Installing YSS emulators on Curvy

[Adam Ef]

Someone wil have them on eBay I'm sure. They fit quite a few bikes.

[Bibio]

my advice for what its worth.. dont bother with emulators unless you want to spend a fair amount of time ****ing about getting the "pop" right.

1. get the proper springs.
2. weld the rebound holes up.
3. use silkolene RSF10w.
4. ride it like you stole it.

its that fukin simple.

[JaxintheUK]

Yep, I'm starting to think getting new springs is the way to go. 10w oil feels so much better and stiffer than 7.5, just a bit bumpier. Closing up the rebound holes without emus? What will that do to the suspension? Won't it feel a bit juddery? Why are they there? Still learning about suspension setups, so please excuse all my questions.

[aesmith]

New suitable springs should be the starting point. If you don't have access to a welder you can block the rebound holes with epoxy. On that point I understand that the SV rebound is mainly "controlled" by leakage between the fork tube and the damper rod, where it says "Check valve passage" in this diagram https://racetech.com/HTML_FILES/DampingRodForks.HTML

[Adam Ef]

Yep. Most of the fluid leaks through where it's not meant to rather than the rebound holes. Weld them up to get it under control a bit more. Springs for your weight and oil for the compression speed that you want. Air gap can make quite a difference to plushness too.


I did the emulators and I think it took me about four or five times messing with oil and removing them and adusting them before I got near what I was really happy with. That process lasted a couple of months. I'd say most of the effect came from the new springs and oil though.

[aesmith]

Originally Posted by Adam Ef

I did the emulators and I think it took me about four or five times messing with oil and removing them and adusting them before I got near what I was really happy with. That process lasted a couple of months. I'd say most of the effect came from the new springs and oil though.

Out of interest what was you're process for tuning the emulators? I mean for deciding which way to adjust them. I'm not sure whether to start with them fully backed off then increase the preload until it reduces dive on the brakes. Or go the other way, start with them cranked right up then if that's too harsh try them a little softer. I'm currently on two turns of preload by the way.

[Adam Ef]

I think I read a guide somewhere that said they recommend 2 and half turns in as a good starting point. It took me a while to work out where that started from though. With them turned all the way out or just taking up the slack so that the bolts are just starting to move the discs? I think I went with the latter and found them slightly harsh. But I was mixing different oil in each time I did it. I think in the end I ended up with equivalent of 12.5wt, which is starting to get heavy (esp with the Silkolene RSF I used as that it quite a heavy one anyway .. no two brands are the same no matter what number they put on the bottle). The heavier oil would have been affecting the emulators a bit so I think I ended up with them 1.5 turns in and that weight of oil gave me good controlled rebound too. No pogoing when the suspension bounced back up.


The guy I sold my bike too was blissfully unaware of what I was talking about when I told him I'd done all this. He probably thinks that SVs handle like mine did as standard. I put weeks of work into it though. I did enjoy it though, sort of..

[johnnyrod]

The number of turns is from when the springs are just seated. They are quite soft springs so you have to pay attention to finding that point otherwise you'll end up with the two emus set differently.