Product Review: Cogent Dynamics Adjustable Preload Fork Caps for Suzuki DR650

[Greg R]

My 2025 DR650 has Cogent Dynamic’s suspension upgrades both front and rear.  I installed and set-up the suspension goodies about 2,000 miles ago when the bike had logged about 1,000 miles from new.   The set-up included re-setting rider sag, which I had also done with the OEM suspension when the bike was new.

The Mojave rear shock has been pretty well dialed-in for rider sage and ride dynamics, and I am pleased with its performance.  Though, I continue to look for more performance from the front suspension set-up.   It is terrific on the road but doesn’t feel as compliant on the trail as I’d like.  It feels a tad stiff and a wee bit harsh in the crunchy stuff.

Per my recent discussion with Harry (suspension wizard) at Cogent, the best candidate for tweaking front ride quality is fork oil height, and he recommended a -10mm change to fork oil height.  That is a task for another time and not the subject of this thread, but I may share the results at a later date. 

The subject of this thread is monkeying with front fork preload since it directly relates to sag height.  To date, I haven’t been able to dial-in the DR’s front rider sag to my target spec, so I figured the adjustability of Cogent’s nifty fork caps could help.

Cogent Dynamics – Adjustable Preload Fork Caps

The Cogent Dynamics kit includes two plastic spacers (heavy duty Schedule 80 PVC), two Cogent Dynamics fork caps, and short and comprehensible directions. The caps are well constructed and have a nice satin finish with shiny metallic blue adjustment spindles. The spacers are 25mm and replace the 40mm heavy metal OEM spacers.  Installation is easy. Depending on your handlebar set-up, you might be able to directly swap out the fork caps or you might have to loosen your handlebar clamps and move the handlebar back for better access.

The Cogent fork caps extend an additional 8mm into the fork tube as compared to the OEM fork caps. So, taking both the spacer and cap dimensions into account, after installation the fork springs will sit about 7mm higher in the fork tubes (40mm minus 25mm = 15mm difference for the spacers minus 8mm for added depth of the fork caps = 7mm). The extra 7mm will change the front fork sag measurements, so be sure to check front fork sag after the installation. You can dial back in the “lost” 7mm of preload by turning the adjustment spindles, if desired.

The fork cap preload is adjusted by turning the spindle on top of the fork cap with a 12mm wrench or socket. Turn CW for more preload and CCW for less. The adjusters don’t click or have any detents when turned, so it is hard to know if they have been set evenly.

I used a digital caliper to measure the height of each spindle to make sure the preload settings were equal, but I don’t carry a digital caliper in my trail tool kit.  So, the easy fix to evenly adjust the fork cap preload while on the trail is to use a black sharpie to mark an edge of each adjustment spindle so you can keep track of how much each spindle has been rotated while making any adjustments.

The fork caps provide flexibility to easily change your front fork preload on the fly. Are they necessary? Not really. Though, they do provide a lot of flexibility and time savings when making such changes.

 

Dirt: 2022 Kawasaki KLX300R
Dual: 2025 Suzuki DR650

• This topic was modified 1 month, 3 weeks ago by Greg R. Reason: Freakin' website interface done blew my stuff up!

[Kurt138]

Great idea – turns a non-adjustable fork into an adjustable one. Having detents so the preload adjusters click when you set them would be nice, but that’s not a big deal.

For your rear shock did you get the hydraulic preload adjuster? That is a cool feature.

Also, what is your impression of the Cogent rear shock? It looks like they don’t have a remote reservoir option for their shock?

I believe the Cogent is the go-to shock for KLR riders as well.

Rides: KLX450R, KX500 (Project)

[Greg R]

Kurt, I did not get the remote hydraulic preload adjuster for the Mojave rear shock. I briefly considered it but decided that it might be both a cost and convenience overkill given the way that I intended to use the bike (mostly day rides not weighted down by luggage). I dialed the weight of my tail bag (10 lbs fully packed and on the bike full-time) into the rear shock set-up. Plus, I can send the shock off to Cogent to have the adjuster added should it become a “necessary” feature.

The upgraded Mojave Pro-Series shock ($1,470 versus $950 for the basic Mojave shock) does have an external reservoir, and the adjuster is a $380 upgrade option. That turns it into an $1,850 shock…or $900 more than the entry-level Mojave that I went with.

Overall, I am quite pleased with the Cogent set-up with the front suspension package (DDCs, springs, and adjustable preload fork caps) and the Mojave rear shock. The Mojave rear shock was pretty much plug-and-play (with a few damping adjustments along the way), but the front set-up could use some finessing to get it dialed for me. The bike’s handling went from feeling soft and somewhat sloppy before the Cogent upgrades to tight and much more predictable and controllable after.

Dirt: 2022 Kawasaki KLX300R
Dual: 2025 Suzuki DR650

[Kurt138]

I’m going to file this information away for a future “Super KLR” ADV build – I’m thinking of the Mojave rear shock with all the extras. I’ve already got a KYB 46mm USD fork stashed away with triple clamps that will bolt up to a KLR. =^)

Rides: KLX450R, KX500 (Project)

[Greg R]

That KYB front fork set-up paired with a fully optioned Mojave rear shock would be really nice upgrades for a KLR!

Dirt: 2022 Kawasaki KLX300R
Dual: 2025 Suzuki DR650

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