beta rider Posted April 3, 2009 Report Share Posted April 3, 2009 I have a 250 Sherco and I'm looking to change the front fork spring to a slightly stronger one. I'm happy enough with the compression damping but I'm looking for a slightly stronger spring to set the front fork sag to the correct level. I'm 13 St and cannot set the sag to the recommended level (1/6th of the full travel with me on the bike) even with the pre-load adjuster screwed right down. I'm using 5 wt fork oil and thought about going up to 7.5 wt, however this will presumably just make the fork compression and rebound slightly firmer but do nothing for the sag level. I've also considered making my own pre-load spacer for inside the fork tube out of some strong upvc piping or something similar to compress and strengthen the spring which should get the sag to the correct level. However I'm then overly compressing the spring which reduces the static sag to less than the recommended level (about 10mm). Looking through internet sites, there is a multitude of aftermarket fork springs available to suit almost any size. The Sherco fork spring is linear (i.e the coils are evenly spaced) but I've also seen variable rate springs, where the damping becomes progressively firmer at the end of the forks compression which seems to make more sense. I would rather order and fit the spring myself than send the whole fork off to a suspension tuner to keep the cost down. Anyway, my question is does anyone know the spring rate (Nm) of a standard Sherco fork spring or even a normal trials spring. It would be a handy starting point to look for other spring options. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 You should not need to change springs at your weight. 1/6 the travel would be about right for static sag with no rider. With rider it would be closer to 1/3 or 80mm. On the later forks, most just run the preload flush with the cap. No springs have ever been changed to my knowledge. Even with much heavier riders. 5wt oil is used by most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamez Posted December 18, 2010 Report Share Posted December 18, 2010 (edited) Hi, just got an 06 sherco and the forks with no rider goes down about an inch, is it supposed to be that way? Edited December 18, 2010 by jamez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted December 19, 2010 Report Share Posted December 19, 2010 Hi, just got an 06 sherco and the forks with no rider goes down about an inch, is it supposed to be that way? Yes it is! Set the rear spring about the same or possibly a bit less depending upon your weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldilocks Posted December 19, 2010 Report Share Posted December 19, 2010 I'm 13 st and never had a problem with the standard spring, I used to have the pre load as soft as it would go. before you do anything else fit a zip tie round the fork, not to tight just enough so that it will still slide when the fork seal cap comes into contact with it. Then go and ride some sections and see how much travel you actually using. Unless the forks are using full travel on a regular basis then the spring is prob ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted December 19, 2010 Report Share Posted December 19, 2010 before you do anything else fit a zip tie round the fork, not to tight just enough so that it will still slide when the fork seal cap comes into contact with it. Then go and ride some sections and see how much travel you actually using. What a great idea Best of Xmas balance. Neo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamez Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 hi, is there something to do to keep the forks from dropping down? when it comes to front wheel hopping the bike seems alot heaver than a gasgas with the forks fully extended unlike the sherco which dropps down about an inch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 hi, is there something to do to keep the forks from dropping down? when it comes to front wheel hopping the bike seems alot heaver than a gasgas with the forks fully extended unlike the sherco which dropps down about an inch. Are you sure your folk spring's not broken? Best of balance. Neo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamez Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 what makes you think its broken? it looks like my sherco's spring is broken beacuse it dropps down an inch so to lift the front wheel 2 inches you need to lift 3 inches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ormplus Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 my son is expert status up here in scotland and is around 16 stone.been riding trials since 4 year old .rode every bike hes had in std settings and never had a problem ,done ssdt,s and british champ,s on sherco,s.the only time he adjusted suspension was when he does moto cross. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 (edited) what makes you think its broken?I ran 2.5wt oil in two bikes for quite sometime .... end result was 2 broken springs after a number of friend (heavier riders) rode on my bikes. Apart from my double experience I don't believe this is a common problem though. Best of balance. Neo Edited January 3, 2011 by Neo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 my son is expert status up here in scotland and is around 16 stone.been riding trials since 4 year old .rode every bike hes had in std settings and never had a problem ,done ssdt,s and british champ,s on sherco,s.the only time he adjusted suspension was when he does moto cross. So which one would he be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamez Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 cant understand why the forks are made to drop down with only the bike's weight, so you are saying that the bike came out like that? can someone confirm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 cant understand why the forks are made to drop down with only the bike's weight, so you are saying that the bike came out like that? can someone confirm? Yes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 cant understand why the forks are made to drop down with only the bike's weight I've been thinking about this and I'm with you Jamez on that point....Anyone got an explanation as to why we need to lose that suspension travel solely on the weight of the bike??? Best of balance. Neo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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