How To Set up Dirt Bike Suspension Compression and Rebound 

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If you never know what wrong feels like you'll never know what right feels like. I recommend starting with everything in the middle then do a short ride. Then turn your compression all the way out (soft) and do a short ride. Then turn your compression all the way in (hard) and do a short ride. Once you are done with compression, set it back in the middle and do the same with rebound. Now you'll start to have a better feel for what each adjustment does and what too stiff, too soft, too much rebound and too little rebound feels like. Now set everything back to the middle and use your new found understanding to make small corrections to tweak the suspension to your liking.

"its actually really simple" proceeds to deliver a doctoral thesis...

I have used your videos to check my sag, change out my springs and adjust my dampening. The changes have made a huge difference, it feels like a different bike, in a really good way. Thanks go to you and your colleagues. Cheers guys.

I’m too dumb for this I’m just gonna keep everything stock and let my bike beat me up and deal with it

Suspension tuning is about 10x more confusing than an engine rebuild.

Wish i had a dirt bike... but still i watch all of your videos ... “Chaze “ is my fav

A good way to test your rebound after your compression is where you like it. Find a section of trail or track with consecutive bumps think whoops or chop. Pay attention as you enter if the first two or three bumps. If the first couple feel great but by the third or fourth bump the suspension feels harsh and continues until your thought the section. Your suspension is packing or staying too low in the stroke. Speed up your rebound. If you go through and by the 2nd pr 3rd bump your bike is bucking sideways and or back and forth your rebound is too fast. I have found this test works best when your are tuning your suspension and you feel you just about have it where you want it. Rebound can be difficult at times to seprate from compression settings. I have found this test helpful to read what the rebound is doing.

Can you make a video about this topic but as applies to trails and single track?

Holy hell, I have never touched my suspension until this video, this showed me how to fix a couple problems with my suspension that I didn’t know how to deal with before. Thank you so much:)

Thanks been riding all my life now I'm 52 . After watching your explanation I'm going to have a play around with me suspension on my Wr 450 better late then never..

A little know fact. I was a suspension development ride back in the late 80s a d early 90s. We would work to get good working suspension on models a NS then the next year when the new bikes came out they didn’t feel the same. What we found out was the bike companies would use a different oil in the suspension then we used to get the settings. It was not the premium oil we used to set it up. Most manufacturers have their own suspension setup place in the USA. Call them. They will often sell you the good stuff they used in setting up the suspension in the first place. It can make a lot of difference. It can make certain forks feel so much better. Also a good fork seal lubricant like what Ohlins sells can make your fork eat little bumps much better. Simmons developed it years ago then Ohlins purchased the rights to it. Great stuff.

I have always just worked with how a bike is set up for my trail riding. I recently rebuilt& resprung my kx 250 for my weight and need to set sag which led me to want to have it all set up. After 30 years of trails and now living in the desert....

I understand how and why the clickers do to the oil flow to controls dampening. I just have a hard time knowing what changes to make to effect feel on bike. This video does pretty good to try and explain the on bike feel compared to clicks and how to tune things out that you dont want.

Thank you for this video. The way you explained things now make much more sense to me. Now I'm going out riding today and doing some testing. I know its going to take me all day but that's OK at least I'll be riding.

Thank you very much...I ride a street bike and the info you have given is so helpful.

Nothing better than my Rm250 when had suspension dialed felt amazing!

Great insight for beginners like me. Thanks Jase!

Maybe this tip is more for valving but OIL WEIGHT is key for a better suspension feel. I just opened my Racing suspension shop and thanks to great people out there that trust in me my suspension it's working good on the track. Nice video ROCKY MOUNTAIN GUYS very complete and informative. Cheers from Baja Mexico

Wow. Finally! A much needed video. Thank you for posting 👍🏻👍🏻

So basically whatever I think the suspension needs.... do the opposite

Great video. This is the first time I've heard anyone explain that if you go up a few sizes on spring rate, you'll need to revalve. I learned that the hard way, but it makes sense... a stiffer spring will make the wheel rebound a lot faster if you haven't changed the clickers. If you find your rebound is turned almost all the way in to counter that, you're not allowing the rebound stack to work because all the resistance is on the needle port inside the shock. Turning the rebound in all the way eventually affects the compression side too, and what you have is a dead feeling shock. I'm too cheap to send my suspension out so I learned how to revalve myself from online forums. It's been about 10 years; I've probably saved thousands by now.

Bought Type 3 Gold Valves from Race Tech at full price then saw them $40 cheaper on Rocky Mountain.... $60 cheaper if you include free shipping over $75...

When my rebound was too soft/fast on forks, when I brakes hard to a stop, the last bit of stopping distance would feel like I ran over a stuffed animal. Sometimes I would get the same squishy sideways feel in a corner.

This is the first time I have actually started to understand what and how the adjusters work. Thanks so much. You guys rock!

Very nice as always Chase. One thing we used to do when my son raced AX was we would take video (like we saw of you) and we would watch it at the track, make adjustments that both he andI could see. That YZF is a sweet ride!

Heard a good trick. Put a zip tie on the fork slider to see how far you fork is travelling. If not using almost the whole fork stroke. Set up to stiff.

Great video

Very informative video!!! Thanks so much

Here's a really simple way to approach suspension that anyone can wrap their head around: find a track or section of trail that is representative of the type of riding you do the most. Record your base settings, go out for a short ride (5 min.) Then, try adjusting just one setting. Go a couple of clicks in the direction you think you need so you're sure to notice the difference. Now, go back out and ride that same section again. Better, or worse? If it's worse, try going in the other direction from your base setting. If it's better, try going further. Most importantly, take notes at each step (yes actually write them down). If you're a racer, get someone to time you, but be careful not to put too much weight into timing vs feel as there are other things that can affect your speed, like time of day and how long you've been riding. You'll start to really map out by feel what each setting is doing and one by one you'll be getting them dialed in. There are some more complex interactions that can occur, like when your compression and rebound are both slow and you start packing your suspension down with successive hits, so this method isn't foolproof but it's a heckuva lot better than doing nothing with your clickers because you don't feel like you know enough.

Great explanation. We don't get enough of these videos. People in the lower classes or just starting out have no idea how to make their suspension work.

Most new stock bikes come with decent suspension . All’s it takes is a few minor adjustments for free .

How do you set it up so you get no sag? Not racing just a heavier rider and want a higher balanced

Finally touched my suspension for the first time after having a too stiff bike for years.

I got a 2017 300xc with aer i have the compression turned all the way out to make it plush im in 1st to 2nd gear nasty roots and rocks . I see nothing wrong with it turned all the way out and i really like the plush ride now what are your opionions on this setting im 250lb air side 145-155 psi .

Is there a way to adjust my rear brake? I just bought a 96 Husqvarna and the rear tire locks up super easy. I've only seen people say adjust the pedal but that doesn't change how quick it brakes.

My 2 cents..... This is regarding riding for entertainment, NOT racing..... Most people ride for entertainment, the hard-core racers are operating with a completely different set of rules, you need to understand the difference. Moto-Cross Racing ALWAYS requires higher Spring Rates and harder Damping, vs riding for Entertainment. First, set both your comp & extension settings ALL THE WAY SOFT, this is so you can test for proper Spring-Rates for YOUR BODY WEIGHT, AND RIDING STYLE. Ride the trails, and or, putz around in the places, and under the conditions, that you expect your bike to handle routinely. Now, push it fairly hard.... Hard front braking over rough terrain SHOULD result in the Forks OCCASIONALLY bottoming-out. If you CAN'T bottom-out the Forks under these conditions, you need softer springs that WILL bottom-out occasionally, BEFORE you mess with increasing any Damping Settings. If you CAN easily bottom-out the Forks, routinely, you need higher rate Springs in your Forks. If you CAN'T bottom-out the forks, you will never get the full travel out of your suspension, which WILL slow you down, and wear you out. The Damping level that you want to add next is just enough to "Dampen" the "Oscillations", (back and forth, or, up and down), of the WEIGHT of the Bike. The Damping adjustments are NOT for "fixing" non-ideal spring rates. GET THE RIGHT SPRINGS for your body weight, and your riding style and environment, FIRST. SPRING RATES COME FIRST, Setting the "rider sag" is Second, Third is Rebound, and last is Compression, for both the Forks, and the rear Shock. When testing for the Rear Spring Rate, you will want to ride over the biggest jumps that you expect to encounter. The biggest jumps should bottom-out the Rear Shock, almost every time, smaller jumps will NOT bottom-out the Rear Shock. You probably don't need to add any Compression Damping to the Rear Shock above the minimum setting, HOWEVER, Rebound, or, "Extension" Damping IS CRITICAL on the Rear Shock, too much, and you will loose traction, and be slower, to little, and the Bike will be a "bucking bronco", and try to throw you over the handlebars, and, make your jump landings, land on the front wheel. Rear Extension Damping keeps the rear end of the Bike DOWN, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, but don't over-do it. Stand on the pegs with your knees bent, and try to "pump" the suspension up and down, the Forks should ALWAYS rebound faster than the Rear Shock. Sag....... The factory recommended settings are not necessarily bad, but sometimes they are a compromise. I like to do it this way.... Get the manufacturers numbers for the full, Front and Rear Suspension Travel, lets say that the number is ~10 inches, this divides the travel by 10 for easy math. If "zero" is completely Bottomed-out, and 10 is completely Extended, the static "Sag" position should be at around ~4" with the rider in "attack position" on the Bike. The amount of Extension Travel, AND the amount of Compression Travel, ARE EQUALLY IMPORTANT, but having slightly more Compression Travel will help to compensate for the loss of Suspension Travel caused by weight transfer of the Bike and Rider when braking, accelerating, or landing from a jump. Extension Travel KEEPS THE TIRES ON THE GROUND, WHERE THEY HAVE TRACTION, and, "Traction is Action". If your wheels are NOT on the ground, YOU ARE BACKING-UP, and the Bike will be out of control, and SLOW. You want to make complete use of every single inch of Suspension Travel, based on your riding style and environment. Let the Suspension do the work, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO, that way you can concentrate on riding and having fun, instead of just trying to "hang-on for dear life". . .

THANKS just excelent...Muchas gracias...🇨🇷

5:30 Did he first: rear brake - moto started diving and then added throttle to correct the diving ?

awesome video

Time! I have never planned to do suspension settings setup work instead of just riding. Like if I have half a day do be a dirt bike rider I’m going to ride like the weekend warrior I am. But I want nothing else than a perfectly tuned bike! Aah, help! 😂🤘🏻

Very informative. 👍

so i should just hire a factory mechanic for a bit eh?

Very well made detailed video, though my situation is a little different. I'm learning this for street riding on my DRZ400SM. I'm planning on riding with a passenger and to compensate for the extra weight, should I stiffen up the high and low speed compression? Also should I just stiffen the rear or the front too? Thanks.

Loving these videos, just got a 2017 KTM 450. Never adjusted the suspension in a bike before, had no clue about sag. Not my first bike, just never messed with it.

So out means counterclockwise and in means clockwise?

mount gopro under engine to watch wheel movement - Helps a HUGE amount

Best video in the internet

Thank you very much for this info. It explains alot of the mystery about suspension problems. This helps me understand why the bike doesn't feel right.

Also if your suspension is not serviced and is leaking oil you will always be chasing your tail. The right amount of oil is key to how the suspension works. If you have a leaking shock or forks it will never feel right.

I’m 180lbs. 2012 WR450F. Do I need to stiffen up my settings a bit just based on that info? Isn’t 180 when you start making stiffer adjustments?

My only comment is that rear end squat under acceleration, and compression on smaller landings and rollers are typically "low speed" shock shaft velocities that Low Speed Compression will resolve. High Speed Compression is typically for square edged bumps and hard landings. That said, adjustments made to LSC will effect HSC as well.

awesome description of comp being too soft!!! i love these vids!

My racetech guy taught me to set it all in the middle, and then adjust one setting four clicks in one direction. If it feels better, do four more. If it feels worse back it up two clicks and of course go the other direction if it still feels worse at two. Then do the same for each. I just hate doing a lap or two and having to ride back to the truck to adjust. I need to get myself a stylin fanny pack I can put a flathead and some sockets in so I can just pull over on the track and do it there. Those clickers on the bottom of the forks are always fun to get to when adjusting on your own. All that being said, I'm getting back into riding and find that my comfort level and skill is changing faster than I can adjust my suspension, so I need to chill until I start to flatten out in a comfortable spot.

Thanks for this video, this is golden!

Modern suspension is amazing. I remember when clicks barely made a difference.

hello my name is Stephen from southern Ireland I have a 2018 ya 450 I'm 13 stone about 5.9 what should the front suspension be set at and the back shock ?

Last Saturday went awesome. I was having a lot of doubts about my bike and what to do in the future with it..... I fell in love with it once again because I went back to stock settings and started from there again. Turns out I was going the wrong way with some settings. Going back to basics made miracles for me.

So I get what compression and rebound is but what the hell is “damping” when you “increase damping” on compression or rebound *damping* then are you increasing or decreasing compression and rebound? Why the hell is the word damping even used?

few tips here!!! adjust sag first, the clicks affect how the bike turn too

What do I do when going through a rough section everything is good then all of a sudden the bars go side to side like a death wobble !

More than 3 or 4 clicks on compression 90% of the time you will have to adjust rebound to match. Softer compression will probably need faster rebound since there is more movement down, forks will need to come up faster to keep wheel in contact with ground.

I just bought a 2018 crf 250L and the suspension is super soft and I heard you cant do anything about besides dumping big $ into it. Any suggestions? thanks

Another awesome video! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience with us!!

The whole going softer and softer thing happened to me today , set it stiff and I was flying over bumps and whoops like they wernt even there

They have great deals on oil

I really like your riding style man you nailed some great berms looked great and fantastic advice cheers

I went from riding a 1986 kx125. too a 2019 yz450f. my old kx had some horrible old out dated suspension that I couldn’t do much with. after getting on my yzf the suspension feels amazing but have been told I still need to set it up it feels very hard / stiff this videos has helped me a lot I am nearly 16 stone so may need to do more then just setting but is a great video helped my a lot I thought it was good before but have it so much closers to my needs thanks

Good all around info...Thank you !!

1:15 "Alright, first things first", then he skipped the first things that are suppose to be first. 1) Make sure you have the proper spring rates for your weight and the rear sag set correctly, (front to if you can). 2) Make sure your shock linkage is maintained well. Get rid of any friction in the suspension system (front and back), that is not suppose to be there. 3) Then play with the clickers. There is one fantastic book I know about that if you read and understand it, you may be sharp enough to start a suspension company and do well. Paul Thede's Race Tech Suspension Bible. Did you with a well lubed and properly working linkage, you can actually set your rebound dampening by pushing on the seat and watching how it rebounds? Compression is way more complicated because of all the different bumps, and all rebound has to do is control the spring rebound, and help keep the tire on the ground for traction.

If your rear end is kicking after a few bumps, it could be the rebound is too slow, or the compression is too hard, and it is hard to tell when riding the bike. It is good to have somebody vidoe it working, then you can tell if the rear end is packing (to much rebound dampening) and kicking because the travel is used up, or kicking because the compression (probably the High Speed compression adjuster, but maybe entering low speed shaft speed.), is too stiff.

If your getting head shake at high speeds you can also tighten your steering stem nut a tad. Made a Hugh difference on my Yamaha, I can relax more at speed with out running a steering damper

My forks feel so stiff and it fells like it wants to wash out I put new seals in and oil just emptied out sum oil hope it helps I rare on fine sand dirt

So, ahem ... if the screw is all the way in deep inside the compression hole, the valve is closed. If I open it 10 turns, the fluid will be moving faster and the shock will move faster. If I open it 22 turns that is the maximum flow and the shock will be moving the fastest. If I turn the compression screw all the way out so the nut is sticking out of the hole, there is almost no compression and the fluid is flowing freely and the compression will be soft. If I turn the compression screw clockwise 10 turns, the shock will be harder. I would set the low speed compression higher and the high speed compression lower, to start.

Great info., but the reason I’m posting is to commend your sales staff for their excellent customer service. There was a mix up on one of my orders and they made it disappear. RM has been our {2 sons and I) source of parts 95% of the time since your beginning. 👍👍👍👍👍

I'm more confused than before the video🤣

clicked like when he said increase compression to soften it, nice

Great video track surface ie wet/dry soft/hard is also a massive player in set up i've always found that getting plenty of laps in and experimenting with settings you get a feel for what works best under different conditions :D

I weigh 115 pounds and ride a 2018 yz 250f and the stock suspension is way too hard for me

If you’re sweating and exhausted, sliding around and not able to keep up when everyone else deems to be doing fine it’s your suspension setup and body position. Put everything to the middle and ride for 20 minutes, Dont make changes to the bike for at least that time. Put your bike on a center stand and stand on the pegs in a neutral position without holding the bars. Rest your hands on the bars with no pressure on your legs or hands. That’s your primary body position. If this takes ANY effort stand up a bit straighter and move your weight forward until you could stand there all day. That’s your basic position. Your thigh muscles are the largest in your body and use the most energy. Squatting on the bike screws up your balance, reaction time and exhausts you. Being relaxed improves balance, reaction time and gives you a basic position to return to for straights and recovery. Once you have this, suspension setup starts to make sense. When you ride for the first time in a day, Dont make changes for 30 minutes! The bike ALWAYS feels shit and wired until you’re warmed up and relaxed! Easy rules: Remember to BREATH. holding your breath starves your muscles and reduces concentration. RELAX - find that neutral riding position. When I’m tired and racing hard I have a mantra that I repeat over and over, “ RELAX….BREATH….RELAX…BREATH” Hey, man it works for me 👍

Who else noticed the broken exhaust mount on the yama

Thanks for this video. Great job guys.

I love all the adjustment there is for suspension today, can be adjust to work for just about anybody. It is a lot more inclusive than the seat heights today, that pretty much exclude anybody under 5'11" tall from good cornering. :) Lower your bike. You will corner better than the guy fiddling with his suspension. :)

Suspension was a lot more complicated when the MX tracks had bumps.

Thumbs up for Ogden!

If you are at a bumpy track where you can see the roost well, you can actually see who has a better rear shock set up. The more the roost is continuous, (on the gas over the bumps), the better the rear wheel is hooking up. The more the roost is "off and on", the more time the wheel is spinning in the air. Again, something I learned from Paul Thede's "suspension bible", from Race Tech.

According to Paul Thede's Race Tech Suspension Bible", (probably the best book about motorcycle suspension on the planet), rebound is very easy to set and can be done pretty well by just pushing on the seat and watching/feeling it rise. First you have to make sure the linkage is working well with no binding or added friction, or the test will not work. All you do is have the bike on the ground, front wheel straight, and push down on the seat and let it rise back up with you hand just feeling it. If it is too slow, it will rise and stop at the top. If it is too fast, it will rise past top, come back down a little and do that 2 or 3 ti8mes (oscillating at the top of it's stroke). it it is good, it will rise a tad past the top, and come back down only once and stop. Do that well with the correct spring rate, and all you have to worry about is compression.

Thanks for this video! I felt I had some ok knowledge, but this was explained very well and thoroughly.

If the one fork has compression setting and the other has rebound but they are two different entities. How do they work in unison? Always baffled me. Thanks

Thank you so much!! I never knew what I had to change until now but new something wasn’t right.

so conclusion is compression: slightly stiffer than base setting rebound: slightly softer than base setting

Awesome explanation man, thanks for your help! 🤙

Actually the HSC won't affect things like suspension squatting excessively from acceleration. That's for the LSC to take care of.

So... Compression setting on fork can be on bottom OR top OR one side of the forks! Easy peasy. I got this.

I’m 200lbs and checked the sag on my 2022 te300i and it was perfect. Lol

What are the side effects if your rebound is too fast. He explained what it was if it was too slow. Sorry if I missed it somewhere.

How would this work if the bike isn’t rated for the weight? I believe the kx85 is designed for 125lb rifles well in my case my daughter is on 70lbs. Is this even worth touching as a diy person and she’s still learning but hopefully be racing by next year.

Rocky Mountain is the best

Nice video. I have one question, I just purchased a brand new Yamaha YZ250 out of the box and wanted to dry test the shock by pushing the seat down by hand while adjusting the low speed compression clicker. I screwed it to both min and max settings but it always feels the same when pushing the seat by hand. Is it normal or does my new shock have an issue? The rebound setting works fine and can be clearly determined by pushing the seat down and let it rebound. Only the compression feels always the same. Please let me know if it is normal? Do you feel a difference between min and max lowspeed compression setting with this dry test by hand or not?

I have another DR 650 coming and I am 180 lbs. going to use it as a ADV bike, but want to do a fare bit of off road but on the slower side as I am 71yr. Should I be looking at changing springs or just going to a heaver fork oil. I want to be able to go over logs if they are in my way. The last time I did any real of road was over 40 yr ago, and it was on a DR 600 kick start only and it got me through any thing I wanted, but I was never in to racing just enjoying the back woods. and going where there is no trail, a lot of the time.