Proper suspension adjustment and maintenance can make an incredible difference on the track or trail!  Enjoy the latest tech tip article from our suspension expert Quinton Cain  

Suspension Knowledge: Leaking Fork Seals 

By Quinton Cain of SUSPENSION DYNAMICS

You can count on the fact that all fork seals will eventually leak, sometimes even if you do not ride your bike.

There are two things YOU can do that will extend the life of your seals:

1. Prevent mud from DRYING on the chrome tube.  The dust wiper cannot remove this, and all of this crusty dirt scrapes by the seal lip dulling the sharp edge to the point that the seal does not wipe well, inviting in more dirt.  Be sure to also remove the dirt near the bottom of the tube that hides behind your fork guards.

2. Remove burrs on the chrome tube that come from hitting rocks or other bikes, in some cases.  The burrs do the same thing as the dried dirt, except on one area of the seal only.  The fork tubes should be de-burred and polished in ONLY the affected area.  In other words, you do not want to polish the entire tube.  Doing so will compromise the ENTIRE surface that is specially designed to retain an ultra thin film of oil, making it nice and slippery.

Adjusting the “clickers”

By Quinton Cain of SUSPENSION DYNAMICS 

 After speaking with many riders and parents over the years, I thought it may be helpful to clarify some of the misinformation on suspension adjusters, also known as “clickers”.   In most cases, as you turn the adjusters clockwise, you increase the dampening, which makes the suspension stiffer.  This is the same as making it “harder” or “slower”.  The adjuster moves a needle valve that controls the free oil flow, and as you limit that oil flow, you increase the dampening.  Plus (+) and minus (-) indicator arrows correspond to more and less dampening.  It is the same with (H) and (S) indicators, which stand for Hard and Soft.  Be aware that there are exceptions to this “clockwise equals stiffer” relationship.  One example of this is the compression adjuster on the KTM shocks from a few years back.  Read on ...

Balance and Sag 

by Quinton Cain of SUSPENSION DYNAMICS

Let’s clear up some confusion and dispel some myths. 

I will explain sag and how it is measured.  I will also explain an often overlooked aspect of the bike known as balance.

Balance is what you want to achieve.  Sag is what you adjust to get it. 

Race sag, also known as rider sag, is the distance a bike settles down from its fully extended position when a rider is on board. Free sag is a similar measurement, but with no rider on board.  Your free sag should never be zero.  Typical ranges are 15 to 35 mm. 

Balance is just what it sounds like.  The front and rear of the bike should go down at approximately the same rate.   Read on ...

How suspension can affect turning

by Quinton Cain of SUSPENSION DYNAMICS

Bouncing out of ruts? drifting to the outside?  tucking under? It’s probably just YOU, but your suspension and bike setup could be partly to blame.  Read on ...

Bouncing out of ruts? drifting to the outside?  tucking under?  It’s probably just YOU, but your suspension and bike setup could be partly to blame.

I will list some of the changes you can make to your bike that will affect turning.  But first, a secret that will help you understand how these changes effectively work.

Basically, any change you make to the bike or to your riding position that ALTERS the steering angle of the bike will affect turning.  Having the fork tubes at a steeper angle will make the bike turn sharper.  That is it.