Suspension 101

[gsheff989]

This newbie needs some suspension help. I ride a 450 crf and I am 6'3" 210lbs.

What are some basic set ups to help me dial in the suspension. I know that for mountain bikes you want low compression high rebound on the front and low compress. low rebound on the back. Are there any basic set-ups like this for my 450?

The manual says the forks are set-up for a person 150-160 lbs. Do I need someone to put in stiffer springs?

Any basic info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Milhaus]

Wow, surprised noone has responded yet. I think bigger guys like us (i'm 6', 215lbs) would probably want stiffer springs at least for the rear shock, maybe the forks, depending how serious you are and how your bike feels. Mine is a '01 CR250R, and when I'm on trails, sand, whoops etc. it just feels like the springs are slow and mushy. Maxing out the clickers to hard made it feel substantially better so I'm pretty sure a stiffer spring will do the trick. So, I'm thinking about a stiffer shock spring (probably ok with the fork springs for now). My question is, of all the manufacturers who make springs i.e. MX Tech, Race-tech, etc, which one is best for my bike, or does it even matter?
How does your bike feel?
FYI, if you go these guys websites they have spring rate calculators where you enter in your bike, riding style, weight, and it pops out a recommended spring. Weird thing is, for my bike, the "stock spring rates" differ between these 2 manufacturers, so someone must be wrong!

 

[procircuitdudecr26]

Fork Springs

One of the best things you can do to your forks on a CRF450 is go one up on the fork spring.