New Springs

[mark]

Just got my new springs in from ProCycle today. The stock ones were waaay too soft for my 260 lb fat ass. I went with the Eibach straight rate .50kg/mm fork springs and the 8.3kg/mm shock spring. I'll be installing them this weekend and will give an update on the ride quality.

BTW, ProCycle was great, they shipped the same day I ordered them and arrived 2 days later.

[GregsDRZ400]

Sweet! I would help you install them but I'm working this weekend. I hope it works well!

[Quinn]

I'll be real interested in your report on the springs. I'm pushing/exceeding the limits of the stock springs on my DR650 now.

[brennahm]

Congrats!

[mark]

Installed the shock spring tonight and took a spin around the block (still have a decent leak in the rear tire), and the ride feels much better. I didn't do any before/after measurements, but it feels like it is about 2 inches higher when I'm on it. The forks probably won't change the ride height much, but should prevent me from bottoming out on aggressive dips & whoops. Hopefully I can get the forks done and flat fixed on Saturday and get a good ride in on Sunday. I'm hoping for a major change.

[GregsDRZ400]

New springs all around, new tire, you'll be ready to roll next weekend!

[mark]

Finally got the rear tire replaced this morning and rode with the new springs for the first time. Hit some really rough, rocky trails today and the new springs were great. It's a must-do upgrade for anyone over 200 lbs with a couple hundred bucks and a few hours to spare.

[Quinn]

Couple of questions. Did the new springs make the bike ride rougher in the rocks? Was the handling better at higher speeds? OK three, did the loaded ride height increase?

[mark]

Quinn,
Well, it had been a while since I rode over any rocky trails like the one Greg and I did recently, so I'm not positive, but I never bottomed out either end, which I've had problems with in the past. The bike handled quite a bit differently, so part of it was getting used to that. Handling feels better at high speeds but not drastically, and I don't feel the springs compress around corners as much as it used to. The ride height is definitely higher now.

I did feel a lot more confident in the dirt and was more in control when the bike got sideways... But part of that was having a new 606 on the back as well.

If we ever meet up on a ride, I'll let you take it for a spin so you can see if you like the difference before you shell out the cash and time for it.