Rear Shock Setup

[Rohr397]

So I don't know how many of you have seen the crash video but if you have, I think it's clear my rear shock could use some adjustment. I'm not blaming the rear shock for that crash, but having it setup better would sure help.

I've got a PEP ZPS shock, and basically what I'm aiming for is a soft shock that can hammer out big whoops, take hard landings and get set really low for the corners. I'm 170lbs with all my gear and 5'10"

I have tried to setup my suspension before based on the manual instructions, but it never turns out working and often works out worse. If anyone has a similar setup I'd love to see the specs on the compression/rebound settings and all that. It'd be cool to see front end specs too, but I think my front end is good.

Here's the video if that means anything to you guys: http://www.youtube.com/user/BWRProductions?feature=mhee#p/a/u/0/wc6cSa0pOtw

Thanks guys!

[Dylan227]

your rebound looks way to fast. Slow here down a little and you should be better off

[Rohr397]

Okay, are we talking like 1 or 2 clicks or more like 5. I'd test it but... broken arm...

[Rohr397]

Okay, are we talking like 1 or 2 clicks or more like 5. I'd test it but... broken arm...

[400man]

i'd say try the 5 or more clicks. or better yet, adjust it all the way then try and see how much of a difference there is and go from there?

[Dylan227]

try 3 clicks then 5 then 6 and see what ya like

[Longdong]

Don't tighten the screw to tight. There is a little needle and you can mess it up real quick! Act like you are tighten the screw down on an egg.

[fearlessfred]

in the video your fenders were slapping the rear tires on every hit.once you go past bottoming,you start to load the axle and tire and they become a spring with no rebound control. you need to control the bottom out first. keep in mind that you do want to bottom on the biggest hits that you are planning on hitting.to much rebound control can cause more problems by not allowing the shock to return fast enough before the next bump and that will cause it to pack up and spit you off,it does not appear as if this happened in your wreck. i would suggest only going 1 or 2 clicks at a time when doing rebound adjustments.reboud adjustment has an effect on compression dampening also.

[TheAwesomehonda]

Well from what I know about suspension I would say that u should tighten up your compression because your shock looks like a pogo stick with no compression restriction.

[Longdong]

What is your ride height set at?

[fearlessfred]

Originally posted by TheAwesomehonda
Well from what I know about suspension I would say that u should tighten up your compression because your shock looks like a pogo stick with no compression restriction. x2 onthe pogo stick. the only problem with using compression adjustment is that it doesnt realy help with controling bottom out very much.

[TheAwesomehonda]

Originally posted by fearlessfred
x2 onthe pogo stick. the only problem with using compression adjustment is that it doesnt realy help with controling bottom out very much. No it wont but it wont beable to bottom out is fast. maybe he needs to tighten up his preload to or get the shocks revalved.

[Rohr397]

Yeah, my fenders are bent a little loose and drooped but I agree with what you're saying, those rollers really threw me around and I shouldve recognized that I didn't have the ability to hit them fourth pinned that day. The compression could also be set up wrong, I just had a lot of people tell me it was the rebound but they didn't say what to do about it. And finally my ride height is all messed up because my front tires are 22's and my rears are 18's which really screws with the way the bike sits. I have been saving up to change out the fronts so no worries those are going away.

[Rohr397]

Not trying to sound like a know it all but the PEP shocks dont have preload. The ZPS stands for zero preload system.

[TheAwesomehonda]

Originally posted by Rohr397
Not trying to sound like a know it all but the PEP shocks dont have preload. The ZPS stands for zero preload system. haha WOW yeah its me that don't know anything about PEP shocks sorry.. On a shock with preload adjustment that could be do though

[Rohr397]

Oh no it's cool dude don't worry about! I really love these shocks, they work great, I just think I need to adjust them for what I do and I may need to have them rebuilt by PEP but I want to see if I can make it work before I send them all the way to the only PEP builder on the west coast which happens to be in SoCal.

[fearlessfred]

Originally posted by TheAwesomehonda
No it wont but it wont beable to bottom out is fast. maybe he needs to tighten up his preload to or get the shocks revalved. or maybe a diff spring.i was trying to play down the use of the compression adjuster,because most of its effect is in the initial movement of the shock travel,after that the effect goes away.the oil travels thru the adjuster and into the rezzy, instead of going thru the valving as the preasure get higher most of the oil is going thru the valving and not into the rezzy, this effect helps on the small studder bumps.if you increase compression damping,it makes for a harsher ride in the small stuff.the correct springs and ride height is the starting point for a good setup.the correct springs will only need to be snugged down for correct ride height.if the springs have to be preloaded a bunch the the spring is to soft.

[TheAwesomehonda]

Originally posted by Rohr397
Oh no it's cool dude don't worry about! I really love these shocks, they work great, I just think I need to adjust them for what I do and I may need to have them rebuilt by PEP but I want to see if I can make it work before I send them all the way to the only PEP builder on the west coast which happens to be in SoCal. Just to clear it up I am talking about the rear shock pre load and your talking about the front shock? The rear is preload adjustable if i'm not mistaken again.

[Rohr397]

No the rears are also ZPS, it's engraved on the reservoir in big letters. They're also from 2000 so they might not make them like that anymore, but I know for sure these are zero preload shocks.

[TheAwesomehonda]

Originally posted by Rohr397
No the rears are also ZPS, it's engraved on the reservoir in big letters. They're also from 2000 so they might not make them like that anymore, but I know for sure these are zero preload shocks. Sorry again I looked at some ZPS shocks and they had the threaded part by the top of the spring and it looked like an adjust but now I see it isn't.

[Rohr397]

Oh no dude don't apologize, they're not exactly normal shocks. I didn't understand them till I had them and even now I'm no expert on how they work.

[Rohr397]

Oh and just for the record, my compression/rebound screws are hand adjustable. I've never seen that before, but it seems like a good idea I guess?

[badtothebone250]

Just out of curiosity, when was the last time you had the shock rebuilt and freshened up?

[Rohr397]

They were redone by the original owner back in 2010 and then he sold it to a family that rode it a few times at the dunes and in circles in the backyard so they're pretty fresh.

[TheAwesomehonda]

Originally posted by Rohr397
Oh and just for the record, my compression/rebound screws are hand adjustable. I've never seen that before, but it seems like a good idea I guess? Yea that is nice my 450r shocks rn't to bad I just need a screw driver for rebound and a screw driver and 12 or 14 wrench I aways forget.. but the preload adjust sucks cuz i need a bunch of big pliers.

[dustin_j]

Originally posted by fearlessfred
or maybe a diff spring.i was trying to play down the use of the compression adjuster,because most of its effect is in the initial movement of the shock travel,after that the effect goes away.the oil travels thru the adjuster and into the rezzy, instead of going thru the valving as the preasure get higher most of the oil is going thru the valving and not into the rezzy, this effect helps on the small studder bumps.if you increase compression damping,it makes for a harsher ride in the small stuff.the correct springs and ride height is the starting point for a good setup.the correct springs will only need to be snugged down for correct ride height.if the springs have to be preloaded a bunch the the spring is to soft.

Your posts are great, Fred. Suspension geometry and spring rates have more to do with suspension action than most people realize or give credit. Is this is a stock linkage? Your ZPS shock is going to make this a little different than what Fred is describing above (though I agree with him completely). This is due to the fact that the ZPS setup is really a negative preload, meaning, you have some amount of shaft travel before you start to compress/contact the main spring. You will want to verify correct spring rate and sag/ride height; this will be easier when you get your new tires. I'll watch your video at home tonight. Sorry to hear about your accident, I hope the healing goes well.