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A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 6:51 pm
by k2apache6.0
Mods are under way, if a little slowly with the shipping times from Thailand. Mod thread to come, but here's me fitting the 'Trusty' fork sliders and 15w oil. The oversize brake rotor bracket needed modding to fit the trusty's which are now called 'Speed sevens'

Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 7:56 pm
by kramnala58
Wow, it is great the you have the ability and tools to be able to do the job yourself.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 8:13 pm
by homie
winter project... oh wait you don't have winter
Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 8:19 pm
by k2apache6.0
kramnala58 wrote:Wow, it is great the you have the ability and tools to be able to do the job yourself.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Thanks Kramnala, the sliders were easy enough, it's a simple damper rod fork, it was the caliper bracket that was a pita. The trusty's only fit the stock rotor and caliper, so I had to mod the oversize caliper bracket to fit, as well as fabricate a brake hose support bracket since the Trusty's had no proviso for that. I'm a Marine (yacht) Engineer so resourcefulness is second nature. I'll be doing a thread soon with pictures and info for anyone who's interested.
Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 8:22 pm
by k2apache6.0
homie wrote:winter project... oh wait you don't have winter
True dat Homie, but out in the Sun all day aint no picnic either, I long for October and the beginning of more clement temps ..94f every day gets old real quick!
Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 8:29 pm
by kramnala58
k2apache6.0 wrote:homie wrote:winter project... oh wait you don't have winter
True dat Homie, but out in the Sun all day aint no picnic either, I long for October and the beginning of more clement temps ..94f every day gets old real quick!
Welcome to Bangkok weather about 360 days per year.

Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 11:23 pm
by WhiteNoise
Whoa...hot hot, too hot! Even your scoots turned red!
Geez, Hide that Sun! Put up a canopy, tarp, blanket, something?!
k2, how can you sit there like that in the open? You must be mesmerized. Ya think? I think.
Afterall, Who smiles like that after tearing a Scooter apart?
Def too much sun right there!
(joking with ya, you know that right? Good!
You're on a Roll.....
"....Don't Stop Me Now"

Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 6:22 am
by k2apache6.0
WhiteNoise wrote:Whoa...hot hot, too hot! Even your scoots turned red!
Geez, Hide that Sun! Put up a canopy, tarp, blanket, something?!
k2, how can you sit there like that in the open? You must be mesmerized. Ya think? I think.
Afterall, Who smiles like that after tearing a Scooter apart?
Def too much sun right there!
(joking with ya, you know that right? Good!
You're on a Roll.....
"....Don't Stop Me Now"

Hehe, luckily there's a 12 story building cross the street the Sun goes behind after a while, us Floridians look at October like you guys look at May, I cant wait, light at the end of the tunnel, phew

Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 6:53 am
by gn2
So do the fork sliders improve suspension or are they just bling?
Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 7:08 am
by k2apache6.0
gn2 wrote:So do the fork sliders improve suspension or are they just bling?
Theres nothing remarkable about them internally but they appear beefier, Did a 20 mile test ride since the change and the front end feels more planted, but that's more likely due the 15w fork oil I added, the sliders could be stiffer or a combination of both, I dont know tbh. But they do look so much nicer than the stockers so bling is the primary thing sure.
Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 9:14 am
by you you
k2apache6.0 wrote:gn2 wrote:So do the fork sliders improve suspension or are they just bling?
Theres nothing remarkable about them internally but they appear beefier, Did a 20 mile test ride since the change and the front end feels more planted, but that's more likely due the 15w fork oil I added, the sliders could be stiffer or a combination of both, I dont know tbh. But they do look so much nicer than the stockers so bling is the primary thing sure.
Heavier oil almost always improves things.
Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 9:23 am
by chicaboo
Any chance we get to see the finished product?
Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 10:08 am
by Oyabun
Apache, did you have a chance to measure weight of the old and new fork bottoms?
Waiting dor the how-to especially the 260mm disk caliper mount modifications.
Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 9:46 am
by k2apache6.0
chicaboo wrote:Any chance we get to see the finished product?
Hey guys,
Here's a teaser. For more details you'll have to wait for my mod thread when I'm done with everything

Oyabun I do apologise, I completely forgot your request in my haste to install them, I doubt they're any lighter than the stockers though since they are beefier all around. I'm not so concerned with weight myself these days since spending $$$$$ building a mountain bike with exotic metals, even Scandium a while back. But I can weigh the stockers if you like
Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 12:09 pm
by Oyabun
I appreciate if you measure the stock lowers at least. Did you order these from Powerbypcx?
LOL. Scandium is an interesting element. I'm sure you weren't using pure scandium, as it is a rather soft metal, and burns almost as magnesium when heated. When we were building race bikes we just classified those stuff as "Unobtanium" ;-)
I have a PPL and a flying lub member. The airfilleld marshal is a good friend of mine and I'm sometimes involved when major repairs are done on our planes. We use aluminium alloys with a very low scandium content as the welds of those are not getting brittle due to smaller scrystals developed after the eutektium or plasma molten metal solidifies.
I have recently seen some new research on a new super alloy (Al20Li20Mg10Sc20Ti30) which supposed to have the tensile strength of titanium, surface hardness of ceramics and specific weight as aluminium.
Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 12:45 pm
by k2apache6.0
Oyabun wrote:I appreciate if you measure the stock lowers at least. Did you order these from Powerbypcx?
LOL. Scandium is an interesting element. I'm sure you weren't using pure scandium, as it is a rather soft metal, and burns almost as magnesium when heated. When we were building race bikes we just classified those stuff as "Unobtanium" ;-)
I have a PPL and a flying lub member. The airfilleld marshal is a good friend of mine and I'm sometimes involved when major repairs are done on our planes. We use aluminium alloys with a very low scandium content as the welds of those are not getting brittle due to smaller scrystals developed after the eutektium or plasma molten metal solidifies.
I have recently seen some new research on a new super alloy (Al20Li20Mg10Sc20Ti30) which supposed to have the tensile strength of titanium, surface hardness of ceramics and specific weight as aluminium.
You're well informed. Yep Scandium alloyed to 7075 especially for anything with threaded holes or welds is good stuff, and a significant weight saver over Ti. The weight saving bug really bit, and bit into my wallet too. I had that full suspension bike down to 22.9lbs without a Carbon frame or swingarm. Anyways the fork lowers (oem) are 1lb 6.3oz or 632g (right side) and 1lb 8.6oz or 697g (caliper side) so as you can see quite light really. One thing worth noting, the PCX fork lower does have a non removeable/replaceable bushing but the fork leg/stanchion does not, so no inteference fit like I'm used to when separating them, they pull straight out on removal of the damper rod holding bolt. The Trusty's have no bushing at all though there's no play and they feel stiff and compliant, no noises or clicks ect. Would have preferred a bushing so only time will tell on durability.
Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 12:24 am
by Oyabun
7075 is already a sweet materil, espacially in T6 temper.
Your bike weight is very impressive - my good old Kona hardtail which I've used for XC and all terrain triathlons was struggling to get to that ballpark without having a rear suspension.
Thanks for measuring the stockers. Ive got the info from Powerbypcx that the lowers they have on stock weight 1500gr for the set - which means that as a pair they run about 170gr more than the stock. I was actually hoping to have them at less or equal weight as I thought they are manufactured from billet which could be done with less weight than a cast one. Also checked the parts manual for the stock ones - and found very surprising that they are also without any sliding bushings.
I'll wait for your report on their performance (I'm specificly interested in hard braking performance, as the stock suspension tends to allways break out to the right, which I believe due to fork twisting) and possibly reconsider but I think I'll stay with my stock black ones for the moment.
Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 10:38 am
by k2apache6.0
No surprises with the heavier weight.
As mentioned already the stock sliders have a captive bushing just below the seal washer, there is no part number for this, it's not replaceable. The Trusty's do not, nor have they been bored for a bushing, it doesn't affect the performance. No play, noises, clicks, anything. The trusty's are noticably stiffer and paired with the 15w are a big improvement performance wise, the front end just feels planted aiding rider confidence. There's a local road with a deep rut, I used to clench my teeth everytime it presented itself. The other day I purposely hit this at 30mph as part of my testing and there was far less a feeling of impact and jarring, the recovery was quicker too. Same with braking, controlled, compliant, and far less dive though the heavier oil viscosity is mostly to credit here. Trusty's aside, unless you weigh under 150lbs the 15w is a major upgrade in and of itself through the fixed orifice damper rod PCX fork, and well worth the effort alone. For the record I used Motul synthetic 15w fork oil, Recommended.
Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 2:43 pm
by Oyabun
I'm very keen on suspension operation, and while 15w fluid solves slow speed damping it gets hars on high speed bumps. Therefore I run cartridge emulators with 15w fluid. Best of both worlds.
Re: A PCX kind of moment
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 3:03 pm
by k2apache6.0
Oyabun wrote:I'm very keen on suspension operation, and while 15w fluid solves slow speed damping it gets hars on high speed bumps. Therefore I run cartridge emulators with 15w fluid. Best of both worlds.
You asked about the performance, I gave you my impressions. Yes it would be better still with emulators.