Changing Rear Spring on rear shock??

Hi there. I called a few shops and got feedback on some riders and all suggest I change the rear spring because of my weight. Do I need to bleed out the charge in the shock or can I just replace the spring like I would like on a McPherson strut off a car? The sticky showed bleeding out shock before removing the spring.

Thanks,
Z

Zoltan wrote:

Hi there.  I called a few shops and got feedback on some riders and all suggest I change the rear spring because of my weight.  Do I need to bleed out the charge in the shock or can I just replace the spring like I would like on a McPherson strut off a car?  The sticky showed bleeding out shock before removing the spring.  

Thanks,
Z

No need to bleed anything. Pull the shock and remove the spring. Put the new spring on and add some preload - you will need to set the final preload when you set the sag on the bike.

The shop manual says to pull the shock out from the bottom of the bike but I could not make that work. I ended up coming out through the side if I remember right.

On the evening before the day I sold my 2008 WR250X, I changed the shock spring.
The guy doing the buying wanted me to remove my aftermarket shock spring and install the stock spring due to his weight.

I put the bike on a stand supporting the bike under the frame and having the wheels off the ground.
I removed the shock linkage, backed-off the spring preload, unhooked the bottom spring retainer, and dropped the spring out the bottom.
Reversed the procedure to install.

Thanks Guys! Appreciate the feedback. I'm going to order my spring.

Not sure if it was a sales pitch or not, but I was told that just changing the spring without a re-valve on these bikes could cause a "pogo" effect and be scary dangerous at times. I ended up getting a Race Tech Gold Valve online, and then purchased a new spring from Go Race in VA. I just pulled my rear shock last night. Took 5 minutes. Undo the Linkage & Lower assembly bolt at the bottom then remove the upper shock bolt and pull it out the side where the battery is.

Gath3r13 wrote:

Not sure if it was a sales pitch or not, but I was told that just changing the spring without a re-valve on these bikes could cause a "pogo" effect and be scary dangerous at times. I ended up getting a Race Tech Gold Valve online, and then purchased a new spring from Go Race in VA. I just pulled my rear shock last night. Took 5 minutes. Undo the Linkage & Lower assembly bolt at the bottom then remove the upper shock bolt and pull it out the side where the battery is.

I did the Race Tech install on my rear shock a few months ago. only special tool you need is the badder needle to refill your shock or have a shop refill for you. there is a good thread/sticky on how to take the shock apart. As for the race tech gold valve kit just follow the instructions. a caliper in mm helps measuring each shim. Harbor Freight has them for 11 bucks.

Gath3r13 wrote:

Not sure if it was a sales pitch or not, but I was told that just changing the spring without a re-valve on these bikes could cause a "pogo" effect and be scary dangerous at times. I ended up getting a Race Tech Gold Valve online, and then purchased a new spring from Go Race in VA. I just pulled my rear shock last night. Took 5 minutes. Undo the Linkage & Lower assembly bolt at the bottom then remove the upper shock bolt and pull it out the side where the battery is.

The rebound is lacking on the stock shock but as far as being dangerous I doubt it - just by getting the right springs on the bike for your weight you are making the bike 'safer' in my eyes.

I did the springs first and yes the rear end will bounce around but no more so than with the stock spring. I did the GoRace option and had the forks and rear shock done. The bike is much more planted now which means I ride it faster than I have in the past. Which is probably why I had that nasty get off up in Tellico at the end of last year. I was carrying far too much speed through a turn and hit a bunch of loose dirt/gravel and the rear end started to slide... I was having a great time! Next thing I know I wake up and my bike is 30 feet away from me - was told once I cleared the loose stuff the bike high sided and I went up in the air and landed on my head and then the bike landed on top of me (so I have been told since the only thing I remember was sliding the rear end around a turn). Now I would never had been going that fast on the stock suspension.

My only regrets about doing the GoRace option is waiting so long to do it and how now I can see the weaknesses in my other bikes... really need to do something with the TE250 since those forks are far too harsh but then again they only have 300 miles on them.

Good info guys. The rebound is lacking a bit. I ride in sand mostly and some single tracks have deep whoops. I made my suspension worse by setting the sag with the stock spring. I weigh 215 lbs without gear so I definitely need a heavier spring 8.9kg. I just ordered a race tech spring with the 2 spring adapter collars that It calls for. I'm going to test this out and see how the bike handles and make the call if I need to fully service my suspension. I'm hoping my rebound will be better with a better fitting spring. How much does front and rear cost with revalving and possible front spring change? I spoke to a few people, one guys is a suspension guru and they feel my front springs should be fine.

My goal ultimately is to hit whoops in tight trails without the bike kicking back like a bucking bronco.... I'm a novice rider..I think..

TwoBuells wrote:

Gath3r13 wrote:

Not sure if it was a sales pitch or not, but I was told that just changing the spring without a re-valve on these bikes could cause a "pogo" effect and be scary dangerous at times. I ended up getting a Race Tech Gold Valve online, and then purchased a new spring from Go Race in VA. I just pulled my rear shock last night. Took 5 minutes. Undo the Linkage & Lower assembly bolt at the bottom then remove the upper shock bolt and pull it out the side where the battery is.

I did the Race Tech install on my rear shock a few months ago. only special tool you need is the badder needle to refill your shock or have a shop refill for you. there is a good thread/sticky on how to take the shock apart. As for the race tech gold valve kit just follow the instructions. a caliper in mm helps measuring each shim. Harbor Freight has them for 11 bucks.

I need to bleed out my shock? For swapping out a spring?

Zoltan wrote:

TwoBuells wrote:

Gath3r13 wrote:

Not sure if it was a sales pitch or not, but I was told that just changing the spring without a re-valve on these bikes could cause a "pogo" effect and be scary dangerous at times. I ended up getting a Race Tech Gold Valve online, and then purchased a new spring from Go Race in VA. I just pulled my rear shock last night. Took 5 minutes. Undo the Linkage & Lower assembly bolt at the bottom then remove the upper shock bolt and pull it out the side where the battery is.

I did the Race Tech install on my rear shock a few months ago. only special tool you need is the badder needle to refill your shock or have a shop refill for you. there is a good thread/sticky on how to take the shock apart. As for the race tech gold valve kit just follow the instructions. a caliper in mm helps measuring each shim. Harbor Freight has them for 11 bucks.

I need to bleed out my shock?  For swapping out a spring?  

No not for changing a spring you don't.

If you want to rebuild the shock and change the valving to get more rebound then you will need to bleed it.

When I bought my WRR I jumped on all the 'engine' mods first... I think I wasted a lot of money for the type of riding I do in GA. The suspension work by GoRace ran me about $1100 and made a world of difference. I should have done that first. I think the RaceTech option is a good option too.

I would agree that the you should be fine with the stock fork spring. The only thing I would recommend is to change the fork oil and put a good quality 5w fork oil in there and if the bike or fork seals are new replace the seals with some SKF seals. Those two changes should take out some of the harshness in the forks.

rsteiger wrote:

Zoltan wrote:

TwoBuells wrote:

Gath3r13 wrote:

Not sure if it was a sales pitch or not, but I was told that just changing the spring without a re-valve on these bikes could cause a "pogo" effect and be scary dangerous at times. I ended up getting a Race Tech Gold Valve online, and then purchased a new spring from Go Race in VA. I just pulled my rear shock last night. Took 5 minutes. Undo the Linkage & Lower assembly bolt at the bottom then remove the upper shock bolt and pull it out the side where the battery is.

I did the Race Tech install on my rear shock a few months ago. only special tool you need is the badder needle to refill your shock or have a shop refill for you. there is a good thread/sticky on how to take the shock apart. As for the race tech gold valve kit just follow the instructions. a caliper in mm helps measuring each shim. Harbor Freight has them for 11 bucks.

I need to bleed out my shock?  For swapping out a spring?  

No not for changing a spring you don't.

If you want to rebuild the shock and change the valving to get more rebound then you will need to bleed it.

When I bought my WRR I jumped on all the 'engine' mods first...  I think I wasted a lot of money for the type of riding I do in GA.  The suspension work by GoRace ran me about $1100 and made a world of difference.  I should have done that first.   I think the RaceTech option is a good option too.

I would agree that the you should be fine with the stock fork spring.  The only thing I would recommend is to change the fork oil and put a good quality 5w fork oil in there and if the bike or fork seals are new replace the seals with some SKF seals.  Those two changes should take out some of the harshness in the forks.

Thank you...appreciate the feedback...good stuff!

Zoltan wrote:

TwoBuells wrote:

Gath3r13 wrote:

Not sure if it was a sales pitch or not, but I was told that just changing the spring without a re-valve on these bikes could cause a "pogo" effect and be scary dangerous at times. I ended up getting a Race Tech Gold Valve online, and then purchased a new spring from Go Race in VA. I just pulled my rear shock last night. Took 5 minutes. Undo the Linkage & Lower assembly bolt at the bottom then remove the upper shock bolt and pull it out the side where the battery is.

I did the Race Tech install on my rear shock a few months ago. only special tool you need is the badder needle to refill your shock or have a shop refill for you. there is a good thread/sticky on how to take the shock apart. As for the race tech gold valve kit just follow the instructions. a caliper in mm helps measuring each shim. Harbor Freight has them for 11 bucks.

I need to bleed out my shock?  For swapping out a spring?  

sorry to get you mixed up, you only need to bleed the shock if your rebuilding it or installing a different shim set-up, like the Gold Valve you mentioned you purchased.
I'm not an expert but if you have any questions about rebuilding your shock or installing the Gold Valve kit, ask away, I've done it a few times.

TwoBuells wrote:

Zoltan wrote:

TwoBuells wrote:

Gath3r13 wrote:

Not sure if it was a sales pitch or not, but I was told that just changing the spring without a re-valve on these bikes could cause a "pogo" effect and be scary dangerous at times. I ended up getting a Race Tech Gold Valve online, and then purchased a new spring from Go Race in VA. I just pulled my rear shock last night. Took 5 minutes. Undo the Linkage & Lower assembly bolt at the bottom then remove the upper shock bolt and pull it out the side where the battery is.

I did the Race Tech install on my rear shock a few months ago. only special tool you need is the badder needle to refill your shock or have a shop refill for you. there is a good thread/sticky on how to take the shock apart. As for the race tech gold valve kit just follow the instructions. a caliper in mm helps measuring each shim. Harbor Freight has them for 11 bucks.

I need to bleed out my shock?  For swapping out a spring?  

sorry to get you mixed up, you only need to bleed the shock if your rebuilding it or installing a different shim set-up, like the Gold Valve you mentioned you purchased.
I'm not an expert but if you have any questions about rebuilding your shock or installing the Gold Valve kit, ask away, I've done it a few times.

Ahhhh...ok..thanks..will do. I will eventually head in that direction.

Check your PM. You don't have to take the shock off the bike. Less than an hour job if you don't. Easy!

Zoltan wrote:

Good info guys.  The rebound is lacking a bit.   I ride in sand mostly and some single tracks have deep whoops.   I made my suspension worse by setting the sag with the stock spring.  I weigh 215 lbs  without gear so I definitely need a heavier spring 8.9kg.  I just ordered a race tech spring with the 2 spring adapter collars that It calls for.   I'm going to test this out and see how the bike handles and make the call if I need to fully service my suspension.  I'm hoping my rebound will be better with a better fitting spring.   How much does front and rear cost with revalving and possible front spring change?   I spoke to a few people, one guys is a suspension guru and they feel my front springs should be fine.  

My goal ultimately is to hit whoops in tight trails without the bike kicking back like a bucking bronco....  I'm a novice rider..I think..

I tried a stiffer spring on the stock shock before I revalved the shock...

It was way worse then stock, the rear of the bike went side ways on small bumps and kicked straight up on big bumps.

A stiffer spring speeds up the already way to fast rebound.

Imo you need a revalve and the stock springs are fine for your weight.

Im running the stock spring rear spring and im 240, its fine.

To make the most of the stock shock without spending a dime, back the preload off almost all the way( keep 2-3mm of preload on the spring so it cant rattle), set the rebound 3 clicks out and the compression 5-10 clicks out. Use the ride height adjuster to raise the back of the bike a bit if it feels too low in the rear, mine was fine without touching the ride height adjuster with a taller than stock tire. Backing the spring off like this gets the rebound closer to normal and the bike works a bunch better.

Just tried the Biglake settings. Wow what a huge difference! Great improvement. Liking my bike again :-)

Thank You

rsteiger wrote:

Zoltan wrote:

TwoBuells wrote:

Gath3r13 wrote:

Not sure if it was a sales pitch or not, but I was told that just changing the spring without a re-valve on these bikes could cause a "pogo" effect and be scary dangerous at times. I ended up getting a Race Tech Gold Valve online, and then purchased a new spring from Go Race in VA. I just pulled my rear shock last night. Took 5 minutes. Undo the Linkage & Lower assembly bolt at the bottom then remove the upper shock bolt and pull it out the side where the battery is.

I did the Race Tech install on my rear shock a few months ago. only special tool you need is the badder needle to refill your shock or have a shop refill for you. there is a good thread/sticky on how to take the shock apart. As for the race tech gold valve kit just follow the instructions. a caliper in mm helps measuring each shim. Harbor Freight has them for 11 bucks.

I need to bleed out my shock?  For swapping out a spring?  

No not for changing a spring you don't.

If you want to rebuild the shock and change the valving to get more rebound then you will need to bleed it.

When I bought my WRR I jumped on all the 'engine' mods first...  I think I wasted a lot of money for the type of riding I do in GA.  The suspension work by GoRace ran me about $1100 and made a world of difference.  I should have done that first.   I think the RaceTech option is a good option too.

I would agree that the you should be fine with the stock fork spring.  The only thing I would recommend is to change the fork oil and put a good quality 5w fork oil in there and if the bike or fork seals are new replace the seals with some SKF seals.  Those two changes should take out some of the harshness in the forks.

I ride a lot of single track and race harescramble in south jersey. I ride with guys with 2 stroke 250-300 and my weakness is in the deep whoops, Im 215lb and the rear seems fine to me, its plush and it doesnt bottom out it setup with 3 3/4" race sag with 1' free sag , the front forks seem like my problem. I tried all different setups changed oil height and put a 4mm preload spacer and still needs work, rebound is good but compression needs to be more progressive. when its setup nice for small bumps and roots it wants to bottom on big whoops, its seem like it needs 1 more inch of travel.

It does need 1 inch more travel to be like offroad race bikes...

Putting stiffer fork springs in the forks will help tho, they keep you up higher in the travel which makes the forks softer on roots and small bumps and make the forks harder to bottom.

I had my stock fork springs shortened 25 mm to make them stiffer, your 4 mm spacers aren't doing enough you need stiffer fork springs at 215 if your riding whoops and jumping.

I have mine setup to work good on roots/rocks and small jumps and whoops, large jumps or whoops will just barley bottom mine out, with the limited travel you cant have it all.

Biglake wrote:

It does need 1 inch more travel to be like offroad race bikes...

Putting stiffer fork springs in the forks will help tho, they keep you up higher in the travel which makes the forks softer on roots and small bumps and make the forks harder to bottom.

I had my stock fork springs shortened 25 mm to make them stiffer, your 4 mm spacers aren't doing enough you need stiffer fork springs at 215 if your riding whoops and jumping.

I have mine setup to work good on roots/rocks and small jumps and whoops, large jumps or whoops will just barley bottom mine out, with the limited travel you cant have it all.

biglake, I bought a yz250 2003 46mm front forks in great shape for $120 and it stock setup .43 spring 11.8 travel. I need to do a lot of mods to make it work. need to make bottom bushings for the wrr smaller axle not to hard we have a machine shop at work, can get used .46 spring off ebay for $35 (lot of parts on ebay for wrf/yz) and need yz/wr f triple clamp ebay $42 complete(bottom triple will work but top triple on wrr is mounts to low for on fork to make it work, do you think its a better fork or just respring and valve the oem forks?

The yz forks are better.

Not only do they have more travel but the whole valving setup is way bigger and better, the extra oil flow makes them plusher while still being stiff enough to not bottom.

To get the most out of them you may need to revalve them but its not hard to pull a shim or two out of the base valve.

I have gold valves, skf seals and stiffer springs in mine and the forks on my 99 kx (very similar to 03 yz forks) with a simple revalve where much better, they where just as smooth on rocks/roots and could be jumped much higher without bottoming.

Since I have a bunch of money invested in my forks and they do everything but big jumps and whoops well im not going to upgrade the forks.