Joined Aug 2008
756 Posts | 156+
England, Southampton
'06 FE550 - new to me trying to sort out suspension
- Thread starter basalt
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- fe550 sort suspension
Sometimes only silver will do
Think how much faster that would of gone if it was fixed with red tape.
I was bottoming hard (front) on whoops again this weekend. Current settings seem pretty good for trails, but not the track or desert. Not sure if I should go to .50's from the .48s to help with the bottoming or a revalve, or should I just keep dialing in the compression (currently at 11) for now?
Joined Jun 2007
4K Posts | 1K+
south east WA Australia
I would first try adding some oil to the forks through the bleed hole
then stiffer springs if you have them but be careful how much prelaod they end up with you want as little as possible to minimize initial harshness 0-2mm is very nice
if not then another way is to reduce the float measurement on the mid valve and do a Zp3 mod (read up on smorgasbords posts in the big fork thread)
less float on the MV usually requires a slightly softer stack for the same initial feel but it will hold up nicer on longer stroke hits.
going to a single stage Base valve stack also helps hold it up.
then stiffer springs if you have them but be careful how much prelaod they end up with you want as little as possible to minimize initial harshness 0-2mm is very nice
if not then another way is to reduce the float measurement on the mid valve and do a Zp3 mod (read up on smorgasbords posts in the big fork thread)
less float on the MV usually requires a slightly softer stack for the same initial feel but it will hold up nicer on longer stroke hits.
going to a single stage Base valve stack also helps hold it up.
Joined Apr 2014
689 Posts | 252+
Chilliwack, BC, Canada
Sorta read through this and then jumped to the last page. If not mentioned prior. How is the valving? Is everything working as it should? No bleed by no valveing issues that someone mucked with? I have to agree with Bushie and say to add oil as this will slow it down and is always a good idea with the issue at hand. sometimes changing the weight has helped me as well.
I have seen allot of advise on where the settings should be Just a note that everyone likes different feel and rides differently, so start at a mid setting and work back or fourth until it works for you as no setting is perfect for everyone we only have a base to work from. Once again I didn't read all posts so forgive if this has been advised, but always have success setting my suspension perfect for me. I sometimes fluctuate weight as much as 40lbs. I very rarely change springs for this as it would be an yearly event. I do however set sag regularly and work with my rebound and compression settings, I will find a happy point with the spring and work with that during sag set up.
I have seen allot of advise on where the settings should be
Just a note that everyone likes different feel and rides differently, so start at a mid setting and work back or fourth until it works for you as no setting is perfect for everyone we only have a base to work from. Once again I didn't read all posts so forgive if this has been advised, but always have success setting my suspension perfect for me. I sometimes fluctuate weight as much as 40lbs. I very rarely change springs for this as it would be an yearly event. I do however set sag regularly and work with my rebound and compression settings, I will find a happy point with the spring and work with that during sag set up.
Joined Nov 2012
2K Posts | 821+
Iceland
According to material on the Shim Restackor website,
Spring Rate Selection
This indicates that stiffer springs aren't a bad thing ...
You'd want to be within the bounds of what the valving allows for different terrain, and there as stiff as makes sense.
Playing with Shim Restackor is a lot of fun and very educational! Worth the cash for me!
Spring Rate Selection
This indicates that stiffer springs aren't a bad thing ...
You'd want to be within the bounds of what the valving allows for different terrain, and there as stiff as makes sense.
Playing with Shim Restackor is a lot of fun and very educational! Worth the cash for me!
Joined Jun 2007
4K Posts | 1K+
south east WA Australia
... and then Bushmechanic has mentioned cartridge extensions as the "third way" in the fight against bottoming
yes ... as with engines there is no replacement for displacement
jap MX forks have had near 310mm measured real travel since 2005ish ... we have less than 300 to work with.
if you can be bothered to do some mods:giggle: you can get 322 out of the 07 and 08 forks. best mod you can do to any fork ..
Thanks guys. I think the valving is good. The harshness is gone now that I have the heavier springs and they feel pretty good except for the bottoming. I will play with the oil level! I bought one of those MotionPro oil level things a while back, time to [learn how to] use it!
So turns out I am 264 lbs in my gear (+34 pounds!). Yikes. This was with everything and 3/4 full hydration pack.
I think the .48 front, 9/11.5 rear aren't cutting it. Is there a spring rate/weight chart? .52 front? If it is too stiff I could go .52+.48 for .50?
I think the 9-11.5 is the heaviest progressive correct? stick with it or go straight rate?
Thanks!
I think the .48 front, 9/11.5 rear aren't cutting it. Is there a spring rate/weight chart? .52 front? If it is too stiff I could go .52+.48 for .50?
I think the 9-11.5 is the heaviest progressive correct? stick with it or go straight rate?
Thanks!
Looks like slavens has 9.5-12.5, 10-13 progressive Springs or up to 13 kg/mm straight. Suggestions?
Thanks
Thanks
I've got a Racetech P30 that I can send you if you're interested. I'm about 225lb with gear and I thought it was a tad stiff on big hits (was really plush on small stuff). What do you think shipping is from Oregon to California? $15?
Also, I'm running .52kg/mm Racetech fork springs. Rumor has it that Racetech runs light, so maybe they're closer to .50kg/mm. They feel great so far.
Also, I'm running .52kg/mm Racetech fork springs. Rumor has it that Racetech runs light, so maybe they're closer to .50kg/mm. They feel great so far.
Last edited:
No problem. Not sure what the rate is (Racetech seems to keep that a secret), but it makes the stock WP look pretty wimpy!
Got the Spring. Thanks again JGBerg!
5.0 N/mm Slaven's fork spring on the way!
5.0 N/mm Slaven's fork spring on the way!
Got my first ride in with the new springs at Pozo/La Panza, CA. Rocky, Sandy, and Pouring rain. Had a great time. It is definitely stiff now!
I backed my Fork comp out to 15 (from 12), left the rebound at 14. Left the rear at 18C/14R. With how rocky Pozo is in places it was definitely stiff, but it still wasn't deflecting off the rock ledges. With the rain and not knowing Pozo very well I was taking it pretty easy. It definitely wants to be pushed now and the harder I hit things the better it felt.
Riding Stonyford this weekend which is also pretty rocky in places. I will start with the same settings and back off the comp on the front.
Thanks again for the spring JGBerg!
I backed my Fork comp out to 15 (from 12), left the rebound at 14. Left the rear at 18C/14R. With how rocky Pozo is in places it was definitely stiff, but it still wasn't deflecting off the rock ledges. With the rain and not knowing Pozo very well I was taking it pretty easy. It definitely wants to be pushed now and the harder I hit things the better it felt.
Riding Stonyford this weekend which is also pretty rocky in places. I will start with the same settings and back off the comp on the front.
Thanks again for the spring JGBerg!
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