Owners Manual & Suspension Setup Guide

TUNED WITH PURPOSE CONTENTS

Initial Setup 1 Front fork installation 2 Rear shock installation 3 Setting rider sag 3 Tuning guide 7 Compression vs. rebound damping 8 Damping adjustments 8 Location of adjusters (Specific to bike model) 9 How “clickers” work 10 Low speed vs. high speed damping 11 Congratulations! Thanks for choosing Kreft Moto’s suspension tuning High speed compression adjuster (HSC) 11 services. To get the most out of your new suspension setup, we recommend following a few basic guidelines for initial setup, fine tuning, and servicing Tuning your suspension 12 of your suspension components. This manual goes into greater detail for Tuning for speed and soil type 13 those who wish to learn more about fine tuning their Kreft suspension. Tuning balance 13 Radical changes in terrain 16 Troubleshooting 17 Servicing your suspension 18 Recommended service interval & Valving updates 19 Suspension service log 20 FRONT FORK INSTALLATION

1 Insert the fork legs into the triple clamps and install each leg at the same height above the triple clamp. Use the fork height recommended by Kreft Moto for your bike (see Specifications). 2 Snug the triple clamp bolts just firmly enough to hold the fork legs in place. 3 Clean the fork lugs on the inside where they hold the . They should be smooth and polished with no corrosion. The same goes for the axle itself. 4 Install the front axle only with no wheel. Verify that it installs easily and will rotate freely. If it does not, try raising or lowering one fork leg by small amounts to help bring the axle into alignment. For AER48/XACT48, leave the air-leg in place and adjust the damper-leg to achieve proper alignment. 5 After the axle has been aligned, torque all triple clamp bolts to the torque INITIAL SETUP specified in your owner’s manual. Use a torque wrench. 6 Install the front wheel. Temporarily snug the non-brake side axle clamp and tighten the axle nut to the torque recommended in your owner’s manual. 7 Loosen the non-brake side axle clamp bolts. Torque the brake side axle clamp bolts ONLY. 8 Verify that the non-brake side clamp “floats” freely back and forth on the axle. You should be able to move in 1-2mm in each direction. 9 Allow the axle clamp to find its natural centered location, then torque the non-brake size axle clamp bolts. Now you are aligned! Align the non-brake side clamp before tightening 1 2 Rear shock installation

1 Check the condition of linkage bearings or PDS heim joint.

2 Install the shock in the reverse order of removal. Check your motorcycle owner’s manual for detailed instructions. Sag measurement 3 Tighten linkage bolts and shock mount bolts to the torque specified in your motorcycle owner’s manual.

Setting rider sag Rider sag is how much the rear shock compresses with a rider on board the motorcycle. Use the following procedure to measure and adjust rider sag, the rider should be in full gear when measuring sag.

1 Get a buddy to help. You can’t take an accurate sag measurement by yourself unless you use an electronic sag setting tool with a remote readout.

2 Support the bike on a stand with its wheels off the ground. The rear suspension should be fully extended. NOTE: Make sure your suspension linkage pivots and shock mounts are in good condition. If a bearing is rusty or sticky, you won’t be able to set sag accurately.

3 Using a tape measure or sag scale, measure the distance from the rear axle to a fixed point on the rear fender. Use a marker to note the spot on the fender so you can find it again. Write down the measurement, and call it MEASUREMENT A. MEASUREMENT A 3 4 04 Remove the motorcycle from the stand and place it on flat, level ground. A spot near a wall or vehicle is best so the rider can use it for balance.

05 The rider should be in full gear for the sag measurement. Have him stand on the motorcycle’s foot pegs with his arms at his side. All his weight should be directed into the footpegs. Have your helper push on the fender to compress the 06 rear suspension about 1”. Let the shock return to a neutral position with the rider holding still. Take the sag measurement, using the same points 07 used previously. Call this MEASUREMENT B. Subtract the two measurements to find rider sag. Rider Sag = Measurement A – Measurement B. 08 Compare the measured rider sag with the recommended sag value for your bike provided by Kreft Moto. If measured rider sag is less than the recommended sag, reduce shock spring preload. If measured rider sag is more than the recommended sag, increase shock spring preload.

NOTE: It is easiest to change shock spring preload with the bike on a stand and the rear wheel off the ground. Continue measuring rider sag and changing preload until the rider sag is +/- 2mm from the recommended value.

See the “Chassis Balance” section for tips on fine-tuning sag by feel. MEASUREMENT B 5 6 Compression vs. rebound damping Damping is resistance to movement. In , oil passing through valves inside the suspension converts kinetic energy (movement) into heat. This helps dissipate the force of bumps.

Compression damping slows compressing motions of the fork or . Rebound damping slows the extension of the fork or shock back to full travel.

Damping adjustments Damping adjusters are also called “clickers” because of the detent mechanism that makes them turn in fixed increments. TUNING GUIDE Turn the adjuster knob or screw to make an adjustment. • Clockwise increase damping force • Counter-clockwise reduce damping force • Full clockwise fully closed (stiff) a/k/a “position zero” • Full counter-clockwise fully open (soft)

To count clicks, turn the adjuster knob or screw clockwise until it lightly bottoms. The adjuster is now fully closed. This is position zero. Count the clicks as you turn the adjuster counter-clockwise to reach the desired setting. Your suspension arrived from Kreft Moto with the adjusters already set to our recommended starting position.

7 8 Location of damping adjusters How clickers work The external damping adjusters provided on modern help fine tune COMPONENT COMPRESSION REBOUND REVALVE CONTROL the suspension for your preferences or terrain. The low-speed adjusters are WP XACT / AER48* Top of right fork leg Bottom of right Leg Bottom of right Leg often called “clickers” because of the detent mechanism that makes them move WP XPLOR* Bottom of left fork leg Top of right fork leg Top of left fork leg in defined increments with a click. The adjuster is a needle valve – essentially WP XACT PRO / Cone valve Top Bottom N/A a conical screw (needle) that partially blocks a small hole (orifice). When WP 4CS* Bottom of both fork legs Top of both fork legs N/A the adjuster is fully closed, the needle shuts off oil flow through the orifice. WP Open Cartridge Bottom of both fork legs Top of both fork legs N/A As you turn the clicker out, more oil is allowed to flow through the orifice. WP Closed Cartidge Top of both fork legs Bottom of both fork legs N/A Clickers make the entire damping curve softer or stiffer by the same amount. ALL Rear Shocks Top Bottom N/A Proportionally speaking, they have a much greater impact on low speed *Only forks setup by Kreft Moto have this adjuster configuration. suspension movements because the total damping force is small at low speeds. For example, a two-pound change in damping force created by the adjuster is more significant when total damping force is five pounds rather than fifty pounds. That’s why clickers are also known as low-speed adjusters.

No matter where your adjusters are set, eventually the fluid pressure overcomes the flow capacity of the orifice. The building fluid pressure forces the valving shims away from the piston face and allows oil to flow through. The adjusters have no effect on the shim stack itself.

9 10 Low speed vs. high speed damping Fine tuning your suspension With a few exceptions, suspension damping is speed dependent. That First thing’s first – go ride your bike. Give yourself time to get used to the new means the amount of damping force varies in proportion to how fast the suspension. suspension is moving. The forward speed of the bike doesn’t matter After the initial adjustment period, you may wish to spend some time fine tuning – it’s the speed the wheels are moving up and down that counts. the suspension to your specific preferences. This is entirely optional. Kreft Moto delivers the suspension to you with our best estimate of the perfect setup Tuners often refer to “low speed” damping or “high speed” damping for you, and many riders never deviate from those settings. to differentiate among broad categories of suspension movements. If you do choose to fine tune on your own, it’s best to conduct testing on a quiet Brake dive is an example of a low speed event. Weight is transferred section of trail or track you know well. Pick a place that is representative of forward under braking and forces the front suspension down. where you ride most often, and someplace you can ride the same short section over and over again in rapid succession. Try two laps on a track, or about a Skimming whoops is a high speed event. The suspension compresses quarter mile of trail. very rapidly each time the wheels slam into the ground. Start at the baseline recommended settings and ride your test loop twice, paying careful attention to how the bike is responding to the terrain. Hit the same lines every time. Try to ignore your expectations – just ride and observe. Always make one adjustment at a time. Run the loop, adjust, then run the loop High speed compression adjuster (HSC) again and observe the effects. It is often helpful to verify your observations The rear shock absorber has an additional adjuster designed to control by returning to the previous setting. This can be a tedious process, but you will arrive at a clear conclusion. There is no need to follow a specific order of high speed compression (HSC) damping. The HSC adjuster is a 17mm nut adjustments like “fork first” or “rebound first.” Go after where you think the located around the outside of low speed compression adjuster screw. The issue resides, but be prepared to acknowledge when you’re wrong and try name “high speed” compression adjuster is misleading because it actually something else. affects compression stiffness at all suspension velocities. HSC is capable Although we make one adjustment at a time, don’t be afraid to make aggressive of creating large changes in compression damping characteristics, and changes. Especially when you are new to tuning. Rather than adjusting one or most riders can detect as little as a quarter-turn adjustment to HSC. The two clicks and questioning your observations, make a big change –five or ten HSC adjuster does not have detents (“clicks”), so the setting is provided clicks. This will leave no doubt that your observations are real. in revolutions from the fully clockwise position, rather than in the number The goal is to “bracket” the ideal setting. Identify where in the range the of clicks. Rotating the HSC adjuster clockwise stiffens compression adjusters are definitely too restrictive and where they are definitely too loose, damping, while rotating it counter-clockwise softens compression then work in gradually until you are able to zero in the best setting. With damping. A typical HSC setting is 2.0 turns out (from full clockwise). practice, you will be able to detect even very small changes in the damping settings. 11 12 Tuning for speed and soil type Balance Tuning Procedure: There are many ways to influence the chassis balance, so I recommend simplifying the process by altering just one variable: shock spring preload (sag). Leave the fork height and fork spring preload at Kreft’s recommended settings.

Start with the recommended race sag to establish a baseline. Ride your favorite section of track or trail several times and take note of the bike’s handling characteristics.

Next, increase preload on the shock spring by one full turn and test.

Then go the other direction. Reduce preload by two turns (one turn looser than baseline) and test.

Establish the range of preload that feels best. From there, move on to smaller adjustments of one-half turn, one-quarter turn and so on. As with damping adjustments, the goal is to bracket the acceptable range and gradually zero in on the ideal setting.

The fork rebound setting can be used in conjunction with shock preload to fine- Chassis balance tune turning feel. The rebound clicker is very sensitive, so adjust in increments Chassis balance describes how weight is distributed on the front and of one click at a time and use caution in straying too far from the baseline setting. rear wheels of a motorcycle in motion. An unbalanced suspension setup will cause all kinds of handling and suspension problems related Why can’t my tuner deliver the bike perfectly to uneven or unstable weight distribution. Spring rates, preload, fork balanced for me? height in the triple clamp, and valving configuration all affect chassis balance. While the damper internals are usually left to a specialist, Every combination of bike and rider is unique. Some people ride far springs, preload, and fork height are all accessible to the average rider. back on the bike, some are always over the gas tank. Some people So how do you know if your bike’s balance is holding you back? Make brake hard into corners, while others prefer to maintain momentum. an investment in teaching yourself what a balanced bike feels like. Even tire choice and air pressure have an effect on balance. 13 14 Kreft Moto will provide an excellent foundation for a balanced setup, Radical changes in terrain but some fine-tuning by the rider will give the best possible result. Your suspension is designed to perform optimally under the riding conditions you described to Kreft Moto when ordering the suspension Handling characteristics of a front-end high motorcycle service. If you plan to use the motorcycle for a radically different “Floppy” steering. Feels like the handlebars are perched on a teeter- type of terrain, aggressive adjustments will be necessary. totter. In a slow, tight turn, counter-steering is required to keep the handlebars from flopping all the way over to the steering stop. Here’s an example. A woods rider who normally rides technical, rocky terrain decides to ride a track for a day. His suspension is Light and dancy steering. The steering jumps too easily within 10° of center, tuned to absorb rocks, not for landing large jumps. This rider requiring excess input at the handlebar to keep the steering on line. should make aggressive changes from his baseline settings: Rider continually feels the need to scoot toward the front of the bike. • Fork compression: +75% Handling characteristics of a rear-end high motorcycle • Fork rebound: +40% Heavy steering feel. Excess input at the handlebar • If the fork bottoms, add oil in 10cc increments until bottoming stops required to initiate and complete a turn. • Shock low speed compression: +50% • Shock high speed compression: +1.25 turns Steering will “knife” (turn in violently) in sand or soft • Shock rebound: +40% soil, especially during corner initiation.

Rider continually feels the need to scoot toward the back of the bike. This means that if the rider’s original fork compression setting was 20 clicks out, he should increase that setting by 75% to 5 clicks out. If he finds the ride is Handling characteristics of a well-balanced motorcycle harsh and bottoming is not an issue, he should reduce damping settings until an Very little input at the handlebar required to initiate or finish a turn. Calm and appropriate balance between comfort and bottoming resistance is achieved. comfortable on straightaways. The bike feels almost effortless to ride. The rider’s body is naturally returned to the sweet spot in the center The same principle applies to riders transitioning in the other direction, from of the bike, not feeling the need to adjust his riding position. motocross to technical singletrack. Aggressive clicker adjustments are not a substitute for a revalve, but in a pinch it is a lot better than nothing at all! 15 16 Troubleshooting

Front and Rear Suspension SYMPTOM RECOMMENDED ADJUSTMENT Harsh response on single bumps Reduce Compression damping Harsh response on reptetitive bumps (packing) Reduce rebound damping Excessive chassis movement (wallowing) Increase compression and/or rebound damping Bounces on Jump landings Increase rebound damping FRONT SUSPENSION SYMPTOM RECOMMENDED ADJUSTMENT Front suspension dives under braking Increase fork compression damping Front wheel does not hold a line when cornering increase rebound damping SERVICING Front wheel gets poor traction when cornering reduce rebound damping Fork bottoms out Increasse compression damping and/or in- YOUR SUSPENSION crease fork oil height FRONT SUSPENSION SYMPTOM RECOMMENDED ADJUSTMENT Shock kicks on impact with a sharp obstacle Reduce high speed compression damping Shock kicks over rolling obstacles Increase rebound damping Poor rear wheel traction when accelerating Reduce rebound damping Shock bottoms out Increase high speed compression damping

17 18 Recommended service interval Suspension service log

Kreft Moto recommends servicing both fork and shock at 40-hour Hours/ Date Description Performed by intervals. Very fast or heavyweight riders may require more frequent Mileage service; novices and lightweight riders may be able to get by with less.

Valving updates

Kreft Moto offers valving updates at no additional charge during a standard service*. We offer this service for two reasons: (1) to provide our customers with continual updates using the latest improvements, and (2) to facilitate minor valving adjustments in accordance with the rider’s preferences.

*Additional charges for wear parts may apply.

19 20 63003 Plateau Dr, Ste 1 Bend, OR 97701

Telephone: 541-797-0700 Email: [email protected] Web: www.kreftmoto.com Facebook: @Kreftmoto Instagram: @kreftmoto