We hear a lot of riders complaining about dissatisfaction with how their performance SxS or ATV rides.
The fact is most of these vehicles are equipped with pretty sophisticated shock packages featuring compression and rebound damping adjustability and decent spring adjustability.
Here’s the truth: It doesn’t matter what kind of shocks you’ve got – if they aren’t set up right you’re going to be snookered when it comes to ride results.
Hey, there’s no shame in not knowing how to set up your suspension. We know some pretty savvy riders who have had their settings so far from accurate, their vehicle just rode like junk.
Unfortunately, with all this adjustment available you can have one facet set up correctly and screw up the final result by having another setting wrong.
One of the most common mistakes is for riders to crank up dampening settings so high (to avoid bottoming) their shocks feel like they’re full of cement.
Another mistake is to have too much rebound dampening, thinking that because there are ten clicker settings, of course I should just go to the max. Nope, won’t work.
In the current issue of DirtTrax, we start at the beginning in an attempt to help you understand how springs and shocks interact to deliver the best possible ride results.
Once you understand what’s happening under there, you can tailor your ride specifically to the type of riding you do most. You’ll find some specific set-up tips that will completely change the way your vehicle works.
There’s one caveat, however. You need to be really honest with yourself how hard you ride.
Sometimes ego just makes you want to get those settings cranked pro-desert-rider high. Not good.
