after reading the other suspension thread on the board i got to thinking, i have a different problem: while 90% of the time the bike rides great, the bike on fast bumps bucks. i have the rebound and the compression turned up a little so it doesnt bottom all the time, but is it two high? is the spring too stiff? i wouldnt want to go lower cus when this thing see's air she bottoms pretty easy. any thoughts?

 

I struggled with what you are talking about on my Husky, and what my suspension tuner told me was to dial out 3 to 6 clicks (half a turn to a full turn) anticlockwise on the high speed compression setting. Worked a treat for me on the Husky, but I cannot recall if the KLX has High Speed Compression damping.

Now, I don't believe the KLX has a High Speed setting (I am open to correction though) so the only way I could figure out to compromise was to soften the compression damping about 5 clicks and then tighten up the rebound damping about 3 or 4 clicks (clockwise). This is definitely a compromise though as it makes the rear end prone to "packing" where it doesn't get to rebound enough before the next hit until there is no supension travel left - so you get the impact coming straight through the frame.

Will take you while to figure out how to get the setting right for you, but play around (one setting at a time and record the changes).

 

The proper rear spring will help cure your problem. If you get the correct rear spring for your weight and set the sag correctly, the shock will ride higher in its stroke and not bottom out as much. In my experience, the suspension will actually feel plusher, even though you have a stiffer spring. Since you'll no longer need to use the clickers to compensate for a soft spring, you can then dial back the compression and rebound until the rear wheel neither bucks nor packs.

 

What the other guys have already said are pretty much spot on. I'm curious about your comment that you have the rebound "turned up". Usually "bucking" is contributed to not enough rebound dialed in so that the rear shock extends too quickly from its compressed position. Can you tell us where the rebound clicker is from fully closed?...or how many clicks out from where it's turned clockwise all the way in?

On bottoming out, I tend to think these bikes will bottomout when you get some decent air, because they're somewhat heavy, and you just can't get a perfect compromise even with the right fork and shock springs. This is where better damping will come in. Better shim stacks can provide better bottomout control while still providing a plush ride overall. My Race Tech Gold Valve rear shock shim setup has 3 separate compression stacks. The KLX is heavy enough that it takes a lot of control to provide low speed plushness while still controlling bottomout and wallowing at speed or landings. The stock damping will probably never really get that "just right".

 

I clicked on "The Bike" at the bottom of your post and see that both front and rear springs have been changed, hopefully for your riding weight . When was your shock last serviced?

Ride on
Brewster

 

I'm seeing his comment on his fork springs, but I'm missing the shock spring. I do see that the spring is white, and I wasn't aware of the OEM '09 spring being that color, so...

Yeah, shock service could definitely be an issue depending on time and use/abuse up to this point.

 

My '09 spring is white, OEM.

 

Mine too.

 

Good to know on the shock spring. So I guess he's still running OEM there.

 

My mistake........I was going by the color. Is it the right weight for the rider?

Ride on
Brewster