PRELOAD - RELAXED & ACTUAL (sport bikes)

Back-in-the-day life was easy. Measuring preload was simple. (Refer to figure at right). All you did was measure the Free Length of the spring and subtracted the Set Length to calculate Preload.

  • Preload - the length the spring is compressed from its Free Length when it is installed with the suspension fully extended.
  • Free Length - uninstalled relaxed length
  • Set Length - installed length

                Preload = Free Length - Set Length

Life is harder now (tell mom and dad). The latest development for sport bikes is "long, soft, top-out springs". This means when you install the spring, the fork (or shock) grows (gets longer). Along with that the Set Length grows so the amount of preload you calculated is incorrect (the actual Installed Preload is less than calculated)!

In the old days the Top-out Spring was so stiff the fork barely grew at all so we didn't have to account for this.

What to do, what to do?

Let's define some new terms:

  • Relaxed Set Length - the measured installed length without the spring installed (easy to measure)
  • Relaxed Preload - the calculated Preload using the Relaxed Set Length (easy to calculate)

                Relaxed Preload = Free Length - Relaxed Set Length

  • Actual Installed Set Length - the length of the spring installed (hard to measure)
  • Actual Preload - the length the spring is compressed from its Free Length when it is installed with the suspension fully extended. (hard to calculate because the Actual Set Length has grown)

               Actual Preload = Free Length - Actual Installed Set Length

When getting Preload recommendations from the DVS on Race Tech's website we give Relaxed Preload because it is much easier. We usually give a note in the Product and Valving Search to notify you that you are dealing with long soft top-out springs. The difference can be as much as 40 mm.

In most cases we recommend replacing the stock "long, soft, top-out springs" with our Reactive Spring Series. They are not as stiff as the old days but are not nearly as soft or as long as the new fangled ones. Testing has shown the proper top-out spring can drastically affect traction particularly when leaned over in the turns.

NOTE: Our G2-R 25mm Cartridge Kits also have this technology and grow 5 to 6 mm.