Suspension Question

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John McIntosh
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Suspension Question

Post by John McIntosh »

I have searched and read about many of the suspension adjustments and plan on readjusting mine this weekend. I need a couple of points cleared up before I begin. When trying to set the correct sag measurements, do I only use the adjuster screws? What obout the nuts above the shock that compress the spring? How far up or down the shock should these nuts be located? Are they also used to adjust the sag/suspension? I have not seen mention of this adjustment yet. As far as the forks, Fredette recomends 8-14 clicks out. This seems pretty soft. (I have heard how most on here change out their front springs). Would movinging them out one or two clicks help me to stiffen out my forks? I ride a stock 2003 KDX 220 and weigh about 170. I'm still a novice when it comes to working on my bike. If you can point me to a good site for further advice or care to offer your own advice it would be appreciated. (I have not purchased a service manual, yet.
John
Mack (Bel Air, Maryland)
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Colorado Mike
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Post by Colorado Mike »

John,

The spring rate and damping settings don't have much to do with each other. For your weight the stock rear spring is probably about right, the front forks are probably way too soft if they're stock. To set the rear sag, you use the preload adjuster rings on the shock. The owners manual shows this, as well as how the damping adjusters work. Turning your screws "in" increases damping, not reduce it. Increasing the damping rate on your forks will do almost nothing to overcome the under-sprung situation you probably have. You should consider going to .38 or .40 kg/mm springs. Also change your fork oil. The stuff they put in there at the factory can't be considered oil. Fork oil level has a lot to do with how the forks act toward the end of their stroke, as in bottoming resistance off of jumps. More oil, more resistance.

As you can see, this stuff is complicated, and I'm no expert. The best thing to do is take it in steps, and get the sag set, and correct springs in. I would say put 5 wt fork oil in, somewhere around 100 mm from the top, and see how you like it. A lot of this stuff depends on your riding ability and terrain. When I ride in rocks, I like it set pretty plush. If I then try to ride with my kid at the track, it bottoms in the whoops, let alone big jumps. Just one more thing to screw with as conditions change. :roll:

*edit*- Oh, and read Vince's stickies on setting suspension cleverly hidden in the "Suspension" section of this very site.

Have fun,
Mike

Life's tough, it's even tougher if you're stupid.
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canyncarvr
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Post by canyncarvr »

Did you find what you were looking for?

The 'how' of suspension adjustment is the relatively simple part. The 'why' or 'when to' is considerably more involved.

Not a bad idea to take your clickers from one end to the other to get a feeling for what the range is you have to work with. The OEM fork clickers (compression only...no rebound) won't have nearly the effect the shock clickers (compression AND rebound) will have.

BTW....You have likely read that clickers are LSC adjustments...that's Low-Speed-Compression, right? That term is not related to the mph speed of the bike, but the speed of suspension movement. Hitting a smooth-edged bump (like a whoop) will result in a LSC movement. Hitting a sharp-edged bump (like a rock the size of a small melon) will result in an HSC, or High Speed Compression movement.

HSC adjustment is largely made INside the fork or shock by changing valving. That can get kind of spendy.

The best thing you can do by far on your OEM suspension is to properly set your shock sag. Second, set the clickers to work as best they can. A properly selected fork spring will be a HUGE improvement. Probably .38s for you..unless you are quite an aggressive rider..then .40s.

Probably. :wink:

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John McIntosh
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Post by John McIntosh »

Thanks for all of thre help. The links sugested bt Vince (Via Colorado Make) were a huge help. I'll give it a try this weekend, and with any luck with the weather, may even get to do some riding. I just got some new Acerbis handguards for Christmas thatr I will install as well. I can't wait to take off the stock hand guards!
Mack (Bel Air, Maryland)
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