How To Set up High and Low Speed Compression on a Dirt Bike Shock

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Understanding and adjusting the suspension on your motorcycle is often seen as a daunting task for many riders because there are many different variables and settings involved in a correctly set up suspension. In this video we go over some of the terms you'll hear in relation to high and low speed compression settings on your bike's suspension, and then we'll give you some tips on getting your shock's compression settings set correctly for you and your riding style.
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[@porschetech72901]

great info.... if i might add a suggestion.... as backwards as it seems .... take a notebook when goin to ride spot..... record your changes and why and retain for future reference

[@kenwolfe5697]

This. Do not underestimate the power of this suggestion. Record exactly how you perceive the changes as you make them.

[@brianwilson1145]

There's not enough videos on shock adjustment out there. Thanks!

[@WOLFZEIT_]

Dude for real Ive been wondering what each setting meant and how to adjust them

[@markhall3434]

Another feedback point.. use a cable Ty-Wrap to measure the fork compression given a specific bump profile. If something doesn't feel right (Like it bottoms out) check how far the fork compressed and if it's close to a limit. Adjust the appropriate compression as necessary. The Ty-Wrap technique gives feedback of how much the spring actually compressed and which screw to fiddle with. Works for me.. your mileage may differ. A video of the fork compression during the Test Bump would even be more instructional as to the issue, although I haven't gone that far.

[@dirtboyslong9202]

Great explanation! Make sure your sag is set correctly before making fine tune adjustments to compression settings.

[@jrp616]

Thanks Chase, that's the best explanation on the subject I've heard

[@rmatvmc]

Glad you liked it! - Chase

[@artvarnson8009]

Great video! I have watched a lot of these video's over the years and this one is one of the best.... I hate when they say this much in, this much out....Why not say it like Chase said, clockwise means stiffer so counterclockwise obviously means softer. To me that makes it a lot easier to understand. Good job bro keep up the good work!

[@Toad_Moto]

Oh, man. I so needed this video. I keep losing my license plate cause my suspension is too soft in the rear. 👍👌

[@ExclaimMediaDotCom]

The absolute best explanation I have watched or read yet! Thank you!

[@rmatvmc]

Glad it was helpful!

[@StepstoPodium]

Great video guys! You're giving good practices about how to handle suspension adjustments :) This week I'm uploading a video explaining exactly how suspensions are made, how they work, and how the adjustments in front forks work. Let's shed some light on these black magic topics for once!! :D

[@snarfdwarf]

Thanks a lot for this video. I never touched the high speed compression and have these kicks out of turns and kicks into turns from the rear....now I know what to do...soften the high speed!

[@rmatvmc]

Glad it helped!

[@trevornugent9680]

As said, there is not enough videos on this. It'd be good if you did a setup on a specific bike for trail riding (woods riding) and one for an MX track too.

[@cateranoverlord8116]

Agreed.

[@scannorse]

Yes, for trail riding

[@lukefish7562]

Have a couple bikes and ignorant on the subject. 😆 Thanks for the needed info! 🙏🏽

[@7arkhwf]

Beautiful, now I comprehend the whole thing completely, thanks Chase 👏

[@waltermiller249]

Learn something new everyday

[@jaxxrocket1530]

Great quick tutorial. Be sure to document your settings and adjustments folks! Shim packs, valves, spring rates....... Thank God for the brainiacs, because if the worlds' technological advancements were up to me, we'd still be cavemen trying to figure out fire, levers, and the wheel.

[@markalan4026]

Very good explanation

[@flipped68]

I’m no pro, but this info really helped. Keep up the good work

[@rmatvmc]

Glad it helped! - Chase

[@openyoureyes7144]

Thanks ! I adjusted my high and low speed off this video- Sent it off this step down at my local track and crashed So hard. Bucked me Like Evel Knievel at Caesar’s Palace.....Thanks Chase!!!

[@rmatvmc]

Are you saying you made adjustments after watching this video and then you crashed?

[@openyoureyes7144]

@@rmatvmc lol - was joking . The video actually helped a lot- I crash without chases help lmao

[@GroupFitWiltshire]

good video, ive gone back to the base suspension for my bike, but not really sure about base setting for pre load

[@JHelmsey]

Great Video !!!! Just what i was looking for!

[@suzuki06g]

Nice job! As others have posted, there's not much out there on proper suspension setup. Sure, there's good video's (like this one) that provide real information, but nothing that actually walks through a suspension tuning session. It would be a longer video but if someone took a bike to a track (or off-road course) and walk us through what they say and did to the clickers in order to get the suspension set for that day.

[@rmatvmc]

I understand your feedback and I agree that it would make a good video. I'll keep that in mind for next time. Thanks. - Chase

[@brodrickfinley990]

Great video keep it up thanks for explaining it

[@joaovitoralvesandrade5046]

Best video in internet

[@Alanconnor69]

Great tips for suspension tuning 👌

[@DFiantFigure]

Grade of dirt can make for adjustments. Harder or softer dirt.

[@VladigovA]

6:20 "That's an indicator that you're too stiff, and that's kids is how I met your mother"

[@calvinly1043]

Thanks for the information Chase

[@lyndonewright330]

Great video ive put the correct spring on my shock it a 22 Husqvarna FX350 compression and rebound on the soft settings since I put the spring on the bike seems a little stiff I ride woods what is your recommendation

[@thehungryhunter3454]

excellent video guys thank you.

[@urbanex_]

If you adjust your suspension, do you have to redo your sag?

[@robocombo]

You should always set sag correctly first, and then adjust compression and rebound damping with the clickers. There's no need to reset or recheck sag after adjusting the clickers because they cannot affect the sag, they're independent. The sag is just controlled by how much the spring is pre-loaded.

[@idrissalam]

Very usefull thanks.

[@rmatvmc]

Glad it was helpful!

[@peteh8077]

The really fast muscle cars don't squat. They do the opposite ;) great video.

[@dallinwright221]

Perfect ! Thank you

[@rmatvmc]

Glad it helped!

[@vince5946]

Great video, HSC has always been one of those more difficult settings for me but the older I get the less I need the HSC setting LOL, getting slow. My Beta's Sachs shock HSC setting does have clicks which is nice, just an FYI not that it really matters:) Keep up the great vids guys, love the content.

[@dantheman6931]

Good job buddy!

[@adamp7448]

Thanks. Do you have how to check and then adjust sag for forks especially open KYB forks 2010 model te 450

[@the_ltz_guymaster7912]

More kfx450r videos like coolant change reverse cable install please

[@ryansanford13]

My owners manual tell me not to “loosen nut” I have a 2016 ktm 250 xcw with the wp suspension, is mine different and I can’t change it there?

[@Draconian786]

I reset my 2012 ktm 300 back to stock according to the manual and now i have a squeaky rear shock. Any advice?

[@glennevans2566]

Perfect thanks!

[@For_Fun360]

Can you do a video for the quad elka suspension.

[@HobbitHomes263]

It would be interesting to see a video about suspension for less aggressive riders. I am 66. I am NOT using all of the suspensions capabilities. I am not racing on a track or riding "hard" enduro. I AM most dirt bike owners

[@rmatvmc]

The concepts in this video and our other suspension videos apply to any level of rider. Suspension setup for less aggressive riders will usually just be a softer setting. These videos are more about diagnosing what your suspension is doing and how to make it better. - Chase

[@elgringoec]

I don't care how much *older* and *slower* we keep getting... we often *feel* like we're still tearing it up! 😂 But yeah the jarring feels harder on our bodies, at least mine, and I just can't go standing knees bent as much.

[@markhobson5628]

Hi Chase, love all your videos mate 👍 I’m a vet rider 100kg’s and my rear shock bottoms out over certain jumps with the tyre hitting the guard. I have the correct spring from Racetech, compression 10 clicks out and high speed 1 1/2 turns out, sag 105. Any suggestions to correct this besides losing weight 😂

[@rmatvmc]

Big jump landings are a high speed compression. So try going in 1/4-1/2 turn on your high speed and see if that helps. Go in more if needed. Did you have your suspension revalved or just put stiffer springs on? A revalve could also help to get more bottoming resistance. - Chase

[@markhobson5628]

@@rmatvmc thanks for your reply Chase, I haven’t had my suspension revalved but I will look into doing that. In the mean time I’ll adjust the high speed in and see how that goes. Thanks again mate 👍😎

[@davidray4128]

Here's my scenario. I am learning to jump flat tops. I can't make it all the way yet and when I land I feel the bike may be bottoming out. My legs can't absorb the rest of the hit. I am 200 lbs on a KX250. Do I adjust high speed compression stiffer? Low speed stiffer? or both? I have turned the preload in 2 turns which helped. Thanks

[@rmatvmc]

Are you on your stock springs? If you are, then it it most likely that your springs are too light for your weight. If your springs are too light, there is only so much you can do with your clicker adjustments. Also, adding some oil to your forks (I'd start with 10ml) can help with some extra bottoming resistance. You also need to remember that for a 250, the valving is probably done for a rider well under 200lbs, so even if you're springs rates are correct, revalving your suspension to a stiffer setting can also really help if the springs don't solve the problem .- Chase

[@davidray4128]

@@rmatvmc Thanks Chase. Yes I'm on stock springs. Not wanting to change them out, just hoping I can make it a little better with compression adjustments. When I do hit a jump properly it's perfect.

[@dirtcarnage5298]

Can you get base settings for szc the Chinese one

[@Bosko1000RR]

Are you recomended change setup lsc & hsc for muddy condition? Enduro single track, extreme enduro..

[@alexfeatherstone6676]

Probably softer since you will see hefty lumps and rocks.

[@ranchocortez]

Thanks alot

[@darrenarnold7361]

Love the vid

[@imds123]

This is all about Mx set up, what about us trail riders and hare scramble folks?

[@reeveharper8424]

Same theory applies

[@shooter7a]

You should always dial your rebound first. If your rebound is off, you can not dial your compression at all.

[@onenessseeker5683]

I want detailed files.

[@Mental-Mess]

Anyone know what to adjust if my bars are getting bad speed wobbles (back and forth violently) during high speeds on flat medium dirt? Basically sand drags but a little harder than sand where we drag race.

[@rmatvmc]

There are so many things that could affect or cause this is hard to narrow it down to one specific thing. But here are some things to try. 1. Put a stabilizer on your bike 2. Check your sag and make sure it's where it needs to be 3. is your steering stem nut tight enough? If your bars can fall to the left or right and hit the steering stop without you pushing or pulling them, you can definitely tighten that up 4. Is your suspension set up for you? i.e. your weight, skill level ec. I'd try these out and see if that helps. - Chase

[@NirHason]

If it's an hard pack, it can be just balancing the wheel (with weight)

[@petebusch9069]

Not to be negative but this video did not help at all and don't see the difference between high/low speed and compression/rebound. How does this all work together and what is the entire process to achieve an optimal setup? Do we set the pre load first, then compression/rebound, then high/low speed or something else. So much good content with this subject not being shared.

[@smaug1977]

Heres what I do(not MX but sled with KYB HLCR Kashima shocks). First I set my sag where I want it/recommend by manufacturer. Then i crank the high speed to almost full firm and low speed to full soft. The reason for this is that the high speed valving is in fact a bypass valve for the low speed valve. If starting the other way around, all oil flow will go through the high speed. To establish a good base for low speed I now start to ride over roll outs, g-outs, doing some acceleration etc. By now im probably adjusted the low speed a fair bit firmer, and if i'm happy with how the sled is behaving, the next step is high speed adjustment. Hitting square pumps with high speed set to max would probably throw me of the sled in no time so the first ting I would do, is lowering the setting way down then starting to run the sled harder looking for square bumps, chatter bumps, doing some flatt landings etc. Usually adjusting high speed are done pretty quickly with minor low speed tweeking. The x-factor is the rebound adjustment which do a huge impact on low speed too(at least on KYB sled shocks) so I often use the recomended setting for rebound which most of the time is pretty much spot on for me.

[@daniellarsson3699]

Haha i cant be the only one trying to use the information in this video in Mx simulator ? xD

[@lalispeedsparse4350]

Thanks i hav8ng a realy hard time on my xc ktm on hard enduros ( rock fast sections) feels like a flip flop on the rear. I tried some adjustments but i can't set it up.

[@derrikg1807]

Nooow I understand it

[@fabzrustrider9838]

👍🏾💯🏍👍🏾💯🇬🇧👍🏾🏍👍🏾💯👍🏾🏍

[@ForrestJones214]

My high speed was all the way in no wonder it beat the **** out of me while I was in breaking bumps in a motoscramble

[@chriscardoza9785]

None of that stuff would if the shock needs a oil change though..

[@Turtlefarm]

What about the center spring!?!?

[@user-sp8eb6iz7f]

oil level.