tracy harman

Member
Apr 23, 2002
51
0
i have a 02 cr 250. im 167lbs, i have stock springs on the bike, ive had a revalve done on the suspension. my fork oil is 8cc above standard level.my sag is at 107mm. my problem is when im driving in hard to braking bumps or small choppy stuff the suspension feels really harsh its hard to hang on to the bike. ive tried softening compression until i bottom several times in a lap and the problem is still there. the place that revalved my suspension is hard to reach so i quit trying. is my suspension valved wrong? is it possible i need stiffer springs? ive ridden 2 of my buddies bikes that i can hardly tell ive ridden over these bumps, while my bike feels like your holding a jack hammer. this is my first year in the expert class im losing alot of time in these areas i need help please. i would appreciate anybodys input very much.
 

rc331

Member
Jun 18, 2002
101
0
I am not a suspension expert by any stretch of the imagination but here goes nothing. Have you tried setting your sag at 100mm? what rebound adjustments have you tried?
 

tracy harman

Member
Apr 23, 2002
51
0
yes ive expermented from 90 to 110 i like the 107 i like the way the bike squats and hooks up accelerating out of a corner plus it handles the acceleration bumps alot better. ive also played with rebound and i wonder if packing is my problem i think the rear is fine but the front if i try to give it more rebound it will wash to the outside and the front tire deflects in rutted and bermed turns.
 

rc331

Member
Jun 18, 2002
101
0
Sounds like you have already tried the full adjustment range but how about less rebound?. This probably won't help but my cr250 felt really harsh too and I always thought it was the front end making it feel that way. When I last serviced my forks I increased my fork oil level to 430cc and reset comp and rebound back to stock settings. I decided to change my rear shock settings (little less high and low speed comp damping than stock settings) and its awesome now. Jeremy will certainly be able to help you with this problem. :cool:
 

shockdoc

Member
May 3, 2001
327
0
Make sure your suspension company checked your rebound/midvalve (not comp) piston nut. Every Cr & CRF that I have done this year has had 1 or both of those nuts loose. Also check your R/S fork for binding on the axle. This can also create the problem you're haveing.


doc
 

tracy harman

Member
Apr 23, 2002
51
0
are you talking about the lock nut on the end of the piston rod. last time i changed oil this was loose. i didnt know if it was supposed to be tihgt or what. also i was wondering if i installed stiffer springs on the bike wouldnt it give me more bottoming resistance while being able to run softer compression settings.
 

KawieKX125

~SPONSOR~
Oct 9, 2000
948
0
Sounds to me like you are packing. I had the same problem(kicking and harshness) so I though that I would increase the rebound to control the kicking. Just got worse. The bike was packing horribly. Take some rebound dampning out and maybe raise the oil leve so that you have bottoming control and can still run low conpression dampning settings.
 

Shawn Mc

Member
Apr 8, 2002
152
0
Tracy, I had the same deal and Shocdoc pointed me at the front axle. Turned out to be a very very slight binding in the fork. Since fixing it, I had to go back in with the compression clickers as it got too compliant (read blowing through the stroke) I also backed off the rebound clicker too.
 

tracy harman

Member
Apr 23, 2002
51
0
every time i install the front wheel i tighten axle take bike off the stand hold front brake and bounce front end up and down is there something im missing. with every thing tightened when i hold front brake and push down on forks it dont seem like there in a bind. how did you test yours to see if it was binding? and how or where do i read blowing through stroke.
 

shockdoc

Member
May 3, 2001
327
0
Tracy......Put your bike on a stand. Loosen the 2 R/S axle pinch bolts. Take a small straight blade screwdriver and carefully tap it into the slot between the pinch bolts. Now you will be able to grab the lower leg with your 2nd & 3rd fingers and thumb on the axle. Pull & push the leg back & forth and you will see where there is no binding. Pull screwdriver out & tighten the bolts.

This seems to me to be a much more accurate way of making sure the forks aren't bound up compared to just putting it on the ground and pumping brakes. Also if you have ever used a metal hammer to drive the axle in it will mushroom the end of the axle and make it almost impossible to center.

The nut I am talking about is on the end of the cartridge rod. Its the rebound/midvalve piston nut. It does need to be tight and will let the forks blow through the stroke if there not. The rebound will be quick too.

With all this right the stock fork springs should be good. Hope this helps some.

doc
 

shockdoc

Member
May 3, 2001
327
0
Tracy....It will be if you pull the cartridge rod out of the cartridge. Most people only pull the comp. assy. out when changing oil. You must be carefull to protect the threads on the cartridge rod when you take it out also. I use teflon thread tape. You can damage the cartridge seal if you don't.


doc
 

tracy harman

Member
Apr 23, 2002
51
0
doc..... i hate to keep bugging you about this but what you described about this nut being loose sounds exactly like whats going on. ive got my forks apart now and just want to make sure im not going to take something apart that i cant put back together. with the comp assembly out looking down into inner cartridge there is a 10mm nut that looks like its holding the cartridge rod in. do i remove this nut to take out rod? my manual warns of not removing lock nut on end of piston rod[this is on other end] or rod will fall in and cant be reassembled so i was a little spooked.
 

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