2011 Xc Harsh suspension

[absurveyor]

Ok, so I am finally getting used to riding a 2 stroke and as my speed has increased the suspension seems to be pretty harsh when going over lots of roots or rocks in second or third gear. I say harsh because it seems to only use the first third of the travel and gets "bound up?" there. One single hard hit is fine like when you are crossing a log. Springs are to my weight. All settings are to stock except high speed compression of the rear is 1/4 turn out. On rocky hill climbs the rear tends to bounce and not bite into the hill.

My first guess is to add a couple of clicks of rebound to get the fork/shock to not get bound up. Is this a compression or rebound issue or rider?

[cedric]

I'd say turn down the high speed compression damping. If you want it to return to full extension, then reduce the rebound, not increase it.

[Bark]

I have compression damping on both front/rear set to almost full open. I think both are set to fully open (turned out) and back in 2-3 clicks. I'll turn them in a click or two if I start to bottom which I haven't to date. (I did this before riding the bike because it totally transformed my 530 from beating the living daylights out of me to being so easy to ride.) I think my rear shock high speed is set to 2 turns out (comfort setting from manual?).

No complaints for me so far but I have a very hard time twisting the throttle in the fast sections. (IE: I don't go very fast over the fast, rough stuff. Maybe my settings are wrong and if I did something else I 'could' twist the throttle in the fast stuff?)

Cheers,
Aaron

[cedric]

I have no experience with your bike, lots of guys here do, but keep in mind the XCs are supposed to be set up stiffer than an EXC/XCW and will probably feel harsher if you are not riding aggressively.

[thirtyseven]

Reset your sag, the fork starts to feel harsh when the sag goes beyond dirtyboys magic sag #s.

[TrialsPaul]

Do you mean high speed is 1/4 turn out from stock or 1/4 turn out from fully closed?

[absurveyor]

Reset your sag, the fork starts to feel harsh when the sag goes beyond dirtyboys magic sag #s.

High speed is 1/4 turn out from stock settings.

Thanks 37, I'll re check this again. Dirtyboy your magic number was 104 to 106mm right?
Sweet to evil must be a fine line on these bikes.

[dirtyboy]

With the stock springs, I could not adjust it from the stock settings and make it any better, except for the HS compression on the shock. (And I removed a preload spacer in the forks and lowered the oil level a little) Turned the HS way out. This helps with traction on sharp edge bumps like roots where it feels like it skips.

Were the springs that you put in the correct length? I think they need to be 486mm with spacers for 0 preload.

The bike rides smoother the faster you ride it and is very sensitive to setup. Race sag will tell you if you have the correct springs for your weight and static sag will be good for setup on daily basis. I found that a difference of 4mm in the static sag made it ride very poorly. If NI has leaked then you will have to crank up the spring to get the correct static sag and then it also rides poorly. Spring preload should not be more or much more than 10mm. I adjust my sag with full tank of fuel and with me standing in attack position.

Technically when you add heavier springs you can reduce the compression clicker a couple clicks and increase the rebound a couple to compensate for the increased spring pressure.

I think Bark has a good idea if you want to ride on the slower side and have it plusher but when you soften it up it will become wallowy at speed. The clickers are very responsive on this bike so a little (2) goes a long way.

If you change any of these items the sag (either sag type) may also change so it will require adjustment:

Chain tension
Clicker settings
Fork height in triple clamps
Fork stiction (keep the wipers lubed)
Oil height in forks
Handlebar position
Foot peg orientation
Seat
Tire size

Some are small changes but all affect the sag.

Also the axle needs to be installed so that the forks are parallel. It is easy to get it a little off and then the forks will bind, feel harsh, and wear prematurely.

If this all seems too much, check the axle at home and then increase the preload on the shock by 1 turn in the middle of a ride and see what it feels like.

Edit: I don't have a magic number - I just use the manual's setting except for the notations above.

[Hendrix13]

The best suspension advice DirtyBoy gave to me was to ride faster

Make sure the springs are right for your weight.
Set all the clickers to stock.
Set the sag.