I'm gradually improving my KLX300.

KX250 forks are on the way/Brewsterized spacers already on hand
UNI/crankcase vent done
TM36-68 carb for a little pizzazz

Now I need to do something with that stock shock. I've read that the KLX shock is easily revalved without the aid of a goldvalve kit. Does anyone have details on the shimstack they used and the outcome?

Thanks for the assist

 

The KX forks will really highlight the crude workings of the stock shock.

The rebound is too slow in the stock shock so you need to remove some shims from that stack. The compression stack can also benefit from removing some shims to reduce the hard hit on sharp bumps.

I could send you the spread sheet showing what I went through to improve my shock but it may not pertain to your weight and riding conditions. I started from scratch and went through about 10 different shim configurations to come up with something I was happy with.

edit: I got my shims from mx-tech.com
http://www.mx-tech.com/?id=products&cat=12

Ride on
Brewster

 

Thanks Bruce - I'd love to see your eventual stack numbers if it's not too much trouble.

I noticed the crudeness of the shock with the addition of just goldvalves to the KLX forks on my 250S. Should be even more eye-popping with the KX forks on the 300R.

I'm in Maine and ride mostly really ugly ATV trails - everything from roots to 12" fallen tree trunks to baby heads and big hits on ledge and always up/down/sidehill at the same time. I'm 200 naked and travel light so 215 fully geared. Probably heavier than you but I'd love to see your numbers.

I knew the compression stack would have to be softened but hadn't even considered the rebound. Silver lining - we have a long winter here in maine, so there's plenty of time to get it done.

 

Long before you do anything with the valving in your suspension, you should first be looking at the fluid you're running, and the options available. It's the single most important part of your suspension, once your spring rates are set, and nobody spends any time tuning with it.

 

I've never dug into a shock before so this will all be new to me. Recommendations on fork/shock oil and weight?

Seems like maybe TNC had a tutorial on reworking the shock. I should look into that before I make any bold moves.

 

You need to baseline what you have before you do anything. If you find your suspension too harsh, or stiff (assuming the spring rates are correct) then you need a lower viscosity oil. This should be done before you even think about revalving. Of course it's slightly more complicated than that, but you're going to learn that while you're working on it.

Now, the problem is, that they way suspension fluids are labeled, it's almost impossible to know what you have. I like to say that 5W oil is not 5W oil. Some manufacturers 5W is heavier than some 10W oils. How can you possibly set up your suspension with any degree of accuracy when you don't know the viscosity (the single most important thing in your suspension next to spring rate) is? I'm going to tell you.

Read this page. Then read it again.

Peter Verdone Designs - Low Speed Damping

Using some of my fancy college education, Peter's info, and some track testing, I've been able to fine tune my suspensions so well that nobody can believe that I didn't spend big bucks, or revalve my self.
Everybody talks about revalve. Nobody talks about oil. The next time somebody tries to tell you to revalve, have a discussion with them about viscosity. If they don't understand it's importance, they shouldn't be working on suspension.

 

Yeah, I had a post on here somewhere when I installed a Gold Valve kit in my KLX's KYB shock. Race Tech has the specific kit for your 300 which is what I used on my '06 250. You give them your specs on weight, riding style, and other factors, and they send you a recommended shim stack. They also send you a print out that shows a lot of options on either side of the main recommendation with some detail on how you can modify the setup. It's good stuff. I actually went one step softer on my initial setup when the All ***** replacement main seal went south within a month. I recommend sticking with KYB seal parts. They're tough.

Unless you're a real suspension guru, I recommend the RT kit. It can be a real hunt-and-peck effort if you're working in the dark to start with. I also think you benefit from the better main piston in the Gold Valve. The rear KYB is actually pretty easy to work on IMO...much easier to tweak than the fork.