anyone change their rear coil before? anything i should beware of? proper procedure? i bought a "used" spring from a local shop for a good price to see if i could get the suspension a little stiffer... i think its the spring off a stock 450 or something. looked to be about the same length. the closest thing i could get to a measurement before i bought it was some string... the 450 looked about 2 inches longer then the one on my bike, but keep in mind the one on the bike was still compressed. anyone ever try this before?

 

I just changed mine and if you do a search on this forum, you'll find at least a couple others have done this too.

The best thing to do is to first determine if you need a stiffer spring or not. This is pretty easy to do and here are the instructions for setting sag:

http://www.planetklx.com/techtips/sag.shtml

(If this link isn't working then either cut and paste it or type it in)

Note: MotoPro Suspension recommends a loaded (rider) sag of 105-108mm for the KLX250S and an unloaded (bike) sag of 20-30mm)

If after setting the loaded sag, the unloaded sag comes in right at or below 20mm, then you'll need the stiffer spring. If you weigh more than 185lbs, then it's likely you need a stiffer spring.

If it turns out that you need a stiffer spring, changing the spring isn't too hard of an operation. The instructions to do so might be found here:

http://klx250s.suncup.net/MotoPro/index.htm#Reference

 

sweet... then this spring i bought today was hopefully the right choice... i think i got a pretty good deal on it. Its a spring off a brand new bike thats been ridden maybe twice with the stock suspension and then it was changed out for a better set up (he does this as soon as he buys his bikes). its the stock spring off a 450 something or other. and its still got the paint on the bottom of it, hehe... i just figured if it didn't fit i can always bring it back. i measured it with a piece of string and compared it to mine, it seemed to be really close in size. its gotta be stiffer then whats on there now. if all goes well when i put this one on. i can get the same spring for about $50-$60 if anyone else is interested in doing the same. hes only got a few of them

I just find my self bottoming out when i ride hard.... and the front suspension I'm just going to save up and have it sent out... some times i don't mind paying for piece of mind knowing its done correctly. i just don't really trust my self with something that detailed yet.
I did read your write up, good job. looks like rebuilding springs isn't your only hobby, nice job on the web site! how can i better adjust my front forks for the time being??? the clickers on the bottom are for shock and the top ones are for rebound??? i'm pretty new to just about all of this. its my first bike.

 

anything speical with the shock? do i have to depressurize it or anything? i wish they made a haynes manual for the klx, that would be awesome.

 

I would say doing the fork spring is a easier job than the rear shock. With the fork springs, you don't need to disassemble the fork or even remove the tubes. The stuff on my website shows how to change out the valves which is a more involved process.

This link shows how to change out the fork springs with the forks still installed: https://www.kawasakiforums.com/m_123479/tm.htm (scroll down to johnnyz62's writeup)

Don't depressurize the rear shock if you are just changing out the spring. The shock is charged with nitrogen, so if you discharge it, you'll need to find someone to recharge it for you.

Complete instructions for removing and replacing the shock and changing out the spring can be found here:

http://klx250s.suncup.net/MotoPro/index.htm#Reference

Chap 12 - base and Chap 12 - supp.

 

sweet deal, i had no idea where to look, thanks so much!s <---- (Actual size)

 

Oh yeah, having a breaker bar or gorilla or a impact driver might help in loosening the rocker arm nut. It's spec'ed at 98 N-m, but I've found that the assemblers, of my bike anyway, seemed to have over torqued a lot of stuff including this nut.

 

(damn... i made the smily huge and it went back to small. sorry dont take that the wrong way, hahaha, thanks again!