7:30 It makes more sense to do it this way. And it fit together well. I too just removed 100 things of oil. (ml?) I just installed it last night. You video is better than the kids. He didn’t install it right.
Thanks for the video, just installed the RaceTech spring kit in my 23 CRF300L and your guidance helped. Also installed a KTech rear shock for my weight and it is a completely different back - for the better!
Great video as usual. I'm waiting patiently for the comparison between the crf and klx. Especially after you do all the mods to the crf. Thank you for the great mod build videos 👌
Quick update, I just did the install on my 2023 Rally yesterday. I did not use the brass washer at all. My installation in order of dropping parts into the fork: steel washer spring steel washer plastic bushing/washer factory length spacer tube (forgot to measure it) factory fork cap. If you inspect the factory cap, you will find that the big washer of the cap is actually floating and rests against a rubber cushion. This washer/cap is designed to accept and cushion the spring loads. My set up provided me with a small amount of preload on the spring, i have good free and rider sag. Hope this helps.
Hi from sunny Indonesia, I am taking a delivery of a Rally 300 (well its still 250 here because of "big" bike limit at 250). I have the Race Tech spring kit and Gold Valve waiting for the bike. I have watched many install videos on this kit and I see some issues with the installation. It seems most people end up with too stiff suspension, it seems that the preload tube installation and dimension is not well defined by Race Tech. The position of the brass washer is a big factor here. If you install the washer on top of the tube, then it is the jam nut for the cap that defines the spring pre load as it rests against the brass washer (this is how you have installed your kit). If you notice, the cap itself has a big washer on it, typically, factory spacer tube rests against that washer............By using the brass washer and the jam nut as the stop, you actually pre loaded the spring by a good amount. Also at the end you placed the steel "preload" washer on top of the spacer tube/brass washer, this does nothing, as the preload washer is not placed between the spring and the tube, it is free to rattle around your fork. I think I will be using the brass washer on the bottom of the spacer tube (this will center the tube/washer nicely over the spring) and will allow the factory fork cap/washer to constrain the top of the tube. With that, I will also be able to make fine tuned adjustments on the pre load, by screwing the cap to a proper depth on the dampening rod. The oil level, it affects the later stages of the travel as the fork tube slides into the upper tube. The internal fork space decreases now, the air gap that exists in the fork is now compressed. This compressed air starts to act as a "spring" stiffening the overall travel. The best way to adjust the air gap is simple. You start with bit less oil or larger air gap, assemble the fork and now depress the fork as hard as you can. You should be able to bottom out the fork (you do this with the fork off the bike). You now start adding bit of oil, until you can't bottom out the spring, this is your perfect oil amount/air gap. Using zip tie on the fork, making bottom out mark helps with that. This is a way to fine tune any fork, you do not want to overfill a fork as it will become too stiff and will end up blowing out your seals. I would definitely check your free and rider sag as you are making these adjustments, these tuning steps can make a world of difference. I saw your test ride video, valid $$$$$ points, but the springs provide only "support" for the bike. By not adjusting or fixing the bubble gum factory dampening (that's the real magic in suspension) you can possibly create worse suspension. That rear shock having no rebound dampening can send you flying one day. i have been using YSS shocks on many bikes here, they are good quality at a good price. Hope this provides you with some useful info.
Greetings, As always another brilliant detailed video production 🇺🇸🍾🎉🇺🇸 How much the kit cost? Thank you so much for assisting me and keep producing more videos about the CRF
Be interesting to hear how you like the RaceTech Fork Spring Kit. I installed it on my crf300l along with a K-Tech shock. I was disappointed with the fork spring kit though. I found the final spring rate too stiff. Also, the long Delrin spacer tube was carelessly drilled leaving shavings cluttering the inside and burred edges. Plus it was cut to an incorrect length. RaceTech told me the right length and advised me to cut it. I did that, but still, no matter how hard I hit the forks in whoops and ruts at speed, it leaves at least a couple inches of travel before bottom that cannot be used (I put a zip tie on the tube to check travel used). When I look at the spring rate on other spring kits for the 300l for my weight range, the RaceTech kit is almost double the rate that all other manufacturers deem appropriate. That changes the suspension characteristic through the range, and not in a good way. The K-Tech shock though is awesome, and it alone improves the handling and stance of the bike tremendously. Good luck and enjoy the bike. Once they are sorted they are a lot of fun 🙂
I have the same kit including the Gold Valve. Seems like the installation instructions are not great. I think I will place the brass washer on the bottom of the tube, use the factory cap/washer as the top preload fine adjustment with minimal spring preload. Most of my riding is on road, so even slightly over sprung suspension might be ok. I did expect better from Race Tech however, yep my tube was a mess. Thx for the info.
@baerv3753 I have the K-Tech shock sag and rebound damping set correctly for my weight which is about 175lbs. I asked RT and they do not offer varied spring rates on the fork spring kit for the crf300l tailored to a rider's weight, and that is the main issue. You get one choice only, and yes, it is much too stiff for the average rider weight for the purpose the bike is commonly used for. It isn't a motocross bike. A properly sprung fork should be able to use almost all the travel when pushed to the limit. No point in having long travel if it can't be used.
@baerv3753 The travel buffer: I said it should 'almost' bottom which implies a buffer is desirable. I don't ride to the limits. I tested it almost to the limit because it seemed overly stiff and that buffer you mention was over two inches from bottom in this case. A bit excessive don't you think. You said "one size doesn't fit all". That's precisely what I am saying. RT offers only one size for all. That doesn't work for most riders. Perhaps you don't realize it but we are on the same page. If you experienced this spring kit you would see that. And of course I would have been better off with something like the Ohlins you mention, but that's after the fact. We are not all custom suspension pros like yourself. I relied on Racetech's recommendation that it would be an ideal match for my weight and dual sport riding. The results plus the shoddy production value in the Delrin spacer were disapointing.
@baerv3753 Yeah I knew they had a spring rate calculator but when I asked them about it they said it's not for the crf300l, and the only option was their kit. Yup, it'd be best to get a cartridge system up front but I can't afford that now. Spent all I'm going to on the bike. I've accepted it as it is. For the riding I do the forks perform a bit better than stock in the range of travel I normally put them through which nowadays is mostly on tarmac, twisties and such. The shock was the big-time improvement. No more wallowing through fast corners, not recovering from one before entering the other, lol. So that alone makes me happy despite the disapointment in the RT fork kit.
I just don’t see this upgrade helping much. Stock the bike is under sprung with very little compression or rebound damping. With the RT spring now it is over sprung with little damping.
7:30 It makes more sense to do it this way. And it fit together well. I too just removed 100 things of oil. (ml?) I just installed it last night.
You video is better than the kids. He didn’t install it right.
Thanks for the video, just installed the RaceTech spring kit in my 23 CRF300L and your guidance helped. Also installed a KTech rear shock for my weight and it is a completely different back - for the better!
Thank you for watching! Very glad it helped!
Great video as usual. I'm waiting patiently for the comparison between the crf and klx. Especially after you do all the mods to the crf. Thank you for the great mod build videos 👌
Quick update, I just did the install on my 2023 Rally yesterday. I did not use the brass washer at all. My installation in order of dropping parts into the fork:
steel washer
spring
steel washer
plastic bushing/washer
factory length spacer tube (forgot to measure it)
factory fork cap.
If you inspect the factory cap, you will find that the big washer of the cap is actually floating and rests against a rubber cushion. This washer/cap is designed to accept and cushion the spring loads. My set up provided me with a small amount of preload on the spring, i have good free and rider sag. Hope this helps.
Thank you for the info. All of You guys have given some awesome input on the spring install!!
What does not using the brass washer do to the fork
Hi from sunny Indonesia, I am taking a delivery of a Rally 300 (well its still 250 here because of "big" bike limit at 250). I have the Race Tech spring kit and Gold Valve waiting for the bike. I have watched many install videos on this kit and I see some issues with the installation. It seems most people end up with too stiff suspension, it seems that the preload tube installation and dimension is not well defined by Race Tech. The position of the brass washer is a big factor here. If you install the washer on top of the tube, then it is the jam nut for the cap that defines the spring pre load as it rests against the brass washer (this is how you have installed your kit). If you notice, the cap itself has a big washer on it, typically, factory spacer tube rests against that washer............By using the brass washer and the jam nut as the stop, you actually pre loaded the spring by a good amount. Also at the end you placed the steel "preload" washer on top of the spacer tube/brass washer, this does nothing, as the preload washer is not placed between the spring and the tube, it is free to rattle around your fork. I think I will be using the brass washer on the bottom of the spacer tube (this will center the tube/washer nicely over the spring) and will allow the factory fork cap/washer to constrain the top of the tube. With that, I will also be able to make fine tuned adjustments on the pre load, by screwing the cap to a proper depth on the dampening rod.
The oil level, it affects the later stages of the travel as the fork tube slides into the upper tube. The internal fork space decreases now, the air gap that exists in the fork is now compressed. This compressed air starts to act as a "spring" stiffening the overall travel. The best way to adjust the air gap is simple. You start with bit less oil or larger air gap, assemble the fork and now depress the fork as hard as you can. You should be able to bottom out the fork (you do this with the fork off the bike). You now start adding bit of oil, until you can't bottom out the spring, this is your perfect oil amount/air gap. Using zip tie on the fork, making bottom out mark helps with that. This is a way to fine tune any fork, you do not want to overfill a fork as it will become too stiff and will end up blowing out your seals.
I would definitely check your free and rider sag as you are making these adjustments, these tuning steps can make a world of difference.
I saw your test ride video, valid $$$$$ points, but the springs provide only "support" for the bike. By not adjusting or fixing the bubble gum factory dampening (that's the real magic in suspension) you can possibly create worse suspension. That rear shock having no rebound dampening can send you flying one day. i have been using YSS shocks on many bikes here, they are good quality at a good price.
Hope this provides you with some useful info.
Thanks for the excellent info!!
Greetings,
As always another brilliant detailed video production 🇺🇸🍾🎉🇺🇸
How much the kit cost?
Thank you so much for assisting me and keep producing more videos about the CRF
$129.99 US
Be interesting to hear how you like the RaceTech Fork Spring Kit. I installed it on my crf300l along with a K-Tech shock. I was disappointed with the fork spring kit though. I found the final spring rate too stiff. Also, the long Delrin spacer tube was carelessly drilled leaving shavings cluttering the inside and burred edges. Plus it was cut to an incorrect length. RaceTech told me the right length and advised me to cut it. I did that, but still, no matter how hard I hit the forks in whoops and ruts at speed, it leaves at least a couple inches of travel before bottom that cannot be used (I put a zip tie on the tube to check travel used). When I look at the spring rate on other spring kits for the 300l for my weight range, the RaceTech kit is almost double the rate that all other manufacturers deem appropriate. That changes the suspension characteristic through the range, and not in a good way. The K-Tech shock though is awesome, and it alone improves the handling and stance of the bike tremendously. Good luck and enjoy the bike. Once they are sorted they are a lot of fun 🙂
Thanks for the excellent input!
I have the same kit including the Gold Valve. Seems like the installation instructions are not great. I think I will place the brass washer on the bottom of the tube, use the factory cap/washer as the top preload fine adjustment with minimal spring preload. Most of my riding is on road, so even slightly over sprung suspension might be ok. I did expect better from Race Tech however, yep my tube was a mess. Thx for the info.
@baerv3753 I have the K-Tech shock sag and rebound damping set correctly for my weight which is about 175lbs. I asked RT and they do not offer varied spring rates on the fork spring kit for the crf300l tailored to a rider's weight, and that is the main issue. You get one choice only, and yes, it is much too stiff for the average rider weight for the purpose the bike is commonly used for. It isn't a motocross bike. A properly sprung fork should be able to use almost all the travel when pushed to the limit. No point in having long travel if it can't be used.
@baerv3753 The travel buffer: I said it should 'almost' bottom which implies a buffer is desirable. I don't ride to the limits. I tested it almost to the limit because it seemed overly stiff and that buffer you mention was over two inches from bottom in this case. A bit excessive don't you think. You said "one size doesn't fit all". That's precisely what I am saying. RT offers only one size for all. That doesn't work for most riders. Perhaps you don't realize it but we are on the same page. If you experienced this spring kit you would see that. And of course I would have been better off with something like the Ohlins you mention, but that's after the fact. We are not all custom suspension pros like yourself. I relied on Racetech's recommendation that it would be an ideal match for my weight and dual sport riding. The results plus the shoddy production value in the Delrin spacer were disapointing.
@baerv3753 Yeah I knew they had a spring rate calculator but when I asked them about it they said it's not for the crf300l, and the only option was their kit. Yup, it'd be best to get a cartridge system up front but I can't afford that now. Spent all I'm going to on the bike. I've accepted it as it is. For the riding I do the forks perform a bit better than stock in the range of travel I normally put them through which nowadays is mostly on tarmac, twisties and such. The shock was the big-time improvement. No more wallowing through fast corners, not recovering from one before entering the other, lol. So that alone makes me happy despite the disapointment in the RT fork kit.
I just don’t see this upgrade helping much. Stock the bike is under sprung with very little compression or rebound damping. With the RT spring now it is over sprung with little damping.