'18 EX Mods (so far)

[thsm007]

Figured I would run a list of mods that I made to the EX for it to be a real dirt bike ready for north east and new england treachery...

1. Rear Brake - Nihilo tip for actual grip; Fasst return spring
2. NRC low profile fender eliminator
3. Rear tire - MT16
4. Rear wheel - 2.15 rim lock
5. Linkage guard
6. LHRB (rekluse) - this is a must have for any real off road riding that includes hills because a bike always in neutral with limited rear brake access is nearly a deal killer in the off road context
7. Hand guards (broke the factory brushies by just looking at them on first ride)
8. BRP hand guard mounts
9. Threaded bar inserts
10. Triple compound grips
11. 1in bar risers
12. Foot pegs that have some grip (Whats with these no grip foot pegs? Whaaa? this has to be revisited by Alta, the pegs and brake tip are extremely lame and actually discrediting imo)
13. Front and Rear disc guard
14. Shorter bars (hacksaw mod)

~$1,300 of mods (not including the tire)

Normally I would look long and hard at the suspension but this set up is close enough for me that I've been able to dial it in using factory springs. I'm 6'0 and 200 pounds with gear...

 

[Oded]

Intersting list, I agree with most of it.
Here is my list from few months ago -
My Redshift EX upgrades

 

[thsm007]

I’ll add that the rekluse LHRB works great for me. I’m happy with the pressure and stoked to have the foot pedal. I’m also stoked on the fact it took my 45 minutes to install and 20 minutes was spent finding my tools and spilling a beer....

 

[Speedkills]

Did you find a way to mount the fender eliminator that can handle bottoming the rear suspension out without damaging the fender eliminator? Others here have said they have interference when they bottom out even with the place removed so I'm curious if your experience was different or if you managed to find a solution.

 

[thsm007]

Did you find a way to mount the fender eliminator that can handle bottoming the rear suspension out without damaging the fender eliminator? Others here have said they have interference when they bottom out even with the place removed so I'm curious if your experience was different or if you managed to find a solution.

my plate holder is bent upward and does not hang down so it doesnt interfere with the tire. I usually just carring my plate in my bag and have a photo copy that I laminated zipped to my pack for road transfers.

In terms of bottoming out .. I never bottom out in terms of rubbing the subframe or tail. I have adjusted pre load and clickers for my weight, riding style, terrain and speed. When I bottom out, its bc the skid plate and pegs hit something but virtually never bc I take a big hit and over compress my shock causing a bottom out on the subframe. I dont jump the way MX'rs do but there are some pretty legit drop offs where I ride where you are taking a good 5 ft vert bunny hop and drop. No bottom out.

 

[Speedkills]

I just meant bottom out as in use all of your travel. I suppose everyone has different thoughts on it but I was always of the mindset if you don't use all of your travel, say once a lap on a track or once a ride in the woods, then you're not using it all and it's stiffer than it needs to be. Which is why I'm always surprised that for some people it seems to be a rare occurrence. I aim to feel the rear bumper touch every ride, and put a zip tie on my front fork leg so I can see how much travel it's using, same thing, try to use it all.

 

[OneLapper]

I just meant bottom out as in use all of your travel. I suppose everyone has different thoughts on it but I was always of the mindset if you don't use all of your travel, say once a lap on a track or once a ride in the woods, then you're not using it all and it's stiffer than it needs to be. Which is why I'm always surprised that for some people it seems to be a rare occurrence. I aim to feel the rear bumper touch every ride, and put a zip tie on my front fork leg so I can see how much travel it's using, same thing, try to use it all.

+1 on this.

My first sprint enduro, I was having a few beers with the guys I camped next to, I asked about front tires and pressures. The guy walked over to my MX and looked at the unused travel on the front forks. He softened up the compression 7 clicks, telling me I should be using all but an inch of the fork travel and if I wasn't, soften it up. If I bottom out, increase it on the fly. That advice, and the Shinko Fat Tyre, made a huge difference on my MX in the woods and extreme tests.

 

[thsm007]

Yeah I use nearly all my suspension and check that I’m doing so in front with zip ty if it’s dry out. If it’s wet as is the case by me most of the time zip isn’t even necessary bc the compression cleans up the dirt.

Having said that I actually disagree that you want to bottom out on every ride as an enduro or woods racer as a test for correct settings. For example say you run rocky rooty muddy single track with climbs and descents all over and then there is a jump or trail bumpers here and there. If I use bottoming out on the ride as a guide then I’m setting my suspension to accommodate the least frequent feature of my ride at the sacrifice of what is 99% of what I face. Setting my suspension to use all but a sliver when I hit that jump means I’m likely too stiff for everything else. I’d rather modify my approach to that jump and be where I need to be for everything else. In order for me to get my setting right I test run the same spot that I think is representative of what my ride is and keep times with different settings to get a start point. of course if I know I’m going to be in a course with lots of jumps or bigger drops then I will adjust accordingly but that’s not what drives my base line settings. Just like I don’t adjust my forks in the triple to accommodate the fast sections in an event when I know I need sharp fast steering for the good stuff. Just my approach.

 

[Speedkills]

The point is not to use all but a sliver, it's to use it all, precisely so you're not to stiff everywhere else. Bottoming out is ok. Just try to remember back when you were a kid riding a bicycle with no suspension, that's all that happens when you run out of travel, you use your body, no big deal. Not using all of your suspension is just a waste, but to each their own. I don't mind if you set your suspension to use "all but a sliver" or not, but wanted to clarify, that is the opposite or what I was saying, I say use it all, bottom it out. This does conflict with the advice that OneLapper got which was use all but an inch, that isn't bottoming it out, but different length strokes for different folks I guess. I'm not saving it for retirement, if I don't actually use it then I could have had a softer ride.

 

[thsm007]

I’m not sure if it is the opposite or just a difference of magnitude. Use it all or all but an inch or all but a sliver. I’m saying I want to use it all but I don’t set my settings to use it all based on the harshest condition on the ride.

Original question about bottoming out and banging the tail tidy answer is that I rarely bottom out but not bc my suspension isn’t optimized it’s bc I’m trying to use the right amount and hopefully not blowing entirely through the stroke.

 

[WoodsWeapon]

There’s more to this than just setting it up to bottom once per ride/lap. Valving, rebound, rider ability, and correct spring rates are huge factors in this, and spring rates are often way off from what they are labeled as.
For instance a slower guy that sets to bottom on the back table top at his track, may well have a very wallowing feel elsewhere on the track. While a fast guy with the same setup that bottoms on a triple, may have problems getting the bike to settle into a corner. In the end its all subjective, and opinionated.

 

[Motophyllic]

Any photos?