I can turn my 02 now!

[cfave]

Finally got to turn my bike the way it is supposed to turn! I installed an Applied 22mm offset triple clamp and raised the forks 7mm and OMG what a difference! I can drop into turns and not worry about the front end washing! it is still not perfect but it is a huge improvement. I think Im going to get a Stormlink too, but till then I will just enjoy the fact that I am making through turns with out banging the tar out of my elbows!~

one question though, how often do you release the air in your front shocks and does it make that much of a difference?

[Throttlejockey]

one question though, how often do you release the air in your front shocks and does it make that much of a difference?

On the top of the fork there is a flathead screw. The center one is the compression clicker and the offset one is the bleeder.

Remove it with the bike on a stand and bleed the air out of each side.

[Shawn_Mc]

Release the pressure in the fork after each moto equal to or longer than 8 laps....just a rule of thumb...

[Linco]

Its a good idea to release the pressure after trailering too. I learned that lesson a long time ago when I kept going through forks seals with a YZ250. It works!!

[KTMRacer10]

Finally got to turn my bike the way it is supposed to turn! I installed an Applied 22mm offset triple clamp and raised the forks 7mm and OMG what a difference! I can drop into turns and not worry about the front end washing! it is still not perfect but it is a huge improvement. I think Im going to get a Stormlink too, but till then I will just enjoy the fact that I am making through turns with out banging the tar out of my elbows!~

one question though, how often do you release the air in your front shocks and does it make that much of a difference?

Did Honda make any improvments as far as cornering the 03 450?

[thor_386]

Nope, but the 04 bikes are good steering machines ive heard from my friends.

[wingman111]

KTMracer10 yes Honda did make cornering improvements to the 03 they changed the two linkage pieces and this slightly raised the rear of the bike putting more weight on the front wheel and steepened the steering angle in motion it works,in contrast a storm link really jacks up the rear of the machine but makes the rising rate of the suspension feel weird to me, I prefer the 03/04 linkage[both pieces] to the aftermarket links.cheers

[cfave]

So are you suggesting that i would get better results getting the 2 pieces of an 03 linkage instead of the storm link?

[Throttlejockey]

So are you suggesting that i would get better results getting the 2 pieces of an 03 linkage instead of the storm link?

I did that to my 02 and it worked great.

[wingman111]

Yes I like the 03/04 linkage to the aftermarket ones.They can be purchased very reasonably on e bay or from a tt member on this site in classified ads,many part out these machines.cheers

[cfave]

Thanks all I will look into that instead of the after market linkage

[jc_performance]

I do know the 02 is hard to corner and a offset clamp is the way to go. If you are still having problems you could try turning down your compression it soaks up more enabling you to corner harder and not wash out. One other thing is tire pressure... when i ran a 02 I slid the forks up higher and lowered my tire pressure a few pounds and it made a big difference. body language also plays a big role in that.... thats why its hard to use someone elses setup its all in trial and error everyone is different so try anything you can there is never bad idea when it comes to suspension setups

[cfave]

I also run my forks 7mm up and my front end is about as soft as you want to go! tire pressure is low but still good. I have heard some other things to try but i would like to look into the linkage as well. hear that is the one other mod i can do to really see an impressive change.