Got My Suspension Revalved And Tuned This Weekend...

[Arctra]

I got my suspension sorted on Saturday hoping to deal with terrible front end deflecting that robbed me of all confidence in the bike (and my abilities).

I was the only customer on the day, so got very personalised service - SCORE! Before I had even taken the bike out Terry Hay (Shock Treatment owner that was doing the tuning for me) diagnosed I had a problem with the rebound on the rear shock. It was making a horrible sound when returning to position after being compressed. Anyway, I got kitted up, they set the sag, and went to the track. I was very hesitant and nervous given the bike had bitten me, but after a bit of advice and coaching from Terry we headed back to the workshop and the fun began.

I ended up getting Gold valves back and front, a Rebound Separation Valve in the rear shock, and fat-bastard springs for my 125kg weight, and of course shim changes. During the operation I asked a lot of questions, some no doubt dumb, but they were very good about explaining things to me. Sure, some of it was way over my head, but they tried none-the-less, which I appreciate. With the forks, all I can remember about the shim changes is that he removed 3 of the largest shims from each forks rebound stacks (think they were mid-valves, but may have been base) and he swapped some shims with those that came with the gold valve kit. The fork springs were about 8mm longer to effectively give about 12mm of preload. I didn't see what shim changes were made in the rear shock, but I know he put a Rebound Separator Valve (http://www.racetech.com/HTML_FILES/REBOUND_SEPARATOR.html) in to get rid of "vague feeling and bottoming on long duration hits like big dips or gullies". I have no idea what size bleed jet though.

Once everything was back together we went down to the track again. After a few laps and a few setting changes I still wasn't happy with the front end as I felt it was quite harsh, so Terry took the bike away and changed the springs to a shorter one that was just a little shorter than the stock ones (less preload) which made a big difference. He made several clicker changes before each lap and really dialed the settings in nicely. I need to check what the settings are and write them down in case I ever need to reset them.

I got to test the setup properly on a full day ride on Sunday and without a doubt I am MUCH happier. I was gaining confidence in the handling slowly from the start of the ride, but the real turning point was when I had a heart stopping moment where I accidentally hit a loose fist sized rock that was very similar to the one I hit when I lost my front end and broke my collarbone at Easter. Instead of deflecting though, it just soaked the hit up so I barely even knew I hit it. AWESOME! After that I was a lot less tentative and gave the suspension more of a workout.

I think I have some more tweaking to do as there were a couple of rough sections where I felt I bounced through them rather than rode through. The front felt fine, but the back end seemed to bounce and make the engine scream while the rear was in the air. I'll see how I go next ride though.

So anyway, I am a happy customer and rate these guys. It is well worth getting your suspension sorted out to for your weight and riding style!

 

[Martin Bramston]

Hello Arctra,Just came across your suspension comments.I have an 07 TE 510 which has 50mm Marzocchis on the front. From new, these forks,like yours ,deflected easily off rocks/tree roots and ruts.I have backed off the compression to the softest setting and the rebound 5 clicks out with some mild improvement.
Did Terry Hays' adjustments make the forks plusher for you over rough ground.What model Husqvarna do you have?
Martin
Wollongong,NSW

 

[HUSKYnXJnWI]

nice! congrats, yes suspension being set up for you and your riding style is probably the biggest factor in enjoying bikes and riding. Its amazing what a proper set up will do compared to a poorly set up suspension. Have fun and stay safe!

 

[Arctra]

Did Terry Hays' adjustments make the forks plusher for you over rough ground.What model Husqvarna do you have?

Hey Martin

Yes, the forks are definitely plusher in the first bit of the stoke. Enough so that I barely knew I had hit a loose fist sized rock this weekend. I think in the mid and late part of the stroke the damping is fairly similar, just without any spikes along the way (which would help decrease deflecting IMO). I think it was the changes to the rebound damping that may have been the biggest change though - this helps make sure the wheel makes it back to the ground quickly and predictably so it has traction, so even if you do deflect you recover quicker as your wheel can grab the ground and make sure you're going the right direction again quickly.

My bike is a 2010 model so has the 48mm KYB forks. When chatting with Terry I said I presume the KYB's are better which is why Husky changed, but he disagreed. He said the Zokes are a very good fork and very tuneable. There is a modification he also does to them that significantly decreases the likelihood of your seal leaking - which is one of the biggest complaints about the Zokes from what I've read.

So i would certainly be looking to get Terry to look at your suspension. Give him a call and ask him for advice about the forks and their setup - he's a nice guy and very willing to answer questions.

 

[Croc]

Hey Martin

Yes, the forks are definitely plusher in the first bit of the stoke. Enough so that I barely knew I had hit a loose fist sized rock this weekend. I think in the mid and late part of the stroke the damping is fairly similar, just without any spikes along the way (which would help decrease deflecting IMO). I think it was the changes to the rebound damping that may have been the biggest change though - this helps make sure the wheel makes it back to the ground quickly and predictably so it has traction, so even if you do deflect you recover quicker as your wheel can grab the ground and make sure you're going the right direction again quickly.

My bike is a 2010 model so has the 48mm KYB forks. When chatting with Terry I said I presume the KYB's are better which is why Husky changed, but he disagreed. He said the Zokes are a very good fork and very tuneable. There is a modification he also does to them that significantly decreases the likelihood of your seal leaking - which is one of the biggest complaints about the Zokes from what I've read.

So i would certainly be looking to get Terry to look at your suspension. Give him a call and ask him for advice about the forks and their setup - he's a nice guy and very willing to answer questions.

I agree. I found the Zokes to be better after Terry modified them

 

[SAM511]

I got my suspension sorted on Saturday hoping to deal with terrible front end deflecting that robbed me of all confidence in the bike (and my abilities).

I was the only customer on the day, so got very personalised service - SCORE! Before I had even taken the bike out Terry Hay (Shock Treatment owner that was doing the tuning for me) diagnosed I had a problem with the rebound on the rear shock. It was making a horrible sound when returning to position after being compressed. Anyway, I got kitted up, they set the sag, and went to the track. I was very hesitant and nervous given the bike had bitten me, but after a bit of advice and coaching from Terry we headed back to the workshop and the fun began.

I ended up getting Gold valves back and front, a Rebound Separation Valve in the rear shock, and fat-bastard springs for my 125kg weight, and of course shim changes. During the operation I asked a lot of questions, some no doubt dumb, but they were very good about explaining things to me. Sure, some of it was way over my head, but they tried none-the-less, which I appreciate. With the forks, all I can remember about the shim changes is that he removed 3 of the largest shims from each forks rebound stacks (think they were mid-valves, but may have been base) and he swapped some shims with those that came with the gold valve kit. The fork springs were about 8mm longer to effectively give about 12mm of preload. I didn't see what shim changes were made in the rear shock, but I know he put a Rebound Separator Valve (http://www.racetech.com/HTML_FILES/REBOUND_SEPARATOR.html) in to get rid of "vague feeling and bottoming on long duration hits like big dips or gullies". I have no idea what size bleed jet though.

Once everything was back together we went down to the track again. After a few laps and a few setting changes I still wasn't happy with the front end as I felt it was quite harsh, so Terry took the bike away and changed the springs to a shorter one that was just a little shorter than the stock ones (less preload) which made a big difference. He made several clicker changes before each lap and really dialed the settings in nicely. I need to check what the settings are and write them down in case I ever need to reset them.

I got to test the setup properly on a full day ride on Sunday and without a doubt I am MUCH happier. I was gaining confidence in the handling slowly from the start of the ride, but the real turning point was when I had a heart stopping moment where I accidentally hit a loose fist sized rock that was very similar to the one I hit when I lost my front end and broke my collarbone at Easter. Instead of deflecting though, it just soaked the hit up so I barely even knew I hit it. AWESOME! After that I was a lot less tentative and gave the suspension more of a workout.

I think I have some more tweaking to do as there were a couple of rough sections where I felt I bounced through them rather than rode through. The front felt fine, but the back end seemed to bounce and make the engine scream while the rear was in the air. I'll see how I go next ride though.

So anyway, I am a happy customer and rate these guys. It is well worth getting your suspension sorted out to for your weight and riding style!

I had my forks done by a Racetech dealer here in Adelaide and the difference is remarkable. Personally I found the front was not right for me rather than the rear, but this is what I had done to the front. The rear only received a Racetech 5.4 kg spring and a 4mm OAL Reduction Spacer that dropped the rear end a measured 12mm in height. 3:1 Ratio through the linkages etc. I got this idea from the 2012 models that have a shorter OAL Kayaba Shock in the bikes.

Full Gold Valve Kit.
Both Compression and Rebound Stacks reset to Racetech established data.
I initially kept the Kayaba 0.47 kg fork springs but I now have matching Racetech 0.48 kg with fractionally less preload.
120mm Air Chamber with springs out.
Motorex Racing 5WT Fork Oil
COMP 12 Out
REB 10 Out

The only other thing I did to offset the 12mm lower rear end was to slide the forks up through the triple clamps to just past the 2nd indent line on the fork tubes.
I am currently around 11mm from the top.

I am curious as to what springs and clickers you ended up with.

SAM511

 

[Arctra]

I am curious as to what springs and clickers you ended up with.

Hey mate.

I have 5.6 kg/mm spring in the rear and 0.54kg/mm springs in the forks.

With my forks I have ended up with 12 out on compression and 18 out on rebound. Terry left me with 7 out on compression and 18 out on rebound - so I have only plushed up the compression damping really.

With the rear I have ended up with 11 out on the High Speed Compression damping (compared with 17 that Terry set it at), 10 out on low speed compression (what Terry set it at), and 13 out on rebound (Terry set it 10 out). The biggest improvement I made on the rear was dialing the high speed compression damping 6 clicks (1 full turn anticlockwise on the big clicker) as I was really struggling with being hit in the butt by the seat over rough terrain till I did that - now it's great!

Hope this helps.

 

[Blair7]

Ive been considering a trip up to Wallacia myself. What did it cost to spend the day out there?