Dirt Bike Suspension vs Chassis EP. 1 | How to Adjust Your Dirt Bike

[@richyoung409]

I'm glad my stupid question could spark a whole series...hahahahaha...you boys could have told me yesterday when I was there and talking about chassis testing...hahahaha...love you boys, good work! Thanks for being bad ass at what you do and so willing to help always! I can't stress enough how awesome it is to have a tuner that also just loves to ride and puts in work all day everyday and doesn't rely on data from 10,15 and 20 years ago. If you are on the fence about Ride JBI and reading this, I strongly recommend! Even if they blow you out on KZbin...Rich Gang out!

[@RideJBI]

Everyday we're hustlin' Thanks for being a great friend, as always. We can't wait to see that new bike of yours...

[@mattstewart2750]

JB, the information you guys are giving out is golden. I appreciate the fact that you guys are willing to share with the general riding public how things work in a simple concise method. Keep on doing what you're doing. On a side note, I need to get my shock down to you guys to get that bladder kit installed.

[@RideJBI]

Thank you! You nailed it. That’s the idea. Trying to explain it in an intuitive and easy to understand way.

[@Stone881]

Real world experience from an expert vet hitting shoveled jumps and lots of whoops in the Colorado dez, not a paid promo !!! I worked with JB on a 2022 RMZ 450 and last gen Sxf 270 in the spring. He suggested the PRO kit for the fork on the RMZ (HUGE improvement) and a swap to the KYB shock from the RMZ 250. I appreciate that JB didn't try to upsell me on reworking the shock, told me it already was well spec'd for me, and I have to say that shock completely changed the RMZ 450 for the better. I added 20cc of oil to the fork to get a little more resistance through the stroke and haven't touched it since. The 2018 KTM is equally good with a Traxx shock and already KYB converted forks that we added the Pro Perch to. That suspension really only needed a rebuild, but the Pro Perch makes that very last part of the stroke a bit less harsh and is working great for what I do. Having the set up guide they provide and being able to spend time on the phone while I dialed it in were extremely useful too. RIDE JBI!

[@RideJBI]

What’s up Weston! Thank you for the feedback. Really glad to hear the JBI Suspension is performing well.

[@jcbenson01]

I love technical discussion from intelligent people like you guys. Any time I can learn and have a little take away is great. Thank you.

[@RideJBI]

Happy to hear you enjoyed the video!

[@darrellmabry699]

Great video guys. I’m glad you made this a two-part series about time. Somebody explained all this stuff to us less experience folk.

[@tnearls]

The Glen Helen twitch is real! This is super helpful. Thanks for the breakdown and I’m looking forward to the other videos in the series!

[@wernerxldata]

Same happens with beach races, long fast straights next to the water, bikes can behave quite brutal there 🤣

[@AntoineCS2]

amazing as tech suspension to do that ! JBI is know to build some good stuff but here is a good sharing process for some riders that matters about finding the right balance ! thanks a lot

[@natefenn]

Super excited for the remainder of the series to come out! As a newb it’s always helpful to have experienced veterans explain what to do and when

[@RideJBI]

Thanks for tuning in Nate! We're happy to help 😎

[@СергейИванов-п1ь2э]

Thank you for the information ! I'll be waiting new videos !

[@panic-revv85]

You should also touch on aftermarket triple clamps and linkages, and exactly when and why you may need them or not need them. Love the setup you guys did for us.

[@MotoMatt418]

Love videos like this. Suspension tips are vital.

[@joshmundy]

Love the info you guys. Nice to hear real tips and the methodology to properly dialing in suspension

[@RideJBI]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@maverickturboresearchandde4381]

Good work JB. Appreciate the open book outlook on information and technicals, keep up the good work, look forward to trying your specs in the future!

[@RideJBI]

Thank you! Doing our best to be transparent, informative and approachable. Looking forward to working together

[@mccowan06]

Yes sir, I'm one of the guys who always calls you. I ride a 2022 Kawi 450. It feels really tall for me, you adjuster my sag and clickers last year and it made a ton of improvement. You reccomended the DeVal adjustable linkage which I did purchase but haven't installed. I touched base with you last month about poor stability in corners and a rough feeling over braking bumps. After our talk, I looked at where my forks seat in the upper clamp and found out that one fork is 1mm off from the other. This is most likely due to my bike being pulled out of the mud at Elsinore main track by a skid steer with straps. I am going to be raising my forks in the clamp by 2 mm increments to find better stability in turns. The only question I have still is, if I install the DeVal linkage and lower it at all from the stock height, will I also need to raise the forks in the clamp to balance the chassis? Second question. I am 5' 8" and 194 lbs. My weight is coming down, I've lost 23 pounds in 3 months. Figuring this fall and Winter I will be in transition from 194 to the mid 180's, do you feel a JBI rear shock designed for my weight would benefit me? I do not feel that from static sag to rider sag, I'm getting a high enough spring rate even at a rider sag of 109. Third and last question. If I'm finding that raising the forks in the clamp to around 4mm or 5mm is the right setting for corners but I'm not quite as stable at high speed, would it be better to invest in a better set of clamps at the stock offset of 23 or even 22? Thanks guys for all that you do!

[@RideJBI]

Good question. Depending on which setting you choose on the DeVol link will help determine if we want to alter fork height at all. A shock revalve will allow the shock to perform better overall. Smoother on the bumps. Better hold up during aggressive riding and jumps. There is always a trade off when tuning the chassis. Commonly what is equally gained in one area is lost in another area. Example being stability vs handling sharpness. Sometimes there isn’t a setup that is best all around. Usually there is some compromise.

[@rdbs505]

Definitely tuned in (pun intended)! Wish you guys were closer, I just had my stuff re-valved and would have loved to have you do it! I'm a tad sketched out by shipping suspension. Anyhow, looking forward to the series. Thank you much!

[@RideJBI]

Next time we will get you #jbituned 😉 Thanks for watching!

[@briansemder565]

I always say to myself that your suspension builder should give you a laminated cheat card, aka business card showing which way to go with clickers sag fork height for track conditions. Like Sand, hard pack, mud, tight track, few jumps, more jumps.

[@RideJBI]

Hey Brian! We agree with you, which is exactly why the JBI Settings Guide was born. All JBI Spec Revalve Services and JBI Spec DIY Kits come with the JBI Settings Guide. Our guide states 5 suggested clicker settings, fork oil volume, fork tube height, spring rate, rider sag, and more. I've attached a link below to another RideJBI video where we discuss how to adjust your suspension based on track conditions and different types of terrain. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6iVnHV9j7aVnpIsi=3QVuzN95p0jWvPU_

[@bm4138]

Looking forward to the videos to come. I ride both on the road and off highway was wondering if the information applies equally to both. Ie the shocks absorb the bumps and the chassis effects turn in and stability. I thought this is probably true for both disciplines but thought I'd ask your opinion in the comments. Sag is talked about like a religion in on road but I rarely hear it discussed off road. I'm a smaller rider so my bikes are almost never set well for me from the dealership

[@RideJBI]

Hello 👋 Good question! The answer is yes. The same principles apply to each bike and surface. The street and dirt bike both would be tuned unique to the bikes chassis design. Some designs will be more or less effected by certain mods.

[@Anstead101]

Thank you JB for the info really enjoy my kx450 since u built my suspension. Any possibility you guys offer some ride/suspension tune days at the local tracks?

[@RideJBI]

Hey James! Glad to hear you're enjoying your JBI Spec Kawasaki. Yes, we do offer suspension setup days by appointment only. If you also happen to see us at the track, don't hesitate to come see us for a sag/clicker adjustment.

[@PauloCavassim-kl1bp]

Thank you very much, awesome job! if you have a chance in this series to cover differences in chassis set up for front or rear biased riders and what are the signs that tell if someone prefer to ride with the rear or the front? Or, is there even such thing as being biased or should we all try to ride as neutral as possible front to rear to be the safest?

[@rmz250irish]

Great Video, since you asked- I’m struggling with my 24 KTM 300sx. In stock form with correct spring rate I got the bike working great everywhere but once the track breaks downs and becomes hard pack the bike becomes really harsh, tons of feedback which equals fatigue, errors and arm pump. It’s near unridable. Dropped the forks, minor improvement, changed the triple clamps to 23mm offset minor improvement, added wp stabilizer no improvement, installed a revalve 6500 kit, minor improvement. I feel like it is not my forks, starting to look at the shock now. Some guidance would be great 👍

[@RideJBI]

Hi and thank you for the comment / bike info. Likely the source of your issue is suspension related. The 6500 is a great fork but can only perform as well as it is setup. Setttings and setup are unique per tuner. The same for the shock. The Shock hardware is good but the settings leave more to be desired. A revalve is the best option for the Shock. The triple clamp offset is more of a handling mod. It would have very minimal effect on the “feel” of the suspension.

[@kevinanderson396]

Ben riding for 40 years. Old man now. shrinking down to 130 lbs. 5'6" short 30 inseam. I lower all my bikes about 20-30mm with spacers. I like to run the forks up in the triple clamps 5-10mm so on trails I can touch the ground (almost!). I will give up straight line stability for comfort all day long 68 YO "A" rider but really a "C" rider now. I have heard you should increase the spring rate when you lower the bike. Is this true? And should I increase the clicker settings also when I do this? I'm old school, you adapt your riding to the bike setup--not vice versa! LOL

[@RideJBI]

The spring may be minorly increased to help support the bikes ride height. I wouldn’t make any clicker adjustments preemptively. Ride the bike and see if any adjustments are needed

[@kevinanderson396]

@@RideJBI yes. It's a 21 Husky TX300. I ran a stock 4.2 spring and the front air fork internal swapped for stiffer walved WP Explorer spring forks with the stock springs, lowered 30mm. It's not a MX track set-up, it's for off-road. Not liking the Air forks on small bumps or wash board stuff.

[@AustinEldridge-r6c]

I'm a 6' 1" rider roughly 180lbs with gear on. I'm a fairly aggressive B rider on a 24 YZ250F. I often struggle with rear end traction in corners. When exiting a corner my rear end likes to step out on me. Could you touch on some tips to aid that? Thank you for this video series!

[@RideJBI]

Hey Austin thanks for the comment. In the soon to be released next video we answer your question.

[@78raarons]

My son, 14yo on a MC 125, everything feels good.. loved the air forks, they felt great. Got cone valve & they feel great too. But he's faster on them.. but he doesn't really wanna mess with things too much bc everything already feels good. I know it could be better, but how do know which way to go when everything is already good? edit* I don't ride, I have never rode, especially at his level.

[@RideJBI]

Thanks for comment. In soon coming next episode we answer your question.

[@wernerxldata]

And some issues don’t have a technical source, rider technique and body position is quite often a problem. You can mask that with technical changes but it’s better to improve your skills. That adds up to proper setup suspension.

[@RideJBI]

Underrated comment!

[@wernerxldata]

@@RideJBI By the way love your content, I help people around a lot with suspension, so stuff like separating damping problems from geometry problems (+rider errors) and fixing setups isn't new to me. But I do learn a lot from your other video's. Would love to get more into the inside of forks and shocks, due to videos like yours I understand how it works in concept but I never changed a shim stack or something like that...yet. Many thanks for all the info, learning a lot from you. Brilliant to see how creative you are in finding solutions to make suspension better. Imho it's one of the most important part of the bike, to be fast and to stay safe. As a rider I'm a bit old now, not very fast anymore but I still spend a lot of attention on my suspension setup, gives me confidence and adds up to safety. Keep up the great work 🙏

[@Isenseven1080]

Can you please give some insight on handlebar clamp position in the top triple clamps either forward or back. Also please comment on lowered footpets. Im on an stocks 22 kawasaki 250 and am 6'. Mainly curious about bike setup for taller riders.

[@RideJBI]

Great topic to cover in a future video! We will touch on this soon, stay tuned!

[@Isenseven1080]

@@RideJBI awesome! Subscribed.

[@RydenAround]

How to adjust for getting beat up by forks on braking bumps? Feels harsh and a lot of feedback. Also how to balance the appropriate adjustment with not going so soft that it bottoms too frequently. It's an air fork. Thank you!!

[@RideJBI]

Hello 👋 You could try reducing / softening the compression clicker to get the plush fork feel. Then also add 20cc of oil to the outer chamber to give the forks more bottoming. This will make the forks more progressive as they compress. This way you get a softer feel with the clicker and more bottoming with oil. That would be a starting point. The fork can be improved more with a revalve.

[@mikeb4708]

IMO the Austrian bikes are the most difficult to dial in because they are so sensitive to chassis changes

[@RideJBI]

Indeed the bikes require more attention and mods compared to the other brands. The challenge is good though because it forces us to learn and adapt

[@Mostviews111]

I hope this winter I'll have the extra money to have you pimp out my suspension.

[@RideJBI]

When you're ready, Ride JBI will be ready 💪🏼

[@jamiejohnson5645]

Advice=Find a reputable tuner and have them set up everything. Listen to what they say and trust them. Then just ride it get use to it. Work on your technique. I know guys who can ride crap setup so fast it crazy. And proper setup just a bit faster but more comfortable to them. Slavens racing = Tracy’s trail tune = perfection. End up back at his clicker setting every time. Trust your tuner if he is legit. I am the weak link, not the bike.

[@jake981]

This is money! LOL. Once you find a good setting you can move over 4-6" on the track and find a much better and smoother line. 8)

[@RideJBI]

Agreed. Solid advice.

[@juice9767]

Great video.. I'm Suscribed and looking for more. 🫡

[@RideJBI]

Thanks for the sub!