Is this setup all wrong for me? Spring wise I mean.

[yz250flash]

I bought a used 2000 YZ250 with suspension work already done. It was setup for the previous owner, which weighed around 170-175 I am guessing. Here is what the spec. sheet the guy gave me reads:

Shock Comp: Hi - 1.5, Low 12
Shock Rebound - 10
Fork Comp. - 12
Fork Rebound - 10

Shock Spring - 5.6
Fork Springs - .45
Fork Oil Level - 115 mm
I believe the bike was also revalved.

I am about 160 - 163 without gear. I ride mostly harescrambles with a little motocross thrown in.

My question is...are the fork and shock springs too stiff for my weight? Would I be better off going back to stock? My brother has a 2003 YZ250 and weighs about 175 so we were thinking of swapping everything over.

What is the stock spring rate for a 2000? Is it the same as an '03?

I am sorry this is so long but I didn't know what info. I need to put in here. I know the basics of suspension setup but when you start changing spring rates on me I get all messed up.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Mike_socal]

I bought a used 2000 YZ250 with suspension work already done. It was setup for the previous owner, which weighed around 170-175 I am guessing. Here is what the spec. sheet the guy gave me reads:

Shock Comp: Hi - 1.5, Low 12
Shock Rebound - 10
Fork Comp. - 12
Fork Rebound - 10

Shock Spring - 5.6
Fork Springs - .45
Fork Oil Level - 115 mm
I believe the bike was also revalved.

I am about 160 - 163 with gear. I ride mostly harescrambles with a little motocross thrown in.

My question is...are the fork and shock springs too stiff for my weight? Would I be better off going back to stock? My brother has a 2003 YZ250 and weighs about 175 so we were thinking of swapping everything over.

What is the stock spring rate for a 2000? Is it the same as an '03?

I am sorry this is so long but I didn't know what info. I need to put in here. I know the basics of suspension setup but when you start changing spring rates on me I get all messed up.

Any help is appreciated.

Race Tech website says your shock spring rate should be about .456 kg. Sounds like the springs are pretty stiff for your weight(~155 w/o gear).

http://www.race-tech.com/evalving/S...2000&ml=YZ 250&formuse=form1&SpringType=Shock

 

[yz250flash]

Wow - I just looked up my stock spring rate for my bike. It says 4.8. That seems like a large jump to me (4.8 to 5.6).

 

[yz250flash]

Thanks, I guess I was typing when you replied. I am wondering if I could get by with the stock 4.8. I will look at the site you gave me.

 

[bclapham]

its funny, that my 2001 yz250 came already valved for someone in the 170lbs region and also came with a 5.6mmkg-1 spring. it also had 0.45mmkg-1 in the forks.

i ride really rough outdoor mx adnd with that spring on, i hated that shock from day one- i just never mooved.

now i have changed it to a 5.2 which is more ideal for my weight- i got that spring cheap since it was a take off from a 03YZ450.

i would find out which year yZs had stock springs around the 4.8-5.2 mark and have a look on ebay since they come up quite often. maybe 0.44 or 0.43 in the front as well

i dont think putting the 5.6 spring on your brothers bike would be doing him a favour.

 

[yz250flash]

I agree with you about putting the 5.6 rate spring on my brother's bike after doing a little more research. According to racetech I should be using about a 4.6, which is stock on a 125. I happen to have a 2001 yz125 which is stock and it feels good. I am wondering if I couldn't get a stock 4.6, 125 spring and put it on. I compared the specs. on the two springs (250 vs. 125) and it looks as though it will work.

Does anyone know for sure?

Another thing is that according to the racetech site the stock 4.9 spring on my brothers bike should be perfect for him, however when we set the sag it is awfully low (compressed quite a bit) and seems to bottom out on him.

bclapham - how much do you weigh (if you don't mind me asking)? I would like to get his bike set up nice while I am at it and maybe a 5.2 would work for him, but then again we ride a lot of woods and natural whoops at Croom here in Florida and not a lot of Motocross.

Thanks for all the replys guys, I know I ask a lot of questions but I enjoy learning as much as I can about these things.

 

[bclapham]

if the yz125 is good for you with a 4.6, then i would go for the 4.8 on the 250 since it is heavier bike- i would look for a 4.8 take off spring from ebay.

i weigh 225lbs and the 5.6 is too stiff for me. if your brother is 170, i would keep the spring on there its got. set the sag with him on it to 100mm (get another friend to hold the bike steady so he can center his weight on the bike). then measure the free sag with out the rider- if it is less than 10-15mm then you probably need a stiffer spring.

btw- check the linkage is good on these bikes- yamaha use some really crappy yellow rubber lubricant on the linkage bearings and its useless- i pulled all the needles out (28) pulled out the rubber and then repacked the needles back in the race with Belray waterproof grease.

 

[yz250flash]

I had planned on doing the linkage due to previously reading about the crappy grease.

I just called the guy I bought the bike from. He is a nice guy and doesn't mind that I keep calling him about the bike a year after I bought it from him.

It just so happens that he is about to have the suspension done on his '03 (which he bought to replace the bike he sold me). So, since the same guy does our suspension work and since I need to basically go back to a stock setting and he is wanting to go to the setup he had on the '00 (my bike) we are going to swap out suspensions. This way he gets his old setup back and I get basically what I need.

The '03 comes with a 4.9 which should work well. Hopefully we can get this taken care of pretty soon.

 

[bclapham]

are you going to just swap the springs or both the shock and forks? i just realized thats a good deal for you! :)

 

[yz250flash]

I am sure we will just swap out the front and rear springs and then I will have my fork oil level adjusted to the correct setting for me. It just keeps both of us from having to buy different components. It is a little better deal for him because he would probably have to buy new where as I could probably get some take offs. But it does simplify the process since we use the same suspension guy.