Desert 100 set-up

[15thumper]

if your not familiar with it, its a 100 mile race through the eastern Washington desert, a lot of rocks some sand ruts small bushes etc.. so who has done it? how did you setup suspension? looking for anyone on a yz450

[Hans Schmid]

What year?

[The_Vernsker]

depends on if you plan on riding at race pace or not....when it comes to suspension all you need to know about the D100 is miles and miles of sand whoops.

[15thumper]

I  have ridden it before, never saw miles and miles of sand whoops what I did see was miles and miles of rocks and ruts with a few small hills and is there any other pace other than race pace? what Im asking is how do riders prefer to have suspension setup in this climate

[15thumper]

2015

[Hans Schmid]

I would race your 15 the exact way it came... I own a 15 also...

[grayracer513]

I think he's asking for clicker settings.  Just a guess

[Slow and Jerky]

Depending on how you ride, I run them pretty soft. Makes the whoops a little more challenging, but there are so many rocky sections that it makes up for it. There are a fair amount of whoops but not as bad as some other areas in Central/Eastern WA. Take a small screwdriver with you and hit the little loop that goes around the camp a few times if you can, and see what you like, even better ride the poker run (and take your screwdriver) and get things dialed in.

Edited April 2, 2015 by Slow and Jerky

[grayracer513]

That's my standard response to the question most of the time when guys ask where they should set stock MX bikes for off-road work.  Open the compression clickers up all the way at both ends, including the HS shock adjuster, then close them down as necessary if the bike exhibits any behaviors that are just not tolerable, like excessive bottoming, diving, squatting, etc.  It will help deal with the rocky stuff that the bike wants to deflect off of. 

[Wiz636]

...all you need to know about the D100 is miles and miles of sand whoops.

Absolutely not! Maybe back at the old Mattawa site but definitely not the new Odessa site. The race runs through the channeled scablands and is mostly just dirt and rocks. Also, over the last couple of years we have gone out with a tractor and knocked down most of the larger whoop sections so while there are definitely whoops out there they are not too bad. In dry years some silt will develop but there is no sand.

For suspension I always run very soft to absorb the rocks and trail hack. I also run my rebound pretty slow as there are not really any super high speed choppy sections to worry about headshake. I have to ease up a bit on some of the bigger hits but it is a very wise trade-off. Your hands will appreciate it.

There are lots of opportunities to get flats out there. Desert terrain tires and HD or UHD tube are recommended. Run 15 psi at a minimum, 19-20 if you are riding hard.

I'm heading out in a couple hours and will be onsite for 10 days setting up course and camp...woot!

[15thumper]

Sounds good thanks for the reply, I hope the forecast holds up rain friday Sat and sunny sunday

[The_Vernsker]

Absolutely not! Maybe back at the old Mattawa site but definitely not the new Odessa site. The race runs through the channeled scablands and is mostly just dirt and rocks. Also, over the last couple of years we have gone out with a tractor and knocked down most of the larger whoop sections so while there are definitely whoops out there they are not too bad. In dry years some silt will develop but there is no sand.

For suspension I always run very soft to absorb the rocks and trail hack. I also run my rebound pretty slow as there are not really any super high speed choppy sections to worry about headshake. I have to ease up a bit on some of the bigger hits but it is a very wise trade-off. Your hands will appreciate it.

There are lots of opportunities to get flats out there. Desert terrain tires and HD or UHD tube are recommended. Run 15 psi at a minimum, 19-20 if you are riding hard.

I'm heading out in a couple hours and will be onsite for 10 days setting up course and camp...woot!

Wow, sorry for the poor response. The last time I race was in 2010 and I remeber a fair amount of whoops that year. I guess I should get my forks softened up for this year, i was planning on running a mx setup.