cracking noise when landing hard

[ATVer14]

When I jump pretty high and need to drop the nose down for the landing, I use my front brakes. But then when I land, I can hear a loud cracking noise in the front end. I can also hear the same noise if I land really hard in the flats. I've inspected and re-inspected the quad, and they is no noticable damage or cracks anywhere in the front end. Someone said that the noise could be the brakes releasing upon landing, but I don't know if I believe it. Does anyone else know what this noise could be, and have you had it happen to you before? Thanks
One more question, is hitting the front brakes in the air to drop the nose ok? I've heard of people using the back brake, but my front ones seem to do the same thing and they're much more easily accessable in the air. Thanks
Kenny

[250exen]

that crack you hear when you land it your shocks. you are bottoming out ur shocks and the are hitting metal to metal(time for new shocks soon!!!!!!)
also i think hitting ur front brakes is fine

[yamaha1470]

Hopefully this makes sense. If you go on a bike just lift the front tire and land. Then lift the front tire and hit the front brake. When you land it makes a noise because the tire is stopped and then hits the ground with no momentum. It is the same with the quad just louder since u have 2 big front tires totally stopped that when they land and hit the dirt a make a noise. That would be my guess but if u said it was a cracking noise i dont know. Also u said when u jump high or mand flat it makes a noise. Thats bottoming your shocks out.

[ATVer14]

Well, I think what yamaha1470 said makes the most sense. I've got Works shocks, so it's definately not the bottoming out sound I'm hearing, since the shocks have got a huge rubber bumper at the bottom of the shock. Keep the guesses coming guys.
Thanks

[Wired]

are your bushings shot on the shocks? they may be new shocks but maybe their worn down already. maybe some bearings are out, just inspect the whole front end real good and if you dont find anything wrong it must be that tire no moment idea. otherwise i have no idea what it is. good luck

[OutlawEX]

It could be ur shock bottoming out forcing ur silencer to hit ur rear brake caliper....Or it could also be ur chain hitting ur sub frame or hitting something

[Nausty]

check your duel oversized locknuts next to the oil resivour bearings and tighten those up and it should fix your problem.

[ATVer14]

Well, I'll check the shock bearings tonight, but I don't think thats the problem. The sound is definately in my front end, so it couldn't be the silencer or the chain.

Nausty- What locknuts are you talking about, I've got a 300EX, which doesn't have an oil reservoir.

WiredCinqmars- You arn't related to Mike Cinqmars, the Freestyle guy on Renthal's website, are you? Here's the link to his name, he's about 3/4 of the way down the page in the 2001 USA SuperCross/National section. http://www.renthal.com/offroad.htm

[airheadedduner]

I would check all the bushings. Hitting your brakes in the air is the quickest way to bring the front end down. You got your tires, wheels, axle, tahts a lot of weight. Tap your brakes and stop it and it drops the front.

[muff]

if you have dual rates, which you probably do, it might be the little collar inside the dual rate that'll be making the noise when the little spring bottoms out and hits the collar

me and my friend both have 300ex's and when we landed hard off big jumps the rear shock would make a cracking noise. my friend got his checked out, and were the shock mounted to the frame, it was loose. his dosent make a crackin noise anymore.