The Next Level In Performance...
Special Parts That Actually Work
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This is a shock Rebound Separator Valve. This is a MUST HAVE and I never build a shock without one. What this part does is allow the oil to flow through the rebound circuit on the rebound stroke but does not allow it to flow back through on the compression stroke.
The rebound adjuster on a shock (The adjusting screw on the bottom of the shock) simply opens or closes off a bleed hole- on the rebound stroke that slows down or speeds up your rebound. Unfortunately the oil also flows through that same hole on the compression stroke. So as you are trying to adjust the rebound of the shock, you are also adjusting the compression of the shock and effect the low speed valving drastically. This is why you may have seen or heard some people changing their compression screw opposite what they adjust their rebound screw. But this really does not help, it still leaves you with either and mushy wallow or a harsh feeling on your low speed compression stroke. To fix this and separate the two circuits we need to use a Rebound Separator Valve. There are a few companies that make these in Mild Steel, two of the most notable ones are Race Tech and MX Tech. I have made our version with some revisions out of Titanium. I have a few (Very Limited Quanity) for sale.
There is a little more that is involved in putting one of these in. There is installed height and a bleed hole that needs to be set. But it is not complicated at all. Wherever you have your suspension done, you should insist on this part and if they won't put it in- I would not recommend using that shop or tuner- If they do not understand how this works or how important this is, they probably do not know enough about suspension and are just a "Shim Shuffler" and the first thing they will probably say is "you don't need that" or "I can get the shock to work better without it" that is not possible, but I hear it all the time. Anytime I hear that I know the person does not truly understand how the shock works. An FYI about the Rebound Separator Circuit- a lot of high end shocks already have this circuit built in them. Ohlins has some shocks with this circuit built into it and also a lot of high end road race cars have it as well.
The Rebound Separator Valve and circuit are explained in "Race Tech's Motorcycle Suspension Bible" and I really suggest you read about it more. The suspension bible has pictures that show exactly what I am expaining.
The rebound adjuster on a shock (The adjusting screw on the bottom of the shock) simply opens or closes off a bleed hole- on the rebound stroke that slows down or speeds up your rebound. Unfortunately the oil also flows through that same hole on the compression stroke. So as you are trying to adjust the rebound of the shock, you are also adjusting the compression of the shock and effect the low speed valving drastically. This is why you may have seen or heard some people changing their compression screw opposite what they adjust their rebound screw. But this really does not help, it still leaves you with either and mushy wallow or a harsh feeling on your low speed compression stroke. To fix this and separate the two circuits we need to use a Rebound Separator Valve. There are a few companies that make these in Mild Steel, two of the most notable ones are Race Tech and MX Tech. I have made our version with some revisions out of Titanium. I have a few (Very Limited Quanity) for sale.
There is a little more that is involved in putting one of these in. There is installed height and a bleed hole that needs to be set. But it is not complicated at all. Wherever you have your suspension done, you should insist on this part and if they won't put it in- I would not recommend using that shop or tuner- If they do not understand how this works or how important this is, they probably do not know enough about suspension and are just a "Shim Shuffler" and the first thing they will probably say is "you don't need that" or "I can get the shock to work better without it" that is not possible, but I hear it all the time. Anytime I hear that I know the person does not truly understand how the shock works. An FYI about the Rebound Separator Circuit- a lot of high end shocks already have this circuit built in them. Ohlins has some shocks with this circuit built into it and also a lot of high end road race cars have it as well.
The Rebound Separator Valve and circuit are explained in "Race Tech's Motorcycle Suspension Bible" and I really suggest you read about it more. The suspension bible has pictures that show exactly what I am expaining.
These are special Billet Free Pistons for 48mm KYB forks. The stock ones that come in 48mm KYB forks are made out of plastic and commonly break. Some shops drill a hole in the stock plastic piston- sometimes that works, sometimes it does not... If your free pistons did not break yet, you can try drilling a hole in them. If you want to be on the safe side you can get these. If you are building high end forks, I would defiantly use these. These go for around $110 a pair.
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These are "National Tubes" or "A-Kit Tubes" these are found in A-Kit forks, but can also be purchased for regular 47mm and 48mm spring forks from Pro Circuit. How these work or what they do is one of the most misunderstood concepts that I hear from suspension tuners. Most of the time I hear suspension tuners say "they control the flow of the oil" - nope, go fish... But who knows, maybe other suspension tuners will visit this website and read this and finally understand it.
Do no confuse these with the short Spring Seats that Factory Connection or any other company sells- Those create harshness and should be avoided at all costs! You never want to slow the fork down by having the spring seat hit the oil- that creates Hydo Lock and harshness- Very Bad!
What a National Tube does is move the point that your spring contacts your Inner Chamber. The stock spring seat is connected to your Inner Chamber right in the middle of where the mid-valve piston (or commonly referred to as rebound piston) slides inside of it. The force of the spring as the forks compress distorts the Inner Chamber a little bit and that is one of the places harness comes from... The National Tube moves that contact point to the top part of the Inner Chamber where it can not deflect distort the tube. I will put more pictures up soon of the inside of the fork with National Tubes and Stock- You instantly undrstand what I am talking about once you see the pictures.
Do no confuse these with the short Spring Seats that Factory Connection or any other company sells- Those create harshness and should be avoided at all costs! You never want to slow the fork down by having the spring seat hit the oil- that creates Hydo Lock and harshness- Very Bad!
What a National Tube does is move the point that your spring contacts your Inner Chamber. The stock spring seat is connected to your Inner Chamber right in the middle of where the mid-valve piston (or commonly referred to as rebound piston) slides inside of it. The force of the spring as the forks compress distorts the Inner Chamber a little bit and that is one of the places harness comes from... The National Tube moves that contact point to the top part of the Inner Chamber where it can not deflect distort the tube. I will put more pictures up soon of the inside of the fork with National Tubes and Stock- You instantly undrstand what I am talking about once you see the pictures.
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