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Yamaha Tech Originally the Yamaha XT600 Tech Forum, due to demand it now includes all Yamaha's technical / mechanical / repair / preparation questions.
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Old 29 Apr 2007
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Stiffer forks xt600e
Hi guys

I have my forks out at the minute while my bike ('03 xt600e) undergoes a bit of a makeover. One thing that i hate about the bike is the poor forks. The dive at the slightest touch of the front brake. I want to try to stiffen them up firstly, without buying new springs. Im gonna use heavier oil, and someone has mentioned fitting a spacer under the spring. Anyone tried this? What sort of size spacer should i be looking to fit? I can make any size up in work as i have access to a lathe.

Thanks
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Old 29 Apr 2007
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xt forks
Hi,
I have just bought an xte 2003 to replace my dr350 and also have noticed how soft the front springs are compared to the dr which has multi adjustable suspension. the amount of front dive is very noticeable when braking, i plan to replace with hagon progressive wound springs as these are supposed to stiffen the more they are compressed. i have heard of people cutting a small bit of pipe the same diameter of the fork springs and inserting this into the fork leg in front of the spring, although how long to cut the spacer is another question.
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Old 30 Apr 2007
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Using a spacer above the spring will increase the preload and stop the spring from compressing as much when you get on the bike. I've done it on other bikes but I think it's best to get some progressive springs. I started with trying 1 washer width and progressed to 2 washers. It doesn't take much.

Try this link. It's more street oriented but it has some good stuff "Bikesetup"
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Old 30 Apr 2007
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I just replaced the standard spacers with tube 15mm longer than standard.
This is for carrying weight, 20L feul tank, panniers etc.
Took a visit to a local metal fabricators and got them to cut some pipe for me ... total cost £4

Completely understand buying progressive springs if the springs you have are shot but if all you want is a stiffer front end use spacers and save yourself some hard earned cash
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Old 30 Apr 2007
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If you sit on the bike with it carrying the full load the forks should sag by about 1/3 of the total available travel

1) If they are sagging by 1/3 or less and you only want to stop dive, then thicker fork oil may be the best way forward. Also, more oil than standard will decrease the air volume and provide a greater air-spring effect that will come into play as the forks dive and compress the air in the forks

2) If they sag more, then the spacers are a good cheap solution to raise the ride hieght without altering the spring rate (the stiffness of the spring)


3) if you are handy, you could drill and thread the fork top-nuts to take some air valves. You can make these by stripping the valve from an old inner tube, cutting the rubber off until you are back to the brass and then soldering the tube into a brass pipe fitting for which you need to obtain the right tap in order to thread the hole you drill in the fork nut. You can then put say 5psi in each leg to give you some air spring assistance. Don't put too much in though as you may pop the fork seals
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Old 30 Apr 2007
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Regarding the last reply and air valves, would the fork tops from a 3AJ screw into the Es forks, might be easier than drilling and fitting valve.
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