Posts
91
Joined
11/24/2019
Location
Lake Stevens, WA
US
Edited Date/Time
2/24/2020 8:39am
Hi all kinda new to the bike world as I haven't rode in like 10 or so years and was never a big racer or jumper. I recently went to a practice track and almost endod a few times and was wondering if my front forks are to soft or if it was operator error. I have not done a single thing to the bike other then change the oil and ride it. I'm 180lbs with out gear and the jump I kept struggling on was about 50 foot table top the 20s and 30s went ok a little nose down some times but not uncomfortable. The one time when I landed I ride the front tire out a few feet before it sat back down.
As far as endoing, youre probably not doing the jump correctly. You want a good attack position with your head over your number plate and a smooth throttle delivery all the way up and off the takeoff ramp. If you let off youll endo. I think you just have to work on the commitment part of it. Maybe work on jumping halfway and landing correcty and work your way to the landing ramp as you build confidence and can commit fully. After breaking my leg and collarbone on a 50 foot table i can assure you it’s extremely important to commit and do it correctly before trying to send it. Especially on a 450.
The Shop
I’ve bled red for ten years now but this thread makes me want to try the KX. Seems like a great bike.
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard stories like yours. A guy was parked next to me and asking about some suspension problems he was having. I took some time to help set up his bike and honestly between the high sag and NEVER checking the air pressure in his WP forks, I could not believe he even survived riding the track. The sag was insanely high and this 200lb guy had air pressure in the forks equivalent for a 120 rider.
Start with the basic bike set up and work your way up slowly at the track. Good luck!
As for your fork, set the clickers in the middle somewhere and put a zip ty around your lower fork tube and go ride where you normally do. If the zip ty is all the way down near the bottom, say 1.5-2 inches, you are bottoming out. Then try turning in the compression clickers (top of the forks)clockwise until it feels comfortable to you. You can adjust the rebound (bottom of the forks) to control what you may feel as "bouncy or springy" as well. The same theory applies for tuning the shock, other than you cant use a zip ty. But if its too soft your tire may hit the fender and you'll see marks.
The most important thing is to keep track of your changes. Don't be afraid to turn the clickers in or out and write down settings that feel comfortable to you. I'm no suspension expert but anyone can usually dial in their bike to working pretty good with some testing and a screwdriver.
Clickers are
Front left fork 9 click top 8 click bottom
Front right 11 top 11 bottom
Flat head on rear coil 14
Flat head on linkage 8
What do you guys think? I find it odd the the forks are different for each side or is the normal?
Pit Row
Don’t forget that your shock has a high speed adjuster as well.( It’s the nut on the outside of the compression adjuster on the shock.)
Try these settings to get a feel for it.
Fork Compression: 14 Clicks out
Fork rebound: 12 clicks out
Shock low speed compression( screw driver slot) 18 clicks out
Shock high speed : turn the nut all the way in and then back it off 1.5 turns
Shock rebound: 12 clicks out
I was riding the lower portion of the stroke a lot, so i figured I would try out the spring rate Change. RT calculator put me at 5.87, so I ordered up a 5.8. Just set the sag at 106 and I have 38 static with the new spring. I also had the shock rebuilt and greased up the linkages while it was off.
Just curious of these two settings, what your comments would be on them. Just got the 5.8 on tonight, heading to a stand track tomorrow. Set the clickers back at stock, so we shall see how it goes.
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