john hubbard
~SPONSOR~
- Feb 23, 2003
- 86
- 0
7 months ago I bought a brand new 02 KDX 200. Usual mods--PC pipe, airbox mod, frp springs, torque ring, reed valve, routine maintenance, etc..etc..., Dialed-in, I thought, right? Man, I forgot one thing--the rear suspension. I felt that I had corrected the front end...but the rear was suspect. The rear end somtimes felt like i was riding an untamed mule.
Likewise, the rear tired just tended to spin alot, wet or dry, and not hook up...The bike was very unpredictable during jumps. Sweepers were sometimes a nightmre because rear tire just kept spinning and not hooking up. I hit ruts and the front handled it wonderfully, but the rear would some rebound so badly that I'd almost get thrown over the handlebars. Sore butt, sore back--Ah, maybe I'm just old, I thought. Well a friend of mine was talking to local mechanic and he told about my problem. I knew the sag was perfect. But my compression and dampening, according the my friend and the mechanic, needed to be increased in order to make better use of the rear suspension and to prevent "packing". What a difference a couple of clicks make!...I'd also read a thread on this forum that recommended the same thing--said to check out MX Tech. Great Article! :thumb:
When this bike finally connected with good ole mother earth today, it was a mighty nice feeling. Even my friend said, "dude you were just flat out moving today, and really stickin' the corners hard." Message for the day: balance your front and rear suspension.
Folks, I know I'm long winded, but I don't write often. After 7 months, I just have to say this bike is still suprising me. I know that so much more can be done to make it even better. For now, I'm just gonna roll with her for awhile and work on just getting to become a smoother, faster, and more fluid rider. Again, you can have all the gadgets and gizmos, but if you can't put it to the ground what's the point. As always, I'm very thankful for this site and also for the people who make it great. Have a great rest of the summer y'all...ride safely...but most of all Ride Green...JH
Likewise, the rear tired just tended to spin alot, wet or dry, and not hook up...The bike was very unpredictable during jumps. Sweepers were sometimes a nightmre because rear tire just kept spinning and not hooking up. I hit ruts and the front handled it wonderfully, but the rear would some rebound so badly that I'd almost get thrown over the handlebars. Sore butt, sore back--Ah, maybe I'm just old, I thought. Well a friend of mine was talking to local mechanic and he told about my problem. I knew the sag was perfect. But my compression and dampening, according the my friend and the mechanic, needed to be increased in order to make better use of the rear suspension and to prevent "packing". What a difference a couple of clicks make!...I'd also read a thread on this forum that recommended the same thing--said to check out MX Tech. Great Article! :thumb:
When this bike finally connected with good ole mother earth today, it was a mighty nice feeling. Even my friend said, "dude you were just flat out moving today, and really stickin' the corners hard." Message for the day: balance your front and rear suspension.
Folks, I know I'm long winded, but I don't write often. After 7 months, I just have to say this bike is still suprising me. I know that so much more can be done to make it even better. For now, I'm just gonna roll with her for awhile and work on just getting to become a smoother, faster, and more fluid rider. Again, you can have all the gadgets and gizmos, but if you can't put it to the ground what's the point. As always, I'm very thankful for this site and also for the people who make it great. Have a great rest of the summer y'all...ride safely...but most of all Ride Green...JH
