of money to spend at present but I haven't been in the past and I may not in the future.

This forum is to share ideas and discuss options. For some problems there is only one way to solve it, for many there a several. It is good to have less cost alternatives to the 'recommended' ways of doing things as long as they're not dangerous.

I can be a bit pedantic at times. I'm afraid that is part of my nature .

I'm also afraid it is too late to change .

[Gammakeith]

[quote="knackeredMk1"]Adding oil makes for harder bottoming or even hydraulic lock if using lots of travel.[/quote]

The seals on my AR blew shortly after I got it. The PO said he had just replaced them. When I tore the forks down I could find nothing wrong. The job had been done well and the seal lips looked OK. However, it was clear the oil level was much higher than Honda intended so I drew the clear conclusion. I put 20W oil in the forks along with new seals and kept the level as standard. The damping is now noticibly firmer and much more to my tastes.

Keith

[eddie666]

knackeredMk1 is right on his coments, if you can afford to get new parts or refurb the old ones it is a better option than cheap fixes,

cheap fixes will only help to keep the bike on the road a bit longer untill the part can be replaced or up dated,

most of the cheap tips i give are to help get parts back up to standard settings through them getting worn / weekend / softer / broken ect,

none of the tips are for adding more proformance or upgrades, there just tricks of the trade we have used over the years to help to try to get the worn parts to work and last a bit longer up to their standard working condition ,if you are on a tight budget these tips come in very handy ,

[fallenmikethebike]

Yes, it is a Forum, so you post at the peril of being Lampooned, and I should know
A range of fixes is a good idea, but, economic repairs should have the caveat of emphasising that they may not be best policy, but are not a dangerous fix, as in some of the brake horrors that have shown up on here.
So does any know if any standard available spring of the shelf, is a direct replacement for the soggy sod fitted to most CRMs.
Mike