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ground clearance

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2003 12:51 am
by KYmxracer52
I was wondering how much frame clearance you other guys have between your frame rails under the engine and the ground with you sitting on the quad. I have 8" under mine. I was just wondering what everyone else has.( With ZPS/SSD shocks)

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2003 3:46 am
by 4strokemadman
8" is a good height. Thats what we ran on Ben Jackson's Cannondale. If you go lower than that it gets harder to keep the suspension soft over the smaller stuff and still prevent it from bottoming out (this is regardless of motion ratio). The best setup was 8" from the frame rails to the ground at ride height (No Rider), with 1" from the bottom of the frame rails to the gound with the shock bottomed thru the bumper (metal on metal). I recommend 1" of sag from ride height with the rider on the quad. Of course everyone has their own preference and with as many a-arm/shock combos out there it could vary a lot.

Hope this helps.

nn

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2003 4:49 pm
by airtime
with +3 a-arms and pep zps shocks, i try to keep it at 7" with me on it. any lower and i bottom on big jumps.

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2003 5:26 pm
by moto440man
4strokemadman,
What shocks did Ben Jackson have on his Cannondale? 8 inches is hard to setup for with the stock Ohlins on the Moto 440 without the rider sitting on it. I have got it close but there is so much freeplay in the springs, that I think would cause damage to the shocks. Also on the front shocks, the middle anadized piece that provides the gap for the top springs, keeps coming loose and the gap changes for both sides. Do you have a way to accomplish this with out having to readjust the schocks every week?
THanks:D biggrin.gif biggrin.gif

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2003 2:50 am
by KYmxracer52
Mine is at 8" right now w/ me on it. If I go below that, it seems that it bottoms off the big stuff. I sped my rebound up on the rear shock and it helped it tremendously.

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:04 am
by 4strokemadman
Ben ran Ohlins for most of the season, but he did run PEP's at Mt. Morris. The Ohlins were not producion Ohlins however. The stock ohlins run 450mm to 300mm eye to eye. These were 435mm to 275mm eye to eye.

Moto440man, can you post a pic of your setup of the shock? The only thing the middle piece does is set the position to cut off the tender spring.

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2003 12:03 pm
by cannondale27
I know what he means about the adjustment changing.You need to get two spanner wrenches all the quads came with one.Once you get the gap set how you want it turn the bottom nut clockwise and the top nut counterclockwise this will tighten them up against one another.They wont change adjustment after that.

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2003 2:06 pm
by moto440man
4stroke, I will post some pics when I get home this evening. Cannondale27, I have done this but after a while they will still loosen enough that the gap will be different on both front shocks. Also if I move the clip to the top most position, this is where the springs will free play too much when the shocks are at bottom of the stroke. This causes the anadized piece to spin around and the springs will move from side to side enough that I am afraid they will move enough from center and I will damage the schocks and potentially might cause me to crash.

Thanks for your help.

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2003 2:51 pm
by 4strokemadman
I'll wait to see your pics, but one thing I think I am understanding is that there is a space between the two spanner nuts. There shouldn't be. I'll wait till I see the pics.....

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2003 2:32 pm
by moto440man
Here is a pic 4strokeman. Sorry it took so long, I had a busy weekend.