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swapping on 05+ shocks... few questions

1K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  idiggplants 
#1 ·
ok, so im putting my new shocks on this weekend and i had a few questions....

im going off of spize's writeup on shock adjustments:
http://www.suzukicentral.com/forums/16-suspension-chassis/90573-setup-help.html#post822822

i saw it said not to tighten the rebound/compression screws all the way IN. can i turn them all the way OUT? the reason i ask is because the 2 shocks have screws in different positons, and i would like to make them both the same. i wasnt sure if i could do this(similar to starting fresh with a carb).

sorry, this is the first time ill be making shock adjustments, or doing anything with shocks, other than adjusting preload on the basic type of shocks.

also, does anyone have the torque specs handy for the shock bolts?

i dont have the spanner wrench that came with the quad. ok to use some channel locks?

thanks all!
 
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#2 ·
try to get your hands on a spanner wrench.
As for the screws, I have no answer. I just cut and pasted that info and have tried very little in the way of adjustment on my shocks.
 
#3 ·
You can turn the screws all the way in and gently bottom them out, then back out and set them where you want. What you can't do is ride the quad with the compression adjustment bottomed out. I did the same thing you are doing with my quad when I got it. All of the screws had random adjustments.
 
#4 ·
hmm. ok, so in installed the new shocks yesterday. i didnt realize, but the compression adjustment was all the way in already!! idk if the previous owner ran them like that or not. i set them all the way loose and plan to tighten them as i ride till i find the sweet spot...

the big issue is... they make a loud clunk noise when rebounding.. if i push down on the bumper, when i pull up quickly, they CLUNK... and it isnt just at a certain spot... if i push down 8" and yank it back 3" it will clunk... if i push it down 4" and yank it up it will clunk. its really odd... ive never experienced anything like it before. although ive never had shocks with adjustable rebound/compression. could it have something to do with it either being set wrong, or with the compression valve being all the way in?
 
#5 · (Edited)
I've never had a clunk. Sounds more like balljoints or something to me unless the shock is damaged internally.

Simplest adjustment is to start with measuring and setting your ride height with you on the bike. 7.5-8" at the bottom of the frame near the foot pegs and frame below the lower engine mount. Front point should be 1/4" to 3/8" higher than the rear. This sits your shocks roughly in the middle of travel and gets you close for cornering. Front compression also gets tweaked to fine tune body roll.

Then put compression and rebound at full open. Close the compression 2 or 3 clicks at a time until it doesn't bottom out unless you hit the worst spot on the trail. Turn the rebound in to slow it down until you take any harsh feedback away. For the rear this means the seat should almost never smack you when you hit a log or sharp ditch. The front you will notice that the bars shouldn't bounce into your hands as much when riding over rocks and roots.

A good baseline starting place is to push down on the rear and pick it up quick. The tires should just come off the ground as you lift it fast. Set the front a little slower than the rear and then ride and test from there. There's obviously way more involved, but for the above average trail rider, that should get you close.
 
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#6 ·
I've never had a clunk. Sounds more like balljoints or something to me unless the shock is damaged internally.
Thats what my concern is.

my ball joints are, in fact, going... but it really seems like the knock/clunk is in the shock. in fact, it must, because it wasnt doing this before i swapped the new shocks on...

it almost seems like when the shocks rebound they rebound without any resistance(extremely quickly) till the clunk, and then it suddenly rebounds at a slower speed.
 
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