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minton mod question forks
- Thread starter buddy
- Start date
The small holes in the dampers restricts the oil flow. This causes the forks to move to slowly under compression and rebound. This and the soft stock springs leave handling poor at best. Using heavier oil makes this even more so.
Going to a lighter oil increases oil flow and speeds the action of the fork. Drilling out the holes increases oil flow.
I reccomend doing the Minton mods. I did most of them, I used A standard XS650 seals, not the dirt bike seals mentioned. I also expermented with oils. I now have ATF as oil with the forks filled to 6 inches down from the top of the tubes with spring out and fully compressed.
To do this I drain out any oil in the forks, remove the caps and springs, compress the forks, pour in about 8 ounces of ATF. I then pump the forks up and down slowly to bleed out any air.
I have a mity vac tool I use that with a long clear hose with a zip tie on the hose 6 inches from the end. I put this end down in the fork so the zip tie is at the top of the tube and draw off any oil above 6 inches down.
This is about 1.5 to two ounces more oil than speced but it gives the fork a bit more air preload above the oil. This prevents much of the fork dive during braking.
Leo
Going to a lighter oil increases oil flow and speeds the action of the fork. Drilling out the holes increases oil flow.
I reccomend doing the Minton mods. I did most of them, I used A standard XS650 seals, not the dirt bike seals mentioned. I also expermented with oils. I now have ATF as oil with the forks filled to 6 inches down from the top of the tubes with spring out and fully compressed.
To do this I drain out any oil in the forks, remove the caps and springs, compress the forks, pour in about 8 ounces of ATF. I then pump the forks up and down slowly to bleed out any air.
I have a mity vac tool I use that with a long clear hose with a zip tie on the hose 6 inches from the end. I put this end down in the fork so the zip tie is at the top of the tube and draw off any oil above 6 inches down.
This is about 1.5 to two ounces more oil than speced but it gives the fork a bit more air preload above the oil. This prevents much of the fork dive during braking.
Leo
jd750ace
Front Toward Enemy
The Minton mods are good basic improvements, which these forks need. I would not do them if I ever planned on doing more, such as springs and emulators.
$0.02
$0.02
I ruined my damper rods with a drill, so they don't do anything. I made the holes bigger and added two more. Race-Tech Gold Valves were place on top and new straight rate springs from Traxxion Dynamics on top of those. 15W fork oil is filled to 130 mm from the top. My oil level is set with the spring out and the fork at the bottom of the stroke.
Mike's XS sells similar valves for cheap. IMHO, if you want anything better than this set-up, you'll need to replace the forks with something off of a newer bike.
The valves I speak of are usually referred to as emulators. They rock!
Mike's XS sells similar valves for cheap. IMHO, if you want anything better than this set-up, you'll need to replace the forks with something off of a newer bike.
The valves I speak of are usually referred to as emulators. They rock!
Scrambled
Motorcycle Man
You using 15W oil ? I tried heavier oil before I changed my springs , then tried it after with new springs . I put 10W back in , works better for me anyway , heavy oil just makes the forks rebound slower.
Yes 15W. Remember, I turned the damper rods into Swiss cheese. For me, it's all about tuning with the emulators. 10W is right for the stock forks.
I noted that Traxxion built some forks on a bike I tried with 15W on one side and 10W on the other. They had some other tricks that went along with it. The results are amazing!
jd750ace
Front Toward Enemy
What weight works the best with emulators depends on the volume of fluid and the stroke of the suspension. My SV uses 10W, my Road Star 15 W. 41 vs 43 MM tube, with about the same travel, but the larger emulator orifice for the 43MM tube works best with 15W.
Trust the folks that do it every day, I always say. If Race Tech told me to put 10W40 in the forks I would. They are correct, pretty much 100% of the time, provided you are honest about your weight, riding style, and road conditions when getting set up.
meanstreakmark
Thinkologist
Hey all- I'm sorry for the lame question: where can I read more on the Minton mods? I've searched here and haven't found any specific link. I must be a dolt. 
. Thanks!
. Thanks!
You can go ahead and do the Minton Mods if you like. They call for enlarging the existing holes in the damper rods but not enough to render them useless. If, in the future, you decide to go with emulators, then just drill the rods out more. The Minton Mods do make a difference and I quite like the results.
Hey all- I'm sorry for the lame question: where can I read more on the Minton mods? I've searched here and haven't found any specific link. I must be a dolt.
http://www.650central.com/tech/mintonmods.htm
estcstm3
XS650 Addict
5twins so to use the race tech emulators you still have to drill out the damper holes? Just larger than you would have with the minton mod alone?
Thanks!
update: Did Minton. Rode about 1500km with the mod, pleased. Done some rough roads too.
After being idle for about 25 years the old bike woke up. Oil use on the left cylinder is letting off. Been soaking the left cylinder with Sea Foam when it sits. Running seems the answer.
Thanks to all.
After being idle for about 25 years the old bike woke up. Oil use on the left cylinder is letting off. Been soaking the left cylinder with Sea Foam when it sits. Running seems the answer.
Thanks to all.
Yes, to use emulators, you drill the damper rod holes out really big, rendering them virtually useless. The emulator does the damping control after that, which is the whole point of "neutering" the damper rods. I always urge folks to try the Minton Mods 1st. They're basically free and you can still add the emulators later if you like. But, you may be satisfied enough with just the Minton mods. I am. If you want to spend money on your suspension and handling, do tapered steering head bearings and quality rear shocks first. Throwing emulators in if you haven't done this other stuff first is like putting a nice red dress on a pig ..... it's still a pig, lol.
estcstm3
XS650 Addict
Great advice thanks! How do you feel about new front fork springs when doing the minton mod?
Well I'll be 70 early next year and I'm having a blast with the 650 I got 3 years ago Seems like we've earned the right to have a toy or two by this point in our lives. Enjoy!
blue900
XS650 Addict
I did the MM and I like it! good improvement for me.
New springs would be nice if you can afford them, I added a pvc pipe spacer and am happy for now.
These bikes can be a real money pit if your not careful.
New springs would be nice if you can afford them, I added a pvc pipe spacer and am happy for now.
These bikes can be a real money pit if your not careful.
Brian902
XS650 Junkie
I went with the MM mods and did use the ' 1976 Yamaha IT400 fork seals '.
Work great and no seepage.
Work great and no seepage.
If you do MM and will replace springs, get straight rate if you think you will advance to emulators. I got mine from Traxxion Dynamics.
Posted via Mobile
Posted via Mobile
I did the MM's and replaced the springs with a set for an older Harley. They used a 35 mm fork on some of the FX and XL bikes. I got them from J&P Cycle, item #230-584 $49.99. They use a thicker wire, they are slightly bigger and longer. I have the sizes wrote down somewhere, just can't lay my hands on them right now. They are a straight rate spring. I don't know the rate, a bit stronger than they really need, but work well, and don't cost much.
The length is as I recall 19.5 inches. This brings the spring up level with the top of the fork tube where the stock spring is down inside about an inch or slightly more.
This can make getting the caps on a bit tough. I have the adjustable caps and on the top position I get about 25 mm of sag. On the second position I get around 12 mm of sag. I can't get to the third position.
They work well. I have a set of flat caps that I tried but had to much sag, some where around 35-40 mm.
Leo
The length is as I recall 19.5 inches. This brings the spring up level with the top of the fork tube where the stock spring is down inside about an inch or slightly more.
This can make getting the caps on a bit tough. I have the adjustable caps and on the top position I get about 25 mm of sag. On the second position I get around 12 mm of sag. I can't get to the third position.
They work well. I have a set of flat caps that I tried but had to much sag, some where around 35-40 mm.
Leo
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