Newbie Suspension setup help

[MountainMax]

I know there are threads on this and most say to revalve and respring the bikes for heavier riders, Well that is not an option for me this summer as there is no-where in my province that does that, maybe the winter i'll pack up the shocks and send them out, but for now I want to get a heads up on setting up the suspension the best i can for now. IM 240 pounds and 6'4" tall, can anyone recommend some spring/absorber settings for me to get me started?

[tfitzgerald2]

Look in your manual for rear shock adjustment - it has a preset range. Loosen the adjustment rings and use a long metal punch to hammer the rings to tighten the spring. Set it to the max pre-set for the spring - again read the manual. Your race sag will probably be close to 5" - mine was 4.75". Then increase the compression by a couple of clicks, ride, two more, ride and see if you can tell the difference. Adjust further accordingly. Bottom line, you need to spend $200 from Race Tech and get new springs. Stock are for a 170# rider!!! You can install them yourself. Very easy to do!! Unless you are going to race you don't need a re-valve. Trail/Enduro/Desert riding for casual to moderate speeds are well suited for just the spring change. If you want to be competitive and are racing, then consider the re-valve per many threads available to you. I am 6'2" and weigh 210#. I went from stock 5.3 Kg/mm rear to 5.6 and fork springs .48kg/mm from .46 just as recommended by the RaceTech web site calculator. I rode for the first time with changes last Friday - noticeable difference, could not detect any bottoming of rear as when I first rode the bike.

[clark4131]

In all honesty, you will never be able to dial in the stock suspension to adequately handle your size. The stock components are built with a 165-pound rider in mind. I'm in a similar boat as you, just not as tall. I replaced my fork and shock springs and went with heavier oil at a higher level up front. You need the heaviest fork springs you can find, .50 should do it, and at least a 5.8 shock spring, though a 6.0 would likely be better. Try MX Tech, White Bros. or Racetech. You can do it yourself, about a 2.5-wrench job on the difficulty scale (5 being certified mechanic level)...SC

[minion]

I know there are threads on this and most say to revalve and respring the bikes for heavier riders, Well that is not an option for me this summer as there is no-where in my province that does that, maybe the winter i'll pack up the shocks and send them out, but for now I want to get a heads up on setting up the suspension the best i can for now. IM 240 pounds and 6'4" tall, can anyone recommend some spring/absorber settings for me to get me started?

I'm 190, and I ride with the stock springs. I've never had the rear end bottom out - I think it feels fine like it is. I've had to adjust rebound damping on the rear, but compression damping was fine from the factory.

The front shocks though - those don't like the jumps at the motocross track. I've increased compression damping about 3 clicks, rebound by 2, and added additional fluid. They still occassionally bottom out on big jumps, especially if I come down nose heavy. What I really need to do is buy new springs for the front, or lose another 10 pounds. You can overadjust your clickers so the bike performs very badly. You need to keep in mind that you want the front end to drag some in the ruts and corners for traction. Too much compression damping = bad cornering ability. Too much rebound damping = bad traction on bumpy straight-aways.

There have been some good articles that people on here have linked to for suspension setup. Check out the suspension forum, not the WR forum for some of those links - they'll help you understand what is going on with your setup.

M.

[MountainMax]

Thanks 4 the info guys, are heavier springs / fork oil available through Yamaha? or do I have to go Aftermarket?

[Bamster]

You will never get the right sag setting on the the stock springs with your weight. Check this video out.

http://www.odsc.on.ca/sag.wmv

[markvfr]

Thanks Bamster, thats exactly what I was looking for as well. I haven't done the sag on my bike neither, since I didn't know which way to go. I ride a lot of single track so less sag than normal (90-95mm) is the receipe.

[MountainMax]

maybe not, but for what im gonna drive this machine, mostly on the road, i don't think sag will be much of a problem, i will just turn up the rear shock stiffer and try it from there. I won't be jumping this bike or anything, just driving it on roads and old fire roads.