Static Sag

[Eagledriver]

how much you running in the back....Is 3in about the standard for the yfz450R.

[bbcmudtruck]

4" is what ive been told by a shock guy.

[Kovatch]

Roughly 1/3 of your wheel travel: 3-4". But it depends on what the track conditions are like.

[trxxx250r]

Bounce the bike up and down several times then sit on it in a neutral position and let it settle in. Assuming your suspension is stock. For general trail riding - you want 7 inches from the back of the frame below the foot pegs to the ground. Move up the frame about 19 inches just before the frame starts to rake up and you want 7-1/4 inches. That's a good ballpark ride height or Sag. If you are wanting to run MX or something along those lines, subtract about an inch from those measurements. To achieve those measurements you adjust the spring preload with the threaded rings on the shocks. Clockwise or tighten to increase ride height or decrease sag and vice-versa. Make sure your front shocks are set identically or you will have problems. Adjust them both the exact same amount. You should have the same thread count about the adjuster ring on both and/or the same spring length measurement. Measure from one machined surface of the spring to the other and the 2 shocks should be setup the same.

I've seen allot of people asking what is a good setting on the compression and rebound adjustments. Here's what I run for good all around performance -

Once your sag or ride height is set (you must do that first) set your rear shock high speed compression adjustment (the big adjuster) to 1/4 turn in from all the way out. Set the low speed adjuster (the small screw driver adjuster) 11 clicks in from all the way out. Set your rebound adjuster (the one at the bottom of the shock) at 7 clicks in.

Set your front shocks to 1/8 turn in on the High speed and 9 clicks in on the low speed and only 2 clicks in on the rebound. The rebound on these R front shocks is really touchy. If you dial them in more than 2 or 3 clicks the rebound is way to slow but if you back them out all the way or less than 2 clicks in they flail around with seemingly no damping. So, effectively, you only have about 5 clicks of real adjustment but I find 2 clicks in is perfect.

These settings should work great for most average riders and you will get the most out of your stock suspension as I have. Obviously you can tweak and adjust for your situation if you feel it is necessary.

Now. If you are hitting jumps or anything else that is bottoming out the suspension front or back more than once a lap or fairly frequently trail riding, adjust "in" the high speed compression adjuster 1/8 - 1/4 at a time to stiffen up the suspension on the big hits. You want to bottom every once in awhile. That lets you know you are using all the suspension. Of course if you just put around that isn't going to be an issue.

Let me say this- The stock R/X suspension is quite good. A capable rider can ride/race this quad with stock suspension at a pretty high level if the suspension is dialed in correctly. Unless you're at the expert or pro level the stock suspension will work very good for you. So many people run out and spend 3-4k on suspension they will never be able to utilize to it's full potential and the stock suspension that came with the bike would've done them just fine. I ride and race with guys all the time that have thousands in the best aftermarket suspension and I stomp their asses all day long with my stock setup.

I suppose this was a little long winded for the question that was asked but I see allot of these typs of questions being asked so hopefully this will help some people enjoy the full capabilities of the R's susspension.

[bbcmudtruck]

Great write up trxxx250r. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on as far as setting up the suspension. Everything I've been able to find agrees with your sag suggestions. I have a question for you though. How much rider weight are the stock shocks setup for?

[trxxx250r]

Originally Posted by bbcmudtruck

Great write up trxxx250r. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on as far as setting up the suspension. Everything I've been able to find agrees with your sag suggestions. I have a question for you though. How much rider weight are the stock shocks setup for?

The word on the street is that the stock shocks are set up from the factory for a 180lb rider. However, I way between 210-230 (depending on the sales going on at Pizza Hut) and The suspension works great for me.

This is not to say that it wouldn't work better with heavier springs set up for that weight. I just haven't gone that rout yet. If you want more superior suspension but don't want to spend a ridiculous 4k to get it you can go to GT Thunder or Race Tech and either buy and install yourself or have them rework your shocks with the proper springs for your weight and corresponding valving, all for about $800. Believe it or not these companies boast that this upgrade will make the stock shocks work as good if not better than anything aftermarket. That's the route I'm gonna take when I decide to spend that money.

Also, I have taken the bike to local MX tracks and let some local pro's jump on and try it out with my suspension settings and they were about 150 pounds and they were very happy with the bike and the way it handled. They were going past guys with the best possible aftermarket suspension no problem. So... Of course there were different rider skill levels but it just goes to my earlier point that too many people run out and spend a fortune on gear that they will never be able to utilize. I guess they just want to show it or say they have it. But, hey, if that's what you want to spend your money one, more power to you.

I was actually talking to Dustin Nelson last year at one of the ITP Quad cross's here in AZ and while discussing suspension he was telling me that he can ride the "stock" R at a very high level!

[Eagledriver]

thanks for the write up..I setting mine up and need some figures..Have done several quads,bikes but this is the 1st 450R.

[trxxx250r]

Originally Posted by Eagledriver

thanks for the write up..I setting mine up and need some figures..Have done several quads,bikes but this is the 1st 450R.

Cool, let me know how these settings work for you. It should be pretty close. I spent 2 days mostly thru some pretty nasty whoop sets and G-outs to dial in these settings. I run mostly desert and trail but if you are hitting allot of big jumps you might need to stiffen up your hi speed comp setting a bit.

[Slowprocess]

Originally Posted by trxxx250r

Cool, let me know how these settings work for you. It should be pretty close. I spent 2 days mostly thru some pretty nasty whoop sets and G-outs to dial in these settings. I run mostly desert and trail but if you are hitting allot of big jumps you might need to stiffen up your hi speed comp setting a bit.

I wrote down all of my current settings and I also wrote down what you're currently running........I'm going to do a head to head testing tomorrow at the track(I def had to stiffen up for the big jumps though) I'll let you know about the comparison Monday. I'm always down for trying out different setups.

[trxxx250r]

Originally Posted by Slowprocess

I wrote down all of my current settings and I also wrote down what you're currently running........I'm going to do a head to head testing tomorrow at the track(I def had to stiffen up for the big jumps though) I'll let you know about the comparison Monday. I'm always down for trying out different setups.

Don't change any of my settings big jumps or not until you have bottoming issues. Remember, adjusting any one setting can effect the other settings to a certain extent. Also, if you make changes to the front it will effect the back and vice- versa so adjust accordingly.

I look forward to your test!

[Slowprocess]

Originally Posted by trxxx250r

Don't change any of my settings big jumps or not until you have bottoming issues. Remember, adjusting any one setting can effect the other settings to a certain extent. Also, if you make changes to the front it will effect the back and vice- versa so adjust accordingly.

I look forward to your test!

The settings were pretty much spot on for me. I'm 205lb and race only mx. My old settings were done when I was 240, so I knew they were going to be alot more stiff, but I didn't have any idea how off they were! I had a slight bottoming issue on some of the larger jumps, so I did stiffen up the high speed comp alittle. After that it was a night and day difference. Lorettas had a great whoop section and my quad handled it perfectly. It was in complete control and never got bent out of shape. I saw alot of quads with high dollar setups getting crossed over in that section, so I know the settings were perfect on mine. I would recommend anyone that hasn't ever played with their settings to give trxxx250r's a try and I'm certain you'll be very comfortable with the outcome! I know they were alot better than my settings!

[xtream]

I tried trxxx250 set up and it works awesome on most applications. the only thing i find is that reall small bumps at slower speeds are really harsh. seems the faster i go the smoother it is. what should i adjust or just ride fast lol

[trxxx250r]

Originally Posted by xtream

I tried trxxx250 set up and it works awesome on most applications. the only thing i find is that reall small bumps at slower speeds are really harsh. seems the faster i go the smoother it is. what should i adjust or just ride fast lol

Glad it's working for you! The nature of race suspension on quads or bikes IS to work better the faster you go. You can try to dial it in to be more plush on the small stuff but then you will likely suffer when you are going faster. Depends on what you are looking for. I came up with these settings at full race speeds. Honestly I haven't spent any time trying other styles but if I were to try and set up for a softer ride over the slower small choppy stuff, I would probably raise my ride height an inch or so and soften up the low speed damping. You will have to re-adjust your other settings as well to work well with those changes. It's just a matter of putting in the time to get it right. This kind of setup will be more conducive to desert and trail riding as it will affect your cornering with the higher ride height. Remember, Yamaha had to set up the R with kind of a one size fits all setup. Also the front of the R is more or less a zero preload setup, that's why the springs have the tight coils at the top of the spring. Zero preload isn't real conducive to a plush ride wile going slow in the small chop. Bottom line, the R suspension was set up with racing in mind and race speed is where it works well.

Side note - I just had a long conversation with John, owner of JSR Performance and on one of their newest sickest R's they had "Race Tech" set up their stock shocks with respring and valve in the rear, triple rate in the front, w/revalve and he said they are every bit as good as elka, fox or Custom axis, etc. Not as good as PEP's though...Lol. But I think you can have that done for like $800 all the way around. Also if you have your shocks set up by race tech or GTT they will ask you if you want to go zero preload for track or a desert/trail setup. With the desert setup you should get a much more plush ride at slower speeds through the chop.

I've ridden a few quads setup for desert and MAN they were plush and stable thru the bumps but would be for shit on the track.

Btw - If I remember correctly, you can actually buy all the parts, valving and springs from race tech for like $400 if you want to do it your self. Beats the hell out of $2500 for new aftermarkets if you're mechanically capable! I think this is the route I'm gonna take sooner or later.

Hope this helps bro!

[xtream]

Yeah that makes perfect sence. I would rather have a bike capable of going fast then a one only good going slow.

[Ripcityrider2010]

Originally Posted by trxxx250r

Glad it's working for you! The nature of race suspension on quads or bikes IS to work better the faster you go. You can try to dial it in to be more plush on the small stuff but then you will likely suffer when you are going faster. Depends on what you are looking for. I came up with these settings at full race speeds. Honestly I haven't spent any time trying other styles but if I were to try and set up for a softer ride over the slower small choppy stuff, I would probably raise my ride height an inch or so and soften up the low speed damping. You will have to re-adjust your other settings as well to work well with those changes. It's just a matter of putting in the time to get it right. This kind of setup will be more conducive to desert and trail riding as it will affect your cornering with the higher ride height. Remember, Yamaha had to set up the R with kind of a one size fits all setup. Also the front of the R is more or less a zero preload setup, that's why the springs have the tight coils at the top of the spring. Zero preload isn't real conducive to a plush ride wile going slow in the small chop. Bottom line, the R suspension was set up with racing in mind and race speed is where it works well.

Side note - I just had a long conversation with John, owner of JSR Performance and on one of their newest sickest R's they had "Race Tech" set up their stock shocks with respring and valve in the rear, triple rate in the front, w/revalve and he said they are every bit as good as elka, fox or Custom axis, etc. Not as good as PEP's though...Lol. But I think you can have that done for like $800 all the way around. Also if you have your shocks set up by race tech or GTT they will ask you if you want to go zero preload for track or a desert/trail setup. With the desert setup you should get a much more plush ride at slower speeds through the chop.

I've ridden a few quads setup for desert and MAN they were plush and stable thru the bumps but would be for shit on the track.

Btw - If I remember correctly, you can actually buy all the parts, valving and springs from race tech for like $400 if you want to do it your self. Beats the hell out of $2500 for new aftermarkets if you're mechanically capable! I think this is the route I'm gonna take sooner or later.

Hope this helps bro!

I had the racetech conversion done on all of my shocks and now they work awesome. It cost me about $900 total for all three. I'm going to try your settings with these and see what I can come up with.

[trxxx250r]

Originally Posted by Ripcityrider2010

I had the racetech conversion done on all of my shocks and now they work awesome. It cost me about $900 total for all three. I'm going to try your settings with these and see what I can come up with.

Cool, did Race Tech build the shocks for that amount, or did you buy the parts and build them yourself? I think I was a little off on my pricing on an earlier post saying you could buy the parts for $400. I went to the website and It looks like it would be more than that...

My settings are for stockers. Honestly man, I doubt those setting will be anywhere near what would be right for re-worked shocks. But hey, try it out and see how you like it! Let us know.

[Ripcityrider2010]

I actually had a local shop redo my shocks with the kit. The $900 covered all the expenses plus they gave me a little price break. So it may have been a little more without the discount. But I like having local guys do things like that because if you have a problem you can take it right back to them without much downtime. As far as the shocks go they work awesome. I like them to be really stiff though so they ride harsh when I'm on the trails.

[thecoyfish]

Great info but what about us little guys, im only 135 on a good day

[trxxx250r]

Originally Posted by thecoyfish

Great info but what about us little guys, im only 135 on a good day

I let Rudy (owner of DFR) ride my bike with MY settings on several occasions at several different tracks and he was impressed for a bike with bone stock suspension. He used to have national speed and still rides at the expert level. He couldn't weigh more than 140 wet so you should be ok. It seems like the R is pretty versatile in terms of rider weight as I weigh 220. The main thing is you get your spring tension or pre-load correct for your weight which adjusts your ride height. If there's enough adjust ability in the shocks to get to around 7 - 7 1/2 inches ride height at your weight you should be fine. You might have to play with the damping settings a little to get it really dialed in for your weight but my settings should be in the ball park.

Not saying having aftermarket springs that are for your exact weight wouldn't be better but this is about using the R's stock setup if you don't want to spend the money.

[thecoyfish]

So I did my last night and turned the springs all the way up on the front and I got about 7 1/2 and put the rear at 7. Now I just need to go riding!!! But put everything else the same.