CRF's Only Forums

I bought the Race Tech shock spring from CRF's Only store, and it included the spring collars required for installation. However I have no idea where the collars go - I assume one goes on top and one on bottom, but how do I know which is which? There weren't any instructions included and I can't find anything online. Here's a pic of the new spring, original shock, and collars:

It looks like you just undo the collar , remove it , add the one insert to the bottom , then add the other to the top and replace the collar and that should be it , it does not look like that shock requires a spring compressor , so it should be simple and straightforward

The reason for the collar is because of the difference in diameter of the Race Tech spring

Just did this last night... Have to say it was slightly disappointing not getting any instructions or manual at all given the stock shock is a strange setup and there is hardly any information online about the process. So for those who are in the same position here is a quick run down of install. Remove shock from bike this is very easy there is plenty of videos online if you need help with this part. Next is compressing the old spring enough to reach the 23mm nut on the bottom of the shock rod. The rubber piece on the bottom slides up and out of the way. Once this is reached stick at screw driver in the bottom bracket with your wrench on the nut and spin bracket off. Release spring compressor and slide old spring off. Install the larger collar first slide the flat side facing the preload collar. Slide new spring on. I used a shop towel to protect the new spring when compressing. You must compress a good bit more than getting the stock spring off as the new collars take up quite a bit of space. Once compressed enough put the bottom collar back together now with an extra spacer on it and stick your wrench on the nut again and spin the bottom bracket back on as far as possible. Release spring compressor and install shock back onto bike. Easy enough process but the new spring collars really make it a pain to get enough room for your wrench to fit back on the nut to spin the bottom back on. Very stiff now haven't ridden it much yet but feels good so far. I got the 12.5kg spring even though I only weigh 145lbs I figured adding additional 40-60lbs of gear on to the back will make it just about perfect when loaded.

Welcome to the site !!



Good write up , and first post , and yea , most people forget when riding off-road that the extra weight of a backpack is the same as you physically weighing more when selecting a spring rate ....

And I have yet messed with a 250L or Rally suspension .... So I was unaware it needed a compressor , I just figured you could unscrew the nut and slide the spring off and install the new one and snug the collar down again .....

Looking at the shock wouldn't you just loosen the jam nuts at the top (whilst still on bike), then unwind jam nuts remove spring over the top mount. replacement is reversal of procedure.

You would normally have to readjust the sag so removing the jam nuts isn't an issue as have to redo anyway.

This is how I have done before that way you can leave shock on bike and only undo the top mount once jam nuts are loosened.

Or am I missing something with this shock. Are the thread tops below shock body so can't unscrew over top?

That is what I would have thought as well , but from what I am understanding , the Race Tech spring requires those large collars and you can't just put the spring on and screw it down , there is no threads showing ...... my buddy I ride with has a 2018 RMZ450 , he resprung it for his weight (he weighs about 150 so needed lighter springs than stock) , so he got the Race Tech spring , and had the same issue , he had to compress the spring in order to even get the adjuster to start threading because of the collar thickness .... I guess they do this so they do not have to make springs for each specific bike , they just make X size , then make you use the collars , which then makes the compressing issue necessary ...

Install the larger collar first slide the flat side facing the preload collar. Slide new spring on. I used a shop towel to protect the new spring when compressing. You must compress a good bit more than getting the stock spring off as the new collars take up quite a bit of space. Once compressed enough put the bottom collar back together now with an extra spacer on it and stick your wrench on the nut again and spin the bottom bracket back on as far as possible.

I still can't picture what the collars look like (and what sides go up/down) when installed. Is there any way you can post a pic of your installed spring/collars? Also, you mention an extra spacer? I didn't see a spacer in the original posters pic. I would like to do this spring as well, but am hesitant. I read somewhere that the OEM valving cannot handle a heavy duty spring. Can you share what your experience has been so far with your new spring on the OEM shock? Thanks for any help you can provide!

Chuck

Welcome to the site !!

In looking at the first picture from the OP in this post , it looks as though one is just a spacer , as in orientation is not a issue , the second collar seems to have a flange so it only goes 1 way with the flange sitting inside the spring , I am guessing the spring is larger in diameter than the OEM spring along with being a different length , so that is the need for the spacers/collars , I would guess one at each end , but it should be obvious if you install the new spring without a collar on top , if it is larger in diameter than the adjustment collars then you would need the collar in place of the stock one , the trick is compressing the spring without a spring press , you might be able to do it with bar clamps (those long adjustable squeeze clamps sold at Home Depot , or Harbor Freight Tools or other Hardware stores , in lieu of spending big bucks on a compressor you will most likely only use once) or take it to the local dealer , as they should have a spring compressor or a press set up to remove/replace shock springs , as from what the issue seems to be is you need the spring compressed to remove the lower clevis which removes the collar , as the top threads do not allow you to remove the collar all the way , so you can't remove the spring from the top ........

Install the larger collar first slide the flat side facing the preload collar. Slide new spring on. I used a shop towel to protect the new spring when compressing. You must compress a good bit more than getting the stock spring off as the new collars take up quite a bit of space. Once compressed enough put the bottom collar back together now with an extra spacer on it and stick your wrench on the nut again and spin the bottom bracket back on as far as possible.

I still can't picture what the collars look like (and what sides go up/down) when installed. Is there any way you can post a pic of your installed spring/collars? Also, you mention an extra spacer? I didn't see a spacer in the original posters pic. I would like to do this spring as well, but am hesitant. I read somewhere that the OEM valving cannot handle a heavy duty spring. Can you share what your experience has been so far with your new spring on the OEM shock? Thanks for any help you can provide!

Chuck

This pretty much explains how to install the collars

Just did this last night... Have to say it was slightly disappointing not getting any instructions or manual at all given the stock shock is a strange setup and there is hardly any information online about the process. So for those who are in the same position here is a quick run down of install. Remove shock from bike this is very easy there is plenty of videos online if you need help with this part. Next is compressing the old spring enough to reach the 23mm nut on the bottom of the shock rod. The rubber piece on the bottom slides up and out of the way. Once this is reached stick at screw driver in the bottom bracket with your wrench on the nut and spin bracket off. Release spring compressor and slide old spring off. Install the larger collar first slide the flat side facing the preload collar. Slide new spring on. I used a shop towel to protect the new spring when compressing. You must compress a good bit more than getting the stock spring off as the new collars take up quite a bit of space. Once compressed enough put the bottom collar back together now with an extra spacer on it and stick your wrench on the nut again and spin the bottom bracket back on as far as possible. Release spring compressor and install shock back onto bike. Easy enough process but the new spring collars really make it a pain to get enough room for your wrench to fit back on the nut to spin the bottom back on. Very stiff now haven't ridden it much yet but feels good so far. I got the 12.5kg spring even though I only weigh 145lbs I figured adding additional 40-60lbs of gear on to the back will make it just about perfect when loaded.

Welcome to the site !!

In looking at the first picture from the OP in this post , it looks as though one is just a spacer , as in orientation is not a issue , the second collar seems to have a flange so it only goes 1 way with the flange sitting inside the spring , I am guessing the spring is larger in diameter than the OEM spring along with being a different length , so that is the need for the spacers/collars , I would guess one at each end , but it should be obvious if you install the new spring without a collar on top , if it is larger in diameter than the adjustment collars then you would need the collar in place of the stock one , the trick is compressing the spring without a spring press , you might be able to do it with bar clamps (those long adjustable squeeze clamps sold at Home Depot , or Harbor Freight Tools or other Hardware stores , in lieu of spending big bucks on a compressor you will most likely only use once) or take it to the local dealer , as they should have a spring compressor or a press set up to remove/replace shock springs , as from what the issue seems to be is you need the spring compressed to remove the lower clevis which removes the collar , as the top threads do not allow you to remove the collar all the way , so you can't remove the spring from the top ........

Thanks for the additional explanations and information. I do have spring compressor clamps I got at Harbor Freight that I think will work. I really don't want to put a lot of money in the rear shock so the $160 for the rear spring is reasonable if its an improvement. Having said that, do you think I'm putting 'lipstick on a pig' or is this 'some' improvement over the OEM setup? I don't expect this to perform like a $900 dialed in shock but if it gives me some more stiffness I'll give it a try. Thanks, Chuck

If the spring rate is for your weight , then yes , it will help as far as comfort goes , will it be a dramatic difference , maybe , maybe not , springs are made for the weight of the rider to keep the suspension travel where it should be , when it should be in that position , in other words , when you are heavier than the OEM spring rate was designed for , the suspension squats down into the stroke , you only have so much travel , the suspension is designed to open valving at certain points along that travel , if the bike is already squatting , then it is already past the initial part of the stroke and heading to the middle of the stroke , so what happens is you get harshness because the valving is opening at the wrong time because the suspension has already gone past the point it would have opened , it takes movement to get oil to flow thru the shim stack , the faster the movement the more the shim stack reacts , as well as the time frame the movement is taking place , it stays open longer if the suspension is traveling thru its entire stroke , if the stroke is already partially used up , then the distance is less , the force is less and the time is less , so less oil flows , the less shims move and the harsher the suspension feels

So to answer your question , it will help if the spring rate is for your weight , if you weigh more than the rate of even the new spring , then it will be less of a improvement ...... but .......... because the adjustability of this shock (and forks for that matter) is minimal at best , you are not going to notice a dramatic difference , so in a way it is like "putting lipstick on a pig" , I guess the question is , how much is the comfort worth to you ??? , if you will be happy with any improvement , then you helped the situation with minimal expense considering the alternatives .... if you were expecting a big change , then you are going to be disappointed somewhat .... how much depends on your expectations ..... Race Tech along with Ohlins makes suspension upgrades for this bike , I believe the Ohlins is actually cheaper than the Race Tech setup , both include a upgraded shock , and new fork springs , I believe the Ohlins setup has inserts (Cartridges) that give you a level of adjustability that actually will make a difference ...... but the cost goes way up versus a shock spring ...so theres that ....

I really appreciate all the perspective on the pros and cons of all the options. I hadn't really thought about all those things. Definitely gives me a lot to consider.

Thanks again!
Chuck

No problem ....

I bought the race tech rear spring in 9.8kg. I am in the same boat, have no clue what the order is. Anybody else successfully install and know the order with the different collars and spacer?