Has anybody put the new 888 VF through a real test? If it has major spiking problems what upgrades are neccissary to take it to the RC2 (or whatever the nice 888 is) level?
888 VF Any reviews?
- Thread starter neversummersnow
- Start date
I had a test bike with an '06 VF on it. The fork was pretty much unridable. Horrible, pretty much felt like a stiffer juniorr T or a heavier '03 Boxxer race. I don't even understand why they sell it aftermarket.
The compression and rebound stroke are both completely wack. Instead of transfering the force of an impact into heat through damping circuits, it just loads up the springs and sends the front wheel flying in unpredictable directions on the rebound stroke. Probally the least fun I've ever had on a dh bike in my life.
The compression and rebound stroke are both completely wack. Instead of transfering the force of an impact into heat through damping circuits, it just loads up the springs and sends the front wheel flying in unpredictable directions on the rebound stroke. Probally the least fun I've ever had on a dh bike in my life.
I just bought an '06 Stinky DeeLux with a 888VF. I've only taken it off drops and stunts so far. I seems under sprung. Even on the best landings with fair transitions the fork bottomed. If I didn't absolutely stick the landing it bottomed hard and sent me off line.
Possible solutions:
1. swap out for a heavier spring
2. increase the oil volume to make it more progressive
3. put heavier oil in to increase the compression
Does anyone know if you can upgrade the internals to make it a VF2 or an RC?
Possible solutions:
1. swap out for a heavier spring
2. increase the oil volume to make it more progressive
3. put heavier oil in to increase the compression
Does anyone know if you can upgrade the internals to make it a VF2 or an RC?
Isn't the VF just SSVF? I've never ridden an 888, but I've owned SSVF forks and used a few others and all of them were not that good. For trails and jumpiing they're not terrible, but for DH they are terrible....that is, unless you don't like your wrists staying together...
I have to agree. I borrowed a friends 888VF for a few weeks while I waited for fork parts and the first run had me thrown into a tree after being thrown off line upon landing a stepdown.SuspectDevice said:
The real problem was that the compression and rebound damping were both near nonexistant (on the fork I had anyway) - I ran 20wt oil to get a little more but even then damping was minimal. So basically you're riding a spring. I wish there was actually enough damping to complain about spiking etc, but on this fork there wasn't.
So basically it dives a lot in corners/g-outs thanks to lack of compression damping, and pops back up too quickly thanks to lack of rebound damping. Maybe the SSVF dampers were just on their way out, and I did get used to it eventually - but either way I wouldn't bother with one.
Upgrading to an RC is a bit of a waste as you'll need 2x new dampers, as well as topcaps, adjuster needles, volume reducer spacers, and a lot of other small parts. The VF's also have the heavy steel steerer which adds 200g+ to the fork. Best get the fork you want from the get-go - at least a normal RC, which are dirt cheap on ebay these days.
Hmm.. the VF looks like it is identical to the 05 RC so it should be good to go, I am not sure what is causeing the issues others are having.
maxyedor said:
its not
What you mean is the VF2!maxyedor said:
Good point I assumed that is what he meant.mantra said:
mantra said:
doesnt matter, its totally different on the inside.
its not a matter of what adjusters the fork has, its about the damper.
Go for the 888RC2X if you can. Much better fork.
i rode an 888VF for a few months. Bottomed way too easily out of the box... raised the oil height a little (3-5 mm?) and it felt perfect. I never bottomed it after that (i weigh about 160 lbs.). Rebound was pretty fast... but i like it fast for those 40 mph stutters. I actually never noticed a spiking problem. The fork was always very plush, and very active on the trail. I can't really complain... other than lack of external adjustability.
and yes, i've had extensive time on both the '05 VF and the RC. I'm currently riding an RC because it came on my vp-free. the VF is on my bullit that's going to get sold when i get around to it (haha... i just haven't tried to sell it for 3 months)
and yes, i've had extensive time on both the '05 VF and the RC. I'm currently riding an RC because it came on my vp-free. the VF is on my bullit that's going to get sold when i get around to it (haha... i just haven't tried to sell it for 3 months)
id say save a few bills and get a super t over the 888vf.
Follow up...
I added some oil in each leg and the bottoming went away. The stock springs seem right for me (165 lbs). I need more ride time on varied terrain to determine whether the compression/dampening is right. Jury still out...
I added some oil in each leg and the bottoming went away. The stock springs seem right for me (165 lbs). I need more ride time on varied terrain to determine whether the compression/dampening is right. Jury still out...
Yeah, my mistake, I was talking about the V2F. I suppose I'll just get the RC2X carts as soon as I can. Any idea if they'll actually be selling them?
I replaced the oil with 15wt but the compression/rebound doesn't seem to be any slower. Has anyone had luck with using 20wt+ fork oil? I'm trying to make the fork work for me without having to replace. I still haven't heard back from Marzocchi yet about replacement cartridges (upping to the VF2, RC, or RC2X).
Took the fork out at Auburn last Saturday for a day of shuttling. It responded actually quite well through the rough sections. It feels very linear in its stroke progression but I still haven't bottomed it so the progression must be ramping up just fine. Still tweeking on it...
Also, I just heard back from Marzocchi: The VF can be upgraded with RC2X internals -- don't know the cost.
Also, I just heard back from Marzocchi: The VF can be upgraded with RC2X internals -- don't know the cost.