I want to share this to help anyone that wants to get the absolute most out of your suspension on the track.
This is a very short crash course on MX suspension for machines with aftermarket shocks.
I spent some time gathering information from talking to different pro race teams, primarily Baldwin Motorsports, who I BELIEVE has a partnership with PEP suspension. My goal was to see how different pro teams set up their suspension specifically for MX.
The first and most important thing that should be set is the sag. Keep in mind, all measurements should be made with the rider sitting on the quad in full gear, in a normal riding position, with roughly the same amount of gas in the tank. It is critical that the rider be sitting in the same position every time measurements are taken.
Sag should be 33% of total suspension travel. For a standard travel blaster this is 2.34" front and rear.
Next is ground clearance, which is directly related to sag, but unlike sag, it can be affected by tire size and air pressure. The ground clearance to the bottom of the frame at the footpegs to the FLAT ground should be 7", 8" if the track is very rough with large jumps. It can be as low as 6" if the track is flat with smaller jumps. Measurement should also be taken at the front of the frame, under the pipe but from the same frame rails, NOT from the rails which the a-arms mount because this section is at an angle. Measured from here, it should be exactly 1/4" higher than at the pegs.
Both sag and ground clearance should be adjusted by changing the preload settings on the shocks. However, preload also stiffens and softens the spring rate of the shock. If you get to the ride height you want but the shock keeps bottoming out, a stiffer spring is needed.
For compression, the adjustment that you have on your shocks are primarily low speed compression adjustments. Most high speed adjustments are internal and done by a shock builder (SoCal Suspension Systems for example). A track with rougher whoops and bigger jumps needs a stiffer compression setting than a smooth track with small jumps. Care should be taken not to ride with the compression setting all the way in because it can cut off oil flow.
For rebound, the settings you choose depend on the track. A track with bumps (whoops) closer together call for a faster rebound. With a slow rebound in these conditions the shocks will pack and not use the full travel potential, which will cause the quad to buck side to side and traction will be lost. On the other end, a track with whoops spaced further apart, a slower rebound should be set.
To conclude, you should try to set your suspension to the softest settings possible. Take a lap, and somewhere on the track you want to bottom out softly. The softer your preload and compression, the better the tires will stay on the ground and provide traction.
This is a very short crash course on MX suspension for machines with aftermarket shocks.
I spent some time gathering information from talking to different pro race teams, primarily Baldwin Motorsports, who I BELIEVE has a partnership with PEP suspension. My goal was to see how different pro teams set up their suspension specifically for MX.
The first and most important thing that should be set is the sag. Keep in mind, all measurements should be made with the rider sitting on the quad in full gear, in a normal riding position, with roughly the same amount of gas in the tank. It is critical that the rider be sitting in the same position every time measurements are taken.
Sag should be 33% of total suspension travel. For a standard travel blaster this is 2.34" front and rear.
Next is ground clearance, which is directly related to sag, but unlike sag, it can be affected by tire size and air pressure. The ground clearance to the bottom of the frame at the footpegs to the FLAT ground should be 7", 8" if the track is very rough with large jumps. It can be as low as 6" if the track is flat with smaller jumps. Measurement should also be taken at the front of the frame, under the pipe but from the same frame rails, NOT from the rails which the a-arms mount because this section is at an angle. Measured from here, it should be exactly 1/4" higher than at the pegs.
Both sag and ground clearance should be adjusted by changing the preload settings on the shocks. However, preload also stiffens and softens the spring rate of the shock. If you get to the ride height you want but the shock keeps bottoming out, a stiffer spring is needed.
For compression, the adjustment that you have on your shocks are primarily low speed compression adjustments. Most high speed adjustments are internal and done by a shock builder (SoCal Suspension Systems for example). A track with rougher whoops and bigger jumps needs a stiffer compression setting than a smooth track with small jumps. Care should be taken not to ride with the compression setting all the way in because it can cut off oil flow.
For rebound, the settings you choose depend on the track. A track with bumps (whoops) closer together call for a faster rebound. With a slow rebound in these conditions the shocks will pack and not use the full travel potential, which will cause the quad to buck side to side and traction will be lost. On the other end, a track with whoops spaced further apart, a slower rebound should be set.
To conclude, you should try to set your suspension to the softest settings possible. Take a lap, and somewhere on the track you want to bottom out softly. The softer your preload and compression, the better the tires will stay on the ground and provide traction.
