Ed , Paul , Mark , Jared , Folks ,
What spring rate would be a good starting point with either 13.5 or 14.25 inch progressive shocks.
This would be for a 72/73 Wombat or CW with stock swing arm length , 210 lb with gear on rider weight. Not a bike for MX but an RR / Trail Bike.
I see 2 rates offered that might be right for a straight spring , 65 and 75 lb. One progressive rate that might be good at 65/130 .
We are working on new steering head cups/ bearings now and the shocks are next in line
Thanks for any and all input.
John D.
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Forum Admin - 06/30/09 at 11:45am
I would suggest a straight 65 rate like Ed uses or a 65/100 rate like I use.
I hope this helps
Paul
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Bullfrog - 06/30/09 at 1:46pm
Didn't I get the same springs as you Paul? (I have a note about the bike that I purchased the 60/100 springs - which has an obvious error, since 60/100 is not one of the options.)
The springs I have certainly have some closely spaced coils near the top -- but it is a VERY short section which might be just the way the manufacturing process went to terminate the coil windings at the smaller diameter at the top spring keeper-- and might not be a true dual rate section. So I guess they could be single rate springs . . . which was indeed my preference wayeeeee back when.
At any rate, whichever spring I have -- it has been working well. On the most severe "hit" on most any MX track I have been on, I just barely (but noticeably) bottom out - Which is exactly what I'm looking for. I've been running the shocks with the maximum spring pre-load setting (for chain clearance) and with the top mounted @ the forward Hodaka mount. However, I moved to the "up-right" position for Hodaka Days because a recently mounted Cheng Shin 3.50X18 was just kissing the fender at full compression -- and I "sweat bullets" when rear tires start kissing fenders!
Now, if we can just confirm what spring rate I have, the above information might be helpful.
Ed
PS: As soon as this message goes out I'm going to do some spring rate graphing and get back on this thread - go figure.
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Forum Admin - 06/30/09 at 1:59pm
Ed at the bottom of your springs in white is the spring rate.I am getting old and the memory is even older but I had thought you ordered a 65 straight rate set of springs from me ?
Anyway last Sunday it looked to me like you and the bike were doing pretty darn good !! Headlight and all
Paul
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Bullfrog - 06/30/09 at 4:39pm
When I ordered the shocks in 2005 we talked a lot about spring rates . . . and I certainly was interested in single rate springs. But at the time, I couldn't put my finger on a specific rate that had worked for me before - since my last gung-ho ride had been some 30 years earlier. So I decided to run what you had experience with, and I got the 65/100's -- which is printed right on the spring down near the bottom (shazam! thanks for the tip on where to look).
It is starting to come back to me now that what I liked "back in the day" was a relatively stiff single rate spring with minimum pre-load for ISDT Qualifier work -- and a quite soft single rate spring with quite a bit of pre-load for trials work.
Does Progressive offer a single rate 100 lb/in spring?
NOTE: Regarding my previous post - there is a "senior moment"
comment in there. I once considered adjusting the pre-load collars on the Progressives to the maximum pre-load position to improve the chain/shock clearance situation . . . but I never did actually do it. (If you think about it . . . it is done? 
) SOOOO . . . I am actually running the 65/100's in the softest setting and getting along quite well with them. I'm about 210-220 before putting on riding gear.. . . pardon the hi-jacking of the thread . . . but I noticed the headlight puts out so much energy that it MELTED the standard electrical tape which was "X'd" across the headlight EVEN WITH the plastic bulb protector between the bulb and the tape with the Preston Petty Headlight/Number plate unit. No wonder I can't seem to go very fast! Pumping all that light out the front is slowing me down! NOT!
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