Rear shock, front fork race sag?

[Bigbill]

When you adjust your twin rear shocks how much race sag do you allow? Do you forge about 1/3rd is the suspension travel on the race sag? That's the rider in full gear. With the front forks you change springs or add pvc spacers. Standing on the left side of the bike and pushing down on the left peg the bikes suspension should compress evenly.

I just want to touch base on setting the suspension on the older Husqvarna. The '84 250wr I picked up had a larger rider and the suspension was adjusted for his weight. It's perfect for me but I wonder what they did. It's not spongy. I picked up a front fork with triple trees from a 510. The fork feels a tad stiff but I figure by changing the fork oil I may dial it in closer.

I'm just thinking out loud, maybe you guys have suggestions. I know it's going to be trial and error between what length pvc spacer on the fork springs and what weight fork oil.

In the past I never dialed in the suspension. I had them close and it was rideable and didn't bottom out.

 

[suprize]

I just leave the forks std, they seem fine but im only 81kg'sdripping wet. if im going tight and slow I slip the forks up and soften the shox and reverse that for open and fast.

15 wt oil is the go at 420ml for the wr. 450 for the cr or more? ive got 10 wt but I rode a bike with 15wt and was impressed so im going up nxt fork oil change

 

[DaveM]

15w forks,

to test suspension,

put your hand in the same place you sit,

push down, front and rear suspension should compress evenly

The biggest problem I have found with suspension is,

people make too bigger changes and just muck it up.

Get a copy of the owners manual,

go back to stock first.

My 95 WR360 would push the front in sand, could easily slide out.

This is no good!

Stock forks, 90mm sag mono shock rear.

Went back to the stock settings, straight away no longer pushing the front in sand, no longer sliding out.

Husqvarna spend a lot of money and time getting the suspension right out of the box for most people.

 

[DaveM]

Before I forget,

put cable ties on your forks and shocks.

After your normal days riding if the cable ties are right up to the top of the shaft,

your suspension is too soft for your weight!

Also you want to use as much of the suspension you can, so the opposite is true,

if the cable ties have not moved far the suspension is too firm for your weight.

You have paid for your suspension so you want to use as much as possible for plushness.

Try a couple of clicks firmer, if you need to make too much adjustment, you need firmer springs or

oil.

Don't forget to do the hand on seat test you will now need to watch the rebound.

Front and rear need to be equal.

For trail riding the suspension needs to be plush not soft or too firm!

Saying that a little firmer is better than too soft.

Come on Guys,

there has to be suspension gurus to help us out!

 

[suprize]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ can get you the best suspension in the world

 

[DaveM]

When you buy a Husqvarna,

You get the best suspension in the world!

 

[suprize]

I would argue the forks arnt the best, but you cant beat the twin ohlins

 

[fran...k.]

Using a pvc spacer will just pre load the spring. If one cuts some off the spring somehow doctors the cut end and replaces the removed section with pvc spacer then the spring constant is changed to the stiffer. As you can see from my avatar I am about the size of the athletes in the owners manuals for these things. With the relatively new stuff I have gone with weaker springs though they might be stock on something else. On the front I might guess if the rider weighs up in the 280-300 pound range around four inches of pvc/shortening.

 

[oldbikedude]

Come on Guys,

there has to be suspension gurus to help us out!

Sounds like you are summing it up quite well.

 

[Joe Chod]

I disagree with the suspension gurus chiming in. they do this for a living...hence paid. Send them your stuff, pay them, they will set it up and explain what they did.

 

[Bigbill]

On my left kickers I can adjust the rear clip on the spring preload rate. And I can preload the front fork springs with a pvc spacer and change the fork oil wt till it's rideable. With these older bikes if I was racing I'd put the $$ in suspension. If I had a new Husqvarna then I'd go with a suspension guy and put the $$ in it. I never played much with the left kicker suspension yet.

 

[DaveM]

Hi Bill,

I could never afford to pay someone, + I was just trail riding.

I always made sure the suspension was in good condition, no leaking seals etc.

I could rebuild the forks and was lucky a local guy, a trail riding buddy, would service the rear shocks without changing everything, just what needed to be fixed.

Then I would make sure to have the owners manual to put the clickers back to stock then work from there.

I am also lucky, I believe my size and weight is the average, so I only changed fork springs on one bike.

 

[jo360]

Hi Bill, was running 110 rear rider sag but found a happy spot at around 100 i also slowed the rebound down in the rear but run a mid 90s front fork.
General rule for plushness is minimal pre load and correct spring rate for your weight but we are talking 30 year old bikes so the springs may be compromised due to age.

 

[Kartwheel68]

Don't get hung up on a specific number for sag, set a rough baseline then adjust by feel from there. 25% of total travel is a good starting point. I have found that non linkage twin shock rear suspension is much less sensitive to sag than linkage systems so unless it's way off its not an issue. An example is I borrowed an 82 250WR from Craig Hayes at Unadilla in 2012. He weighs probably 200lbs more than me and it is sprung for him. I was worried the suspension would be way too stiff, but it felt perfectly fine.

 

[fran...k.]

Standing on the left side of the bike and pushing down on the left peg the bikes suspension should compress evenly.

This is new to me. Push down on the seat and watch it spring back, similar on the front. Climb on and bounce.

Joe is right real guru's don't just type away at requests in corners of the internet world. Some enthusiasts do discuss what they are doing in the place of their choosing.

Usually as simple seminars they discuss riding in the proper position of the stroke. I would guess the bike Kartwheel 68 mentions above likely wasn' too sensitive in that regard.

 

[Bigbill]

Do you set the older suspension so when the rider sits on the bike in full gear the suspension compresses about 1/3rd of its full travel? I know this is what they do on the newer bikes I was just wondering if that's what's done on the 30+ year old bikes. Example the new bikes have 12" of suspension travel. So with the rider/ gear on it the suspension compresses 4"?

I'm just asking for what you guys do with the suspension on the older Husqvarnas. I'm sure you have tips and tricks if you want to share that's ok if not that's ok too. I'm sure many husky owners here who read only would like to know too.

 

[Bigbill]

Don't get hung up on a specific number for sag, set a rough baseline then adjust by feel from there. 25% of total travel is a good starting point. I have found that non linkage twin shock rear suspension is much less sensitive to sag than linkage systems so unless it's way off its not an issue. An example is I borrowed an 82 250WR from Craig Hayes at Unadilla in 2012. He weighs probably 200lbs more than me and it is sprung for him. I was worried the suspension would be way too stiff, but it felt perfectly fine.

At 25% that sounds good.

 

[Joe Chod]

physics is physics I go 30% of travel as sag

 

[Kartwheel68]

30% works also, its just a starting point anyway, not a final target and the end setting will depend on the intended use of the bike, IE woods, open hare scrambles, MX etc.. You adjust from your starting point by actually riding the bike and increasing or decreasing until the suspension performs as you want it. On my Huskys I like my rear suspension to ride a little higher in the travel with less sag which puts more weight on the front end and improves turning so I start at 25%. In contrast I have a 92 Honda CR500 and I run way more than 30% sag to keep it from head shaking. Every bike and rider combination will be different, sometimes very different, which is why I say dont get hung up on a certain number, ride the bike and make it work, whatever sag number that happens to be.

 

[ct cr430]

There is now a lot more knowledge and information about setting up suspensions now than there was back then . I do agree that setting rider sag and static sag is very important on newer bikes . I left riding in 1982 and returned in 1999 and was amazed at how much there was to setting up my then New bike and suspension . First time I remember hearing about setting sag was around 81 or 82 . I thought why would you purposely give up 4" of your suspension travel . Now I realize that is how the engineers that designed it intended for it to work the best . This was also the time manufacturers where switching to single shock rear suspension .
I looked thru a manual for an 83 Husky and unless I missed which is possible , there was no mention of sag of any kind . Looked thru a manual for a Maico magnums and again no mention . Then I went thru a manual for an 81 Maico , finally , all it said has " rear must hang 1 to 2 cm" . Then I went to a manual for an 86 Maico and found where they described setting the race sag . Now I don't have any manuals in between these at this time so can't check any other years right now . So to me it looks like somewhere in this time frames settings started to gain importance to the proper functioning of the bike and suspension . Does anyone know when setting sags became as important as they now are ?
Since the shocks back then had limited ability to adjust sag ,was sag that important back then ? New ohlins have threaded collers to use to adjust sag , old ohlins had rings to move to adjust shock sag . Corte Cossa's in 1981 used the same type of adjusters . Did the gas girling shocks used on huskies have any preload adjustments , I can't remember .
Does anyone have a manual for a twin shocker showing how to set sag ? How about the shocks in use before long travel started , turn the collar and get 3-5 settings .
Bikes back then we're so much simpler and still a ton of fun to ride or race but I still like my "modern" . But I think I have more fun when I'm on my 81 430 .