Air Forks

[250MXer]

What are your opinions on air forks? I think i am going to get a 2013 kx450f which come s with air forks. So do you or dont you like air forks and why?

[bmois173]

I know people are going to hop all over me for saying this but I think they are unreliable and dangerous. Yeah, some people get 60+ hrs on stock seals but what if they blow, there is nothing to stop the fork from bottoming out? Look at Ryan Dungey during supercross this year; his rear air shock fork seal blew at the gate, had he been going over a big triple when that happened it could have been catastrophic and easily broke bones much less ruin his title hopes. Yeah, they are easily tunable but not worth the risk for me. I would put oil forks on the bike and go from there. Many people will say there is nothing to worry about, just depends who you talk to really.

[Sqwid]

I'm not a fan of air suspension. Yes they are super plush and feel great but they are unreliable. They can fail out of nowhere, which would really suck if your in the middle of a race, also dangerous. SF forks are the ticket, technology shouldn't go beyond that besides refinements..

[563ripper]

I know people are going to hop all over me for saying this but I think they are unreliable and dangerous. Yeah, some people get 60+ hrs on stock seals but what if they blow, there is nothing to stop the fork from bottoming out? Look at Ryan Dungey during supercross this year; his rear air shock fork seal blew at the gate, had he been going over a big triple when that happened it could have been catastrophic and easily broke bones much less ruin his title hopes. Yeah, they are easily tunable but not worth the risk for me. I would put oil forks on the bike and go from there. Many people will say there is nothing to worry about, just depends who you talk to really.

This. Even if 99% of people have no problems with them I wouldn't even want to risk the 1% chance of them going bad

[Hans Schmid]

I think the idea is great but they still need a bit of fine tuning.....

[downonmonday]

Air shocks are not a new idea. They'll go back to fluid.

[Ringo25]

They need to be revalved as they tend to ride low in the stroke otherwise known as the harsh spot. What that means is when your hitting bumps it tends to bottom easier providing a harsh ride and the front end knifes in turns. People have ran a little more air to combat it but then it is not as good in the bumps and then starts packing. I would recommend at least a fork revalve on that bike. After the revalve it is more adjustable and works better in the rutted and choppy conditions.

[Ringo25]

I know people are going to hop all over me for saying this but I think they are unreliable and dangerous. Yeah, some people get 60+ hrs on stock seals but what if they blow, there is nothing to stop the fork from bottoming out? Look at Ryan Dungey during supercross this year; his rear air shock fork seal blew at the gate, had he been going over a big triple when that happened it could have been catastrophic and easily broke bones much less ruin his title hopes. Yeah, they are easily tunable but not worth the risk for me. I would put oil forks on the bike and go from there. Many people will say there is nothing to worry about, just depends who you talk to really.

People said the same thing about having gasoline engines. People are scared of change.

[Flagstaff]

Air maybe for fine tuning, but I avoid it. This is like 70's.

Mike

[dirtjumpordie]

It is a stupid idea that has been tried before on street and is always abandoned. It never catches on and never will. It is a marketing gimmick designed to make you believe that the new bikes are actually noticeably different than your 4 year old bike. It exists as a marketing gimmick. That is the purpose of air suspension. Beyond that, it is a system that I would not rely on to stay in working order, especially when you are racing on dirt.

[dirtjumpordie]

People said the same thing about having gasoline engines. People are scared of change.

Change? Air suspension is nothing new. It has been tried before on street bikes and it turns out that shit is junk. I have seen multiple air-fork street bikes from the 80s come into the shop I work at all with the same problem---- yearly fork seal replacements. It is a gimmick and people like you just cant see through it. The guys who race Hondas at the pro level almost always switch the air fork for last years good ol oil fork, so its not like It gains performance.

[OZ DRZ]

Air maybe for fine tuning, but I avoid it. This is like 70's.

Mike

+1 air doesn't work the same way as a decent spring will through the complete stroke, and makes it hard to get your static sag right.

but i find it handy for tuning on an adventure bike. normally i have no pressure in the forks, but when the safari tank and all the luggage goes on the DR i just put 4 psi in the forks to counter all the extra weight.

[mx317]

[mx317]

What are your opinions on air forks? I think i am going to get a 2013 kx450f which come s with air forks. So do you or dont you like air forks and why?

I love my 13 KX450F. Don't let someone on here that doesn't own one talk you out of it.

[ah665]

Not trolling but last night I dropped my bike off at my suspension shop and there was an unstarted 2012 KX450 there. Turns out the owner has a couple of them. Apparently had a 13 also but much preferred his modded '12 setup to anything he could get with his 13. So he sold the 13 and got another 12. This is just 1 example, but as the poster above said, he loves his 13. I just figured I'd add this, since it's fresh in my mind and made me think a bit. I have very little experience with air forks, but it wouldn't be a total deal-breaker for me, if the rest of the bike seemed to fit what I was looking for. As it sits, I am happy with my conventional KYB stuff and I would certainly not hesitate to buy a KX250f with the SFF set-up. Still on the fence with air though.

[Live2RideRide2Live]

I OWN a 2013 crf450 with AIR FORKS and havnt had any problems with seal failure, just revalve to hold the fork up with realistic air pressure and the thing is good. Don't listen to everyones rubbish. They come on the bike so just run what your brung!

[Vietze]

One of my riders is also very happy with his revalved PSF in his Honda.

Also no seal failures here.

But the stock valving sucks for every riding a bit faster than beginner level.