K-tech 20 Ids Cartridge Kit
Nikita Desjardins
Does option #2 have a custom (specific to YOU) shim stack or is it an 'off the shelf' generic configuration? The reason I ask is, everyone uses their bike for different conditions, touring, commuting, sport, track etc. and the valving (and sometimes the spring stiffness) will be very different for each. Usually with option #3, when buying direct from the company, they build them specifically and exactly for your riding conditions.
I would at least send an email to K-Tech and ask about option #2 to see if it can be made with a shim stack that meets your specific riding style. At a minimum, getting the correct springs for your weight makes a huge difference in the bikes comfort and handling.
Option 2 would involve removing the stock fork internals and replacing the piston. I'll be pairing this with stiffer springs. The stock adjuster and cartridge can be used. Will need to check if the valving and shim stack can be altered so thanks for that.
@bugie - What type of riding do you do? K-Tech's Razor-R Lite might possibly be all you need for the rear. Emulsion shock (oil and nitrogen are NOT separated) and no compression adjustment but for general riding, this would be a definite improvement over stock.
@betoney - Generally fairly agressive street riding. I do touring but on a daily basis it's more about sporty riding. My current plan is to sort out the front and leave the rear to another day (just because my understanding (potentially mistaken) is that it isn't so problematic rather than due to finances)
I threw in the towel. Instead of getting a new or different bike, i'm going for suspension upgrade on my 2016 FJ09. I'm given USD 2100 estimate including labor to do springs and piston swap (all k-tech)+ shock (k-tech RR).
The 2016 FJ09 does not have compression adjustability on the fork, so the big difference between a re-valve and complete cartridge replacement would be that the cartridges would have one leg that has compression adjustability and the other with rebound adjustability.
so, do you suggest i go for complete cartridge replacement myself? I can handle most repairs if i have the tools but i don't have any fork tools. I believe complete cartridge replacement would not need entire set of tools, is that right?
my thought as well, I'm in BC Canada and was quoted just over 1600 for the k tech fork and shock valving and appropriate springs. from the research I have done Ktech gets great reviews. the Ohlins quote was north of 3500 for the shock and fork cartridge kit.
I'll be just under $1900 with Rally Raid 35mm Open Cartridge fork system, 9.0 rear spring, and shock revalve by BFD Moto (Blackfoot Motorsports) in Calgary including freight/taxes etc. When I spoke with BFD this morning, they mentioned they can mod the forks with shim stacks etc to make it 'much' better than stock, but since I have the RR kit coming I didn't ask price. Talk to Derek if you are interested.
All done. 5 hours to fit a new rear spring, and the front cartridge kit including setting up oil levels and sag. 9.0 kg/mm rear spring, 6.2 kg/mm front springs. front sag at 22mm (thick spacer, 20 clicks in), rear at 21mm static (8 clicks). Haven't checked dynamic yet. Ran out of time today for a test ride, but tomorrow's looking promising...
I guess that depends upon your level of ability and the tools you have at hand. Only required common hand tools, although get the Yamaha cartridge removal tool (from Rally Raid) if you do go ahead. I downloaded the instructions from RR's site. Read them through. Didn't really understand the details, but understood the concepts, then jumped in. Once into it, the instructions are perfectly clear. I didn't find it any more work or difficult than removing the rear wheel, changing a tire, greasing the rear suspension, and then putting it all back together. If rebuilding the engine from the gearbox up is a 10 out of 10, then I would say this is a 4 out of 10 first time. 2.5 out of 10 for the next ones.
Get rid of Covid, and I'll take you up on it! When I lived in Perth, I formulated a plan to ride around Aussie someday. 3 kids later (only 1 still left at home) and 22 years and I'm ready to make it happen.
After about 2000km of Greek TET i can safely say i did find some preferable settings but I did experience noticeable suspension fade. What i mean is when you start offroading the suspension still copes with making your ride fairly plush whereas after a while, i.e. when the oil heats up too much, the ride becomes harsher and the shock bouncy.
Hey all, I'm trying to install the ORDS K-tech fork cartridges. I've got it all torn apart, at the moment I'm trying to install the new cartridges. It's hard to explain, but I'm having a problem figuring out how to get any leverage on the cap side of the cartridge to screw in the bolt on the axle side. There are some spots for a tool to engage on the cap side, but there's a spacer that's blocking it. It doesn't fit over the spring guide to get off the cartridge, and I can't find a way to get the bolt/spring guide off, it just twists internally. I can throw the forks together and hope that the spring tension holds things in place, but I'm worried it won't engage the threads all the way.
Overall, is there any instructions someone can find for the k-tech cartridge install? I've been guessing and following Nerb's video for the RR install so far. It's especially annoying that I can't find any install instructions anywhere.
Update: I did get a manual directly from K-tech. It unfortunately did not answer my question about locking the fork cartridge in place I can't upload PDF's here, so I guess DM me with an email address for anyone interested
Let me explain why I went with the Rally Raid Open Cartridge. I live in Arizona, read that as ALOT OF ROCKS! The stock suspension after many attempts with adjustments, beat me up in high speed action, not mph/kph but fast fork movements and choppy ground. If I was on rolling ground or whoops, the bike did pretty good except for the ass end but that's another chapter. I tried reshimming the stack on the compression side but to no avail. I quickly came to the conclusion that the limiting factor was the small piston. The rally raid has a much bigger piston, much bigger holes and more shims that absorb this harshness much better. After some fork clicker adjustments, I found the sweet spot, much more comfy over the rough terrain. And very good over the whoops. You will never notice how good OR bad your suspension is until you make it work for you. If you ride mostly on the road, with fairly good asphalt, you will not need any more than clicker adjustment. Springs aside for you heavier riders. But I ride a bit aggressive and I bought the T7 to go off road, so the $840 I spent was well worth it. I used to be a MC mechanic so I found the install very easy and straight forward without the need for expensive tools except a socket Allen wrench to remove the compression base unit at the bottom of the fork. I am very happy with my decision!
@DT675 - I went with the Ktech valves and springs on the forks. I'm pleased with the Ktech kit. I suspect one can still bump into the limits of it a little quicker than you can hit the limits of a good cartridge kit but the ride quality of the piston kit is very very good and expands the capabilities of the stock suspension tremendously.
Haven't decided what direction I'll go with the shock yet. Right now I have it just re-sprung and it's working better than I anticipated so not feeling in a rush to jump into changing it further. If I do opt to make a change it would probably be to get another shock. The stocker feels about as good to me as it has any right to. I don't think the valving is all that far off but I'm also not far from it's target weight range so that helps some.
From past experience tuning race car suspensions, I have developed an appreciation for balancing damping and spring rates. I needed to go to a 90 or 95Nm rear spring and was concerned about exceeding the stock shock's damping capabilities especially during long bumpy rides. Also, the small piston in the forks has issues in hard offroad use as does the geometry of the hydraulic bump stop.
If I had bought this bike for mostly road riding or only planned to keep it for a year or two, I would have changed springs and re-shimmed the fork valves as per the excellent instructions on ADVRider.com. But, I probably will never sell the T7 (I still have my 1985 FJ600 that i bought new) so went with the Rally Raid open cartridges and shock, both sprung for my weight. So far, I am quite happy with that decision.
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