suspension/springs

[stkman62]

I'm 6' 175 lb i ride hare scrambles & enduros in the north east rocky rooty slippery in Pa & Ny and long sandy whoops in NJ i do best in the fast stuff the slow teck riding is more difficult for me i talked to factory connection about my springs they suggested .43 in the front and 5.3 in the rear and run 105 (4 3/16) sag ,race tecks chart says 5.12 rear spring (hope i didn't go to stiff) the bike always felt like the rear was to low and forks would not stay down in the turns i had to set the clicks very stiff...is anyone else using this combo?

[SHOVLE65]

I've been running 44 in the front and a 52 in the rear. i weigh 180 (225 in full gear) Forks and shock have been revalved too. The bike works well in the tight stuff but i also soften up my suspention quite a bit and lowerd my forks approx 1/4" in the clamps to make it turn better a slower speeds.

Recheck your weigh in full gear ready to ride and make sure your sag is adjusted accordingly. It can be suprising how much weight you add.

[stkman62]

i do check my sag in my gear...i checked with factory connection again they says that's the right set up for me .43 & 5.3 and set the sag 105 to 108 they say it will work better on rocks and roots

[Codeman00]

Stkman62...

I just went throught the same thing as you about a month ago..and we're both the same weight so I think I can give you some guidance.

You're going to get various answers from the different suspension experts...just get used to that. I'm about 173 lbs (198lb in gear)...Race Tech had me at a 0.43/ 5.1 and MX-Tech had me at a 0.45/5.3. I split the difference and went with a 0.44/ 5.2. A 5.1 spring put me on the short side of the recommended spiring length...and the 5.2 put me right in the middle of the recommended spring length at 100mm of race sag. A 5.3 would be at the high end of the recommended max spring length. The general guideline is the stiffer the better for the rear spring as long as you stay within the recommended spring length range. You definitely didn't go too stiff, I'm pretty sure your as stiff in the rear as you can go which is good.

You might be a little light in the front spring but I would trust factory connection to give you what you need for your riding style. Again, all of the experts have went with what has worked for them by trial and error and the charts are made from their notes. With a 0.43, I would think you would be able to turn better since your weight will sink your front in down a little more than mine. I raised my forks to help me turn a bit better. Racetech seems to set their suspension a bit softer than MX Tech....to me it seems you have an unbalanced (soft) front...I'll leave that up to someone else to confirm or deny if that's true. Your rear spring is fine though.

[stkman62]

I'm going to do what factory connection suggest even though it's vary different than i was running here are their click suggestions/ Forks:12 comp- 12 rebound 340cc oil height- Shock:13 LS comp -3 turns HS comp -10 rebound -108mm rider sag /Honda manual Front Compression: 7 clicks- Front Rebound: 10 Clicks -Rear High Speed Damping: 2 turns- Rear Low Speed Damping: 12 clicks -Rear Rebound: 13- 16 clicks /my old settings Front Compression: 8 clicks -Front Rebound: 6 Clicks- Rear High Speed Damping: 1 ¾ turns -Rear Low Speed Damping: 8 clicks -Rear Rebound: 10 clicks as you can see a huge differences

Edited February 23, 2010 by stkman62

[highmarker]

185lbs, use .45 and 5.3 from an R. Rear dials in almost perfect 4 +1, but i run 4.75 when using a trials tire to compensate for it's height.

[stkman62]

copy and paste i found this on CRFs only

Note: Clicker adjustment should be expressed in clicks from full hard.

Year:

Rider Weight:

Rider Weight with Gear:

Riding Style (i.e. Desert, MX):

Forks Raised in Triples:

Rear Tire Size:

Aftermarket Triples/Offset:

Fork Springs Wt:

Fork Spring Brand:

Fork Oil Amount:

Fork Oil Brand & Weight:

Fork Compression:

Fork Rebound:

Fork Valving:

Shock Spring Wt:

Shock Spring Brand:

Shock Hi speed Compression:

Shock Lo speed Compression:

Shock Rebound:

Shock Valving:

Shock Oil:

Race Sag:

Preload:

[stkman62]

Note: Clicker adjustment should be expressed in clicks from full hard.

Year:2005

Rider Weight: 175

Rider Weight with Gear:195

Riding Style enduro/hare scramble

Forks Raised in Triples: 1/2

Rear Tire Size: 110/90

Aftermarket Triples/Offset:

Fork Springs Wt: .43

Fork Spring Brand: factory connection

Fork Oil Amount: 340 cc

Fork Oil Brand & Weight: 5

Fork Compression: 12

Fork Rebound: 12

Fork Valving: stock

Shock Spring Wt: 5.3

Shock Spring Brand: factory connection

Shock Hi speed Compression: 3 turns

Shock Lo speed Compression: 13

Shock Rebound: 10

Shock Valving: stock

Shock Oil: 5

Race Sag: 108

Preload:

haven't used these yet Factory Connection suggested them the spring are stiffer and the clicks are much softer i did talk to them in detail about my bike , riding style and where i ride i just put my bike back together and now I'm waiting for the 3 feet of snow to melt

Edited February 27, 2010 by stkman62

[dlhein]

This setup works way better for me than stock. Still soft enough for technical woods, yet seldom bottoms in the desert. Rails corners!

I should note that the MotoZ tires made a huge difference!

Year: 2006

Rider Weight: 230

Rider Weight with Gear: ?

Riding Style (i.e. Desert, MX): tight woods, some desert

Forks Raised in Triples: 0mm

Front Tire Size: 80/100 MotoZ Tracula

Rear Tire Size: 110/90 MotoZ Terrapactor S/T

Aftermarket Triples/Offset: stock

Fork Springs Wt: .46kg/mm

Fork Spring Brand: RaceTech

Fork Oil Amount: 345cc

Fork Oil Brand & Weight: Maxima Race

Fork Compression: 16

Fork Rebound: 11

Fork Valving: stock

Shock Spring Wt: 5.6kg/mm

Shock Spring Brand: RaceTech

Shock Hi speed Compression: "-1/4 turn

Shock Lo speed Compression: stock

Shock Rebound: stock

Shock Valving: stock

Shock Oil: stock

Free Sag: 15mm

Race Sag: 100mm

Preload: ?

[Roger M]

Note: Clicker adjustment should be expressed in clicks from full hard.

Year:2005

Rider Weight: 175

Rider Weight with Gear:195

Riding Style enduro/hare scramble

Forks Raised in Triples: 1/2

Rear Tire Size: 110/90

Aftermarket Triples/Offset:

Fork Springs Wt: .43

Fork Spring Brand: factory connection

Fork Oil Amount: 340 cc

Fork Oil Brand & Weight: 5

Fork Compression: 12

Fork Rebound: 12

Fork Valving: stock

Shock Spring Wt: 5.3

Shock Spring Brand: factory connection

Shock Hi speed Compression: 3 turns

Shock Lo speed Compression: 13

Shock Rebound: 10

Shock Valving: stock

Shock Oil: 5

Race Sag: 108

Preload:

haven't used these yet FC suggested them

I think for your weight, which is about the same as mine, these settings will be harsh unless you ride very aggressively. With the stock valving, I would soften the fork compression 3-4 clicks, soften the shock hi and low compression by about 1/2, and I would use the stock fork springs which are .42 and go to a 5.0 shock spring or at most a 5.2

[vintagethumper]

I just picked up an '06 that's bone stock. I weigh 185 (205 w/gear) so know I'll be going to heavier springs on both ends. But I'd like to know what the spring rates are with the OEM fork and shock springs, so I have a starting point reference. Can you guys tell me what the KG ratings are for the stock springs?

[Codeman00]

The stock 250x comes with a 0.42 fronts and a 4.8 rear.

[xplant]

http://flic.kr/p/8vjqw6Here's a chart I made when trying to determine the best fit for me. I'm 167-168 wearing just skin. I made the chart to see where the mst overlap was so I could get the most versatile spring for the buck.