I understand race bike suspension reasonably well, I know what does what, which settings affect which handling or traction characteristics, and what racers are "generally" after whilst chasing set ups, etc etc blah blah blah. But recently have delved into dirt bikes and I know nothing about them, set up and handling-wise. Forget about MX and landing a 30 foot, superman knack-knack whatever jump for now. I'm interested in understanding suspension for enduro, hard enduro, singletrack, etc type riding. You may know it as "harescrambles" maybe? Not sure of the nomenclature, but the bikes are full on off roaders only with headlights and "street legal" (Beta 300RR for example). Regardless, what can you tell me about settings (rebound, comp, preload, etc) and their effect on how a dirt bike handles? What sort of handling characteristics do experienced dirt riders want? What's better in terms of spring stiffness and why, as it relates to handling? Anything else I just don't know enough to ask about? (As with road racing) I see a lot of dirt riders changing various suspension parts based on general opinions without a good understanding of what problems they're having or what may be causing said problems or even what they want out of their set up. I know what I'm looking for out of a road race bike, but as a dirt neophyte, have no idea what makes better suspension "better". What is different between handling characteristics that are "normal" or the result of poor riding technique and those caused by bad or poorly adjusted suspension? Does that make sense? Anyone care to explain it to me? Thanks
I am not sure there is a huge difference when speaking in general terms, at the end of the day it comes down to feel and traction. If you aren't talking about huge jumps and pro level speeds then overall I think the dirt requires softer settings, which is probably a product of a number of things, typically less weight, more travel, etc. In my very limited experience I always feel body position plays a larger role on a dirt bike, I think this is in large part due to the relative amount of body weight vs. the overall weight. Depending on terrain there can be significantly less traction available when off-road which seems to magnify issues, this of course can be a blessing and a curse. To soft and you risk bottoming and will be pogoing, to hard on the front and it feels like the front wheel want to wash out all the time. I would say if you understand "road" bikes then you just need to apply the same concepts to dirt and gain experience to know what springs to select, oil weight, damping choices depending adjustments available.
offroad racing (harscrambles, GNCC, National Enduro Promotions Group, Sprint enduro) suspension, will generally have a softer initial part of the stroke compared to full on MX/SX suspension, that need firmness right from the start of the stroke (but will get firmer toward bottom). This is why riders get beat to death in a harescramble, when they try and race an off the floor motocross bike. Roots, rocks, sharp edged braking bumps into slower corners, are part of offroad riding/racing. you can't really have a GOOD mx bike, that is also a GOOD offroad bike. you can compromise a bit to one discipline or the other... or have it do one of them really good, and just turn the clickers firmer or softer when you do the other. OR, you have multiple bikes As like roadracing, faster riders need a little firmer stuff overall. You don't need super expensive stuff or a perfectly set up bike to go fast, ya just need something "in the ballpark". As in roadracing again, the RIDER is a huge part of the "go fast" equation. I"m 50, but race 40+A in harescrambles locally. We start vet A (35+) and Sr A (40+) on row 1. Kyle McAfee (when younger was nearly a factory motocrosser) won the overall race on his "pre modern" bike that is raced on Saturday when his KTM 350sxf broke on the sighting loop... the "pre-mod" bike is 20+ years old... LOL I see guys with brand new bikes, $4000 cone valve WP forks, $1500 Trax shocks, full exhaust, then they are fiddling with settings every 100 yards of trail on ride days... only to flow slower than heck. there are a few forums out there like KTM talk that are a wealth of knowledge on offroad setup, but like any forum, ya have to wade through the bullshit too.
My brother has a pair of Beta 300RR's, he does a bunch of harescrambles in the Jersey/Penn areas. I'm sending him a text right now.
