Hey from DFW Texas, wow I'm kinda worried now!

[unicorn_violence]

I'm 6' tall and ~180 without gear. I was hoping that I could just turn the rear suspension a few clicks to firm it up and be ok, will that not be enough?

unfortunately no. the rear shock is probably the biggest place the KTM engineers used to cut corners to make the bike cheaper. its absolutely terrible. i remember when i first started track riding, i was having some close calls while going round corners which i though was my lack of experience. however, once i got my aftermarket shock installed, i realized i was bottoming out the stock shock while on its firmest setting. the bike felt 100% different and more planted to the road.
if you plan on doing some cornering on this bike like it was built for, i highly suggest upgrading that shock. Matt @ formula 390 has a couple fantastic options like a r6 shock swap, or a fully adjustable JRI shock. Hardracing also has a fully adjustable Ohlins shock.

 

[Formula390]

I'm 6' tall and ~180 without gear. I was hoping that I could just turn the rear suspension a few clicks to firm it up and be ok, will that not be enough?

Nope. Sorry. Not even close. With gear is going to put you closer to 200#, and that's WELL outside of the operating range for the RC if you wanna do anything other than just bimble down to the grocery store and pick up a pack of peppers. On the plus side, there are options depending on what you wanna do. If you are going to be racing, you are looking at a JRi for the rear. The Ohlins has been having reliability issues and it's adjustment range without rebuilding the shim stack isn't there for the larger riders. All certainly possible to do, but then you are looking at a rebuild vs having one that "just works" like the JRi. After we blew up 3 shocks in pre-season testing on the Ohlins, I discontinued with them and am just doing the JRi now. On a budget, you can look at the R6 swap conversion I put together. A number of forum members are running R6 shocks to success on the street or occasional track day. Problem is similar to the Ohlins, the stock damping stack for compression is lacking. It can be rebuilt, but then you are looking at near the costs of a new shock, so I recommend going that way. The JRi will WELD the rear tire to the pavement. Seriously. I've managed to slide the rear once, but that was with a HARD shift leaned way over where I skipped the tire. Otherwise it's been REALLY good!!!

For the front end, we can do that with springs and oil. Easy peasy, and cheap. Ride down, we can do the swap, and you can ride home on new suspension through the hill country giggling in your helmet.

 

[OldVet]

I think you could make a nice pogo stick out of the rear shock, that is about the only thing it might be good for LOL...

 

[Formula390]

I think you could make a nice pogo stick out of the rear shock, that is about the only thing it might be good for LOL...

Oh I dunno... I've got a damned nice scar on my left hand from that fscking stock rear shock... so one could also use it as a torture device of some sort I'm sure. Early experiments into how to try and rework the shock, or possibly just change it's spring, were "less than productive" however. About all I can say about the rear shock is that it might be good for a great many number of things... weight for a trot line, torsion siege engine, modern art decoration... use as a motorcycle shock is about the LAST thing I'd ever think it would actually be good for tho.

 

[simpletty]

Oh I dunno... I've got a damned nice scar on my left hand from that fscking stock rear shock... so one could also use it as a torture device of some sort I'm sure. Early experiments into how to try and rework the shock, or possibly just change it's spring, were "less than productive" however. About all I can say about the rear shock is that it might be good for a great many number of things... weight for a trot line, torsion siege engine, modern art decoration... use as a motorcycle shock is about the LAST thing I'd ever think it would actually be good for tho.

The best use I found for the stock rear shock is




























I will let you know when I actually find one

 

[Treachery]

I think you could make a nice pogo stick out of the rear shock, that is about the only thing it might be good for LOL...

Too heavy, and not enough damping.

 

[TennisFreak]

Alright looks like I might be down for a trip to Austin to get the shocks worked on.

 

[OldVet]

Alright looks like I might be down for a trip to Austin to get the shocks worked on.

Matt Formula390 can fix you right up with a JRi sprung for your weight, that's where I got mine and I'm very happy with it...