FZRSupport: the FZROnline Archive

whatup fellow fzr freaks

a friend gave me a fox twin clicker he hadn't been using for a while. so i installed it on the 400 today, no problems. i take a seat on it and pop back up, testing the compression and rebound, only to find that the shock rebounds with the action of a 67 year old man. (no offense to the fogies out there ) unfortunately, the reservoir adjuster is seized on level 7 out of 8. i am hoping this isn't the rebound adjustment dial. so before i go dicking things up, i thought i'd ask the advice of someone familiar with the twin clicker's adjustments.

the ride height adjustment is cranked out about 8mm longer than stock ride height, so the 400 has a gangsta lean to it now. ha ha... i don't mind that one bit though, as i like the more aggressive handling a raised rear gives. although 8mm is hella big and may need to be dropped to 5mm. i guess i'll go give it a test ride and pray that this thing is an upgrade compared to the original shock.

cheers

Having just rebuilt 2 of these, I'd say I'm on my way to becoming an expert...

The RED knob (adjuster on the reservoir) is the compression damping adjustment. 1 is the softest setting, 8 is the hardest. FOX recommends starting at 3 and tuning from there. 7 will likely give you a rough ride. Is the red knob seized? Check to see if there is an o-ring under the red knob (between the knob and reservoir). This protects the little springs and balls that give detent to the red knob (make it click). I have seen where the o-ring deteriorates over time, letting water and the elements get under the red knob. Also while you're there, check the BLUE knob and make sure it "clicks" when turning. If the BLUE knob DOES NOT click, that means either low nitrogen charge or some of the oil has leaked out (needing a rebuild in either case.)

If you push down on the bike (compression stroke), it should feel hard with the damping being on 7. If your bike comes up really slow on the return (that's rebound), it means you have too much rebound dialed in with the BLUE knob. A good place to start is turn the BLUE know clockwise all the way IN (until it stops, but don't force it), and then back off 18 clicks, this is the recommended starting point from FOX. If the BLUE knob doesn't click as per above, the shock needs to be rebuilt.

Here is a good article on one of my local boards that talks about what suspension issues feel like. Scroll about half way down, you'll find the description of what too much rebound damping feels like, see if that's what's happening to you. http://bcsportbikes.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59183

The FOX TC manual is available in the WIKI for download or simply go here: http://fzronline.com/manuals/Fox%20Twin ... Manual.zip

mszilves wrote:Having just rebuilt 2 of these, I'd say I'm on my way to becoming an expert...

The RED knob (adjuster on the reservoir) is the compression damping adjustment. 1 is the softest setting, 8 is the hardest. FOX recommends starting at 3 and tuning from there. 7 will likely give you a rough ride. Is the red knob seized? Check to see if there is an o-ring under the red knob (between the knob and reservoir). This protects the little springs and balls that give detent to the red knob (make it click). I have seen where the o-ring deteriorates over time, letting water and the elements get under the red knob. Also while you're there, check the BLUE knob and make sure it "clicks" when turning. If the BLUE knob DOES NOT click, that means either low nitrogen charge or some of the oil has leaked out (needing a rebuild in either case.)

If you push down on the bike (compression stroke), it should feel hard with the damping being on 7. If your bike comes up really slow on the return (that's rebound), it means you have too much rebound dialed in with the BLUE knob. A good place to start is turn the BLUE know clockwise all the way IN (until it stops, but don't force it), and then back off 18 clicks, this is the recommended starting point from FOX. If the BLUE knob doesn't click as per above, the shock needs to be rebuilt.

Here is a good article on one of my local boards that talks about what suspension issues feel like. Scroll about half way down, you'll find the description of what too much rebound damping feels like, see if that's what's happening to you. http://bcsportbikes.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59183

thanks for the response, mszilves. most likely, the shock will need to be rebuilt to work 100% again. for now, it is a huge improvement over the original shock. i went out with some friends and gave the suspension and tires a really good workout today. i took a camera to record the carnage, but for some reason, it recorded nothing. i'll let my local racing shop take a look at it and make some recommendations.

ragedigital wrote:The FOX TC manual is available in the WIKI for download or simply go here: http://fzronline.com/manuals/Fox%20Twin ... Manual.zip

good stuff, rage. i downloaded it.

Both of my Fox shocks have Hypercoil springs on them. They must be popular for racing as both of mine are from race bikes. Might be worth a look.

I haven't made any adjustments to my shocks and probably need to tear them down. Just waiting on Mark's How-Tos (hint, hint...)

That's a lie. I will probably tear into mine this winter and take photos to help everyone.

darrin