Galaxy Suspension Setup

I was looking in to fine tuning my XTR250 suspension, as it always feels a bit nervous on the front end.
It feels to me as if forks are too soft, all the time and the front end rides too low.
After riding Andre's TGR last weekend, the front end of that bike feels stuck to the ground and tracks lovely and true.

Anyway the guys at Pitster Pro had this on their website and it is a great general suspension setup guide for any bike, simple and well explained.. Enjoy:thumbsup:

http://www.pitsterpro.com/forum/styl...pic_latest.gif THE HOW TO GET STARTED GUIDE OF SUSPENSION TUNING
SUSPENSION: THE HOW TO GET STARTED GUIDE OF SUSPENSION TUNING


RACE SAG:

Set the race sag in the range listed on your spec sheet. This is the most important of the suspension settings. After you have spent some time riding and have dialed in your settings, you can try some different sag measurements to find what you like best for your riding style. As a guide line or general rule you should have about 95-105 mm or one third of your available travel as sag. To set your race sag measure from the rear axle to a perpendicular point on the rear fender while the bike is on a stand record the measurement, this is your reference or zero point. Remove the bike and have the rider sit in the position he normally rides in, if available have another person hold the bike by the fork tubes so the rider can keep his feet on the pegs. Take a second measurement and record it, then subtract the fist measurement from your second and that will be your race sag. If you are not within the recommended spec adjust the spring pre load. (Your personal pre-load adjustment may be more or less depending on your personal feel and preference)

FREE SAG/STATIC SAG: MAKING SURE YOUR SPRING IS CORRECT

This measurement is taken to determine if you have the proper spring rate for your weight. Observe how much the motorcycle sags or drops under its own weight. If the bike tops out or has less than 3/4 of an inch or 15 mm of sag then the spring is too soft! If the bike's free sag is over 1 inch or 25 mm the spring rate is too stiff. To obtain your free sag take your first measurement while the bike is on the stand then remove the bike from the stand (make sure to hold only the tubes and not apply additional pressure to the top of the motorcycle) without the rider measure to your reference point and subtract that measurement from the first if you are not with 15 mm to 25 mm adjust the spring pre load. If you have any questions about any of this or it doesn't seem to make sense, contact us immediately.

Your suspension will be pre-set and rideable when revalved by ASR-4 LLC but you may find it necessary to adjust the settings for your riding style or track preference. These differences require you to set-up the adjustments. This guide will help you get the motorcycle dialed in, and will help if you are using stock suspension. If you are having troubles dialing in your suspension, contact us immediately.

Setting the rebound: SHOCK

1.) Find a relatively fast straight away with braking bumps, acceleration bumps that leads into the entrance of a corner. Reduce (Turn clicker out) the rebound damping until the rear end begins to hop or feel loose. Finally, increase (Turn clicker in) the rebound damping until the sensation goes away.

2.) Find large jump that tends to bounce the motorcycle after hitting it. If the rear end bounces up, add rebound. (Turn clicker in)

3.) Find some large whoops. The motorcycle should track straight through the whoops with the rear wheel extending to the ground before the next impact. If it does not perform as described, it is packing and the rebound dampening should be reduced! (Turn clicker out) if the motorcycle kicks side to side the add rebound. (Please note this guide does not apply for sand set-up)

4.) Find a corner with acceleration bumps during the exit. The rear of the motorcycle should follow the ground. If the rear end packs up, reduce the rebound. (Turn clicker out) (If this fails soften the compression by turning out two clicks or open high speed adjuster another 1/4 to 1/2 turn until it smoothes out.)

Setting the compression: SHOCK

1.) Find some rough sections, a large jump and a couple of "G-Outs". The shock should bottom on the roughest section but it should not be a slamming sensation. Add compression to fight bottoming. (Turn clicker in.) But avoid going to far as the suspension's ability to react to small variations of the track will be compromised in the trade. Remember the adjusters have a primary effect on the low speed, so even a large change in setting may only effect bottoming resistance slightly. Remember bottoming your suspension is not necessarily a bad thing. You should strive to bottom off the biggest bottoming load obstacle on the trail. If you don't you're not getting maximum travel & plushness from your suspension. Run your suspension as soft as you can get away with but remember that if the track has sand sections or lots of g-loads this will work against you. For sand refer to our sand tuning section. Also if your compression is set too soft it may exhibit some of the same traits as if your rebound is set too fast.

Setting the compression: FORKS

1.)The forks should react to all track conditions. If the forks seem harsh on small braking bumps, holes, soften the compression. (Turn clicker out) If they are relatively smooth, stiffen (Turn clicker in.) until they do feel harsh and then turn back a click or two. Another possibility is the spring is too stiff for the riders weight.

2.) Now find the rough part of the track. The forks should bottom over the worst g-load or jump. If harsh bottoming occurs, add oil in 10-mm increments.

Setting the rebound: FORKS

1) Find a short sweeper. When the forks compress for the turn, the speed at which the forks return is the energy that pushes your front wheel into the ground. If the forks rebound too quickly, the energy will be used up and the bike will drift wide, or wash. If the rebound is too slow, the bike will tuck under and turn too soon to the inside.

2). With the bike turning well, the wheel should return to the ground quickly and not deflect off successive impacts. If it does, reduce the rebound. (Turn out)

HARDPACK: GUIDE LINES

Normally set the shock high speed compression (if bike is equipped with a HS adjuster) and low speed adjuster to a softer position. Turn the clickers front and rear out & turn the high speed hex on the shock out. These adjustments will maximum wheel contact and provide plushness.

SANDY CONDITIONS:

Sand gets rough, to compensate add compression 1-4 clicks. (Turn clicker in.) Harshness is a result of packing in forks. Remember to add compression (Turn clicker in) to help keep the front end from packing and run your fork rebound the same or a little faster to keep the bike up on top of the sand. The rear suspension will exhibit packing by swapping. To eliminate swapping begin adding compression (Turn clicker in) until the bike tracks straight and then add rebound (Turn clicker in) to keep the rear following the terrain of each whoop. Don't be concerned if your clickers are nearly turned all the way in while riding in sandy conditions. Sand conditions require more low speed compression and rebound. Start by adding 1-2 clicks (Turn clicker in.) of rebound and as the track

ACCELERATION & DE-ACCELERATION HEAD SHAKE:

First we need to determine if the head shake is occurring during acceleration or de-acceleration (chopping the throttle)

If you find the front end skipping or wandering (seems to be searching for traction) and or starting to swap while under acceleration, you will normally need to add rebound (turn in) or reduce your compression 2 clicks. lastly make sure you have the proper spring rate for your weight. (normally associated with too stiff of a spring)

If you experience heads shake when you let off the throttle then you may need to reduce the rebound (turn out) or add 2 clicks of compression to help hold the front end up. Check your spring rate to ensure it is the right rate for your weight. (normally to light or soft of a spring) You can also adjust the fork tubes in the clamp to a flusher position to provide more stability.

EXCESSIVE REAR END KICKING OR HOPPING:

Check for packing, which is identified by in hard to loam conditions. If you think your bike is packing have an experienced person watch to see if the bike is not returning to the ground causing a harshness sometimes associated with the suspension being to soft and it feels like to bike is bottoming out, soften or reduce rebound. (Turn clicker out.) This can not be avoided if you brake improperly and lock the rear wheel up and/or pull in the clutch, on the entrance to corners. Excessive kicking side to side is (deflection) associated with rebound being to fast. add rebound turn in clockwise to reduce this effect

Keep a record of the tracks and conditions you ride at and record the different settings. Now you can have accurate records that will help you set your bike up before you arrive at the track!

KEEP YOUR SUSPENSION NEW & FRESH: MAINTENANCE TIPS

The dampening of suspension changes as the components are used. This is caused by wear and oil viscosity breakdown. It is important that your suspension has regular maintenance. Improper assembly or inadequate fluids will drastically alter the way these components were designed to perform.

For the shock, Fluids should be changed every 25-30 hrs .The linkage should be cleaned and greased once a month, unless severe condition exist such as continuous sand riding. Seals will normally last a season, so once a year we recommend replacing them.

For the forks, we recommend that you bleed off the air pressure during your daily ride or race or when finished riding. A complete service is suggested every 3 months. Every 20 hours ,Seals can last 3-6 months but it recommended you change them at least twice per year. Do not power wash around your seals and wipers this only pushes the dirt and sand deeper into the seal area speeding up wear.

* * Note do not attempt to tune a motorcycle suspension by your self, many of the traits can be misdiagnosed leading to improper tuning and may severely effect your riding and performance.

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Pitster Pro Pit Bikes