2013 WP suspension set-up tips for those who need help

[mxracer71]

For everyone thats at wits end with their WP suspension here's a couple things that worked for me, (6' >172 lb > 50 yr old > true "B" class MX'er. Upon purchasing my new 2013 350SX-F i knew i would have an interesting time sorting out & setting up the suspension (did'nt find too many good things being said about it). Having no extra money for re-valving i started the lengthly process of setting up & dialing in, starting with sag.... everything i read said 100-105mm, well that did'nt work for me so after 6hrs of break-in i ended up at 98mm or 3 7/8" I did this cause the front end deflected off every bump on the track & at the time that was my main concern, it now feels planted & i was then able to adj the clickers with use of a nylon tie around the fork tube so that i'm using all but an inch of travel up front..... i did also raise the fork tubes to 6mm from top of clamp to top of tube (this is only 1-2mm lower than the 2nd mark on your fork tube)

Very happy with the front end, now for the shock...

It was bucking up so a click firmer/slower on the rebound did away with that for the most part but still could'nt tell if i was too soft or too firm on the comp, turns out it was both. My weight is ok for the springrates (front & rear) so i knew it was possible to sort it out, just had to keep clicking.... the determining factor was the high speed comp. turn that in 1/8th up to 1/4 of a turn (1 7/8 up to 1 3/4 turns out from full in) 2 turns out is stock.....doing this allowed me to soften up my low spd comp which i had way too firm, i now have every confidence in my bikes ability to corner & all the nasty traits that were present have been fixed to my liking.

This is what i had to do to make the bike work for me, none of it was rocket science but it seems alot of guys are having problems crossing over from the jap bikes (me, for one) & these WP components seem like they require alot of fiddling which many are not accustomed to.

final settings.......... 172lbs without gear > B- vet rider

FORKS, stk springs, forks raised 2mm below 2nd line, comp 17 out, reb 12

SHOCK, stk spring, sag 98mm or 3 7/8'', Hi spd comp 1 7/8 turn out, low spd comp 15, reb 14

In general i think the bike squats in the rear end, which makes the front deflect or feel stiff

I think the biggest factor for me is the sag....jack that rear end UP !

2nd biggest .... firm up that hi spd comp alittle

Hope this helps somebody

[j368]

Glad yiu found a good setup for you. There's a lot of adjustment to be had if you take the time to figure it out. Even if you have it revalved you still have to fine tune it. Best you can hope for after a revalve is a good ballpark setting.

[AEES]

In my opinion the shortening of the shock by 4mm and running 105mm SAG does not fly. Neither is the 490mm shock and the 90mm SAG recommended for Europe.

The perfect balance i get with 490mm shock and around 104-105mm SAG and forks@5mm on hard packed.

[tye1138]

Yea, I'd be interested to know static shock sag. I bet its right in the ballpark which is why the bike works well with 98mm of rider sag.

I too like less sag due to how it effects the trail, however I haven't been able to compensate through damping to reduce the harshness of the rear end through braking bumps and kickers. So I tend to run 105 - 107mm of rider sag which seems to be enough that the damping can easily resolve the braking bump and kicker issues. Mostly ALL of my KTM 4 stroke riding friends run 110 - 115mm of rider sag. I personally find their bikes don't have the rear-end stability I need, they're just too soft.

I also recently lowered my front end (raising the forks through the clamps) to the 2nd ring and found a pretty sizable difference.

[mxracer71]

Yea, I'd be interested to know static shock sag. I bet its right in the ballpark which is why the bike works well with 98mm of rider sag.

I too like less sag due to how it effects the trail, however I haven't been able to compensate through damping to reduce the harshness of the rear end through braking bumps and kickers. So I tend to run 105 - 107mm of rider sag which seems to be enough that the damping can easily resolve the braking bump and kicker issues. Mostly ALL of my KTM 4 stroke riding friends run 110 - 115mm of rider sag. I personally find their bikes don't have the rear-end stability I need, they're just too soft.

I also recently lowered my front end (raising the forks through the clamps) to the 2nd ring and found a pretty sizable difference.

So your really close to were i'm at.... your right, i found out yesterday a few things that require a little more attention in the shock.

Are you running the WP stuff ???

[tye1138]

Are you running the WP stuff ???

Yep, been experimenting trying to fix some of the issues. I'm getting really close to a ridable setup, but its still beating me up sadly. My next phase is to try the more constrictive spring perch and lower oil height, see if I can get the bottoming circuit to work better. I think once I resolve that issue, getting the damping to work better will be easy.

[mxracer71]

make sure you check back & report your findings Tye

[tye1138]

make sure you check back & report your findings Tye

Absolutely! Its gonna be a few weeks! LOL ?

[Bc444]

Looking for some info on settings-have 2012 Dungey Bike. I am 5.10 and about 235 and running stock suspension settings. Set the sag when I bought it and just curious what settings/clicks anyone is running in my weight range. I am a Vet C.

 

Any info is appreciated.

[Markee33]

For everyone thats at wits end with their WP suspension here's a couple things that worked for me, (6' >172 lb > 50 yr old > true "B" class MX'er. Upon purchasing my new 2013 350SX-F i knew i would have an interesting time sorting out & setting up the suspension (did'nt find too many good things being said about it). Having no extra money for re-valving i started the lengthly process of setting up & dialing in, starting with sag.... everything i read said 100-105mm, well that did'nt work for me so after 6hrs of break-in i ended up at 98mm or 3 7/8" I did this cause the front end deflected off every bump on the track & at the time that was my main concern, it now feels planted & i was then able to adj the clickers with use of a nylon tie around the fork tube so that i'm using all but an inch of travel up front..... i did also raise the fork tubes to 6mm from top of clamp to top of tube (this is only 1-2mm lower than the 2nd mark on your fork tube)

Very happy with the front end, now for the shock...

It was bucking up so a click firmer/slower on the rebound did away with that for the most part but still could'nt tell if i was too soft or too firm on the comp, turns out it was both. My weight is ok for the springrates (front & rear) so i knew it was possible to sort it out, just had to keep clicking.... the determining factor was the high speed comp. turn that in 1/8th up to 1/4 of a turn (1 7/8 up to 1 3/4 turns out from full in) 2 turns out is stock.....doing this allowed me to soften up my low spd comp which i had way too firm, i now have every confidence in my bikes ability to corner & all the nasty traits that were present have been fixed to my liking.

This is what i had to do to make the bike work for me, none of it was rocket science but it seems alot of guys are having problems crossing over from the jap bikes (me, for one) & these WP components seem like they require alot of fiddling which many are not accustomed to.

final settings.......... 172lbs without gear > B- vet rider

FORKS, stk springs, forks raised 2mm below 2nd line, comp 17 out, reb 12

SHOCK, stk spring, sag 98mm or 3 7/8'', Hi spd comp 1 7/8 turn out, low spd comp 15, reb 14

In general i think the bike squats in the rear end, which makes the front deflect or feel stiff

I think the biggest factor for me is the sag....jack that rear end UP !

2nd biggest .... firm up that hi spd comp alittle

Hope this helps somebody

 

If you have the US 450 sxf, the stock sag is 100mm, how is 98mm "jacking that rear end UP"? 

[tye1138]

If you have the US 450 sxf, the stock sag is 100mm, how is 98mm "jacking that rear end UP"? 

Less sag means the rear sits higher. 

[Markee33]

Less sag means the rear sits higher. 

 

Sorry, brain fart.

[mxracer71]

 i must admit that i turned the spring the wrong way at first..... one of those opposite than ya think moments or do i dare say "senior moments" ..........

[mxracer71]

Looking for some info on settings-have 2012 Dungey Bike. I am 5.10 and about 235 and running stock suspension settings. Set the sag when I bought it and just curious what settings/clicks anyone is running in my weight range. I am a Vet C.

 

Any info is appreciated.

think your out of range for the stock spring rates which will make it tuff cause i beleive the stock valving on the 2012's is also on the soft side ....so its kinda a double wammy.  Whats your main complaint ??  for example, i hated the way the front end felt on my 350

[DethWshBkr_]

Motocross settings here - 33, 210 lb, 6'0" tall, formerly A class (at 180 lb and 6 years ago!), now a "i just don't want to finish last" B rider.  

 

I'll have to get my settings, but I felt like I was constantly fighting the bike to want to TURN in and especially stay in a rut.   Coming off a bone stock '04 450SX, which of course I knew like the back of my hand.   I could corner that thing into ANYTHING I wanted, any line, no matter how tight.

 

I had the '13 set on stock settings for the clickers, running 105mm sag.   Forks on second ring (I thought that was the max height, without risking the wheel bottoming into the fender?)
Bike just pushed and did not seem to want to stick.

I moved the shock preload 1 turn down (less sag), to about 95mm rider sag.   Didn't quite like something, so I moved the preload ring back up about 1/3 of a turn (I need to get meaurements, but I am guesstimating 98-99mm or so sag) stiffened up the high speed compression to about 1 1/8 turns out, low speed clicker should be 10 out.   Fork, compression is I think at 9 clicks out, rebound at 9 clicks out.

 

Suddenly the bike seemed to corner much nicer.    More fine tuning will come this coming weekend, but I'm starting to get mine dialed in....

Edited August 5, 2013 by DethWshBkr_

[Markee33]

Motocross settings here - 33, 210 lb, 6'0" tall, formerly A class (at 180 lb and 6 years ago!), now a "i just don't want to finish last" B rider.  

 

I'll have to get my settings, but I felt like I was constantly fighting the bike to want to TURN in and especially stay in a rut.   Coming off a bone stock '04 450SX, which of course I knew like the back of my hand.   I could corner that thing into ANYTHING I wanted, any line, no matter how tight.

 

I had the '13 set on stock settings for the clickers, running 105mm sag.   Forks on second ring (I thought that was the max height, without risking the wheel bottoming into the fender?)

Bike just pushed and did not seem to want to stick.

I moved the shock preload 1 turn down (less sag), to about 95mm rider sag.   Didn't quite like something, so I moved the preload ring back up about 1/3 of a turn (I need to get meaurements, but I am guesstimating 98-99mm or so sag) stiffened up the high speed compression to about 1 1/8 turns out, low speed clicker should be 10 out.   Fork, compression is I think at 9 clicks out, rebound at 9 clicks out.

 

Suddenly the bike seemed to corner much nicer.    More fine tuning will come this coming weekend, but I'm starting to get mine dialed in....

 

You are 210 in gear or not? I was told by MX Tech and my local guy that stock 13 springs are good for someone that is 200lb in gear.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Markee33

[mxracer71]

DethWshBkr said  ......

" formerly A class (at 180 lb and 6 years ago!), now a "i just don't want to finish last" B rider. "

I say .....

>>  Classic , lol ......  i feel your pain !!  <<

 

need to ask how the shock feels in the braking & small chatter bumps with that much hi-spd comp

[Bc444]

Thanks for all the replies. I am 5.10  and 240 in full gear. Raced yesterday and bike lands nicely off a the table tops-does not bottom out.The woops are about foot and half deep and bike kicks up through them and the tracking seems a little off. Although you come out of a turn and if you cannot straighten out you are kind of sideways through that section.

There are braking bumps before a couple turns and the back end kicks up through them.

 

I am going check the sag as I am not sure what it is now.

Factory Connections did work on my previous bikes and I have the settings-I am curious if I translate them into the WP set up. I am going to look at the numbers and will post them.  

 

Suspension-Ongoing!         

[AEES]

Thanks for all the replies. I am 5.10  and 240 in full gear. Raced yesterday and bike lands nicely off a the table tops-does not bottom out.The woops are about foot and half deep and bike kicks up through them and the tracking seems a little off. Although you come out of a turn and if you cannot straighten out you are kind of sideways through that section.

There are braking bumps before a couple turns and the back end kicks up through them.

 

I am going check the sag as I am not sure what it is now.

Factory Connections did work on my previous bikes and I have the settings-I am curious if I translate them into the WP set up. I am going to look at the numbers and will post them.  

 

Suspension-Ongoing!         

235 and stock suspension? Your sag must be like 15/105 with 25mm preload so no wonder it feels harch. You need something like a 66N/mm rear spring and 5.2N/mm in front.

[Bc444]

Correct - the sag was set for the guy at the dealership who rode the bike. He is probably 40 pounds lighter than me and at least three inches taller.