[AlCapone]

So my friend just bought a Trek Session 7 frame with an older model 66 RV. The 66 RV is screwed up so he needs a new fork. Before he bought the session frame/fork he had an Ironhorse Yakuza with 2007 888 ATA's. Now he just has the Yakuza frame and 888's sitting in his room. Because he needs a new fork for his Session, he wants to trade his 888's for the 66 RCV on my Stinky because he doesn't want to put dual crowns on his Session so he can X-up and Moto whip super far. I want to do the trade but my dad says I can't because he thinks the 888's might be worth less and he thinks my friend is trying to take advantage of me. The 888's just got rebuilt and haven't been used since the rebuild. Are the 888's (ATA, 2007, Made in Italy) worth more and perform better than my 66's (RCV, 2008, Made in Taiwan)?

 

[demo8razor]

the 888 is more expensive and better suited to dh than the 66 is. the 66 rcv is an oem fork.

 

[AlCapone]

Yep. I know that. I'm trading.

 

[Biffff]

In my Oppinion.........once set up properly the 888 sl ATA is one of the best racing forks available........ Its light (6.6 pounds), has great damponning (Rc2), is structural strong, and has an adjustable air spring which is great for setting up for different courses and and riders without changing coil springs.
The 2 problems are lack of full travel (can be fixed in 10 to 15 minutes by removing the PAR valve), and the ATA wind down, which can be fixed in under 5 minutes by locking out the travel adjuster. The 07 888 sl is also a easy fork to service.
Don't go by Marz's recommended settings, ditch the PAR and ATA............Awesome Fork!. I'm on my second season, and other then blowing an O-ring, which Marz fixed for free, the fork has been completely reliable. I wouldn't replace it with anything available right now. I might next year with a new boxxer if they are reliable.

Anything with RCV damponning is a piece of poooo.

 

[Nagaredama]

I have a 2007 888 ATA and love it. Take out the PAR, lube everything up, and it will feel awesome.

A better way of addressing the wind issue is getting the 08+ knob. It is indexed against the splines. Not need to mess with taking the ATA apart and you still can wind the fork down if you like.

 

[AlCapone]

I have it sitting in my garage right now. Lighter than the 66 RCV's, and smoother. I'm probably going to keep the ATA on because I want to be able to wind it down.

 

[AlCapone]

Any special tools needed to install a dual crown?

 

[Radarr]

Any special tools needed to install a dual crown?[/QUO

Some hex keys, and a bunch of beer.

 

[AlCapone]

How exactly do you go about removing the PAR valve? About how much travel isn't used with the PAR valve in place?

 

[Biffff]

Go onto MTBR and do a search. The user: Renegade has detailed instructions on the process.

 

[AlCapone]

I found the instructions on hoe to do it, but I still want to know how big the performance increase will be, since I don't want to risk screwing something up for nothing.

 

[Biffff]

I found the instructions on hoe to do it, but I still want to know how big the performance increase will be, since I don't want to risk screwing something up for nothing.

Huge difference in the spring side of things. Mine was basically a very tall 6" travel fork before I took out the PAR. Now it gets full travel and is set up perfectly.
I run mine with 85 PSI in the air chamber (it just one chamber now) and it resists bottomming very well........it only usess the full 8"s on seriously hits/mistakes. I weigh about 200 with gear. It typically uses 7"s of travel on full out fast runs with some big hits.

 

[AlCapone]

I just used it for a bit and did a 6ft drop to flat and it bottomed, so the travel isn't an issue.

 

[JRogers]

I found the instructions on hoe to do it, but I still want to know how big the performance increase will be, since I don't want to risk screwing something up for nothing.

It is probably worth doing. I did it on my '07 66 ATA SL, which has the same internals. Most people say it feels better with no PAR (both for the 888 and 66). Even without the PAR I find it very hard to bottom the fork with proper pressure; with it in there it was pretty much impossible. Also, it makes it easier to set up without the PAR and you don't have to worry about migration between the chambers.

If you don't like it and you follow the instructions, it is reversible; taking out the PAR is not permanent. You DO have to be careful, though, as you can do some damage. But it's not that hard if you just follow the directions, work reasonably carefully and use proper tools. I'm not a very good mechanic and I did it pretty easily.


As for your original question, I don't you have much to worry about as far as the trade goes. It seems pretty fair to me. You get a slightly older, but higher-end fork. Your buddy gets a newer, but slightly lower-end model. I can't comment on RCV specifically, but based on my experiences with other Marzocchis, I'd rather have the fork with the better damping even if the chassis is an older generation. I had a fork with SSV and it was not very good.

 

[Kanye West]

I owned 4 ATA forks between '07 and '08. Gutted each one, and it made each one 100% better.

 

[AlCapone]

I'm not going to gut it right now. My dad would probably kill me if he found out I did it. . Super plush as is. I'll just wait a bit and see.