YSS FORK UPGRADE ON ROYAL ENFIELD GT 650

I install the YSS fork upgrade on a Royal Enfield Continental GT 650. YSS leaves out a couple of steps for the install and those get filled in. There are some tips for disassembly and reassembly. I discuss adjustment after install and my initial adjustments. Quick review after a 100 miles at the end.
Apologies about the video quality. I got a new camera and it appears it was worth every penny I paid for it. I think I will keep it for long shots, but I need to get something better.
Links to the sources I used for setup:
www.yss.co.th/...
yss-data-for-w...
racetech.com/p...
racetech.com/p...
#royalenfield #continentalgt650 #interceptor650 #yss

[@MotoCurmudgeon]

Hey Chuck, just wanted to say THANK YOU!!! Your video and instructions were spot on. I just finished the fork kit today and it’s night and day difference. So much better it was crazy. You are the only one that explained how to figure out the two turns in on the emulator PD valve, by starting with no load / pressure on the spring and that’s the zero. Might be obvious but for a newbie it helped to hear that. I also made the tool just as you mention with a 3/4 nut and 1 and 1/16 socket and it worked perfectly. Anyway, I can’t thank you enough, I couldn’t have done this without you. Oh, and I realized after I took the damper rod out that that short spring is already part of the stock damper rod setup. Good fun. Cheers

[@WhatIsTheWheel]

I'm glad I could help you out.

[@BrentRBourne]

Want to thank you for helping BEST explanation and installation video for the YSS upgrade. I’ve been wrenching & riding for more than 50 years and respect your expertise. I installed the YSS upgrade on my Interceptor and was disappointed in the information available. Now I will make the changes you suggest plus adjust the emulator and sag. Thanks for taking the time to share so clearly. Including your cheap work around deep reach 3/4” nut adaptor. My approach has been to deuce as much weight off the RE to simulate a late 60’s Triumph 500. And it has worked out well, at least my RE doesn’t mark its spot with oil.

[@WhatIsTheWheel]

I am glad I could help

[@divyanshuthakur]

This is the most thorough installation process of the fork upgrade kit. I’ve seen a bunch of videos and they all forget to mention that the valve emulators can be adjusted for compression. Neither do they come up with a plausible explanation for why the damper rods need to be drilled. Thank you for the excellent video and wish you a speedy recovery!

[@WhatIsTheWheel]

Thanks, I have been back on the bike and the YSS kit is worth the money and effort to install. It was a big improvement, so much that I will be doing something about the rear shocks at some point. Probably YSS, maybe Ohlins

[@divyanshuthakur]

@@WhatIsTheWheel That’s good news. The ohlins are pricy but I hear the YSS G-series are the best bang for your buck if you’re a fast rider. If you only care about fixing the rear end then even the YSS Z-series will do the job perfectly fine. Only difference between the two YSS rear kits is that the Z series does not come with compression damping adjustment.

[@waynenelson7723]

Wow, thanks for taking the time to film and upload this! Just followed your instructions and done the same to my Interceptor 650. Not taken out for a test ride yet but I expect it will be fine with maybe a little bit of fine tuning. Have you managed to put any more miles under your belt since doing the upgrade?

[@WhatIsTheWheel]

Only a couple hundred miles so far. Now I really want to upgrade the rear shocks to something with more adjustment. I think you will be really pleased with the ride improvement.

[@NeutralSupportNews]

I like the shirt logo / work cabinet coordination. Awesome video, keep em coming!

[@cold_burn]

Man that was a so called “ Unboxing “😂, loved the Old American way of Unboxing. By the way video was very detailed and informative, that I have figured out how to do the assembly on my own. Thanks for the tips! Love from Bharat

[@rover100bunson]

niceto see someone with sense, ive had discussions with people who say yss says you dont need to drill damper rods, well ok so you wont get the benefit of the emulators, and people dont seem to understand that the air gap above the oil is compressible and part of how the fork works so if you put more volume of parts inside you need to adjust the oil volume, thanks

[@KibberShuriq]

That's not quite correct, you still get the benefit of higher compression damping at low suspension travel velocities. The holes in the stock damping rod are small but they are still much bigger than the one always-open hole in the emulator valve, so that hole is what will determine your compression damping - at least until the velocities get high enough that the emulator valve starts to open. What you won't get (without drilling out the holes) is the reduced damping at higher velocities, when the emulator valve is opened sufficiently far to let the damping rod holes be the bottleneck. On the other hand, drilling the holes out too much will increase the probability of the forks bottoming out, since the emulator has a linear response and therefore does not protect against bottoming out the way simple holes (with their quadratic response) do.

[@neiljarvis8911]

Excellent technically informative and interesting video, fancy one of these bikes, so this is research for further down the road. Thanks and hope you are fully fit very soon.

[@WhatIsTheWheel]

Thanks, and I am better. I have done some 200 mile days and the suspension is working great.

[@MotoCurmudgeon]

Great info, tanks much! Can you provide information on the additional short spring you added to the damping rod? Is that optional? I haven’t seen anyone else mention that. Thanks

[@markdwyre5013]

Thanks for the information contained in your video. I'm performing this mod on my gt 650 this winter. I will definitely be drilling out the damper rods. How do you find the performance of the front suspension compared to stock?

[@WhatIsTheWheel]

It was a big improvement, all the harshness is gone on the hard bumps, it has better compliance in general, and I was able to adjust the sag where I want it.

[@markdwyre5013]

Could a damper removal tool be made with 2 x 11/8 nuts threaded onto 3/4 threaded rod locked together at one end. Cut the rod to length required to reach the damper. File some flats on the opposite end of the threaded rod for a wrench? Thanks a bunch!

[@WhatIsTheWheel]

That should work. They are not real tight once you break the screw loose

[@markdwyre5013]

How did you determine the number and diameter of the damper rod holes? I understand that these holes control rebound damping in conjunction with oil weight? Thanks for your time and expertise!

[@ashleighnelson512]

#yss #royalenfield #fork

[@BrentRBourne]

What brand and viscosity of fork oil did you use ?

[@LUNA_is_NIGLIT]

This is off topic to this video but in the go kart video what size omb hubs should I order for my front vevor tires ? I have the same body frame as you so I just wanted to make sure I do everything right 👍🫡

[@WhatIsTheWheel]

That is a tough question. When I got mine, I ended up cutting them down on the lathe to fit the hub and redrilling them. I know the hub shoulder(the the rim sits on) is 40mm and there are metric hubs in that size. You will need to figure out your axle size and see if you can get a hub that matches the axle size and hub diameter. Video of me making them fit: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5nRqZSbq7Sdjqs&ab_channel=WhatIsTheWheel

[@speedfinder1]

I'm puzzled! EVERYTHING on a Royal Enfield 650 is METRIC..... Why did you just no use a 27mm Metric socket as the factory intended? No need to ruin a perfectly good nut with a sander. 🫣.

[@WhatIsTheWheel]

It is not a 27mm socket it is a 27mm Hex or Allen. They start around $25 and require 1" drive tools. The tool I made used the nut I ground down in the video and a cracked socket I had in my junk drawer, the cost was less than $2. The socket was trash, but I kept it for a purpose just like this.