adjusting my works shocks? [Archive]

400exBro

04-09-2002, 03:23 PM

REBOUND
Rebound is the damping of the shock as it recovers, or extends from a bump. Increasing, or stiffening, the rebound damping makes the shock recover slower. Decreasing, or softening, the rebound damping allows the shock to recover faster.

REBOUND ADJUSTER LOCATION
The rebound adjustment screw is located on the shaft end of the shock in the eye or clevis (as installed). On most clevis applications the adjuster is in line with the shock mounting bolt. On the shocks built with eye ends, the adjuster is usually at a right angle to the shock mounting bolt.The adjuster is a hex socket screw, that can be turned with a 1/4" socket key wrench. The rebound adjuster screw has three full turns available.

CAUTION: The adjuster mechanism inside the shaft includes a tapered needle and seat. Do not over-tighten the adjuster screw. The needle or seat can be damaged and can result in poor performance. Use a light touch on the wrench.

Each full revolution has 6 detent positions. Hence there are 18 rebound positions. Position number one is when the adjuster screw is turned clockwise all the way to stop. This is the stiffest (slowest recovery speed) setting. For determining rebound position for recording purposes, this is the starting point. Unscrewing the adjuster screw counter-clockwise will yield 18 positions (three full turns) from that point. This is the softest (fastest recovery speed) position.The detents are very light, so a deft hand should be used. If you exceed three full turns out the rebound damping will get full-stiff again. On many of the eyes, this will expose the O-ring seal. If you continue to turn the screw out, you will eventually dislodge part of the adjuster mechanism, and the shock will have to be rebuilt..

REBOUND ADJUSTMENTS

If a shock exhibits too much rebound damping, it will have a tendency to "pack. This is seen over multiple bumps, such as stutter bumps, pavement seams, or off-road whoop-de-dos. The suspension will react well over the first bump, but seems to get stiffer on each successive bump. On pavement, this can deliver a jolt, or harsh whack on the riders seat. On off-road situations,the back end of the vehicle will want to pass you - either to the left, or to the right, or over your head (endo)! In off-road this is often described by the rider as "swapping" or "kicking up." The fix for this condition is to decrease (soften) the rebound. Turn the screw counter-clockwise to make the rebound faster.

COMPRESSION
Compression damping, is the action of the shock as it compresses or closes when the wheel moves up from hitting a bump or coming off of a jump (off-road). Increasing, or stiffening, the compression slows the shock's movement and makes the suspension less compliant. Decreasing, or softening, the compression allows the shock to collapse more easily and allows the wheel to move further (than a stiffer setting at the same spring preload and bump configuration).
When a shock exhibits too little rebound damping, the suspension may feel too mushy, or "pogo." On pavement, this is seen most in fast sweepers. The bike will alternately set, then unload; set, unload. This translates into "sawing" at the handlebars, which is caused by the changes in trail at the front suspension. On dirt, the action is similar, but in many cases not as noticeable.As a general rule, having too little rebound at the rear of a Dirt machine is much better than having too much (see "swapping", "kicking up", and "endo", above.) On the pavement, too little rebound can be much more unsettling than the loss of comfort from too much rebound. To slow the rebound, turn the screw in (clockwise).

COMPRESSION ADJUSTER LOCATION
Compression adjustments are made by turning the screw on the top edge of the reservoir (if so equipped). A 5/16-inch wide flat blade screwdriver is used to make the adjustments. In some cases a coin can be used. CAUTION: Do not attempt to turn the hex as part of the adjustment procedure. The approximate range of adjustment is 18 to 25 "clicks." For determining compression position for recording purposes, turn the screw counterclockwise until it stops. Then turn the screw in (clockwise) and count the number of clicks to stop. The number one position is found when the screw is turned clockwise to its stop (approximately 3 turns in). This is the stiffest setting.

COMPRESSION ADJUSTMENTS
The compression adjuster is used to make fine adjustments to the compression damping. Normally, the starting point for the tuning the shock is compression on full soft (counterclockwise turns to stop). If the suspension bottoms too often, then turn the screw in (clockwise) several clicks, and then ride the bike through the same sections again. If you end up with the adjuster near or at full stiff position, then you may experience a loss of feel on small bumps or washboard surfaces. If this the only way to keep the suspension from bottoming too often, then the spring and/or damping rates may be incorrect for the application. If the spring and main compression damping rates are too light, then the adjuster may not compensate for this, and the shock should be re-sprung and the damping rates changed internally.

COMPRESSION AND REBOUND INTERACTION
Compression adjustments are often "tied" to the rebound adjustments and visa-versa. For instance, if you have increased the compression damping to slow the shock thereby using less of the wheel travel (for a given bump), you may end up slowing the rebound to compensate for the shorter recovery distance. Conversely, if you lighten the compression, you will probably end up reducing the rebound damping to enable the wheel to recover faster.

This was quoted from honda ex .com
Bro