AirRsq
New Member
Because this is 'supposed to' be somewhat of a budget bike and because I don't race it, I'm going to take advantage of the DIY upgrade to the forks and shock that some others have done instead of just throwing a trick suspension kit at it. This option is a bit out of line with my usual bike upgrades, and perhaps that's why I'm doing it. Don't get me wrong, I love spending money on premium upgrades and I am not discounting the value of doing so, but for me, this bike is a budget track day and occasional street toy. Should be fun...and cheap .
There's a fair bit of info spread around various threads about DIY suspension upgrades for the RC390, so I wanted to document my project here along with links to some of the other threads on the subject to hopefully give future DIY'ers a one-stop-shop thread.
http://www.rc390-forum.com/forum/ktm-rc-390-general-discussion-forum/1119-rear-shock-upgrade.html
http://www.rc390-forum.com/forum/wheels-tires-and-suspension/447-shock-swap-99-02-r6.html
2015 KTM RC 390 Suspension Notes
I went a bit nutso on eBay and actually bought three '99-'02 Yamaha R6 shocks - hoping to get at least one good candidate and a spare. For the price, why not? Two were $30 bucks and one was $50. The $50 shock is, for all intents and purposes, new. It has no indication of any use; the bumper appears brand new, the reservoir and body are clean and blemish free, the spring has no abrasion marks near the areas where it naturally coil-binds (extreme top and bottom where one coil starts to touch the other to create a flat base). The others are in great shape and will make excellent spares. I suspect '99-'02 R6 shocks will start to get more scarce on eBay as this RC upgrade gets more traction (pun intended) and the fact that these shocks are almost antiques (14-17 yrs old). So, having a couple spares might prove to be cheap insurance.
(Pics of the $50 shock. The spring was installed, I removed it)
In addition to the shock, i'll also be upgrading the fork springs and replacing the oil with 7wt. From most of what I have gathered from other threads, the forks are not as badly in need of a major overhaul as the shock; some heavier oil and respringing for rider weight are a huge improvement and more than adequate for the non-racer.
I've sourced most of the parts from forum vendor, Formula390 - Matt at Formula 390 is a Race Tech dealer and a huge assist so far in this project. He has done a lot of the initial research, to include id'ing the r6 shock as a candidate for this swap.
Parts ordered:
-Race Tech 11.6kg/mm shock spring & adapter collar ($114.99 + $2.99)
-Race Tech 0.95kg/mm fork springs ($124.99)
-Race Tech Shock threaded preload adjuster ($69.99)
-McMaster-Carr bushings PN# 6679K15 - QTY: 2 ($12.10)
Parts needed:
-7wt fork oil
-some 10mm ID washers as lateral shims for lower shock mount
-fork preload spacers (will use ABS or PVC pipe)
Total invested so far ~$380 (not including $60 for 2 spare shocks)
Cost comparison for premium drop in kits: ~$1600
Andreani Cartridges: $750 (~$800 w/tax & shipping)
Ohlins KT303 or JRi: $750 (~$800 w/tax & shipping)
Once the parts arrive, I'll update the thread...
There's a fair bit of info spread around various threads about DIY suspension upgrades for the RC390, so I wanted to document my project here along with links to some of the other threads on the subject to hopefully give future DIY'ers a one-stop-shop thread.
http://www.rc390-forum.com/forum/ktm-rc-390-general-discussion-forum/1119-rear-shock-upgrade.html
http://www.rc390-forum.com/forum/wheels-tires-and-suspension/447-shock-swap-99-02-r6.html
2015 KTM RC 390 Suspension Notes
I went a bit nutso on eBay and actually bought three '99-'02 Yamaha R6 shocks - hoping to get at least one good candidate and a spare. For the price, why not? Two were $30 bucks and one was $50. The $50 shock is, for all intents and purposes, new. It has no indication of any use; the bumper appears brand new, the reservoir and body are clean and blemish free, the spring has no abrasion marks near the areas where it naturally coil-binds (extreme top and bottom where one coil starts to touch the other to create a flat base). The others are in great shape and will make excellent spares. I suspect '99-'02 R6 shocks will start to get more scarce on eBay as this RC upgrade gets more traction (pun intended) and the fact that these shocks are almost antiques (14-17 yrs old). So, having a couple spares might prove to be cheap insurance.
(Pics of the $50 shock. The spring was installed, I removed it)
In addition to the shock, i'll also be upgrading the fork springs and replacing the oil with 7wt. From most of what I have gathered from other threads, the forks are not as badly in need of a major overhaul as the shock; some heavier oil and respringing for rider weight are a huge improvement and more than adequate for the non-racer.
I've sourced most of the parts from forum vendor, Formula390 - Matt at Formula 390 is a Race Tech dealer and a huge assist so far in this project. He has done a lot of the initial research, to include id'ing the r6 shock as a candidate for this swap.
Parts ordered:
-Race Tech 11.6kg/mm shock spring & adapter collar ($114.99 + $2.99)
-Race Tech 0.95kg/mm fork springs ($124.99)
-Race Tech Shock threaded preload adjuster ($69.99)
-McMaster-Carr bushings PN# 6679K15 - QTY: 2 ($12.10)
6679K15 | Metric Steel-Backed PTFE-Coated Bronze Bearing, 12mm OD 10 mm ID 15 mm Length |
Parts needed:
-7wt fork oil
-some 10mm ID washers as lateral shims for lower shock mount
-fork preload spacers (will use ABS or PVC pipe)
Total invested so far ~$380 (not including $60 for 2 spare shocks)
Cost comparison for premium drop in kits: ~$1600
Andreani Cartridges: $750 (~$800 w/tax & shipping)
Ohlins KT303 or JRi: $750 (~$800 w/tax & shipping)
Once the parts arrive, I'll update the thread...
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