Suspension Tips...?

Honda XR 400 discussion forum:


Suspension Tips...?

Suspension Tips...? 
Mark Rollenhagen said 2005-06-09 15:31 
 
Hi. My name´s Mark. I´ve been riding motorcycles for over 35 years. I used to race on Hodakas and Hondas as an amateur years ago (30). My favorite bike was the old Red Rooster, a 1978 or 79 (I think) CR 250, that last year before they went water cooled. Anyway that was about the time I got married (83) so I kept that bike until about 1998. Only went through 4 pistons and it stilled pulled like a horse when I sold it. I had a couple bikes for the kids until I got my son an XR 100 and me an XR 400. My son has since moved up to an XR 200 and I might loose my 400.

Anyway I bought this 400 thinking I like to go a little slower and here in Michigan we have to be street legle to ride on back woods roads and fire trails, so they are. This also lets us drive on the roads to where there are trails without trespassing or being illegally on the roads.

My questions are about the suspension on this 400. It´s a 2001 XR 400 R and it doesn´t feel anything like my old Red Rooster. I guess it would be too much to ask for, but I´m not sure that I have the suspension dialed in or how to even go about doing that. We ride in the sand dunes alot and front end death wobble is killer. It´s no fun having to stretch out and hang your %&#!¤as far back as you can and like I said earlier, I like to go a little slower. I bought one of the Scotts steering dampeners and it helps significantly but I still get a high speed wobble on the roads. When I turn up the dampening to counter it it´s a %&#!¤ to make quick turns, yes on the roads too. I´m looking at a front fork brace but I´m just wondering if all this stuff is just what I have to live with. Is there a way to adjust the suspension to help this thing feel a little lighter for being such a heavy machince, and make it feel a little more stable as well. What´s the procedure for setting up the rebound and dampening on the front and rear shocks and for setting the rear spring tension? What could I do or shopuld I do with the front fork oil if anything? I´m 200 lbs. and not a novice. I like to go like hell for a couple of minutes or so but then need to rest up a bit. Hey I´m 50 next month.
 
 
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