Jeremy: '02 YZ 250F Suspension Question

[blakemx124]

Jeremy, My son rides the 125 pro class in mx with a 250F the suspension is stock. This hasn't been a problem until recently. He says the forks are clanking (oil level too low in forks) and the back end is bucking over larger braking bumps which is causing arm pump. My question is can the stock suspension of today's motocross bikes be set up to work good enough by using compression / rebound adjusters & oil height adjustments or does a person have to shell out bucks to get competitive suspension in the pro class. He is 16 yrs old , weighs 140 lbs w/gear, 5'11" and very fast. If the stock suspension is possible to work with, would you have any suggestions on the settings I should start with ( ie. forks -compression 14 clicks out rebound 5 clicks out , oil height,shock sag 95mm, etc) I know your shop is supposed to be the Yamaha YZ experts in suspension. Thanks alot!

 

[pro-design]

yz 250f

Jeremy is over seas right now at the wp plant however I'm an mx-tech associate. My personal belief is that your son is riding at a level were he would greatly benifit fron suspension work. To my knowlege not to many pro riders are on stock equipment. Tipicly yz's ride to low in the stroke meaning by the time they need to absorb an obstickle thet are already using too much travel. Your sons weight is a liitle light for stock springs also. With revaling even with lighter springs bottoming will be very limited. As you probably already know you want the bike to bottom out at least once during a lap to make sure you are getting the most out of your set up. Obvously when we say bottom uot we don't mean break his arms and knock out fillings in his teeth. Ballancing the front and rear is also very inportant. When making fork or shock adjustments you are also affecting the other end of the bike. Ive done a few pro level yz's and have got great results and feedback from the riders If you want to call me to talk about this mor feel free 360 657 5435. My name is Steve .