Suspension Duty 

All the components of your suspension, including pistons, valves and seals are designed to last practically forever.

 

• Failure is often nothing more than plain DIRTY contaminated oil. 

 

• Standard oil is only just acceptable and with steel and aluminum working together inside the shock quickly produces a fine black compound, which suspends itself in the oil. This tends to damage seals, plugs up orifices and in some cases bonds shims together.

 

• A system with DIRTY oil reciprocates thru parts that merely push and suck oil from one chamber to another with little control over the punishment of terrain it encounters. 

 

• Left unattended the system will gradually grind itself away and eventually failure is evident with oil leakage and in some cases bluing of the shock shaft from over heating. 

 

• Fortunately if a shock is not left too long without servicing then it will not only perform better than new, it will last longer once that initial oil has been replaced.

 

Warning: If your shock loses its oil, get it fixed before your next ride because when a shock loses its oil the pressure inside the shocks gas bladder will remain. This can force the bladder into the sharp threaded section at the base of the reservoir and destroy it WHICH IN MOST CASES IS COSTLY.

 

Services:

 

• If the bike is new and just broken in and you are certain that all is needed is a flush and fill, then this is a good time to flush the standard oil and replace it with good quality oil, however total disassembly is recommended to insure complete cleanliness at initial break in on new bike suspension.

 

• Our service is designed for bikes which have not been serviced for 6-12 months. This includes disassembly of the shock and fork, cleaning and inspection of all seals, shims, bushings and damping adjusters. 

 

• Reassemble unit and repressurize with fresh nitrogen for shock.

  

 

NOTE: ADDITIONAL CHARGE FOR PARTS ON REBUILDS.

 

 

Read this before you refit your forks and shock:

 

All clicker settings are referred to from the fully wound in (clockwise) position.

 

 

Forks:

 

Compression (C) clicker or adjuster is usually at the base of the fork; sometimes covered by a rubber plug; just flick it out with a screwdriver. (Compression clicker is on top for SHOWA twin chamber forks)

 

Rebound (R) is the top clicker for all forks other than twin chamber forks.

Clickers settings are suggested at 10C and 10R which is a good place to start.

 

 

Triple clamps

 

 

Wipe the clamps out with a solvent, they must be clean and oil free. Use a 'Scotchbrite' pad if you need to remove any hard deposits. Feel the steering head bearings while you are at it - do they move freely?

 

Axle

 

Check the axle for any nicks or burrs. NEVER HIT YOUR AXLE WITH ANYTHING HARDER THAN BRASS OR PLASTIC. If your axle cannot center in the axle foot, you will have a harsh feeling fork that you cannot remedy with clicker adjustment.

 

• Install the forks and torque the triple clamps to manufacturer’s specification. Over tightening will cause binding in the upper tubes.

 

• Set the fork projection through the top clamps to the stock position. If you have a projection preference and have not changed fork settings, set it to your previous figure.

 

 • Lubricate the axle with thin oil or WD40, run it through the feet and wheel bearings to ensure it is smooth.

 

• Install the wheel, axle, axle bolt followed by pinch bolts and torque per requirement. (READ IMPORTANT NOTE)

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: After all the work is done; Tighten (left side) axle bolt and pinch bolts to recommended torque. Stick a small screw driver to open up the lower (right side) fork pinch bolt leg clamp. This will allow it to float on it's own center. Once it finds it's own center, remove screw driver and tighten pinch bolts to recommended torque. Pump front brake to make sure it functions properly. Done!

 

 

Shock:

 

Low speed compression (LSC) flat blade screwdriver fitting at the top of the shock.

 

High-speed compression (HSC) large red hex nut at the top of the shock, it moves independently of the low speed.

 

Rebound (R) the adjuster at the bottom of the shock.

 

Clickers settings are suggested at 10 LSC, 10 R and 1-2 turn out HSC which is a good place to start. Make sure the spring preload collars are loose so you can easily adjust the preload to the recommended specs on the last page of the tuning guide.

 

• Move the swing arm up and down to check for binding in the linkages.

 

• Fit the shock torque the bolts to specifications.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: On your first ride start riding carefully. If you have had a major change to your suspension settings your bike will react differently to obstacles and you may crash as a result.

 

Make your suspension do some of the work:

 

Getting your suspension dialed in for your riding style is one of your first priorities when you take your new bike out to the track. However, it is an ongoing process. What worked today might not suit the next track conditions you encounter next week. Therefore, you have to take on the role of test rider for yourself and learn to identify problem areas. Never stop testing and thinking about what your bike is doing. Here are some practical tips for making your bike as good as it can be stock or modified.

 

Spring Rates

 

 

• There is again no way a manufacturer can know what you weigh. The 'average' target weight is a 75kg rider. Therefore, if you have a MX or current technology enduro bike, chances are the spring rates will be close for you. Of course, you will need to check and adjust your sag to be sure.

 

• There are some exceptions. If you ride in sand or mud a lot, you might want to go to heavier springs. Pro class riders on four strokes will go for stiffer rates, as will x-treme jumpers. 

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