Rode some MX yesterday...I Suck!

[440EX4ME]

QUOTE (theJeStEr1340 @ Apr 11 2006, 12:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks Vox, I never had anyone to teach me, so I like to pass on the information I have learned. I wish there was someone close to help with my suspension. I have these wonderful Axis and MX tech rear and they seem a little stiff in some places, but a little soft in others.

Jester thats a totally different animal there

I have had a few different threads going on various sites about the do's and dont's of suspension set up, and the only thing they all shared was lots of questions, and not enough answers.

I use the same basic system you do since I dont really have anyone around who is a pro at any of this stuff either, but even with the experience I had from setting up my old dirt bikes etc I have to admit I was totally lost from the start, and am still not 100% happy almost two years later.

You can try to use what you can find on the net and make your own changes etc, but your going to need to put in some serious time and thought (and maybe get a little lucky too) to find any success beyond average. Its just that there isnt enough info out there, and even when you do luck out and get someone who is willing to share their knowledge (and actually know what their doing too) the info is too advanced and you may very well end up completely reworking the shocks if you put in the time to figure it out.

I have not given up yet, and there has been improvment in my understanding and even the ride quality, but I am starting to believe that without a full understanding from the ground up (including knowing how to chose the proper spring length, rates and crossovers as well as valving) it is just very diffilcult to do much beyond basic fine tuning (setting the sag, comp and rebound).

If I remember correctly the better of the threads was on atvconnection.com and was titled everything you wanted to know about suspension.

It is a little long, but filled with good info.

[theJeStEr1340]

I have read that thread. My trouble isn't with sag, that is set, it is with rebound and compression. I have Axis and when you adjust one it affects the other making it harder to tune, but I have been told that when it is right they are supposed to be awsome.

[440EX4ME]

QUOTE (theJeStEr1340 @ Apr 11 2006, 09:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have read that thread. My trouble isn't with sag, that is set, it is with rebound and compression. I have Axis and when you adjust one it affects the other making it harder to tune, but I have been told that when it is right they are supposed to be awsome.

Dont think I believe to know it all etc, but that is kind of what I was hinting at a few times in that thread that how can you really know if your set from the shock mfg and your ride height/sag are right when your trying to fine tune or dial in the comp and rebound settings.

Like I told elka (and maybe a couple others too lol) would it be crazy to think that after trying more comp, rebound and height settings than I can count that just maybe the problem is somehow in the springs or valving?

And I am pretty sure any of the better made shocks would be awsome when everything is set up right, but its getting them to that point that is the hard part.

[bphillman]

QUOTE (theJeStEr1340 @ Apr 11 2006, 06:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have read that thread. My trouble isn't with sag, that is set, it is with rebound and compression. I have Axis and when you adjust one it affects the other making it harder to tune, but I have been told that when it is right they are supposed to be awsome.

Dialing in the suspension really depends alot on how you ride.. no generic instruction will fix all your issues. Badvox was packing(rear shock not returning stroke or "rebounding" quickly enough) REALLY bad in the whoops and that really effected everything he did on that quad. Now, the first thing I can say is get the front close enough and most importantly equal to one another. Then work on the rear shock. Set the rebound (this is the rate of damping on the return of the scock travel, this is the adjuster on the bottom of the shock under the spring seat) 12 to 15 clicks out and see how it handles the whoops.. The more aggressive you are, the less clicks you are likely to want. I like to set my sag/spring preload via measuring the bottom of the fuel tank to the axle carrier. Follow the mfg specs. If I dont have the specs, I lift the rear with the tires off the ground and try to spin the spring.. I like it to move freely but not slop around at full extension.. this seems pretty close to me most of the time. After this I set the compression damping to an acceptable amount. Once the rear is happy the fronts are much easier to get dialed in.

BTW, KIDS are the worst at playing with knobs and buttons... If you have them like Badvox and I do, then once you are happy, write down your settings..

[theJeStEr1340]

Thanks Hillman. I think my shocks are set up pretty good, they acted great this weekend. I did bottom out the frame a few times, but suspension was great. I did wreck once though, but that was because of a nasty lip.

[440EX4ME]

QUOTE (theJeStEr1340 @ Apr 19 2006, 10:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks Hillman. I think my shocks are set up pretty good, they acted great this weekend. I did bottom out the frame a few times, but suspension was great. I did wreck once though, but that was because of a nasty lip.

If your bottoming on the largest of the landings only then its set up pretty well because that way you know your taking full advantage of the entire travel on the smaller stuff which provides a smoother ride.

I guess we all have different issues, and what may be diffilcult for one person is little more than a couple quick clicker changes to another, but there are still those that are too mis matched to just make rebound or comp adjustments to.

I remember my own set up and how both the front and rear worked very well independant of each other, when the pre load was set at both ends to where they performed the best the machine itself was out of balance (the rear being much higher than the front, and thats not good for traction or cornering) so that was what I learned to be poor front to rear "bias".

Thankfully Elka stood behind their product and shipped me different springs (2 or 3 times), but I still have not got it 100% but thats more my fault as I just have not had the time to put into it since then. What is really troubling is that after a point you may actually be better off starting fresh and resetting everything because that can end up telling you where the actual cause is coming from (ride height, spring rating, or ?).

This is where the knowledge comes into play, and knowing how to tell if your spring rate is wrong can save you a lot of trouble and time in the long run, but then so can gaining that knowledge

[theJeStEr1340]

heh, the big stuff is great, the bike reacts well to casing and flat landings great, doesn't feel like it bottoms at all. the jumps where the brame was bottoming was a couple of triples where I was clearing the first landing by a good boit then hitting the second (like a tabletop landing) landing and the frame would scrape (or the nerf in a few cases). It didn't jar me or feel harsh, I could just tell the nerf or frame had scraped the ground. I am not the only one who this happned to though, it also happned to a friend on a YFZ (with Axis none the less).