It's All Over!
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Off-Road.com was pleased to bring you Project CRF
450 - Many Thanks to the Manufacturers who sponsored it! Our
New Long Term Projects take you down the road of Dual Sport
Action & Desert Racing.
See: Project 525 EXC and Project WR450F!
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The first step in upgrading our KLX 110 was to
stiffen up the stock suspension. The stock fork springs and shock
spring are way to soft, they blow through the travel too quickly
and the forks bottom easily with my weight. When shopping for
aftermarket fork springs you have the option of going with mildly
stiffer springs or going with the aggressive springs. Since I weigh
in at 175 and plan on track riding there was no question I needed
aggressive springs. A quick call to some friends at Racers Edge and
aggressive fork springs were on order.
Once the springs came in they needed to be
installed on the bike. Fear not, the installation is
straightforward and very easy. Put the bike on a stand so the front
tire is off the ground. Remove the number plate and then remove the
black fork caps on the top of each fork leg. Under the caps you
will see a spring sitting on top of a metal disc. Take a small
screwdriver and lift up part of the spring while grabbing it with a
pair of needle nose pliers. Pinch the spring together with the
pliers and remove it from the fork. The metal disc will then pop
out due to the spring pressure. Set the spring and disc aside, pull
out the stock fork spring and install the new one. Reinstall the
disc and spring and then repeat for the other fork leg, finishing
up with putting the numberplate back on.
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For the shock I did a little research to see what
the best route of attack would be. There are stiffer rear shock
springs available but I was informed by more than one source that
the best thing to do is to just replace the stock rear shock with
an aftermarket one. When looking for aftermarket shocks many of
them are direct replacements and others require you to also buy a
new swingarm. While the replacement shocks that require a new
swingarm also usually increase travel I wasn't convinced I really
needed to spend that much money for my intended use. With that in
mind I called PPS Racing and owner Mark recommended their works
connection shock with reservoir for my needs.
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Installing the shock is also quite simple. Put the
bike on a stand so the rear wheel is off the ground. Remove the
seat and sidepanels for the easiest access to remove the stock
shock. Loosen and remove the two bolts securing the stock shock in
place and pull out the stock shock. Install the new shock with the
reservoir hose on the top and tighten down the two bolts securing
it in place. There were no specific instructions on where to mount
the reservoir but with the enclosed clamps and rubber mounts the
frame looked like a good place to start. By placing it along the
left frame tube you can tuck most of the reservoir behind the
sideplate out of the way. Complete the install by reinstalling the
sidepanels and seat.
With the aggressive fork springs and new shock
installed a friend and I headed back to Elsinore MX track for
testing with our 110s. Just one lap around the track is all it took
to notice how much better the bike handled. Gone was the harsh
metal bottoming in the forks over the whoops and jumps. While I
could still bottom the forks in deep whoops if I didn't time them
right the bottoming wasn't anything like with the stock
springs. The shock was even more impressive
than the forks. Over the jumps and whoops I never once bottomed the
shock and it was still super plush over the small chop. With both
upgrades the little KLX holds itself up much better in the turns
and can be ridden more aggressively through out all parts of the
track. With the fork springs retailing for around $90 dollars and
the shock going for about $350 through PPS the 110 is now dialed
for my weight for under $500. My grin factor has already increased
and I am looking forward to seeing what other benefits future mods
will bring.
It's All Over!
|
Off-Road.com was pleased to bring you Project CRF
450 - Many Thanks to the Manufacturers who sponsored it! Our
New Long Term Projects take you down the road of Dual Sport
Action & Desert Racing.
See: Project 525 EXC and Project WR450F!
|
|
|