Help Help Help please

[snowboardstylee]

2004 YZ 450. forks .

Im going nuts here or what ....

Im not all into my suspension but the front end is driving me nuts . its super stiff.. ive bleed the air. checked allignment its good.

I want it not so firm. even with the top clicker all the way to soft its still firm. and its undersprung for my weight . just not too knowledgable about where the rest of the adjustments are . i cant find a compression adjuster i would figure it would be somewhere near the bottom .

someone please tell me where the adjusters are on these forks.

Biggest problem is that in sand or in the wash or gravel my front end is uncontrollable its all over the place from side to side.

tried a different tire same thing. lowered my forks in the clamps same thing.

someone give me some advice.

[One Louder]

the compression adjuster is on the very bottom of the fork beneathe the plug.

[snowboardstylee]

the compression adjuster is on the very bottom of the fork beneathe the plug.

thats what i thought. how do i get that cork type plug out ..

once its out (presuming i have to ruin it to get it out) will it hurt

to keep it out. will dirt get in there ..

[del_scorcho]

Just use a small screwdriver and pry it out. It's a rubber plug and it won't get damaged. After you make the adjustments just push it back in. Probably won't be a good idea to leave the plug out since dirt can get into adjustment screw area.

[snowboardstylee]

in is stiff out is soft right /

[del_scorcho]

Yes, turn in to increase the compression and turn out to decrease.

[DaveJ]

You're right, you are going nuts.

Okay...a few things first.

On this fork, which is not like all other forks, the compression damping adjuster is located on the bottom - one on each fork. The rebound damping adjustor is located on the top of the fork, one on each fork.

To access the bottom adjustor, you can pry out the soft rubber plug. You'll see the screw if you lean over or lay on your back.

For all adjustors, turning the screw in, clock-wise, (when you're facing the screw) means that you will create or have more damping. The opposite direction, counter-clockwise, means less damping.

When these screws are turned, they snap or click at given intervals. You'll feel and hear it. Each click is counted as one. When someone says, "I'm 10 clicks out" or "I have it set to 10" they mean they have turned the screw in so that it bottomed out, then back it out counting out 10 clicks.

Now for the tricky part. The screw on the bottom only controls compression damping, but the screw on the top effects both rebound and compression damping. Which means that anytime you change the top setting, you may have to go down and add or remove a click or two on the bottom. However, one click up top does not equate to one click on the bottom. So you'll just have to understand that you'll need to get a feel for how the fork is changing and adjust accordingly.

With that aside, understand that when a bike feels stiff or out of control, it usually means that the bike is not under control. In other words, more damping will stabilize the bike and make it feel firm, plush and planted. This means that you may find that adding more damping is the right thing to do.

However, too much compression or rebound damping presents a set of problems as well. And it's tricky to determine when your problems are related to too much or too little damping.

In most cases, I think you'll find that if you lighten up on the rebound and crank in some compression damping that the bike will behave quite well.

Lastly, once those rubber plugs are removed from my bike, I leave them out.

Hope this helps.

[snowboardstylee]

my bike handles great . i have no complaints *until im in the sand washes*.. tthen the front end is all over the place imagine a bicycle with a huge bent front rim.. thats how it acts it just wont go straight. its a bitch at speed. .

I think i should just give up on riding desert. and stick to the track.

[One Louder]

my bike handles great . i have no complaints *until im in the sand washes*.. tthen the front end is all over the place imagine a bicycle with a huge bent front rim.. thats how it acts it just wont go straight. its a bitch at speed. .

I think i should just give up on riding desert. and stick to the track.

I'm in Phoenix, and the desert is all I ride. sand is a pain but you just have to get used to how the bike feels. and learn how to ride with front end movement. Keep on the gas. How long has it been since you checked your fork oil level, it made a big difference for me. just a thaught

[snowboardstylee]

Ive never checked the fork oil level its wherever it was when i bought the thing. I had the rear shock revalved and re sprung and it was a ton better and way noticable. just guess ill have to have the forks done.

what do you think the oil level should be at . and should i add a little more to it. or what ?

[One Louder]

Ive never checked the fork oil level its wherever it was when i bought the thing. I had the rear shock revalved and re sprung and it was a ton better and way noticable. just guess ill have to have the forks done.

what do you think the oil level should be at . and should i add a little more to it. or what ?

Here's what I did.... I dented my right down tube and over time lost most of my oil. I Ordered some forks off ebay. when I got them the air bleeder had been broken off in the mail. long story short I switched out the bleeder from my old forks and filled both shocks to 130 mm from the top. I put on Seal Savers and put the new forks on. My bike feels totally new. The forks used to be incredibly stiff and now they are smooth and plush. way less fatigue and arm pump. It was not hard to do and it is well worth a check

[snowboardstylee]

what type of oil

I have heard stories about people using Mobile 1 ATF fluid..

[chrisn6104]

Just go down to your local bike shop and pick up some 5w fork oil. It's not that expensive why use ATF fluid?

[moochie]

Dont know how many hours you have on your 04...but if you've not changed the oil and you've got a good bit of time on the bike the internal bushings could be worn out. Worn out bushings will cause a binding that causes the front end to feel stiffer.

[One Louder]

Just go down to your local bike shop and pick up some 5w fork oil. It's not that expensive why use ATF fluid?

Ditto

[snowboardstylee]

Dont know how many hours you have on your 04...but if you've not changed the oil and you've got a good bit of time on the bike the internal bushings could be worn out. Worn out bushings will cause a binding that causes the front end to feel stiffer.

Ive got a lot of time on it.

i think im just going to have the shop that did my rear shock do my forks. just not fun to part with that much money but if it makes the ride more enjoyable then its money well spent.

going to drop it off monday