I'm 220 and rode my whole life without having my bike sprung for m, or setting sag. I finally had me CRF set up correctly and I can't believe the difference it made. I feel like a hero out there now that my bike handles well, and I don't have to fight it constantly. From now on this will be the very first thing I'll do to any bike I own.
My mistake was blaming my suspension for a tire issue. My 2019 WR250F felt unrideable in rocks no matter how I set the suspension and sag. Switching to Starcross 5s with soft sidewalls from the stock tires completely transformed the bike in rocks.
Yeah, we've been working on learning to tune a friend's pair of 2 strokes, and we did several hours of testing before realizing his tires were way too high psi and causing bounciness. *Tires can't properly compensate for improper suspension, and suspension can't properly compensate for improper tires.* Anytime you compromise, negative characteristics are added elsewhere. Springy basketball tires will have you chasing your tail to try to make the bike soft enough and damped enough to stop the pogo, which will make everything else bad.
You want to understand what's going on... Don't be afraid to turn the clickers back and forth, but any more than four clicks, better send em on in for revalving, along with your gas money. I get it, that approach is fine for people whose parents worked hard and saved money. You can improve your ride while not having to strain your brain, plus it helps spread the money around. But for guys on a budget, and for those with inquisitive minds, there is the study of dynamics of motion and fluid dynamics. Understanding the theory of how shocks do their thing, plus the internal implementation to make it happen, go a long way toward seeking out any changes one may desire. There's nothing wrong with turning the oil flow control valve they call "clickers" fully in either direction to see the effect and what may help. It's just a valve. And the "valving" inside are just flexible washers which deform under pressure to allow oil flow. There are videos and articles detailing various implementations. Less viscous oils flow more easily through given restrictions providing less damping and more viscous, greater damping effect. And let's not forget psychology. It's easy to view the subject as "black art" since our measurement capability is limited and we rely on feel. Feel is something which takes time to develop, called experience. And finally, if we believe it's good or bad, then we reinforce that belief. The parting shot is that these manufacturers actually do put a lot of time and effort and money and testing into developing their shocks to work competitively, so be careful about thinking they cheaped-out.
Extremely helpful! I bought a new bike recently and am surprised how every single moto something has to be fine tuned... Chain, then Sag, then clicks, pretty much every saturday I thought I passed that stage, didnt move anything and SAG went all the way to 90mm hahahaaha insane
Good video, i learned this at a very young age at White Power suspension, these people were very always very helpfull with this, its very easy once you dig how it works, on long cross country days going from hard pack to deep sand into desert i change my set up quickly to keep the bike handling to the conditions i'm riding so i'm comfy all day, on the contrary my younger brother thinks his bike is set up properly from the factory, he things i'm the better rider, while i'm only making the bike do the work not the other way around.
When I took delivery of my '21 yz450f the setup was soo far out of baseline it was dangerous. I modified it heavily for enduro/desert riding in Montana. I'm about 200lbs dressed out, plus the weight of the mods with Acerbis desert tank puts me at the limit of the factory springs. I can't stress enough how important proper chain slack and lubrication is to the bikes handling. Tire choice would be the other thing I recommend people consider. Motocross bikes come with lightweight tires designed for groomed tracks. At 15psi these tires are gonna feel like mush when you attempt 75+ mph blasts down any mountain road I know of? No amount of suspension tweaking is gonna help soft tires.
@@Tyler.56 The chains most bikes come with from the factory are a joke! Chromoly sprockets with a D.I.D. 800cc capacity chain will drastically reduce your adjustment frequency. It only takes one 10min. ride with a dry chain to cook that sucker to death! Once it's fried, it just saps power and makes the bike feel unsettled whenever your on and off the throttle rapidly. Do your bike a solid, and upgrade your chain and sprockets. Once it breaks in, a good chain shouldn't stretch alot unless you neglect it.
@@Tyler.56 One easy test for chain slack: bottom your suspension. Your chain should NEVER come tight and become suspension. Not only will that make the bike harsh and kick you, but it's super dangerous when that chain takes a load it was never intended to and snaps and wraps, locking your back wheel or possibly whipping and ripping your leg, maybe bending a swing arm too.
@@andrewstambaugh8030 If the chain is that far out of spec or adjustment and binds to the point it snaps, theres probably something else wrong with the bike. From what I've heard, most bikes don't have adequate grease pack from the factory on the rear suspension linkages. I've never in 40+ years of riding had a chain fail? I use Yamaha synthetic chain lube before every ride.
@@andrewbecker3700 I think you misunderstand: I didn't say the chain had a seized spot. In fact, they were brand new chains a couple of times. It was how users set their _chain tensions._ I have corrected several bikes, street and dirt, where the chain slack was set too tight and the chain came tight before the rear ran out of suspension. That's not the fault of any other part of the bike. They were set wrong at the adjusters and people didn't even realize (or wondered what was causing sudden harsh suspension reactions) until I mentioned it and we checked it, and sure enough 3/4 of the way through their travel, the chain came tight. As far as chain failure, the _leveraged_ load it can put on the chain is substantially higher than the chain ever sees in normal use of hard acceleration. Think of it like a padlock. Normally it's strong. Pulling 2 directions on the cables does nothing to it. But take 2 wrenches and use leverage, and snap goes the padlock.
Great info, but you just missed what I was looking for, and that was explaining the high speed adjustments on the shock. When, why and what does this change and for What conditions? Thanks
I have an 02 Honda CR250 which has an upside down fork. If I see a little oil leakage on the lower leg, is that oil just for lubricating the slide, or is that oil also part of the dampening?
That oil is what fills our outer tube and if it's leaking on the lower inner tube, this means that your oil seal is most likely compromised and you will want to replace them. We have several how-to videos for many different forks if you need help.
@@rmatvmc Okay thanks. So it’s more of a lubricant for the tube and bushings etc?, and not the dampers themselves? I’ll push the dust seals down and go up there with a tool and see if I can clear the seal itself of any debris before sending them out.
Yes, it's for lubrication as well as air chamber volume. Oil level in the outer tube mostly effects from mid-stroke and below. The internal cartridge's on those forks (for damping) are sealed and have a separate oil. On that old of a bike, I'd inspect the cartridge for leaks when you replace the fork seals. It's probably time for new oil in them as well. We sell the cartridge seals if you need them. -Charles th-cam.com/video/ykID0WhMzsw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=HbS5o45KccP6IcIX
@@rmatvmc Thanks for the reply. I’ll likely send these out to be worked on if it comes to that. This bike is one of those 3-4 hour bikes that have sat covered on a stand in a garage for 20 years. The bike is near brand new.
I am. They've been really good. Don't feel any more rigid that stock even though they are billet and it helped give the bike better stability. I haven't had the front end feel nervous at all since putting them on. Also didn't affect how the bike felt in corners, still lays over and turns just as good as the stock clamps. - Chase
Excellent Video! Still trying to find someone explain the relationship between the compression and rebound. Seems that for proper handling between jump landings and rough terrain in things like braking and acceleration bumps on MX tracks, the compression should typically be set a click or so lower than the rebound? Any explanation on this would be stellar. THANKS!
The compression settings allow you to change how fast or slow the forks or shock compresses. Rebound adjustments dictate how fast or slow the fork or shock extends back out from being compressed.
We don’t always match on clicks between the two. It’s rider pref and the way the track and conditions are. Like there are times I will have comp at 8 and reb at 14 or so. Depends what you feel and how you want the bike to handle.
Don't think of them as the same. They are reactions to 2 different happenings. A track that is hard pack with little to no ruts or harsh whoops will favor grip via soft compression and more rebound damping. Make it feel amazingly grippy there. It just cuts lines and you can just dump on the power Now move to a track with whoops, jumps, and ruts... and it's going to be so harsh, kicking, popping out of ruts, etc that you might feel it's too unsafe to ride. That same soft setting and damping will pack and kick you hard on a track that isn't so flat. There, you'd need a lot more compression. And the effect of speed is that for 2 reasons you need less rebound: 1 packing - hitting bumps in rapid succession needs the suspension to recover fast enough that it isn't getting short and shorter (and therefore harder and harder). 2 grip/control - think of the backside of a bump. For grip and control, you want that tire to come back down. If you are going slow, it gets plenty of time. As you go faster and faster, it needs to come down faster to not hang with airtime. Now if you did the reverse, take the whoops and ruts settings to a flat hard pack without whoops, and it won't feel too unsafe, it just won't want to carve a line or let you dump the power on. It will just feel like you gotta take corners wide and watch your entries. The front will feel a bit skittery and heavy pushing at the same time. Your wrists will feel more shock from the hard little bumps.
@891suspensionperformance6 PLEASE HELP.. I just got back into riding earlier this year... I raced as a kid ( im 36 now) n recently had 13rmz 250 that had perfect suspension..never had to mess with it.... I sold that cause I wanted 450.. bought a 2017 rmz 450 last weekend from a guy that weighs 260 lbs.. I weigh 190 lbs.. so I went straight to the track and of course felt like a hard tail chopper.. was unrideable at first... I quickly researched air forks n I got the forks adjusted better..(only had few hours of time to ride at track).loosened the rear shock..but still feels extremely rough on acceleration and braking bumps.. super harsh..Im new to this.. what would be good base settings to start at? I don't know which way to go...
Did the previous owner put a different shock spring on it? If they rider before you weighs 260 and you're 190 and they had a different shock spring put on, it's going to be very stiff feeling and now allow the shock to move enough to really get into the valving. Is your sag set? This will tell you if your sprung too stiff. Was the suspension revalved? - Chase
No. Two completely different types of conditions and terrain. We can set a bike up to be in the middle ish but it never will handle everything like it should. We recommend setting a bike up for what you will be riding a majority of the time and ask for direction when you change types of riding.
Yes, some forks do allow you to install spacer to adjust the ride height of your forks and some don't, and with air forks, you simply add or take away air to get the correct "spring" rate. But as long as you have the correct air pressure or spring rates in your forks, then setting the sag will help balance the bike. However, there is more to balance than just sag. The sag is the starting point, but fork height in your clamps, your clicker settings on your shock and fork, and other factors will change the balance of a bike. But get your forks and sag set to a good starting point and go from there. - Chase
After you get your dynamic sag set, then check your static sag, without you on the bike. Consult with someone as to what that should be. If you’re heavy or light, then the static might then be out of spec and could be an indication you need a softer or stronger spring.
What if your not riding MX? Most people are single track / trail riding their bikes, not landing 20 foot jumps or hitting whoops. I want my suspension to be VERY ACTIVE at SLOW speeds over rocky terrain and traveling through the entire stroke. How can I achieve that?
There are so many factors that play into getting your suspension to feel how you want it. What bike are you on? Do you have the correct spring rates? Is your suspension re-valved? Is your suspension currently not how you want it?
I have a 1989 CR125R that I’m currently restoring (broke to built contest). I need to get a service manual but want to ask, why do the forks have Schroeder valves (tire valves) on the tops? What goes in there? And what pressure should it be? 🤷🏻♂️
Best to check the manual as it depends on the fork design. Yours may be to add pressure for temporary adjustment to spring rate. Some newer bikes have a manual bleeder screw there because at some point the susp engineers thought no air pressure or build up was a better way to go, so some people replaced the manual bleeder screws with a spring loaded relief valve, to release pressure before and after every ride. These have shown to not be durable in many cases, break on install, or people get them cross threaded. A basis for that could stem from repeated loosening and tightening to bleed prior to the new release valves being installed.
Two strokes we recommend 20-30 hrs for cranks and 10-15 for pistons. Depends a lot more on conditions you ride and how hard you ride the bike. Always consult your owners manual
I bought my 2015 KTM 500 EXC used... Front had 15 clicks on left, 19 on the right. I could feel it the second I got on the bike. ZERO clue WTF the previous owner was feeling in his front end 🤷♂️😂🤦♂️
It can be confusing for sure. Coming from MTB with air forks, they have settings on only one side of the forks, like the right side is dampening and the left is for the air.
On the wp air fork, I always had it at factory recommendation in psi. I would adjust the clickers but it didn't help me. I'm a beginner rider 186lbs and I need the psi to be around 120psi. This was on 250 and 300 two strokes.
@@891suspensionperformance6 133 psi feels harsh like the forks clank when i don't mak3 it to landing on table top. No way that's way too high for a beginner. Still on my first year.
@@bloomerb4162 Might be harsh because you're bottoming out and in the hard part of the stroke. Try running the PSI that TJ recommended and see how that feels. - Chase
@@rmatvmc the thing is. On buddies 019 125sx and 022 150sx this doest happen. They're setup for default factory settings for comfort. They feel very plush too me. Running factory default comfort on clickers and psi low at 130psi feels harsh on landing with 022 tc 250 and 017 tc 250 with 300 kit. So the next thing I'm trying is setting psi to around 120 psi, same as the smaller bore ktms.
@@891suspensionperformance6 yeah it's different from 17 to 22 but the forks feel completely fine. I'm really slow. I'm not hitting big enough jumps to feel like it's getting even close to bottoming really, it may be bit it's fine for now at my speed.
It could be your suspension, but it could also be you technique. I would say, that in most cases, if you're getting head shake in breaking bumps, if could be that your forks are too soft. But it could be that your braking too hard coming into corners. I couldn't give you a definite answer without riding your bike or seeing you ride. - Chase
There are a lot of opinions on this but how I've done it and how TJ does it is have the rider stand on the pegs straight up and down and then measure it. This is the only way to really make sure your weight is always over the same part of the bike each time you measure it - Chase
Agree with chase below. Sitting on the bike is difficult to repeat the same position, standing you can always feel the pegs and be able to put the same pressure on both
Are you referring to the Alpinestars Tech 10 Supervented Boots? If so, we have a product spotlight you can check out here: th-cam.com/video/WQA0Z6MxMFg/w-d-xo.html
I'm 220 and rode my whole life without having my bike sprung for m, or setting sag. I finally had me CRF set up correctly and I can't believe the difference it made. I feel like a hero out there now that my bike handles well, and I don't have to fight it constantly. From now on this will be the very first thing I'll do to any bike I own.
Welcome to the spring club! I just put a lower spring rate in my new YZ450F and it made a HUGE difference! - Chase
Bet you feel like you're not riding a SPRING BOARD any more 😂🤘
My mistake was blaming my suspension for a tire issue. My 2019 WR250F felt unrideable in rocks no matter how I set the suspension and sag. Switching to Starcross 5s with soft sidewalls from the stock tires completely transformed the bike in rocks.
I put them on my TTR-125 which I occasionally like to take out to our rocky trails. Instant improvement. Good tires.
Yeah, we've been working on learning to tune a friend's pair of 2 strokes, and we did several hours of testing before realizing his tires were way too high psi and causing bounciness.
*Tires can't properly compensate for improper suspension, and suspension can't properly compensate for improper tires.* Anytime you compromise, negative characteristics are added elsewhere.
Springy basketball tires will have you chasing your tail to try to make the bike soft enough and damped enough to stop the pogo, which will make everything else bad.
You want to understand what's going on... Don't be afraid to turn the clickers back and forth, but any more than four clicks, better send em on in for revalving, along with your gas money.
I get it, that approach is fine for people whose parents worked hard and saved money. You can improve your ride while not having to strain your brain, plus it helps spread the money around. But for guys on a budget, and for those with inquisitive minds, there is the study of dynamics of motion and fluid dynamics.
Understanding the theory of how shocks do their thing, plus the internal implementation to make it happen, go a long way toward seeking out any changes one may desire. There's nothing wrong with turning the oil flow control valve they call "clickers" fully in either direction to see the effect and what may help. It's just a valve. And the "valving" inside are just flexible washers which deform under pressure to allow oil flow. There are videos and articles detailing various implementations. Less viscous oils flow more easily through given restrictions providing less damping and more viscous, greater damping effect.
And let's not forget psychology. It's easy to view the subject as "black art" since our measurement capability is limited and we rely on feel. Feel is something which takes time to develop, called experience. And finally, if we believe it's good or bad, then we reinforce that belief.
The parting shot is that these manufacturers actually do put a lot of time and effort and money and testing into developing their shocks to work competitively, so be careful about thinking they cheaped-out.
Very helpful video! I liked the 891 guy, he seemed like he actually knows what he is doing and talking about.
TJ has a lot of really good knowledge. He's been very helpful with me getting my bike setup how I like it. - Chase
Extremely helpful! I bought a new bike recently and am surprised how every single moto something has to be fine tuned... Chain, then Sag, then clicks, pretty much every saturday
I thought I passed that stage, didnt move anything and SAG went all the way to 90mm hahahaaha insane
That upside down fork decal 🥴
Killing me
It’s causing the bike to be unbalanced. 2mm, 2 clicks, upside down decal makes a world of difference.
Can’t stand it 😵💫
Its a upside down fork.. duh! 😂🍻
Holy shit bro, im dying
Good video, i learned this at a very young age at White Power suspension, these people were very always very helpfull with this, its very easy once you dig how it works, on long cross country days going from hard pack to deep sand into desert i change my set up quickly to keep the bike handling to the conditions i'm riding so i'm comfy all day, on the contrary my younger brother thinks his bike is set up properly from the factory, he things i'm the better rider, while i'm only making the bike do the work not the other way around.
When I took delivery of my '21 yz450f the setup was soo far out of baseline it was dangerous. I modified it heavily for enduro/desert riding in Montana. I'm about 200lbs dressed out, plus the weight of the mods with Acerbis desert tank puts me at the limit of the factory springs. I can't stress enough how important proper chain slack and lubrication is to the bikes handling. Tire choice would be the other thing I recommend people consider. Motocross bikes come with lightweight tires designed for groomed tracks. At 15psi these tires are gonna feel like mush when you attempt 75+ mph blasts down any mountain road I know of? No amount of suspension tweaking is gonna help soft tires.
I suck so bad at setting chain slack I’m always fighting it to get everything lined up properly on both sides and still do the old 2 finger trick lol
@@Tyler.56 The chains most bikes come with from the factory are a joke! Chromoly sprockets with a D.I.D. 800cc capacity chain will drastically reduce your adjustment frequency. It only takes one 10min. ride with a dry chain to cook that sucker to death! Once it's fried, it just saps power and makes the bike feel unsettled whenever your on and off the throttle rapidly. Do your bike a solid, and upgrade your chain and sprockets. Once it breaks in, a good chain shouldn't stretch alot unless you neglect it.
@@Tyler.56 One easy test for chain slack: bottom your suspension. Your chain should NEVER come tight and become suspension. Not only will that make the bike harsh and kick you, but it's super dangerous when that chain takes a load it was never intended to and snaps and wraps, locking your back wheel or possibly whipping and ripping your leg, maybe bending a swing arm too.
@@andrewstambaugh8030 If the chain is that far out of spec or adjustment and binds to the point it snaps, theres probably something else wrong with the bike. From what I've heard, most bikes don't have adequate grease pack from the factory on the rear suspension linkages. I've never in 40+ years of riding had a chain fail? I use Yamaha synthetic chain lube before every ride.
@@andrewbecker3700 I think you misunderstand: I didn't say the chain had a seized spot. In fact, they were brand new chains a couple of times. It was how users set their _chain tensions._ I have corrected several bikes, street and dirt, where the chain slack was set too tight and the chain came tight before the rear ran out of suspension.
That's not the fault of any other part of the bike. They were set wrong at the adjusters and people didn't even realize (or wondered what was causing sudden harsh suspension reactions) until I mentioned it and we checked it, and sure enough 3/4 of the way through their travel, the chain came tight.
As far as chain failure, the _leveraged_ load it can put on the chain is substantially higher than the chain ever sees in normal use of hard acceleration.
Think of it like a padlock. Normally it's strong. Pulling 2 directions on the cables does nothing to it. But take 2 wrenches and use leverage, and snap goes the padlock.
Great info, but you just missed what I was looking for, and that was explaining the high speed adjustments on the shock. When, why and what does this change and for What conditions? Thanks
We actually have another video that talks just about high speed adjustments.
th-cam.com/video/9H0513NHEDw/w-d-xo.html
Trying setup my new 250rr now, nightmare learning this
I have an 02 Honda CR250 which has an upside down fork. If I see a little oil leakage on the lower leg, is that oil just for lubricating the slide, or is that oil also part of the dampening?
That oil is what fills our outer tube and if it's leaking on the lower inner tube, this means that your oil seal is most likely compromised and you will want to replace them. We have several how-to videos for many different forks if you need help.
@@rmatvmc Okay thanks. So it’s more of a lubricant for the tube and bushings etc?, and not the dampers themselves? I’ll push the dust seals down and go up there with a tool and see if I can clear the seal itself of any debris before sending them out.
Yes, it's for lubrication as well as air chamber volume. Oil level in the outer tube mostly effects from mid-stroke and below. The internal cartridge's on those forks (for damping) are sealed and have a separate oil. On that old of a bike, I'd inspect the cartridge for leaks when you replace the fork seals. It's probably time for new oil in them as well. We sell the cartridge seals if you need them. -Charles th-cam.com/video/ykID0WhMzsw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=HbS5o45KccP6IcIX
@@rmatvmc Thanks for the reply. I’ll likely send these out to be worked on if it comes to that. This bike is one of those 3-4 hour bikes that have sat covered on a stand in a garage for 20 years. The bike is near brand new.
I'm 6'2" at 180 and just bought a compressive spring for a 210-230 rider... It's all on the style you ride NOT YOUR WEIGHT!!!!!!!!! 🤘
Please do a video like this for Enduro and Trail.
The exact same principals apply
Hi Chase, are you running the 23.5mm offset clamps on the Honda? If so, how do you like them?
I am. They've been really good. Don't feel any more rigid that stock even though they are billet and it helped give the bike better stability. I haven't had the front end feel nervous at all since putting them on. Also didn't affect how the bike felt in corners, still lays over and turns just as good as the stock clamps. - Chase
Excellent Video! Still trying to find someone explain the relationship between the compression and rebound. Seems that for proper handling between jump landings and rough terrain in things like braking and acceleration bumps on MX tracks, the compression should typically be set a click or so lower than the rebound? Any explanation on this would be stellar. THANKS!
The compression settings allow you to change how fast or slow the forks or shock compresses. Rebound adjustments dictate how fast or slow the fork or shock extends back out from being compressed.
We don’t always match on clicks between the two. It’s rider pref and the way the track and conditions are. Like there are times I will have comp at 8 and reb at 14 or so. Depends what you feel and how you want the bike to handle.
Don't think of them as the same. They are reactions to 2 different happenings.
A track that is hard pack with little to no ruts or harsh whoops will favor grip via soft compression and more rebound damping. Make it feel amazingly grippy there. It just cuts lines and you can just dump on the power
Now move to a track with whoops, jumps, and ruts... and it's going to be so harsh, kicking, popping out of ruts, etc that you might feel it's too unsafe to ride.
That same soft setting and damping will pack and kick you hard on a track that isn't so flat. There, you'd need a lot more compression. And the effect of speed is that for 2 reasons you need less rebound: 1 packing - hitting bumps in rapid succession needs the suspension to recover fast enough that it isn't getting short and shorter (and therefore harder and harder). 2 grip/control - think of the backside of a bump. For grip and control, you want that tire to come back down. If you are going slow, it gets plenty of time. As you go faster and faster, it needs to come down faster to not hang with airtime.
Now if you did the reverse, take the whoops and ruts settings to a flat hard pack without whoops, and it won't feel too unsafe, it just won't want to carve a line or let you dump the power on. It will just feel like you gotta take corners wide and watch your entries. The front will feel a bit skittery and heavy pushing at the same time. Your wrists will feel more shock from the hard little bumps.
@891suspensionperformance6 PLEASE HELP.. I just got back into riding earlier this year... I raced as a kid ( im 36 now) n recently had 13rmz 250 that had perfect suspension..never had to mess with it.... I sold that cause I wanted 450.. bought a 2017 rmz 450 last weekend from a guy that weighs 260 lbs.. I weigh 190 lbs.. so I went straight to the track and of course felt like a hard tail chopper.. was unrideable at first... I quickly researched air forks n I got the forks adjusted better..(only had few hours of time to ride at track).loosened the rear shock..but still feels extremely rough on acceleration and braking bumps.. super harsh..Im new to this.. what would be good base settings to start at? I don't know which way to go...
Did the previous owner put a different shock spring on it? If they rider before you weighs 260 and you're 190 and they had a different shock spring put on, it's going to be very stiff feeling and now allow the shock to move enough to really get into the valving. Is your sag set? This will tell you if your sprung too stiff. Was the suspension revalved? - Chase
Do you set up your enduro bike same as mx bikes
No. Two completely different types of conditions and terrain. We can set a bike up to be in the middle ish but it never will handle everything like it should. We recommend setting a bike up for what you will be riding a majority of the time and ask for direction when you change types of riding.
Sag -- just doing rear sag will balance the bike? Or should we be doing front Sag and installing spacers etc….
Yes, some forks do allow you to install spacer to adjust the ride height of your forks and some don't, and with air forks, you simply add or take away air to get the correct "spring" rate. But as long as you have the correct air pressure or spring rates in your forks, then setting the sag will help balance the bike. However, there is more to balance than just sag. The sag is the starting point, but fork height in your clamps, your clicker settings on your shock and fork, and other factors will change the balance of a bike. But get your forks and sag set to a good starting point and go from there. - Chase
After you get your dynamic sag set, then check your static sag, without you on the bike. Consult with someone as to what that should be. If you’re heavy or light, then the static might then be out of spec and could be an indication you need a softer or stronger spring.
What if your not riding MX? Most people are single track / trail riding their bikes, not landing 20 foot jumps or hitting whoops. I want my suspension to be VERY ACTIVE at SLOW speeds over rocky terrain and traveling through the entire stroke. How can I achieve that?
There are so many factors that play into getting your suspension to feel how you want it. What bike are you on? Do you have the correct spring rates? Is your suspension re-valved? Is your suspension currently not how you want it?
I have a 1989 CR125R that I’m currently restoring (broke to built contest). I need to get a service manual but want to ask, why do the forks have Schroeder valves (tire valves) on the tops? What goes in there? And what pressure should it be? 🤷🏻♂️
To keep shock fluid under pressure and it will less likely to foaming up during ride.
How much pressure? I have no idea😂
Best to check the manual as it depends on the fork design. Yours may be to add pressure for temporary adjustment to spring rate. Some newer bikes have a manual bleeder screw there because at some point the susp engineers thought no air pressure or build up was a better way to go, so some people replaced the manual bleeder screws with a spring loaded relief valve, to release pressure before and after every ride. These have shown to not be durable in many cases, break on install, or people get them cross threaded. A basis for that could stem from repeated loosening and tightening to bleed prior to the new release valves being installed.
Great video. Learned a lot here.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Dear Team
I live in the UK 🇬🇧 and have a mint condition 2004 CR85R and is not raced
How many hours should I rebuild the engine?
Two strokes we recommend 20-30 hrs for cranks and 10-15 for pistons. Depends a lot more on conditions you ride and how hard you ride the bike. Always consult your owners manual
I bought my 2015 KTM 500 EXC used... Front had 15 clicks on left, 19 on the right. I could feel it the second I got on the bike. ZERO clue WTF the previous owner was feeling in his front end 🤷♂️😂🤦♂️
Geese, makes you wonder how many other riders are doing the same thing and don't know it! - Chase
It can be confusing for sure. Coming from MTB with air forks, they have settings on only one side of the forks, like the right side is dampening and the left is for the air.
Great to see the Shercos!
On the wp air fork, I always had it at factory recommendation in psi. I would adjust the clickers but it didn't help me.
I'm a beginner rider 186lbs and I need the psi to be around 120psi.
This was on 250 and 300 two strokes.
You should be at least around the 150 to 170 psi for the fork to hold you up. 120 is for 115lbs to 130lbs depending upon skill
@@891suspensionperformance6 133 psi feels harsh like the forks clank when i don't mak3 it to landing on table top.
No way that's way too high for a beginner. Still on my first year.
@@bloomerb4162 Might be harsh because you're bottoming out and in the hard part of the stroke. Try running the PSI that TJ recommended and see how that feels. - Chase
@@rmatvmc the thing is. On buddies 019 125sx and 022 150sx this doest happen. They're setup for default factory settings for comfort. They feel very plush too me.
Running factory default comfort on clickers and psi low at 130psi feels harsh on landing with 022 tc 250 and 017 tc 250 with 300 kit.
So the next thing I'm trying is setting psi to around 120 psi, same as the smaller bore ktms.
@@891suspensionperformance6 yeah it's different from 17 to 22 but the forks feel completely fine. I'm really slow. I'm not hitting big enough jumps to feel like it's getting even close to bottoming really, it may be bit it's fine for now at my speed.
whenever i hit braking bumps i get speed wobbles. is this an issue with my suspension?
It could be your suspension, but it could also be you technique. I would say, that in most cases, if you're getting head shake in breaking bumps, if could be that your forks are too soft. But it could be that your braking too hard coming into corners. I couldn't give you a definite answer without riding your bike or seeing you ride. - Chase
Should sag be read while you are seated on the bike or standing?
There are a lot of opinions on this but how I've done it and how TJ does it is have the rider stand on the pegs straight up and down and then measure it. This is the only way to really make sure your weight is always over the same part of the bike each time you measure it - Chase
Agree with chase below. Sitting on the bike is difficult to repeat the same position, standing you can always feel the pegs and be able to put the same pressure on both
Thanks guys, I tend to get different numbers between the two. Your reasoning makes sense.
Word of the day is SAG! Dont skip sag boys.
Are you guys going to review the Alpinestars tech air 10?
Are you referring to the Alpinestars Tech 10 Supervented Boots? If so, we have a product spotlight you can check out here: th-cam.com/video/WQA0Z6MxMFg/w-d-xo.html
@@rmatvmc no it's the new air bag system suit. I think Daniel will look good in it.
The number 1 issue with people not checking sag is because it's extremely annoying and requires multiple people to help which never happens.
Very well explained
Thanks for the support!
Great content!
Chase!
-Paw Patrol!! 😃🙏
How I adjust my xr650 "suspension"
*click*
Ah, much better
Tough with that bike but we do offer several different upgrades reach out to us on our website and we can help a little more. 891suspension.com
Rad 🙌. Great info and great asmr moto footage 🦷🥓☕️🍻🧠
You should be showing how to do it while you talk, good video tho
cheek miles
First mistake....Racetech 🤦♂️