400ex rear shock adjustment?

[toby400ex]

Ok, call me dumb but i dont know the first thing about adjusting my stock 400ex rear shock except the preload. I want to get all i possibly can out of that thing. I do Cross country racing, so i want as much sag as possible, and ive heard that fast rebound is good. And what do i do about compression adjustment so i can make my shock work the best. thanks for any input:D

[KandK952]

my guess is that if you are running cross country you probably want your shocks pretty soft. I know I set my PEP's up a lot softer when Im going through the trails than when I race mx. I am not sure about the rebound so maybe put it somewhere in the middle unless someone else has some advice. and i think you want some sag but not a ton because then you might be hitting the ground a lot with your frame and stuff. maybe someone else will give you better advice.

[toby400ex]

I also need to know how to do these things. I know how to adjust the springs though. Hammer and a punch:p

[Mr_Bub400ex]

u can adjust the rears preload? i gotta lower the quad to the level of the fonts...

[remlapr]

I have given up on adjusting my pre-load. I don't think that thing is going to move unless I take the shock out and soak it in a vat of WD-40 for a week.

[toby400ex]

bump

[QuadTrix6]

on the top of the shock on the clutch side is the compression dial. on the bottom of the shock on the same side is the rebound adjustment.

[KandK952]

remlapr i think i know your problem. you have to lift all the sag you have in your rear shock out and let the tires just gently rest on the ground. this will take pressure off. then find a punch or something (screw driver would work but be careful so you dont hurt the shock) and just hit the top one so it threads up. hit it a few times if necessary. (a spanner wrench works once you have it loose once but they are pretty tight if you have never loosened it.) if that doesnt work i dont know what to tell you.

[KandK952]

toby, im not sure which way is which on the stock because i have a pep and havent used stock for a while. but there are 2 screw's (or dials as someone said) just thread them in or out all the way to check what they do (soften or stiffen, slow or make the rebound faster, it should be pretty obvious)

[toby400ex]

I Adjusted the preload and it now sits lower which i likey, ill mess with the rebound and compression when i go riding next time. Because i adjusted them both in and out and didnt notice a difference.:huh

search, search , search. Its in there :D

[remlapr]

Originally posted by KandK952
toby, im not sure which way is which on the stock because i have a pep and havent used stock for a while. but there are 2 screw's (or dials as someone said) just thread them in or out all the way to check what they do (soften or stiffen, slow or make the rebound faster, it should be pretty obvious)

Man I have beat the he!! out of that thing, there is ahuge notch in the ring now from the big ***** screwdriver I was using - not that I really care that much, so unless I am missing something, like it's left threaded or something, it just aint gonna happen. My bike is a 99 and that shock has never seen a shock cover so screw it - I am going to get it rebuilt within the next couple of months anyway.

Originally posted by remlapr
Man I have beat the he!! out of that thing, there is ahuge notch in the ring now from the big ***** screwdriver I was using - not that I really care that much, so unless I am missing something, like it's left threaded or something, it just aint gonna happen. My bike is a 99 and that shock has never seen a shock cover so screw it - I am going to get it rebuilt within the next couple of months anyway.

remlap jack the quad up were the swingarm is free and the rear shock is fully extended then try loosening up that preload..just hit the top ring not the close one to the spring..