Hawk/Enforcer Fork Valve upgrade.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by nij_tp

Dan, how did you tighten the bolt into the dampening rod? Is it reliant on the pressure of the spring once the whole thing is put together?

I have a tapered wood broom handle that I use to hold the rod and get the bolt snugged up, and then once the fork is assembled completely I go back and tighten the bolt down. Once you have it snugged up the spring tension is usually more than enough to hold everything together to get it tightened the rest of the way. Getting it started is usually where people have an issue with the damping rod turning in place.

I should also update one bit of info. The YSS Fork valve rebound/low speed compression holes are 1mm.

[nij_tp]

Originally Posted by Megadan

I have a tapered wood broom handle that I use to hold the rod and get the bolt snugged up, and then once the fork is assembled completely I go back and tighten the bolt down. Once you have it snugged up the spring tension is usually more than enough to hold everything together to get it tightened the rest of the way. Getting it started is usually where people have an issue with the damping rod turning in place.

I should also update one bit of info. The YSS Fork valve rebound/low speed compression holes are 1mm.

1mm seems very small.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by nij_tp

1mm seems very small.

There are 4 of them, which gives it almost double the are of the mikes xs valve.

[G2ic22]

So I just blew out or lost all dampening in my front forkkkks today. No oil everywhere just sag almost to the almost all the way to the bottom of travel now. Is there a. Iner seal i blew or what not? I'm going to do the SSR fork valve stand spacer for sure since do hard trail riding. Is there any videos I can watch or a basic fork removal video looks pritty straight forward think i have a good idea on doing the ssr valve and spacer it's just the removal process and installing everything back.

[G2ic22]

I just orded Mike's xs valves I will let everyone know how it goes and what adjustments I make once they are installed.

[nij_tp]

HI Dan,

Stupid question did you loosen the bolt at the bottom of the fork before releasing the top cap so that the spring applies tension, enough to release those bolts?

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by nij_tp

HI Dan,

Stupid question did you loosen the bolt at the bottom of the fork before releasing the top cap so that the spring applies tension, enough to release those bolts?

Yes, it is easiest to crack those bolts loose before removing the caps.

[Moneybagg]

I hate how skinny the original Front forks look so i want to replace them wider ones. Any suggestions?

[drstansbury@yahoo.]

I know this is an old thread but I am planning on doing this to my hawk over the winter. I ordered the yss valves. I have some 15weight fork oil on hand. After reading Dans complete write up I'm thinking mayhe I should get 10 weight or go with atf which I hear is about 7.5 weight. From the guys who have done this what's your recommendation on the oil weight and amounts to start with. I was going to simply spill and fill with 200ml of 15 weight. But having found this awesome upgrade I'm going to try fork valves. I'm not new to mechanics but am still learning bike suspension. Hawks been fantastic to work on though.

[drstansbury@yahoo.]

So I installed the yss fork valves and drilled extra holes just as Dan did in his video. I left my cartridges at their factory settings. I used 5mm spacers as my factory preload spacers were 2" long which really surprised me. I refilled with 200ml 12.5 weight fork oil (I split it 50/50 with 10w & 15w oil as I was undecided which one to use). My rider sag is almost perfect with the stock spacers, valve and 5mm bushing. I haven't got any saddle tine other than a rip around the yard but immediately you can tell it is impressive over stock. They no longer nose dive on braking and when you slam the front end down it actually dampens the blow. Can't wait to go for a real ride and see how it handles.

[Amateur]

Originally Posted by Megadan

I am becoming internet famous, I better practice my diva routine...

Seems like you already have it down pretty well.
Acting like your personal discovery that emulators can be used on these forks means that everyone else just learned as well. Lol

Be careful. Emulators will make you think your 31mm forks are suddenly MX capable. They will not take any more destructive abuse than before they'll just handle better. Don't jump these bikes they aren't made for it.

An XR200R frontend is the ticket. Don't waste money building these forks.

[drstansbury@yahoo.]

I did some adjustments on my bike after a couple rides. Was a little too stiff on road and the rebound was a little slower than I was liking on long rough sections. I changed back to 10w oil and went with 160ml fill which is what was originally in my forks. Trying to find that sweet spot that suits my uses. Cool thing is that I can actually adjust and tune my suspension now. I'm not doing big motocross jumps or anything extreme, just trying to make my chonda the best it can be.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by Amateur

Seems like you already have it down pretty well.
Acting like your personal discovery that emulators can be used on these forks means that everyone else just learned as well. Lol

Be careful. Emulators will make you think your 31mm forks are suddenly MX capable. They will not take any more destructive abuse than before they'll just handle better. Don't jump these bikes they aren't made for it.

An XR200R frontend is the ticket. Don't waste money building these forks.

Show me or anybody else where I once said this bike or these forks were MX Capable. Show me where I ever said anything about jumps. I will sit here and wait (and die of old age). I never once did.

What it does do is improve the ride, handling, and overall feel of the bike. The forks are plenty capable for the trail riding and regular road use it was meant for. Putting forks and other parts from an XR200R is an improvement, but an unnecessary one given what the rest of the bike is like.

Also, waste money? 100 bucks, a simple pair of spacers/adapters, and time with a drill and the front end is vastly improved. I don't care what imaginary money figures you might throw at me, but you aren't doing a complete XR200R front end for $100.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by drstansbury@yahoo.

I did some adjustments on my bike after a couple rides. Was a little too stiff on road and the rebound was a little slower than I was liking on long rough sections. I changed back to 10w oil and went with 160ml fill which is what was originally in my forks. Trying to find that sweet spot that suits my uses. Cool thing is that I can actually adjust and tune my suspension now. I'm not doing big motocross jumps or anything extreme, just trying to make my chonda the best it can be.

I have ended up at 10W as well. The rebound was a little too sluggish with 15W. The weight of the oil most directly impacts the rebound and low speed compression damping.

[drstansbury@yahoo.]

Dan thanks for telling us about this mod. The suspension is very much improved. The ride is so.much better. After I put the zx10r rear shock on I had to do something with the front. These fork valves are definitely the ticket. No more nose dive on braking or low speed trails but also no more harsh bouncing and jarring on the higher speed stuff. For the ease of modifying the front forks and low cost this is really a mod that should be more popular. They make the front forks react appropriately. Bike rides and handles like a motorcycle now!