k5 poiny forks

[fast-lad]

hi all,

i have a k5 650 which i have converted for racing in the minitwins.
the forks i gave to a guy at my local bike shop to put new springs (ohlins apparently)and oil in. the front end seems to dive harsly when braking. i have already had an off on this bike through this.the forks seem to come up to the yolks under heavy braking. i have added a little bit more oil and adjusted the preload which has helped a little but it still does not seem right and my confidence is shot with it. it has a gsxr 1000 k3 shock.

could anyone give me a good set up for the bike ie; can i change the forks or revalve them? if so what works best?where do i get any and how much should i pay?
also can you tell me what rear shock works well or is the standard gsxr shock ok.

thanks steve

[Sideshow#36]

I'm running Hyperpro progressive springs in mine and I had a similar problem. I just ended up putting heavier weight oil in, switching from the 15W that came with the springs up to 20W. And so far this year they have been spot on. Good enough for 3 podiums. There are other things such as emulators and spacers to make them even better which I will be looking into next year. What oil does it have at the minute? Also need to look at the spring ratio that you have fitted.

[fast-lad]

no sure what weight oil is in. i was speaking to pete (the suspension guy that works in bsb with yamaha)at croft recently. he told me that they use 5 weight?????????????
what size airgap works well?
also recomend a rear shock.

thanks again

[Sideshow#36]

The way I believe it, the better the suspension the lower weight oil you can use. So therefore less heat build up.... i think. Because the SV's forks are quite crude by comparison I was told a heavier weight oil was needed and sure enough it worked. I cant remember the air gap off the top of my head but I use the standard setting in the Haynes SV manual. As for a rear shock I use ELKA. Its pricey, but arent they all. Just over £550. Most of the BEMSEE guys use, Ohlins, ELKA and ive seen a few Hagon.

[josal]

have had my forks done by maxton,and have no problems with them at all. also run a maxton gpr7 shock.
worth every penny and richard at maxton is really helpful if you have set up problems...

[toadie]

have had my forks done by maxton,and have no problems with them at all. also run a maxton gpr7 shock.
worth every penny and richard at maxton is really helpful if you have set up problems...

+1 - you can't get better service full stop.

Find out what spring rates have been fitted and what weight oil, then you can go from there. You can get them something like, with just springs and oil, but once you really start pressing on you'll wan the security of a better front end!!!

Yes, 5wt is right in most top quality forks, as slideshow said, it flows better with less chance of viscosity change compared to heavier oil.

Paul