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2020 crf250 suspension

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2019 2:36 pm
by Hammer
I read my manual about how many adjustments my suspension has. There dialogue is very vague.

For example it said that the front fork compression has 13 adjustments or more. What the h€ll does that mean. The same for all suspension adjustments.

So how do I find out the true amount of adjustments I have.

Re: 2020 crf250 suspension

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2019 6:04 pm
by JimDirt
What it means is the forks/shock have numerous settings , there is a baseline , and where you end up , it is variable depending on various conditions and circumstances

You take the adjuster (lets start with Compression Forks) , Turn the clicker 1 click at a time clockwise till it lightly seats/stops (do not force it , then turn it out till it stops , counting the clicks (it will be the same on both forks) , the standard position (baseline setting) is 7 clicks out , so to get there you turn it in all the way , then turn it counter clockwise 7 clicks (each click should be 1/4 of a full turn , so 4 clicks per complete turn) , same goes for the rebound (bottom of the fork) , the standard/baseline setting is 11 clicks out .... follow ??? , the shock is slightly different

The shock has 3 adjustments , High Speed Compression , Low Speed Compression , and Rebound , the Rebound is adjusted the same as the fork , the base setting is between 7-10 clicks out , you will have to experiment with this as track conditions determine what setting is used as a baseline

High Speed compression is the large nut on the top tank , the Low Speed is the small screwdriver slot , , the term Low and High Speed does not mean the bike speed , it is referring to the shock shaft speed , and how it reacts to various obstacles , the High Speed adjuster should be around 3-1/4 to 3-3/4 turns out to start , the Low Speed is 11 clicks out baseline

Again , the adjustments will vary depending on how well you ride (how fast you are) and the terrain you are riding , (sand. hard pack , etc , also Jump size ) , Basically , start off the the base settings , then go 1 click on say the fork compression (either in or out) and see if you notice a difference going over the same terrain , is it better or worse ?? , then adjust from there , if its worse go back to base setting , then go 1 click the other way .... is it better or worse ??

Do the same for each clicker/setting (do the forks as a pair , what you do to the left , do to the right) ..... the shock will be how it reacts over terrain , and jumps , I personally like to balance my settings front to rear , in other words , if 11 clicks out feels good on the forks compression , then do the same on the Low Speed Compression on the shock and see how it feels (low speed is the screwdriver slot) ...... The settings will vary from track to track (or trail) and on how you ride the terrain ..... there is not , do this and it will be good , what you like , someone else might not ... so you have to experiment to find what suits your riding style , speed and location .... , it always varies , but your base setting is what you revert to when you need to change , or you get lost with the settings ALWAYS , do 1 setting at a time and test , don't adjust the fork compression and the shock rebound , or the fork compression and the fork rebound at the same time , you will not know what setting made things worse or better , always do 1 setting , then test ... it takes a while at first , but once you start noticing what each setting does and how the bike reacts , you won't have to do so many adjustments to find a setting


Hopefully that helped a little .... .... if not , ask away , and I will try to guide you thru it where you are confused ... ;)

Re: 2020 crf250 suspension

Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2019 2:20 pm
by Hammer
Yep Jim, I'm very familiar with all the suspension adjustments and what each does.

I know that you turn clickers all the way in and then back out counting each click.

What I'm upset about is the the manual said front fork compression is 13 clicks or more. Etc, etc, with all the adjustments.

I want to know the exact amount of clicks available.

So your saying turn it out until it stops clicking?

I remember from years ago, that you never turn clickers out until it stops. Because the adjuster will come out of the tube inside the forks

Are you positive about turning it out until it stops turning. This is news to me. Just want to be absolutely positive before I try something.

Re: 2020 crf250 suspension

Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2019 4:05 pm
by JimDirt
Yes , it has a detent where it only goes X amount of clicks , when you get the the outer edge its just like turning it in all the way , it stops , but as far as why they say 13 or more , is because each rider will like a different setting , so even though they say it may be 13 (or more) , you might like it better at 20 , so they give a "general" answer , a fast A - rider will like it stiffer , a slower C - or D - rider would like it softer ...... What they probably could have done was worded it better by saying up to 26 clicks or whatever it ends up at (my 02 has 24 clicks for compression , I run about 15 out , the "base" setting is 12 , but I have revalved and re-sprung mine to suit a variety of conditions and to accomodate my wrist injury , so I set it according to the conditions I am riding that day , if I am doing a lot of jumps I click to the stiffer side , sometimes as far in as 7)

So no , you won't hurt anything by going all the way out/in , as long as you don't force it , as soon as it gently stops , which sometimes can be in-between clicks , then do not go farther otherwise you can damage the adjusting needle tip and go to the closest full click detent as the starting point ........ but you count from the place where it has a fully locked detent , to the last fully locked detent , that is the amount of clicks you have , I think my 450X has 26 ... they vary in different years/models , but nothing will fall out or come loose , just go to each end , and that is what you have to work with ;)

As far as what I posted , I mainly did that to elaborate on what the settings are , and how it is derived at that , and was not sure on your knowledge of how it works and why ..... I tend to get a bit anal when I elaborate on something , but basically , the "base" settings are usually around the middle of the range of travel , 12/24 is half , so that is usually where everyone starts and uses as a reference if they screw up the settings and need to start over .... , but since the bike is a R , they usually favor towards the stiffer side of the range , so that is why 7 is the base , but I would bet it will do 24 , and you will probably end up around 12 or so ;)

Re: 2020 crf250 suspension

Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 4:06 pm
by Hammer
Thanks Jim . The suspension is very stiff . I know it's part me not being up to speed, and new suspension.

So I'm going to take all the way out then work my way up.

By the way , I have been back to work 6 days in so far and I feel pretty good. Now I feel like a human again.

Re: 2020 crf250 suspension

Posted: Fri Oct 18, 2019 10:03 am
by JimDirt
Thanks Jim . The suspension is very stiff . I know it's part me not being up to speed, and new suspension.

So I'm going to take all the way out then work my way up.

By the way , I have been back to work 6 days in so far and I feel pretty good. Now I feel like a human again.

Just remember that Compression also affects the Rebound ..... so if you make it too soft , then the Rebound is going to get real springy/fast , so you may need to slow down the rebound a few clicks to compensate , then adjust accordingly ..... if the forks start darting all over the place on chop then slow down the rebound and/or lower the rear to raise the front (without actually stiffening it back up) to keep the front stable ... for adjustments ..... front affects front , front affects rear , rear affects rear , rear affects front , but don't overadjust , as then you will lose traction in corners ,as the front needs to hold the bike in the corner by pushing back , if it pushed too fast it will make you wash out , if its too slow it will knife and just compress ,also give some balance to the rear , if you do not soften the rear as well to some degree , you will get a stink bug thing going on and have a lot of weight on the front , because being softer , it now squats more , which puts you down farther in the stroke all the time as well as when cornering , and can actually make it ride/feel harsher the softer you go if you do not balance the front/rear (for every action there is a opposite reaction remember ??).... so balancing the front/rear is key in getting "plusher" without adverse effects of one end overriding the other ....... Also , work with the rear , it may be affecting cornering as well as straight line traction over chop , it could be the it needs more rebound in the rear as well as less compression , or even more sag .... So again , balance what you do to both ends... otherwise you will solve one issue and add several more , go in each direction and see what feels the smoothest , but only adjust 1 thing at a time , so do the compression , then leave it where it is and adjust the rear compression , then rebound (front/rear) till it feels stable and plusher (it will never be real plush with stock valving) , the stiffen the compression some and see if its better or worse ....etc....etc..... ;)