Racetech suspension self install opinions

I went for gold valves with the intention of trying different settings, but the recommended stack worked great for me so I just stuck with it.

I always liked having firmer suspension and RT recommended setup was like a marshmallow soft yet it never bottomed out hard …… so I left it the way they recommended and loved it. 

What bike are we talking about? Imo some racetech stuff is good... can be an improvement over stock. But is some cases... like the KYB SSS forks, it's not worth changing out the stock pistons. Midvalve or base valve. However, the newer yamaha's have SSS forks with a different post on top of the cartridge rod. They refer to these as "leaf spring" midvalves. At least that's what I generally hear them called. Those don't work too well off road. They are typically pretty darn stiff and don't flow enough oil in for high speed square edge hits (IMO).  In these cases RT probably supplies a spacer for the piston that allows you to put "float" back into the shim stack....And there are other options too to address this particular issue.  

So really depends on the bike/ suspension components. 

Oh... never played with one of those. I suspect lighter valving would be of a benefit to him. 

I installed a set some years ago on a KX500. Made a huge difference. But more importantly, and this is my input here, is that they are a good way to sort of learn about valving your suspension. A fairly easy and safe way to get the experience of doing it.

I agree.. you'll learn a lot. It's certainly not rocket science either. Once you understand the logic... and you know what's inside the fork or shock... you'll know what buttons to push to get a different feeling. I think all that ride should learn at least something about the suspension game as it has such a big impact on the comfort of the bike. 

Keep good notes - i use excel spread sheets to track stacks... and what I changed, why (what I didn't like or wanted to work differently) and what the result was after the change.  

I’ve had RT Gold Valves installed on two bikes now, and both were way too soft. Like riding on a Cadillac, but bottomed out a lot. Especially on the forks. Shock was usually ok after messing with clickers a little.

I would love to deep dive into valving my own stuff but I don’t have a nitrogen setup for the shock and only one person does within a 2 hour drive from here. I’ve done some internal mods to my 4cs so I understand a lot of the functions and science of the fork, only dove into the rear shock for a rebuild once. Really enjoy suspension work. Hate how messy it is. 

Yes, absolutely.  Do it. You will need a few specialized tools and like PT said, keep good notes. But you will be miles ahead in the long run.

Ricky- check this Lo Brow suspension bench I made. I use it ALL THE TIME. No more mess. Soooo much easier.

https://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Tech-Help-Race-Shop,42/Lo-Brow-Cool-Guy-…

Saved that in my photos way back when you first posted it! I look for a stainless sink sitting by someone’s trash pile all the time around the neighborhood. That is a really neat setup. 

I did a shock with Gold Valves.  Pretty easy install, improved performance, but I haven't gone back to tweak it again.  Maybe I will over the winter.

For what it's worth, plenty of people just run air in the shock.  There's a whole debate about it.

I have been dreaming for a while now about the idea of finding a used salad bar to build a suspension bench out of.  See what I'm saying?