Motocross suspension (soft)?

Question

All the motocross track we race at always seem to get really rough and are pretty much the same...braking bumpos round most the track, and really rough and ragged

My forks on the front are fully soft (feel LOVELY)

But the back is kicking me around here there and everywhere

So i've HARDENED the back but should I really be making it fully SOFT instead?

So basically both of them are fully soft instead...what shud i do????

Answer 1

Make sure the suspension is setup and valved for your weight and your riding ability. Front and rear suspension should be pretty much balanced.  Go to like a suspension website and look for tips on how to adjust the clickers on the forks and shock. I think for rough tracks, u might wanna soften up the high speed setting. For softer,loamy tracks you would wanna stiffen up the settings to avoid washing the front end out. Factory Connection website has a few pointers, As well as Pro Circuit.

Answer 2

You should back off your compression and check that you rebound is not to slow.  Check your spring rate in the back.  The static sag should be 20mm to 30mm  and the race sag should be about approx 80mm.

Answer 3

Suspension settings will be dependant on your size weight and riding ability.

It sounds to me though that you need to soften the back (not make it harder) or make your front end harder.

A good test is put both brakes on and push down. you are looking for both front and back to lower and raise evenly and also to compress a similar distance.

If your back shock is harder than your front forks then the front of the bike will keep compressing and the back will want to kick up when it hits the bump. this throws you forward and makes the problem worse as your weight is over the front and the back kicks up more as the back is light and your weight is not evenly distributed.

If you are happy and feel comfortable with the front, go to your local practice track and alter the settings every couple of laps, start on a hard setting and soften it off slowly.

And remember that your there to set your suspension up concentrate on the settings not racing every one, you can do that on race day...

Good Luck