2022 WP Xplor OEM Suspension Test

Bike - Peterstevens Motorcycles KTM 500EXC-F

Model -2022

Suspension - OEM spec 2022 Xplor suspension 

Probably the best 'oem spec' xplor setting we have tried to date.  Although we haven’t pulled this system down yet to see exactly whats changed for 2022 (we will get into that asap) for now it was important to test this suspension straight from the dealer floor and see exactly for ourselves what needs our most attention in terms of setup and suspension action.  Let’s get straight to it.

Handling - Decent straight away, probably the most settled we have been on an oem KTM / WP Xplor setup on a first ride.   The bike had great balance from front to rear, its clear the oem recommended spring rate and chassis is well balanced.  After testing the OEM springs/setup we switched to the recommended spring rates for rider weight (Tuning / KTM Manual) to get a true feeling of out of the box suspension setup with correct rider weight springs installed. 

After this spring test we moved the fork to 1 line through the triple clamps to increase stability and tune out a high speed twitch but after further ride time we were not sold, we settled on 1.5 lines though the clamps to suit the Oem setup.   

Getting deep into suspension action by feel, it was absolutely no doubt we were riding on Xplor Suspension.  Blind folded we can tell this Oem Xplor feeling. With totally different issues front to back we kept the changes recorded accurately to keep the bike balanced during testing.

The fork is plush on initial hits but runs too deep under heavy braking and the steep downhills.  The plushness is welcomed at first as it’s a great feeling in hand at slower speed but it’s the empty feeling that keeps catching our attention with all Xplor fork action including WP's 2022’s offering.  A feeling of no support behind the initial control is what worries us to push hard on the stock WP Xplor forks.  The fork is installed with preload adjusters in oem trim this year with KTM EXC-F, we played around with this '3 setting option' to stop the pop back feeling we were getting on the trail but we found these changes pretty aggressive.

The rear shock is out of sight better than previous oem setups.  It has that hard holdup non linkage feeling but it is now a lot more manageable in oem trim.  To put the diagnosis in simple terms it still feels hard at the start and soft at the end.  Kind of backwards to a normal plush setup linkage action.  We will be working hard to achieve a progressive feeling with initial plush action in our new setup moving forward.

Overall we had a great time on the OEM KTM 500 EXC-F but we will now get to work on this WP xplor suspension system.  We aim to build an expanded kit, more adjustable and with more value for the rider.  With the forks we need support and plushness both at low speed and at highspeed sharp impacts.  With the shock we will be looking at trying to mimic a more linkage like action through setup.  Plusher with more hold up and less kick will be the aim here. 

We have many ideas and parts to test, we cant wait to get started on this all new krooztune / KroozRacing Hard parts Xplor setup.

Expanded WP Xplor Setup kits available late 2021 in preperation for season 22. Further info email us thru our contact page or at the shop - 03 9720 0745