98kx 250 setting for trail riding?

I used to own a '98 and it was an excellent motorcycle(miss it sometimes!) Stock settings on the '98 KX250 are actually pretty good for trail riding.

If it is completely stock, you should look into .42 or .43 straight rate front springs. Oil level should be about 95mm-100mm from the top. Experiment with running that higher oil level with lower compression clicker settings and a couple more clicks of rebound (slow it down) from stock.

The rear stock spring (maligned for moto) is progressive as well, but I found it worked extremely for trail riding (especially small acceleration bumps). Just dial in about 3 3/4 inch of preload, up the compression a couple clicks from stock as well as the rebound (slow it down).

If you plan to moto, change the rear spring to a straight rate 5.2 or 5.3 It offers better balance and more consistent jumping manners.

Also, there is a great offroad tuning guide offered on Jeremy's web site www.mx-tech.com

Regards,
Ted
'01 KX250

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Ted
2001 KX250

Yes, increasing the damping would be turning the clicker clockwise or towards the 'h' position in your case. For rebound it makes it slower to return and for compression it helps to control bottoming, but also has a large affect throughout the stroke.

If you didn't get a manual with your bike the forks compression clicker is on the bottom and the rebound is on the top. Opposite is true for the shock. The clickers adjust between 14-18 clicks and a baseline setting is usually in the middle of that range.

Many folks make the mistake of backing off the clickers on compression way too much to get a plusher feel. This can have adverse affects and make the motorcycle's suspension unpredictable.

Happy tuning!

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Regards,
Ted
'01 KX250