KDXRIDER.NET

please can someone tell me the correct torque settings for KX clamps.

10-12lbs or there abouts. 14ft-lbs has been known to cause fork bind.

skipro3 wrote:Somewhere I have a post on how to adjust the front wheel so the axle is not binding the forks. It's important!!

Also, torque on the Triples is very important. Especially the lower clamp. 10 ft. lbs.
Bounce on the bike and then tighten to 15 ft. lbs. and see how much stiction there is with the extra pinch! It's amazing!!

http://www.kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopi ... 6963#36963

Pete I keep mine around 10lbs.

You definitely want the lower clamp to be torqued less tightly than the upper clamp. 10-11 ft-lbs for the lower clamp and 14 ft-lbs for the upper clamp has been mentioned around here.

A good front end assembly procedure can be found at http://www.brucessuspension.com, and I have pasted it here for your reference:
********************************
This is the PROPER WAY to install forks. ATTENTION – if improperly installed, the forks can’t work to their full potential. First install the left fork (left is determined as if you were sitting on the bike) into the triple clamps. (A little WD 40 sprayed on the fork tubes will make them slide in easier.) The measurement you took before you removed the forks will allow you to reinstall the left fork at the proper height. VERY IMPORTANT – Torque the pinch bolts to factory specs. Next, install the right fork in the triple clamp at approximately the same height as the left fork and LIGHTLY tighten ONLY ONE of the pinch bolts. This next step is CRITICAL –install the axle into the forks, grab the axle between the left and right fork, and begin rotating the axle. As you rotate the axle, loosen the pinch bolt on the right fork and move the right fork up and down until you locate the place where the axle turns most freely. Now, at this position, torque the pinch bolts to factory specs. Install the wheel and brakes, and tighten the axle and/or axle nut. Torque the axle pinch bolts on the LEFT FORK ONLY. Now, you need to work the forks up and down. The best way is to tie the cycle down in/on your trailer, or ride the cycle SLOWLY up and down the driveway, and pump the front brake level several times, making the forks move deep into the travel. Now you can TORQUE the RIGHT axle pinch bolts.

Thanks for the replies

wanaride wrote:You definitely want the lower clamp to be torqued less tightly than the upper clamp. 10-11 ft-lbs for the lower clamp and 14 ft-lbs for the upper clamp has been mentioned around here.

A good front end assembly procedure can be found at http://www.brucessuspension.com, and I have pasted it here for your reference:
********************************
This is the PROPER WAY to install forks. ATTENTION – if improperly installed, the forks can’t work to their full potential. First install the left fork (left is determined as if you were sitting on the bike) into the triple clamps. (A little WD 40 sprayed on the fork tubes will make them slide in easier.) The measurement you took before you removed the forks will allow you to reinstall the left fork at the proper height. VERY IMPORTANT – Torque the pinch bolts to factory specs. Next, install the right fork in the triple clamp at approximately the same height as the left fork and LIGHTLY tighten ONLY ONE of the pinch bolts. This next step is CRITICAL –install the axle into the forks, grab the axle between the left and right fork, and begin rotating the axle. As you rotate the axle, loosen the pinch bolt on the right fork and move the right fork up and down until you locate the place where the axle turns most freely. Now, at this position, torque the pinch bolts to factory specs. Install the wheel and brakes, and tighten the axle and/or axle nut. Torque the axle pinch bolts on the LEFT FORK ONLY. Now, you need to work the forks up and down. The best way is to tie the cycle down in/on your trailer, or ride the cycle SLOWLY up and down the driveway, and pump the front brake level several times, making the forks move deep into the travel. Now you can TORQUE the RIGHT axle pinch bolts.

Ressurrecting an old post here...

I swapped my forks out last night (complete story and pics to come ) and was reviewing my work and saw this procedure. How important is this step? I did follow the original procedures where I started from the axle and tightened as I went up.

btw, took me 2 1/2 to do the complete swap. Awesome. Thanks to kdxrider.net

I hadn't read that post..and the link is dead. Glad he quoted the site as opposed to simply putting the link up.

I understand the procedure to take two fork legs that are 'different' into account, and any number of things could account for such a difference.

That the two legs are in the same relationship to, say, the top clamp doesn't necessarily mean they are in the same relationship to the axle.

I would expect most fork leg pairs to be awful close to the same overall length. If they are not...installing them based on their position to the top clamp isn't going to be 'right'.

The noted procedure would take a difference into account.

If your forks are the same length the procedure wouldn't do anything for 'ya.


I'll check mine next time I have the front wheel off, though.


Oh...this: 'The measurement you took before you removed the forks will allow you to reinstall the left fork at the proper height.'

...refers to what? Maybe the distance the fork is above the top clamp. Maybe not.