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“It’s not the bike it’s the rider.”
You’ve probably all heard this a few times, and I really do believe it. A skilled rider can make just about any motorcycle do incredible things. BUT, if I had to choose one thing about my bike that goes a long way towards bettering my riding, it would be my suspension.
When my suspension is working flawlessly, a few great things start to happen. I conserve energy, I gain confidence, and I build on my skillset.
Fighting with your bike in the bouncy, rocky terrain should not be a thing. I mean yes, the rocks are tough, but you’d be amazed at how much easier that stuff becomes with suspension that does its job properly. Fighting to keep the rubber side down can drain your energy prematurely.
Your forks and shock should be absorbing the rough terrain, not bouncing and deflecting. Makes sense right? Now don’t feel bad if you don’t know the difference yet. I honestly didn’t know until I finally found the correct set up.
Okay, let’s continue.
Confidence. Ah yes. This is a big one. There’s nothing worse than coming up to a log on the trail and praying to the dirt bike gods as you come barreling into it that everything is going to work out. Ideally, you want to be able to predict the outcome based on your skills, the conditions, the obstacle, etc. If you know exactly how your bike is going to handle and react, you’re going to have the confidence to tackle the obstacle properly.
Which then brings me to building on your skillset. With a comfortable and predictable bike set-up, comes progress! I noticed it immediately when I got my new suspension set up. Right away I was able to eliminate one major variable (incorrectly set up suspension), and really focus on the steps to mastering a certain technique.
So what is a proper suspension set-up?
Your suspension should be sprung for your weight. From there you can change the valving and adjust the clickers to what feels best for your riding style and the type of terrain you like to ride.
I’m going to give you guys a quick tour of Suspensionwerx in Vancouver, British Columbia where I had my suspension done. For those of you that are into the techy stuff, keep watching to hear from James, the man responsible for setting up my bikes, and changing my outlook on suspension completely.
Alright guys, so like I said, James has changed my outlook on suspension completely. If you’re going to spend money on your bike, let it be on a proper suspension set-up. Give the guys at Suspensionwerx a call, even if you just have a few questions. They will be happy to help!
14 авг 2019
