Troubleshooting:

Before we start troubleshooting any suspension setup, we’ll need to go through a checklist of basic suspension questions. After all these questions have been answered we can then start the proper troubleshooting process.
​- Are your fork and shock springs calculated?
- Is there any oil leaks from the forks or shock?
- Has your suspension been serviced by a professional in the last 30 hours?
- Are you fork and shock springs calculated for your weight?
- Have you checked sag correctly and is your sag measurement correct for your year, make and model?
- Have you forks or shock been correctly installed with a calibrated torque wrench?
- Is air fork air pressure regularly checked and set to recommend pressure?
- Have (both) fork bleeders cracked open regularly to relive built up air pressure?
- Is your machine designed for the type of riding you're using it for?

Compression

Compression damping controls how slow or fast the fork or shock is when compressed. Some machines have only a Low Speed
Compression adjuster on the shock. The Low Speed Compression damping is “usually” adjusted by clicks. Other shocks today also have a High Speed Compression adjuster in which the damping is adjusted by turns.
Low Speed & High Speed Compression are terms that relate to how fast the fork or shock is being compressed. High Shaft
Speed creates more damping and is not necessarily relative to motorcycle speed.
High Shaft Speeds can be created at low motorcycle speed. Examples of High Shaft Speed obstacles: square edged bumps,
lipped out jump faces, logs. Examples of Low Shaft Speed obstacles: rolling bumps, jump faces, jump landings.​

Back End Kicks Straight Up

Shock - Generally caused by not enough rebound damping and/or too little compression damping. Slow rebound damping 1-2
clicks. Note: In most applications rebound affects compression damping as well. Adding too much rebound stiffens the shock
damping, decreasing rebound too much softens the shock compression damping. This can equally be caused by shock
compression being too soft and compressing too much.​

Rebound

Rebound damping controls how quickly the fork or shock comes back to the ground after being compressed. Rebound
adjustment can either be located on top or bottom of the forks and primarily on the bottom clevis of a shock. For example, if a
shock is kicking, sometimes it’s related to shock rebound being too fast (but not all the time). It’s key that rebound is set to
contact the ground at a certain speed matched with your suspension setup for optimal traction. Higher spring rate usually needs a slower rebound setting due to spring pressure.

Bottoming

Fork - Bottoming is caused by lack of spring rate, compression damping or air pressure (on air forks) or to little fork oil
amount. Correct by adjusting the compression damping stiffer or increasing fork pressure until bottoming is under control. If you
run out of adjustment and bottoming still exists consistently, a stiffer spring rate may be necessary or more oil may be added. If
the spring rate is correct, running the compression adjusters too stiff can cause harshness in the forks. The oil level can be
raised to increase bottoming resistance. Generally 10cc / 10mm increments depending on fork make and model.

Shock - Bottoming is caused by lack of spring rate or too soft of compression damping. Correct by adjusting the sag of your
shock or stiffen compression damping until bottoming is under control. Note: If the components have a lot of time on them,
bottoming or a soft, springy feeling can be an indication that a service or rebuild is necessary.

Back End Kicks Side to Side

Shock - Generally caused by too much compression damping on most types of terrain. Too much compression damping on
square edge terrain can cause the back end to kick side to side and/or lose traction. Also, too much rebound damping will cause
this because the back end is held down in a stiffer area of the travel which in turn makes it too stiff for the bumps it’s hitting
(packing).

Headshake / Harshness

Fork - Is generally caused by too much compression damping in the forks. Soften compression 1-2 clicks at a time. Lighter
riders for the size bike you are riding may find it necessary to change to softer fork springs. Head-shake can also be caused by
too steep of fork angle and too short of wheelbase. Too much rebound damping can also cause a “packing” situation in which
the damping holds the forks down in a stiffer area of the travel than is needed. Soften rebound damping 1-2 clicks.