Forking Around
FOR NOW, AT LEAST, the older I get the faster I get and where once KTM’S standard WP enduro suspension worked for me I now find I’m getting too good for it (that’s not to say I’m getting too good). Standard enduro bike suspension has a user-friendly softness about it, particularly KTM enduro bikes. It’s deliberately that way but it is common for enduro riders to get suspension upgraded to match their skills and (importantly) weight. The faster you go and the harder you hit stuff, the more control you need from your bike’s suspension. The problem with the KTM is the WP EXC forks ‘blowing through’ and quickly hitting their bump stops. I can’t ride bumpy sections of a track as fast as I want because the shock over-reacts and can’t recover before the next bump. Chris Hockey at Drshox Suspension Centre (drshox.co.uk) has solutions. Basically his job, apart from servicing the suspension with a clean-up, fresh oil and seals, was to change the way the oil moves internally by adjusting the shim stack. It’s a mysterious process but basically different diameter and thickness shims ‘stack’ to resist oil moving as it leaves a valve. By changing shims you can adjust oil flow rate. Which is where we’re at now – adjusted and able to ride a bit faster than before with more control. I now need to think of a different reason why I’m not riding fast enough.