General Suspension on the EX

[markanddona]

When I ordered my EX I ordered the medium springs since my weight is 195. I live and ride in the SW part of the USA so my riding is in Colorado and AZ. We have to carry at least 100oz of water on our rides. I quickly discovered the medium springs were way too soft for my 35 extra lbs of gear and water. So I contacted Kevin at Stillwell Performance. The rear shock always felt dead to me and Kevin put the shock on his dyno and discovered one of the adjusters of the three on the shock did little to nothing that affected the shock. Forks are typical KYB, acceptable, but can be made much better when converted to SSS. Anyway I tested his set up yesterday and I was amazed at how much better the Stark can be made, I went up to 47kg springs in the front and a 57.5 spring on the rear. Most people I've seen on Starks are under sprung and are riding in the mid stroke of the shock and fork and getting a harsh ride plus if you're trying to get the shock dialed all I can say is good luck. This bike now can charge in the rocks, way more stable in the sand, turns on a dime and doesn't kick your butt to ride fast. I highly recommend you contact Kevin at Stillwell Performance and get all the performance you paid for with this great bike/

 

[OpaTsupa]

Could you please check the marking on the shock?
It's engraved at the bottom where it attaches to the clevis knuckle.

Your description matches my experience: shock feels either dead or it kicks and loses traction, clickers do nothing.

 

[markanddona]

Could you please check the marking on the shock?
It's engraved at the bottom where it attaches to the clevis knuckle.

Your description matches my experience: shock feels either dead or it kicks and loses traction, clickers do nothing.

J4DO. Just dead feeling, like I said, on the dyno the clickers did very little. I loosened the rebound up so the shock would return to the max stroke in the rocks but it still felt dead on the big hits. Like it was really heavy in the rebound damping. We completely removed the OEM adjuster and installed a K-Tech adjuster. https://store.ktechsuspension.com/s...uster-hi-lo-kyb-mx-3-3-1-211-015-200-003.html

 

[DaveAusNor]

I think getting medium suspension at 195 was a mistake, especially as you say once you get geared up and add anything else to the bike. Glad you got it sorted mate. I got the hard suspension and it's slightly too soft still for the riding I do.

 

[Suva]

Is the valving different between the soft/medium/hard settings or just the springs?

 

[markanddona]

Is the valving different between the soft/medium/hard settings or just the springs?

Not sure but I'd expect just the springs.

 

[OpaTsupa]

I went up to 47kg springs in the front and a 57.5 spring on the rear.

What brand of springs did you use?

I think getting medium suspension at 195 was a mistake, especially as you say once you get geared up and add anything else to the bike. Glad you got it sorted mate. I got the hard suspension and it's slightly too soft still for the riding I do.

I wish I didn't read this.
Due to dealer error my EX came with 'Soft' springs.
I hoped I could use it as all I ride is hardpack terrain at low-ish speed, but it's now certain no. I weigh ±72kg + 12kg of gear ≅ 85kg.

Is the valving different between the soft/medium/hard settings or just the springs?

I asked Stark specifically about this and the answer was:

Suspension Specifications:
Forks: The "Soft" suspension typically uses a spring rate of 4.6 N/mm, while the "Medium" uses 4.8 N/mm.
Shock: The "Soft" shock spring is usually rated at 54 N/mm, whereas the "Medium" is 56 N/mm.
Oil: The standard oil used is KYB KHL 15-11, with a total oil volume of 355cc per fork leg.

I doubt it is practical to have different valving from manufacturing and assembly perspective.

 

[DaveAusNor]

Due to dealer error my EX came with 'Soft' springs.
I hoped I could use it as all I ride is hardpack terrain at low-ish speed, but it's now certain no. I weigh ±72kg + 12kg of gear ≅ 85kg.

Just don't hit any jumps or big drops. Low-ish speeds might be fine, I have a friend that bought the MX soft (harder than the EX soft) for his son who weights half his weight and says its fine for him over 110kg taking it easy riding through the forest.
I'd ask the dealer to fix the error and send you the suspension you're after, or greatly subsidise getting the suspension tuned for you.

 

[markanddona]

What brand of springs did you use?


I wish I didn't read this.
Due to dealer error my EX came with 'Soft' springs.
I hoped I could use it as all I ride is hardpack terrain at low-ish speed, but it's now certain no. I weigh ±72kg + 12kg of gear ≅ 85kg.


I asked Stark specifically about this and the answer was:

Suspension Specifications:
Forks: The "Soft" suspension typically uses a spring rate of 4.6 N/mm, while the "Medium" uses 4.8 N/mm.
Shock: The "Soft" shock spring is usually rated at 54 N/mm, whereas the "Medium" is 56 N/mm.
Oil: The standard oil used is KYB KHL 15-11, with a total oil volume of 355cc per fork leg.

I doubt it is practical to have different valving from manufacturing and assembly perspective.

I used K-tech springs. I ordered the med springs when I ordered the bike and the stock springs were marked as 45's. Changed to 47's. My rear was marked 46-48 and we went with a 57.5, once again K-tech. My guess was they ran out of 54's when my bike was built. I could get correct static sag but rider sag was way out of spec without over preloading the spring. Hope this helps you.