pita gold valve emulator

[yamahansolo]

i have had these for two months and havent been able to figure them out. do ineed the spacer if so how do imeasure for it. also the vague instructions i have suck, and they refer me to the website for custom valving set up but i didnt see it. mostly this a rant but any tips will be nice ... i guess ill have to call them as well

[bikerphil]

Are you reffering to the preload spacer (on top of spring)?

[crazy steve]

Yes, these things can be a pain to get 'right', but after going through the process they do work very well.

What exactly is the problem? I haven't personally seen the XS-specific model, but the emulator is supposed to just sit in the open top of the original damper and the spring holds it in place; the pics of these I've seen posted here makes me think that's the case with this unit. RaceTech doesn't list the need for an 'adaptor' on their website, but that doesn't mean one isn't needed.

You did drill the damping rods, right? Failure to do this will result in very stiff compression damping and you won't be able to adjust it away. This is one downside to these, as the mod isn't reversable; to remove them you have to replace the damping rods with unmodified stock units. Rebound damping is controlled by the weight of your fork oil. I've had the best results with 15w fork oil; the recommended 20w was just too stiff for me. And oil level can make a big difference too. It's critical to have the same amount in each fork, and too much or too little will change how the forks react.

As far as spring preload, what springs are you running? Stock 'standard' forks with OEM springs, just reinstall them with no spacer. Aftermarket, I'd follow RaceTechs' instructions even if you're using another brand of spring.

This help?

'78E original owner

[Just In Case]

If you look here, you'll see when you need an adaptor. It's to do with the shape of the damping rod where the emulator sits. If it's cupped, no adaptor needed. If it's flat, an adaptor is needed.

[yamahansolo]

sorry i was using my ps3 earlier to type on and it sucks using the controller!!! i now hooked my keyboard up.....

any hooo i haven't even put them in yet because i ride almost daily. so i haven't modded anything yet. now as far as the bike goes. i am not sure what springs are in there. this is a 79 but it has air caps and a balance tube compliments of the po..... i need to disassemble them to see if i can tell what they are. i reread the "how to make the xs11 handle" tip on the site here and they said that the stock springs are too hard for air shocks if you have a standard without air from the factory. so the po may have put in more springs. i don't lknow how i'll be able to tel lthough... do you guys? also it says to trim the springs to .7 " above the tubes. it says stock is about 1.5 or so. this is the number i wanted from racetech. it says in my race tech directions that i need to make a spacer to fit on top of the spring along with 2 washers to get the preoad right it says to use the table in the instructions but there isn't one. it also says to g oto the website and use it online to give you the preload. my thinking is i won't need a spacer right because the emulator is going to sit on the rod and raise the spring even higher so if anything i'll have to cut the springs shorter. my instructions are very specific about using a spacer on the top for preload but i don't need it right? also i know you need a cupped adaptor on the bottom ifg it's not cupped. i have yet to take them apart so i don't know if i'll need one. the instructions are again very specific about kyb vintage shocks needing a cupped adaptor but there is nothing on line about buying one. this is confusing. as i said i ride daily and i don't want this to be a 2 week project. does any one know if the 79 standard rod is cupped off the top of thier heads?

also i have an 82 xj11 that is a parts bike. it has the dials on topfor adjustments. i thought the xj forks are air and according to the xs11 article about handling it sounds like i could put the springs from there into the standard if my springs aren't air ones. any ideas??? i am going to search and see what the xj's spring rate is and then i can measure to see if they fit. from what i remember i think they are shorter than stock standard springs so if the stockers are too long by an inch or so maybe the xj's are closer to the .7" of preload and they are softer springs and could work for me...????

[yamahansolo]

also on a side note i have been searching for hours trying to find how to adjust the rear fox shocks. again i am on the play station and it won't open pdf files... otherwise i might be able to find it... these are the black fox units filled with gas they have a valve at the top and the adjustment ring at the top as well this is to set the spring hieght i have it set on the 3rd of 5 but i don't think there is any other adjutment besides the gas right??? i tried searching kz forums and everything and i havent seen dookey! i checked my sag and the rear is only moving 35 cm'sthis could be dropped to clloser to 30 according to the suspension book i have it says 30-35 for street bikes 25-30 for race bikes. i could go 32 or 33 maybe??? any ideas?

[crazy steve]

If you have 'standard' forks (axle at the bottom of the fork slider), no adaptor for the emulators is needed. I'm pretty sure that's true for the 'special' forks also.

Keep in mind you'll have to pull the forks off the bike and completely disassemble them to install the emulators, so having fork oil, new seals, etc on hand is a good idea. Great time to clean them out while you're in there too. Now, if you don't know what springs are in there, you can look before starting this by pulling one fork cap to examine the spring, but I doubt if that will tell you anything. I would highly recommend that you buy new springs from either Progressive, RaceTech, or Sonic; the latter two sell 'straight-rate' springs only, so if a smooth ride is more important than all-out handling, I'd use the Progressives (although these will offer a very noticeable improvement). The OEM springs are the weakest part of these forks, and if you expect the emulators to work properly replacing them is a must. I would not attempt modifying or swapping stock springs. The new springs will come with instructions on setting the preload. I used to have the sheet that came with my springs but couldn't find it, but it wouldn't be accurate for stock springs in any case. Some Progressive springs come with 'pre-cut' preload spacers, but you'll have to change those to account for the emulators.

I did find one discrepancy in the emulator instructions; depending on where you look, RaceTech says to drill either six 1/4" or 5/16" holes in the damper. Use the larger size, as too big won't hurt anything but too small will make the compression damping too stiff. You can enlarge any existing holes to this size rather than drill new ones, but it's important to have a total of six holes so if you have to drill some more, do so. If there's some 'rebound' holes in the damper (these will be smaller and near the top of the damper), don't alter these for any reason.

There's no 'clear cut' setup instructions for the emulators because they are so 'tuneable'. You can't just drop these in and go and expect them to be a 'magic bullet'. These things can be a huge PITA to get set up right, but once you get it, they work great. Some tuning tips:

I'd personally recommend starting with 15w oil, the stock amount of oil, and 3 turns on the adjustment if you use Progressive springs. Straight-rate springs, two turns.

Rebound damping is controlled by the weight of the fork oil; the thicker the oil, the slower the rebound. If you go thicker, you'll have to readjust the compression damping as it will get stiffer too (so fewer turns on the adjustment).

Changing the oil level will alter the 'rate' of compression. I wouldn't go under the 212cc 'factory' amount, but if you're looking for a firmer ride I would try adding more oil. Making sure you have exactly the same amount of oil in each fork is very important. This is probably the worst feature with these; every time you pull the emulators out to adjust them, you lose oil off the springs, so maintaining even oil level will drive you crazy.

You can literally tune these to almost any bike/rider combo, but because of the interrelationship between all the 'variables', hitting the 'perfect' setup can take some time...

'78E original owner

[yamahansolo]

thanks for the info steve. i spoke wth rt today and they said there is no table 2...??? any way i ordred new seals and stuff 2 months ago. also according to the article on xs11 handling it recomends you drill out theholes when adding air caps to the standard bike. he says the stock springs are too stiff for air and must be replaced. he also says to cut them to .7''. he said .7''s for preload. rt said i need the fork spring preload to be 25mm which is about 1'' so thats a little longer than the article recomends

[crazy steve]

All you're doing with the spring preload spacer is setting the amount of 'static sag' you have when you're sitting on the bike i.e. how much it 'settles'; 1" is about right, even a bit more would be ok. You should never cut a spring for several reasons; one, you'll remove the formed flat on the spring end and that raw end will start eating at the metal and put metal paricles into your fork, gouging the internals. Two, this will also change the spring rate, making it higher for a stiffer ride. I've never seen aftermarket springs that didn't require a spacer of some sort, so if you replace you'll be good to go.

'78E original owner

[yamahansolo]

the article recomends cutting them 3/4 a turn up and then grinding it smooth making a flat edge. did you read the article? it's very interesting. go to top of screen and click articles it's ''how to make the yamaha xs11 handle''.

also i measured my fork sag yikes 77.5mm , according to my suspension chart in ''total control'' that a setting for off road bikes. they recommend 30 to 35mm for streetbikes. my stiction was 15mm this is good in the book

this means i need more preload right??? well my next step is to measure my springs, clymers says the reg non air fork should be 19.82 inches, air forks are 24.1

[crazy steve]

the article recomends cutting them 3/4 a turn up and then grinding it smooth making a flat edge. did you read the article? it's very interesting. go to top of screen and click articles it's ''how to make the yamaha xs11 handle''...

That article is 28 years out of date.... the 12 year old 'update' recommends Progressive springs, but as of now you have even more choices. If you want to get the full benefit of the emulators, replace the OEM springs with something newer...

'78E original owner

[yamahansolo]

got them installed...... it's ahuge improvement..... only imust have tightened the axle to tight or smethin...??? it barely pulls to the left wyhen going straight....

wow

[yamahansolo]

holy crap batman.....irode to work tonight and wow some of my normal 15 to 20 mph curves were at 35 to 40 mph. this thing handles like my 98 yzf600r i am not joking. next i have to install my new kevlar pads ... th front left caliper is just barely scubbing. probably is causing the slight pull to the left...