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| Subject: Suspension Part 1 When a rider has had enough and is totally disgusted with finishing behind "one more time". What do you do to get even, build more horsepower into your engine or spend the money on your suspension? Everyone wants to go faster, but in order to go faster you have to be able to stay on your motorcycle/ATV in the first place. Right now you are most likely thinking "I know that"! But do you know where to start? Who do you turn to for help, and what is the base line to work from? Unless you are experienced in suspension systems don't let your next door buddy do it. Suspension Systems have moved to a level of expertise that just does not allow for us to "learn as we go" anymore. Those days are gone. It takes experience, special tools and fluids that must be changed more frequently. The following tips should be used as guide to give you the capability to recognize that you are leaving your system with a qualified suspension technician, that will deliver the results you want. #1). Availability: How available is your suspension technician? Is this person aware of the region in which you live and ride in? How convenient is the technician if you were to have a problem? Can you get your components returned before the next race, and will you have time to "test ride" the units before the event? Not the day of the event. Pick one that is available and will take time to listen to your concerns. #2). Springs: This is the King of all rules. The spring holds you and the motorcycle up, not the valving! Without the proper spring rate the valving will not perform for you. If you do not believe me, take the rear spring off the shock. Install the shock without the spring. Guess what? It bottoms out! Today's suspension companies have taken this a step further and will provide you with the correct spring rate for your weight. But, you should know for yourself how to set your own ride height. It is simple to perform your own Ride Set Up. It is as important as putting gas in the fuel tank I recommend for you to use the "SAG SCALE". The SAG SCALE is manufactured by Race Tools Engineered technology and can be purchased from your favorite motorcycle shop. It is the proper tool for the job. So many inaccurate measurements have been made by not using the proper tool. Many times riders have come over saying, "my motorcycle is doing this or that and my ride height is set at 100mm, what do I do?". However, when it is remeasured using the Sag scale we find it not so. You should have a base line of 95 to 100mm of ride height. So, if your RIDE HEIGHT is 100mm and your FREE SAG is between 11 and 25mm, your spring rate is correct. Something for you to remember. If you find you have "0" FREE SAG and 100mm of ride height, your rear spring is too soft. If you find you have 100mm of RIDE HEIGHT with 26mm or more FREE SAG your spring is too stiff. Look in your motorcycle manual for detailed visual instructions on properly setting your race sag, or go to a suspension web site, I would recommend trying www.proaction.com or www.racetech.com A general rule for Japanese manufacturers is they tend to set the Motorcycles up for a 160lb. rider. You can't bank on it, but you will find it to be true more times than not. #3. Valving: Now that you know how important your spring rate is, you can invest in a "valve job". Valving requires the shock to be dismantled and the series of shims that lay on the two faces of the piston (compression and rebound side) must be changed in order to adjust to the terrain it is being used on. Valving cannot be adjusted to compensate for a spring rate that is not correct for the motorcycle and rider's weight. You will have to decide what style of valving you will require. Woods valving for a hare scrambles rider will provide excellent results under the trees and in the palmetto patches. But, on a MX course will prove to be too soft and bottom over the high speed jumps. The same goes for the MX racer trying on the occasional scrambles, the set up will be stiff for all the square edge roots. Yes, this is a trade off point for using one Motorcycle for both events. You are not going to have the very best ride that is available to you when you try to do both MX and Off Road with the same motorcycle. Part 2: We will discuss front forks. Always overlooked! |