suspension newb questions

let me start off my saying the whole of my suspension experience is fiddling between the rabbit and turtle setting on my mountain bike lol



i have an 08 wr250x, i am 180 lb without gear, and the suspension is way too soft for my liking

ive read a few threads on here, thumper talk, and smj, and still have some questions.

from what i have read the front suspension can be adjusted to the stiffest settings and work decently, but the rear needs a stiffer spring (a 600lb eibach one).


questions are:
is it safe to adjust the front and rear to the stiffest settings? ive heard/read un properly adjusted suspension can result in death wobble.

is it safe to adjust the front to the stiffest settings and add a stiffer (600lb) spring to the rear?

how do i adjust the bikes "sag" from the current 2.25" to the proper 3.3"-3.5" while keeping the stiffest settings?

how do i adjust the spring preload on my wr250x?



I want stiffer suspension #1 for jumping the bike, #2 for carrying a passenger, #3 braking dive

Not thru experience on motos, but I know with mountain bike shocks if you crank them full hard and ride hard, you tend to blow seals. Something has to give.

IAmABug wrote:

Not thru experience on motos, but I know with mountain bike shocks if you crank them full hard and ride hard, you tend to blow seals. Something has to give.

But aren't mountain bike shocks and springs actually air springs? Not exactly the same setup as a steel spring and oil damper setup tbh.

xy500 wrote:

IAmABug wrote:

Not thru experience on motos, but I know with mountain bike shocks if you crank them full hard and ride hard, you tend to blow seals. Something has to give.

But aren't mountain bike shocks and springs actually air springs? Not exactly the same setup as a steel spring and oil damper setup tbh.

Higher end mountain bikes are similar to motorcycle forks in design. They do use fork oil and springs.

Either way, adjusting your damper settings and spring rate isn't going to affect your seals one bit - that's a myth.

You need to do some reading about suspension. Springs hold you up, valving(clickers) soaks up bumps and help stiffen suspension. You need to back off the pre-load on the rear spring to get your sag right( releasing tension from rear spring) you need a hammer and screwdriver ad a few minutes. Front preload is not adjustable. To reduce break dive and bottoming front and rear, increase( turn clicker clockwise) compression. On top of forks and shock. Even reading to stock manual for the bike can help you with this. Do at least 3-4 clicks at a time so you can feel it.

If this fails or you give up, call go race suspension, send a check and parts, and wait a week.

MotoKirby wrote:

You need to do some reading about suspension. Springs hold you up, valving(clickers) soaks up bumps and help stiffen suspension. You need to back off the pre-load on the rear spring to get your sag right( releasing tension from rear spring) you need a hammer and screwdriver ad a few minutes. Front preload is not adjustable. To reduce break dive and bottoming front and rear, increase( turn clicker clockwise) compression. On top of forks and shock. Even reading to stock manual for the bike can help you with this. Do at least 3-4 clicks at a time so you can feel it.

If this fails or you give up, call go race suspension, send a check and parts, and wait a week.

thanks, i have been reading but am confused, i have no experience with tuning suspension and dont want to break my bike... or myself. i believe i understand the "sag" adjustment, i will be doing that within a few days.

i used race techs spring rate calculator and it says i need a 8.965 kg/mm (7.7 stock) rear spring and a .498 kg/mm (.47 stock). im not racing my bike, i just want to be able to jump 5-6 feet in the air without bottoming out when i land. do i even need new springs for this or will the adjustments/clickers work for me? if i adjust the clickers to the stiffest settings is there danger of me blowing the suspension out?

You have a valving problem and your springs are fine at 180 lbs.
Race tech spring rate calculator is broken when running this bike through it.. Ive called them and they don't know why...
You need a Go Race set up front and rear with all the internal goodies I offer..
Makes a huge difference in performance..
Can any Go Race Customers chime in to verify there findings?