Factory Connection Aer 48 Forks and Suspension Reviews
In response to lingering scepticism in some quarters virtually the performance and/or reliability of air-sprung forks, Transmoto recently put WP's all-new 48mm 'AER' air fork through a rigorous test programme. The aim? To accost the 10 well-nigh commonly held assertions – and myths – about air forks, and so sort fact from fiction.
1. All air forks can leak air, which ways they tin collapse
That depends on the fork'south design. If the fork relies on air pressure in an outer chamber (which puts force per unit area on the fork seal), and then yeah, it is possible for a damaged fork seal and/or chrome slider to pb to a partially or fully collapsed fork. The blueprint used on WP's AER air fork, however, means at that place'due south never any pressure on the fork seals. In the AER fork, the pressured air is all contained in a sealed inner cartridge, with a bypass for the negative sleeping accommodation that's enacted at total fork-leg extension – when you go off a jump or sit the bike on a stand up, for instance. In other words, if an AER fork does accept a fork-seal leak, it will not lose any air force per unit area. If the AER fork'south internal cartridge were to fail, the pressure will equalise on either side of the piston and hold the fork halfway downward in its pinch stroke.
two. Air forks are lighter than their coil-sprung equivalents, but not that much lighter
WP'south consummate AER fork (including the brake calliper mount) weighs 7160g, compared with 8650g for WP's new Xplor 48mm coil-sprung fork (which, itself, is betwixt 300g and 600g lighter than its 4CS and open up-cartridge predecessors, respectively). The significance of saving somewhere in the vicinity of 1.5kg depends who you're speaking to. For elite race teams and Pro racers, that'southward a huge saving that might otherwise toll them countless thousands of development dollars to accomplish. Plus, at the loftier-performance end of the spectrum, saving unsprung weight is the Holy Grail. On the other hand, for an adventurous trailrider whose bicycle runs an oversize fuel tank and massive bashplate, saving a kilo or 2 is neither here nor there.
3. Air forks add together to set-upwardly complication because the fork's air pressure needs to exist checked earlier each ride
True, particularly when the fork has multiple chambers (such as Showa'due south SFF TAC air fork) whose pressures each need to exist checked. So, begetting this in mind, WP's AER fork was intentionally designed with simplicity of aligning as a primary goal. It just has ane air sleeping accommodation (in one fork leg). As Transmoto surmised after their 2015 450cc MX Bike Shootout (when the Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki all arrived with all-new air forks), "Adjustability is a great thing, simply only if users understand how each of those adjustments – made in isolation, and in conjunction with each other – volition bear upon the pause's ride. Air suspension is here to stay, simply if riders and technicians want to end chasing their tails, it's inevitable that the manufacturers dumb down the adjustment options in the years to come up."
WP's design squad appears to take been paying attention to consumer feedback almost the before air fork designs for dirt bikes, and produced a much more user-friendly fork in response.
4. Air forks are sensitive when it comes to getting the oil volume/top correct
Not so with WP's AER fork. Rather than do what'due south required with conventional forks (that is, bottom the fork out and so carefully measure out oil heights), all you need to know with the AER is that there's 200ml of oil in each leg. Pus the oil contained within the WP air fork'south outer sleeping room is purely for lubrication. In other words, you no longer have to alter the oil height (and air book, every bit a consequence) to generate improve bottoming resistance. The air chamber is already there in the fork's blueprint (which is adjustable), and air offers incredibly progressive resistance. It's a simple only effective blueprint, whose performance and adjustability has been very well received in Europe for the by year (remember that the KTM MX models sold in Europe take run the WP AER air fork for 12 months now).
5. Air forks all crave specific pumps, which can toll a bomb
Well, a $10 cycle pump tin be used to pump upwards any dirt bicycle air fork. But if y'all desire to accurately check air pressures and minimise pressure loss when yous fit and remove the pump, then the investment in a quality pump is money well spent. The KTM models that run this WP AER fork all come with a quality WP pump in their parts kit. It'due south specifically designed with a long thread to brand sure there's minimal drain-off when it's existence connected and disconnected. You simply need to ensure the forepart wheel is off the basis before you check or adjust the fork's air pressure. And it's disquisitional you screw the pump'south plumbing equipment on fully. If yous don't, the readings can be way out of whack. Conveniently, the Schrader valve in the AER's LHS fork cap is mounted at a 45-caste angle so the handlebars don't go far the mode of the pump.
six. Just similar the air forks used back in the late 1980s, the air pressure inside modern-twenty-four hour period air forks too builds upwards during a ride, which affects operation
Modern-day air forks experience a negligible increase in air force per unit area, even when ridden difficult in hot weather, and/or on tracks with large jumps and deep bumps. With the WP AER fork, most owners report that in that location'due south a warm-up factor involved. In other words, once they've set up their air force per unit area later on an initial ride, it varies very petty during a mean solar day's riding. That mirrored what we found during our test sessions – both on trail and enduro loops and MX tracks.
seven. Why exercise then many suspension tuners offer kits that will convert air-sprung forks into coil-sprung forks?
A few reasons. First, these guys reckon they can brand a buck out of it. Second, the market's limited feel with air fork set-upwards means there's limited data to draw on when the average rider is looking to get their air fork set up. And third, a majority of riders don't like the idea that they should exist checking the pressure(s) in their air fork before each ride, particularly when there are multiple chambers to deal with.
8. If air forks are so good, why has Honda moved back to Showa's 49mm coil-sprung fork on its 2017 CRF450r?
No one is entirely sure still. Just the general consensus is that, by saving more 2kg elsewhere on their 2017 bike, Honda has figured they can beget to run the slightly heavier – but revered – Showa 49mm twin-cartridge fork. Plus, because air forks tend to polarise opinion, Honda seems to accept erred on the side of circumspection.
9. If air forks were really any good, then pro racers would all be using them
Well, some Pros do run air forks, and some don't. In recent years, it's fair to say that many take swapped dorsum and forth betwixt air- and coil-sprung forks. Suffice to say that the demands these Pro riders put on their forks is much greater than that of the boilerplate rider, which is why they all race on expensive, upwards-specced manufacturing plant forks – whether sprung by air or coil. Consumer feedback in Europe for the past 12 months (where KTM's 2016 yr-model MX bikes have run WP'south AER fork) has been overwhelmingly positive – from both a operation and reliability point of view.
10.Will KTM fit air forks to their enduro models? And if then, when?
Several of KTM's Pro riders have been testing WP'south AER fork in KTM's enduro models, with encouraging results. Only KTM's market inquiry suggests that trail and enduro riders are not yet ready for an air fork considering they still value function over performance and adjustability. Every bit KTM's Product Manager, Joachim Sauer, said at the recent launch for KTM's 2017 enduro range in Espana, "For trail, enduro, cantankerous-land and desert racing applications, nosotros believe it is still as well early to consider an air fork. Consumers do non yet trust the reliability of air intermission when riding in remote terrain, and they practice not want to have to carry a pump all day. I recollect we will need some other three to five years for these perceptions to modify, and to convince people that an air fork could be an advantage – bated from the weight reduction it offers."
We'll go out on a limb and say nosotros believe KTM's move to an air fork for its enduro models won't take another five years.
Given that KTM has introduced two new WP forks for 2017 – the 48mm 'AER' air-sprung fork on its motocross (and iv-stroke cantankerous-land) models, and the 48mm 'Xplor' coil-sprung fork on its enduro models – we recently performed a back-to-back comparison between the two. Read it here.
Source: https://transmoto.com.au/air-forks-sorting-fact-fiction/
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