shock tuning for enduros

Well I went to get some spares for the rebuild today and I managed to get through to Toby and ask a bit about it. He said that they are away to Ohlins now and have to get their spares now through Katoom.

asked what he thought a typical shock might need he said the following (verbatum):
"you'll need 2 back up rings and the 'X' ring. the bump rubber might be gone, the bush seal head is normally quite good and the dust seal is OK. Some people call it the quad ring or the ...........is the other name"

anyway, it's not until the 2003 book that the parts in the shock are itemised, so if there is any chance bushie/popup/ausberg etc you could let me know what the hell a regular service might need that would be great....

I want to get all the bits ordered that it MIGHT be!! PS numbers out of a given year parts book would really make things accurate...

regards

Taffy

I've been put onto Motul V1 400 2.5W (200) as the business. Ausberg will get an auto reply here so maybe we'll see him. haven't seen him around for a while and he and Per are the resident experts.

let you know

regards

Taffy

could do with the shim stacks for the last progressive year if anyone has them for the FE?

regards

Taffy

...but bushie the last progressive year was 2005?

regards

Taffy

as I had the rear shock go west at the weekend the first rebuild is imminent - luckily I have another for now. I will have a spacer made for the inside of the shock because I have the arse end jacked up. some say 3mm some use 5mm. I'll take the 5mm probably.

I went out to the states in 2007 and collected a suspension kit from I think it was MxT? It has a special secondary piston, long taper-needle, shed loads of shims, a short bottom stopper, an alignment tool and a seal head. I look forward to testing the parts but as usual one at a time. It's going to be expensive but I'd like another PDS8 if they can still be bought (95/111) and then overlap them. I need to really get cracking with this testing coz when i get an LDC (yeh...In my dreams!) my mind will be elsewhere!

regards

Taffy

this thread started 4 years and 9 months ago and today - at last - i finally repaired a rear shock! all went well bar one thing, i had a 10 bar nitrogen gauge that showed up to 12 but in fact stops at 9.5 so another one is required.

It's been a lot of money, studying, time and patience but finally i did it. a straight seal head swop with two other 'O' rings. used Motul 2.5W.

drehwurms mechanical marvel works really well. I released the vacuum too hard once and it sucked the air back in....

from now on - we test shimstacks, pistons and those pin fingies in the bottom. I have lots to check out and alas :wink: another girl has entered my life today..... :wink:

regards

Taffy

well my rebuilt shock behaved.....like normal! 8O 8O

now a plan or strategy is required.
I have two std 2002 FE shocks
i have one 2004 FC450 shock.

so the idea is to keep one standard at a time while I test the FC shock and try and covert it back towards enduro use if too harsh WHILST at the same time I'll be fitting the upgrade stuff I bought from MXT in the states and seeing how I get on with that.

however the weather is overtaking us here and valid testing may have to wait while I buy a snorkel!

regards

Taffy

just fitted the MxT piston as a secondary on one of my shocks. I've been holding the MxT kit since force ride 2! 3 years and 8 months....

because there are no instructions i found that I had to find a 44mm face shim for the rebound to cover all the ports and the original set up is a [email protected] over a thin inner .30 shim which acts as a crude float I think. hope it works? anyone know if its a disaster?

so I've prepared two for my next ride: an FC that is standard and a FE with the above.

regards

Taffy

well i tried the other two shocks today and i guess i should never be surprised to be surprised!

I went for a few laps on my 'ol gal and she behaved fine except that I was poor coming out of corners and couldn't keep it down. no dip on the rear see....

anyway, with 10 clicks off the LSC i found nice rear dip exiting corners and it tracked beautifully!

the first test was on the FC shock and i transferred over the spring but unwound it at the preload by one whole turn, immediately though something wasn't right????? the preload collar at the the ring clip end wouldn't fit and I knew straight away that the FC must be a shorter shock. I fitted it and did a session like this and it so over steered that i once came out of a corner hard and it shot clean into the inside ropes. this is a low point i can tell thee.....

so over the next three rides I lowered the clamps at the front and by the third session she was behaving again. i tried undoing the MCC screw on the rear shock and unlike the DCC it doesn't make a s****s worth of difference. so no dip at the rear.

worse was to come as I started to understand WTF it was doing to my bike. with the taller front to the engine (see handling) the SA was nearly in a squat position, the harder i had been opening the throttle the more it had been squating and driving me into the inside rope. so to run this shock again will need the engine plates back 'as per normal'. that way i'll get a little anti-squat to help the situation.

whilst i'm developing the bike for enduro I need to be at a MX track much of the time for what I calll extreme performance. but I have to say the MX shock was superb. it did what it says on the instructions - it did MX! i no longer got the 'double tap' off the top of jumps, it simply absorbed bumps, poor on the 'trail trash' but otherwise excellent. it needed the DCC though real bad as I had no 'dip' on the rear. there was no plunging, just bump. stop. go!

I finally tested another 2002 FE shock that had the secondary piston swapped out for an MXT piston. nothing else was changed. apparently the standard piston is too open and takes a lot of shimming etc to get it right. this was almost like the FC except that the bike handled again! hit a landing and the bike just sucked it up. I'd love to say that it wqas spot on except that it couldn't deal with any of the LS trail trash so there is work to be done yet. it was too much to ask for a piston change alone to be enough to dial in the shock - i wish!

so this shock needs less face shims but there are only two on it anyway.... mmm? slightly worrying!

I need one more attempt to get these two shocks right and then go to a proper enduro track again. I have just bought a 5th shock and it has a DCC which will be going on the FC shock.

one thing I'm sure of though and that is that the bike was developed as an FC and little thought was given to it being an FE....that or when they asked for diversification (different engine plates) they were told be the 'cost cutters' to F off.

regards

Taffy