Setting Sag ?

[splatshop]

Hi the Sag wants to be set at around 80 to 90mm with your weight on the bike. I've been running about 83mm of sag on my own bike.

There is no perfect amount so you want set it how you like it, as a guide the less sag you run on the back the twichy the bike will become and the more sag you run the more your bike will stay in a straight line, the reason for this is it changes your steering angle.

Oh and make sure you haven't got loads of play in your linkage, take you first measurement with the bike on a stand so the back wheel is off the floor, measure from the axle straight up to the rear mudguard (put some tape on your mudguard so you measure to the same place) and finally get someone to measure the same distance with you on the bike. Your position on the bike makes a big difference to the amount of sag so try to stand as you would normally, take a few reading and average them out.

You want to have around 20 to 25mm of sag without you on the bike so the suspension doesn't top out to harshly, if you've got no static sag you need a stiffer spring and less preload.

Hope this helps

Chris

[cabby]

58-60 sounds correct.

Hi the Sag wants to be set at around 80 to 90mm with your weight on the bike.

You see, this is the issue I have with suspension, two answers to one simple question, both very different.

[cabby]

So you have compressed (check this) the spring all the way!!!!!!!...... wow. Well done you may be the first (really). I'd expect the bike to thump up to the top of it's travel and have no static sag at all. Hummm check the spring isn't broken.

The bike is 4 months old, the spring is new (obviously) and there wasn't too much thread to wind down tbh.

[copemech]

You see, this is the issue I have with suspension, two answers to one simple question, both very different.

Nor can I fathom why one would listen to the opinion of a BTC top level rider, all personal choice you see!

[nzralphy]

You see, this is the issue I have with suspension, two answers to one simple question, both very different.

Yip. Set your sag with both directions and try it and see what you prefer.

If you do it with 1/3 race ready sag you only need a little static sag probably 10-20mm.

Now..... your bike. I really don't understand how you can have sooooo much sag and you have tightened your spring all the way! It doesn't make sense. If it is as you say..... you need a spring and/or it is broken. Perhaps you should call the importer for his thoughts.

Ralphy

[cabby]

Now..... your bike. I really don't understand how you can have sooooo much sag and you have tightened your spring all the way! It doesn't make sense. If it is as you say..... you need a spring and/or it is broken. Perhaps you should call the importer for his thoughts.

Ralphy

I agree this is how it looks on paper, and even I was surprised on how little thread there was left to wind as it had never been touched before now.

[copemech]

I agree this is how it looks on paper, and even I was surprised on how little thread there was left to wind as it had never been touched before now.

There is not a lot, yet should be enough to get your static in range as the spring settles in.

Now I will tell you that(since you have read all this) tha jacked up rear becomes far less important unless you are a bad ass stop and hop rider, at least in most sections, because of stability, as Chris mentioned. In really tight technical sections, this could change, because it does tighten your steering, however a good rider may just move the rear a tad to compensate. Finding your comfort zone?, well, once again, I can put a good rider on the bike and he just compensates on his own, and still kicks your ass! No difference.

[cabby]

There is not a lot, yet should be enough to get your static in range as the spring settles in.

Now I will tell you that(since you have read all this) tha jacked up rear becomes far less important unless you are a bad ass stop and hop rider, at least in most sections, because of stability, as Chris mentioned. In really tight technical sections, this could change, because it does tighten your steering, however a good rider may just move the rear a tad to compensate. Finding your comfort zone?, well, once again, I can put a good rider on the bike and he just compensates on his own, and still kicks your ass! No difference.

yep I agree totally, but why do soo many people make such a big deal of getting your sag sorted then ?

[nzralphy]

yep I agree totally, but why do soo many people make such a big deal of getting your sag sorted then ?

Oh this getting ridiculous....... Because if you DON'T set the bike up as it is intended from the factory - the bike rides like a POS.

Do you see the factory riders riding with sagged-out suspension?.... no.

Factory riders follow a normal experience. I'm sorry to tell you this but the normal experience - from very advanced suspension development engineers - is 1/3 sag (and accurately to the mm). Please remember I've not come up with this technique.

Your bike has some adjustment, so why wouldn't you set the same as a factory ride (apart from their flash dampers of course)?

Try both settings..... I have and the bike handles slow and can't take bigger hits when set soft.

Oh whoops...nearly forgot....a balanced motorcycle is very important, so the front and back action should be balanced when you cycle the suspension.

I've had enough. Good luck, Ralphy

[fatbastard]

I've had enough. Good luck, Ralphy

He needs more than luck, believe you me

[stevecollie]

Same but different

You should ask Brad & Nat how they have set theirs

You should have kept your Ohlins

Edited April 28, 2012 by Stevecollie

[cabby]

How predictable, no show without punch.

[copemech]

How predictable, no show without punch.

There is a mate with a heavy spring for sale in the classified section listed for an '11 bike. You might ck w Chris to see if it fits the new shocker on the '12.

[jse]

yep I agree totally, but why do soo many people make such a big deal of getting your sag sorted then ?

I'm guessing that a lot of riders think there is a "perfect" setting for their bike, which I don't believe is true. Sure, you want the sag to be in the ballpark and close as possible to factory recommendations as it has an effect on the geometry of the suspension system as it was designed. There are a lot of input variables for Trials suspension due to the way we ride and it is quite different than setting up a roadracer or MX bike, which I know from experience. Proper (reasonable) sag settings are just a beginning, but it gives you a "baseline" to start from and eliminates a possible variable that can cause problems. It's probably the first thing you want to check and set when adjusting suspension. If there is too much race sag on the rear, for instance, it will affect a measurement in the front called "trail" and that will have a dramatic effect on the way a bike steers.

So I don't think you need to get sag down to the exact millimeter, but you want to get close. This way the suspension works as designed and you'll spend a lot less time and effort compensating and more time enjoying riding.

Jon

ps. The suspension tips on the GasGasUSA website is one of my old articles I wrote some time ago for our national Trials newspaper. It was a general overview without getting into the deep tech stuff.

[nzralphy]

I'm guessing that a lot of riders think there is a "perfect" setting for their bike, which I don't believe is true. Sure, you want the sag to be in the ballpark and close as possible to factory recommendations as it has an effect on the geometry of the suspension system as it was designed. There are a lot of input variables for Trials suspension due to the way we ride and it is quite different than setting up a roadracer or MX bike, which I know from experience. Proper (reasonable) sag settings are just a beginning, but it gives you a "baseline" to start from and eliminates a possible variable that can cause problems. It's probably the first thing you want to check and set when adjusting suspension. If there is too much race sag on the rear, for instance, it will affect a measurement in the front called "trail" and that will have a dramatic effect on the way a bike steers.

So I don't think you need to get sag down to the exact millimeter, but you want to get close. This way the suspension works as designed and you'll spend a lot less time and effort compensating and more time enjoying riding.

Jon

ps. The suspension tips on the GasGasUSA website is one of my old articles I wrote some time ago for our national Trials newspaper. It was a general overview without getting into the deep tech stuff.

Nope. You have just given a bunch of wooly nothings for a person to work from........ And now someone who has no (zero, zip, nada) idea what to do will mess about, get it wrong, and think it is fine.

The guy asked for help, so give it to the mm - it isn't that difficult to screw the the spring adjuster and get it accurate.

When the person has learnt a heap about suspension they'll start adjusting further.

Oh, and why is our bike suspension setup different to a mx or road bike ?..... Oh and don't worry about jetting, bar position, tyre air pressure, riding technique, etc....... it's only trials after all. Flipp'n heck.