I have had the bike out in the trails few times now. The back-end just hops on the rocks and hard stuff. It dosen't bite. I had the dealer adjust the suspension, but it just feels like rock, really stuff on the trails. Could it be the Tires?
I have 400 miles on my new TE 610. I know exactly what you mean. I know it will need about 1000 miles to fully break in. I will wait until then to start playing with the clickers. I dont think its a 'suspension problem', ive owned other Huskys with that model of Sachs shock. Main problem i had in the past was the rebound. If you are ready to start playing with the clickers, start with slowing down the rebound, a couple clicks at a time. Of course make sure the bike is broken in, the sag set, etc. Big Baja trip next week for me, will be fiddling with the clickers, will report back what i find.
As mentioned set the sag before anything else. I'd start at base settings and go from there, but much depends on how much you weigh. I'm not sure if the model years are different, but the 08's are sprung for a good bit of weight. I'm 200lbs and went with a 2-rate lighter spring. I'm guessing previous recent years are the same rate.
Yep, set your sag and then start playing with the adjusters. Make sure you know which ones do what and then feel free to change settings until you find what works best for you. The biggest issue with a lot of people is they are afraid to twist the clickers. Go for it. Do 3 clicks at a time as that is enough to change things where you can feel it. There is a balance between compression and rebound to be had. Do one clicker at a time and feel what it does to your suspension. If you move it 3 one way and it gets worse move it 3 the other way. Going to the plus side on the rebound slows the wheel returning to full extension, this can stop hopping. If you dial in to much is will make the rear end pack down (not allowed to return to full extension before the next hit) and can make the rear feel harsh and stiff as it is now trapped lower in the travel and in the progressive and stiffer part of the stroke. To little will allow the back end to bounce around. Fast dez stuff you want more rebound to keep the rear from kicking. Woods work you want less rebound to keep the wheel active and following the ground. The more compression you run the less rebound you usually need because the bike is compressing less and needs less rebound as it is rebounding less. Twist those adjusters and see what happens. You can always put them back tot where they were if it gets worse. Don't be afraid to experiments. 101 - http://www.dirt-bike-tips-and-pics.com/dirt-bike-suspension.html
I had my suspension set up professionally and we saw all charts on the computer. I'm 180lbs and both front and rear are set up to get max travel which means the completely unscrewed otherwise I was not getting a full use of the travel.
Are you saying having the clickers all the way out was best using computerized testing with a stock suspension i.e. no spring or valving changes? Forks or rear? Cause that is what John Curea told me to do before the re-valve, fork clickers all the way out.
Yes it turned out to be the case. Me 180lbs + full tank + gear could get 10.8in of travel from 11in total front. The rear was perfect completely open. I had to relearn how to ride this Cadillac
So does this mean to set everything to the max (+) plus settings. On the forks and rear shock? I am 190 lb. Thanks
Every Husky owned by another rider ive ridden was set up to stiff. Everyone, almost everyone, needs to soften their suspension with the clickers. Just going with the theme here. My Baja 1000 race bike TE 510 rear had the rebound maxed out. Front had softer springs and stuff to detailed to go into. Curiously--my '07 Rally TE 510 bike that weighs 380lbs is great with the stock suspension. That goes to show how stiff they come from Italy.
I made the adjustments "Everything open to the max turn the screws to the left." And just got back from a ride in the mountians. Wow, it is a completely different bike. The bike feels like it's 50 lb lighter. It's just a blast, tearing down Forest Service Roads on it now.
My stock suspension felt harsh in the smaller bumps, and once broken in a bit did not soak up the bigger bumps and would bottom out. Now it is the opposite. Soaks up the little bumps and is plush and will not bottom out on the really big bumps. It definitely saved a trip to the hospital for broken writs at least once and I do not ride that hard at all, but do make mistakes.
Back from a 600 mile 3 day baja trip. Man that was fun. '08 TE 610 now with 1000 miles. After repeated attempts at dialing in the front forks i came up with this: 5 clicks of rebound-- Any less and i was bottoming out the forks on really big jumps at high speed, and i was 'packing' the forks on high speed downhill braking bumps. The forks are still a bit harsh when hitting cross grain rain ruts, but much better than the stock settings. To get them better oil levels, and oil amounts would have to be fiddled with. After that its time for a suspension re-valve and or re-spring. So try running it on 5 clicks out. Cant imagine anyone would need more/faster rebound. ( i weigh 205lbs, plus gear, etc. -- 'A' type rider) Hope that helps. Stock i found the bike came with 10 clicks.
