SV650.org - SV650 & Gladius 650 Forum - View Single Post - SK3 fork oil level, weight and general confusion

Bibio · 01-09-20, 01:33 PM

it was racetech that started this 130mm gap, they done so for people fitting their emulators. due to measuring the air gap when springs and such are out when you add the emulator it raises the oil level hence the 130mm that racetech recommend. so 95mm-100mm is fine, the less oil the bigger the air spring the plusher the ride.

if you really want to upgrade the front end then you must weld up the rebound holes in the damper rods. doing this will reduce the 'nodding' of the front end as it helps reduce the rebound slop. there is by and large nothing wrong with the SV compression, its the rebound thats proper carp. its all a balancing game, the heavier the oil the harder the suspension will feel.

you only need to set bike sag then check rider sag sizes. this will tell you if you need to change spring rates. why dont you adjust rider sag i hear you say?.. well with the correct spring rates the rider sag will fall within the correct sag setting so no need (this is why we change the spring rates out). its when people are too tight to change out the springs is when people start messing with the rider sag which causes all sorts of problems. remember if you change the rider sag you are also changing the bike sag, you cant change one without the other.

always go 5mm more on sag settings for road use. unlike a race track roads are full of humps, bumps, pot holes and other nasty stuff so you set the suspension up to use pretty much the full range of movement.

public roads are not race tracks so bike suspension needs set up different.

01-09-20, 01:33 PM	#2
Bibio Member Mega Poster Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: here as devil's advocate Posts: 11,540	Re: SK3 fork oil level, weight and general confusion it was racetech that started this 130mm gap, they done so for people fitting their emulators. due to measuring the air gap when springs and such are out when you add the emulator it raises the oil level hence the 130mm that racetech recommend. so 95mm-100mm is fine, the less oil the bigger the air spring the plusher the ride. if you really want to upgrade the front end then you must weld up the rebound holes in the damper rods. doing this will reduce the 'nodding' of the front end as it helps reduce the rebound slop. there is by and large nothing wrong with the SV compression, its the rebound thats proper carp. its all a balancing game, the heavier the oil the harder the suspension will feel. you only need to set bike sag then check rider sag sizes. this will tell you if you need to change spring rates. why dont you adjust rider sag i hear you say?.. well with the correct spring rates the rider sag will fall within the correct sag setting so no need (this is why we change the spring rates out). its when people are too tight to change out the springs is when people start messing with the rider sag which causes all sorts of problems. remember if you change the rider sag you are also changing the bike sag, you cant change one without the other. always go 5mm more on sag settings for road use. unlike a race track roads are full of humps, bumps, pot holes and other nasty stuff so you set the suspension up to use pretty much the full range of movement. public roads are not race tracks so bike suspension needs set up different.