Open invitation to ride Webster Pass in CO, 7/30 or 8/7

[BlackBike]

Detours, did you take the rx3? How nice is that altitude self healing fuel injection at 11,990 ft?

[detours]

Yeah, I took the RX3 and it did great! The fueling was perfect at all elevations. Not one engine hiccup ... smooth all the way.

The ride would have been a lot harder if I hadn't lowered the gearing, but as it was I never had to drag the clutch and was easily able to shift standing up without using the clutch at all.

The trail was pretty rough, but my RX3 didn't miss a beat. I would say that any RX3 with a 13T front sprocket would do fine, but the closer to stock the more skilled the rider would have to be.

Here's a list of my weight saving and off-road mods:

• 13T/45T gearing (stock is 14T/44T)
• 19" front wheel
• Shinko 804/805 adventure tires
• CSC aluminum skid plate
• 1/2" handlebar riser
• Progressive shock with 375/465 spring
• Shorai lithium iron battery (saves 5 pounds)
• Removed crash bars and side cases

I'm getting my pics from the trip ready to upload and will hopefully get them up here by tomorrow.

And here's something ... I sent some of the pics and videos to Joe at CSC and he asked for permission to post them in the CSC blog. So they might show up there in the next few days

[jbfla]

Originally Posted by detours

.........

• 13T/45T gearing (stock is 14T/44T)
• 19" front wheel
• Shinko 804/805 adventure tires
• CSC aluminum skid plate
• 1/2" handlebar riser
• Progressive shock with 375/465 spring
• Shorai lithium iron battery (saves 5 pounds)
• Removed crash bars and side cases

.............

Detours,

Did you put the new spring on?

How does it perform?

jb

[detours]

Originally Posted by jbfla

Detours,

Did you put the new spring on?

How does it perform?

jb

The new 375/465 spring was a HUGE improvement over the 400/450!

Not as stiff on road and much better performance offroad. The 400/450 was too strong (given my weight and setup) and overpowered the front, causing it to bottom out offroad. But the new 375/465 allowed the rear wheel to travel instead of pushing that weight forward onto the forks. So the fronts only had to do their own work, instead of the rear's too.

I noticed that the spring felt a lot stiffer at the beginning of the ride but softened up as I worked it on the trail. I expect it to continue breaking in over time and just get better.

BTW, I didn't add any preload to the spring. I just locked it down with a little tension on top of the spring and that was enough for me. With my setup (no bars, no side boxes, 200 lbs riding weight + 30 lbs in top box) I could probably use an even softer spring, but I'm much happier with this one onboard.

Here are my spring recommendations based on total weight (rider/passenger/luggage):

• 375/465 - Total weight less than 400 lbs. More travel makes it better off-road.
• 400/450 - Total weight between 300-400 lbs. More appropriate for on-road riding.
• 450/500 - Total weight over 400 lbs (I think this is the spring rate they offer)

So for most people riding 1-up or light 2-up the 375/465 is the one to get. The spring is longer than the 400/450 so you get more travel overall. And you can set it either lighter or stronger to allow for more variation in rider and cargo weight (just changing the preload as needed).

If your total (rider/passenger/luggage) weight exceeds 300 lbs, the 400/450 spring would be fine but provides little or no advantage over the 375/465.

Around 400 lbs total, I would probably try the 450/500.

[pyoungbl]

I just called CSC to order the new spring. They do not have any in stock (just got two for testing purposes) but Ryan is calling Progressive to add a few onto their current Progressive order. Might have the springs in stock in a week or so.

[detours]

Originally Posted by pyoungbl

I just called CSC to order the new spring. They do not have any in stock (just got two for testing purposes) but Ryan is calling Progressive to add a few onto their current Progressive order. Might have the springs in stock in a week or so.

Thanks for the info, py. I guess Ryan sent me one of their test springs. I didn't know that.

fyi, I recommend supporting CSC since they're working hard to provide us with aftermarket parts. But depending on CSC availability, you could probably order directly from Progressive springs. The shock is a 465 Series.

[detours]

I've posted my ride report with tons of pics and videos in a separate thread. Enjoy!

http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=17256