sag ? no not my pants

[bentrim]

Started to mess with my '01 wr250 suspension. the bike is great in the woods and as my speed increased I turned the small dampening and rebound screws in all around, with the exception of the rear dampening on the bottom that I just discovered in the manual.

the bike runs great and only on occaision will bottom out in the rear. When i decend short steep hills and hit a small 1-2 ft bump at the bottom of the hill.

my question is- Do I still turn the small dampening screws in? or is this a sag adjustment?

And...How do I measure the sag? I can't seem to find that information on the search.

[yamaha.dude]

To measure and set your static sag:

First off, put the bike on a stand so the rear wheel is off the ground. measure between the bottom of your rear fender and the centre of the rear axle. This is your reference point.

Then get a buddy to help hold the bike off the stand. and measure the same thing again but with the wheel on the ground and you sitting on the bike, with your riding gear/backpack etc on... this is your static sag - the difference between the rear wheel unloaded, and the bike and rider weights acting on the suspension spring.

The static sag should be in the order of 90-110mm though most people seem to prefer the lesser, say under 100mm.

Set your sag with the spring preload...... wind it tighter to get less static sag, loosen it off to get more static sag. The term static sag is because you are measuring it in a static or stationary position. there are no dampening dynamics involved.

HTH,

David

[bentrim]

thanks,

isn't there already some sag - say when you pull the bike off a kickstand? so fully open to me sitting on the bike, and i guess i just need the same reference point under the fender, straight above the axle?

[av]

To add to Yamaha.dude's note, the screw at the bottom of your rear shock is NOT for sag adjustments.

IIRC, this is the rebound adjustment screw. To adjust the sag, you use the 2 large "nuts" that goes

around the shock (they're above the spring) - you'll need a special tool for them...

[yamaha.dude]

Here is another reference...

setting up your rear shock

Hope that helps...

David

[bentrim]

thanks yamadude, that site is excellent! ?

ok now that i've determinedsome sag i've got 68.5cm on stand, and 57 with me loaded(with gear). so now that i'd like to get rid of 1.5cm of sag- i need a real tool! do shops have these?

it has also occured to me that seeing as my large adjuster rings on the shock are already quite far down, it seems like Yami should really give a basic weight limit for the stock spring and a 200 lb guy with gear that rides hard?

[yamaha.dude]

YOU can buy real tools to adjust the spring collar, not sure, but they can be pricey, and fiddly as well, when you have to turn something with a handle in a confined space... a ratcheting one would be ideal, but never seen one...

As for the preload on your spring, you may need to go to a heavier spring, the stock spring is set for a rider of say 160-180lbs... if you have to wind it right up to get your sag right, then that is telling you to go and buy a heavier spring...

Good luck with it,

David