Saggy suspension?

[Flamewinger]

It's bugging me that when I look at the front it looks like its sagging. The tires look fine and I have yet to see any unusual wear. Two pics below show my Red/White compares to a newer (less miles) ST. Mine has just over 10k miles. It has Fox shocks and they were put on within 2 months of new. Am I seeing things? Thx




Susie
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[cuznjohn]

out of alignment to me, find a laser alignment person and get it done

 

[Cruzr Joe]

if you have your rear shocks raised to the max your front end will go down and vice versa, might check that


Cruzr joe

 

[Flamewinger]

It was aligned by Squared Away a few months ago. The rear shock is not adjustable.

 

[Cruzr Joe]

It was aligned by Squared Away a few months ago. The rear shock is not adjustable.

Sorry, i ride a RT with an adjustable rear end, i was not aware that the ST was not adjustable.

Cruzr Joe

 

[DrewNJ]

Both look the same to me. I think it's an illusion since your red fenders draw more attention to the sides.
With the "A" arm geometry of the new suspension having the arms going toward each other closer to the frame it does give a saggy look to the front.

 

[PW2013STL]

Both look the same to me. I think it's an illusion since your red fenders draw more attention to the sides.
With the "A" arm geometry of the new suspension having the arms going toward each other closer to the frame it does give a saggy look to the front.

:agree: also easy to check. Measure the front of both Spyders from ground to nose and see if there is a difference.
The only thing that may not make this work is if the Fox shocks provide a different ride height then the factory supplied ones.

 

[ARtraveler]

The tires on the red look like they are not even. The bottoms of the tire seem to be at an angle from the tops. Photo illusion?

 

[Bob Denman]

Fox shocks?
How is your preload set on them? :dontknow:

 

[Flamewinger]

They have adjusting rings and sometime this week I'm going to try adjusting them to raise things back up.

No, it's not an illusion, the angle of the wheels is real and eventually the tire will start to show uneven wear.

 

[Bob Denman]

I probably don't need to say this... pps:
Please make sure that you have the preload on both shocks set equally.

 

[spacetiger]

Use the rubber bumpers on the shock shaft to help you set the sag

1. Jack up the front of the bike, then push the rubber bumpers down against the shock. With any luck, the bumpers will hug the shock shaft snug enough to say where they are pushed. Measure the total gap from the top of the rubber bumper to the top cap of the shock. This is the working range of the shock.
2. Let the bike down gently, then raise it back up. Measure how much the bumper has moved - write this measurement down
3. Let the bike down gently, then get on the bike, then off. Raise the bike up and measure the total distance the bumper moves - write this measurement down.

You want to get the measurement from step 3 to be about 20% of the measurement from step 1. Example: if you have a measurement of 2" from step 1, then the measurement from step 3 should be about 0.4" The 20% is a guide, not a hard requirement. If you ride 2 up a significant amount of time, then you might hedge to 20% down a bit, say between 15-20%. This would be especially true if you have stock springs (they are weak).

If you are seeing a gap of about 0.75", then you will need to increase the preload on the springs. If you have adjustability, move the retainer ring to compress the spring. Measure the starting length of the springs (each side), then keep track of the compete degrees of rotation. You can also recheck the spring preload by checking steps 2 and 3.

let us know what you do and find out.

Jerry

 

[Bfromla]

Both look the same to me. I think it's an illusion since your red fenders draw more attention to the sides.
With the "A" arm geometry of the new suspension having the arms going toward each other closer to the frame it does give a saggy look to the front.

Got a level? Place across A arms & measure pitch, Redneck idea.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Flamewinger]

I did use a level to check if the wheels were vertical.

Before shows bubble indicating wheel is off.


After shows the wheel is better


In a few weeks I'll be putting a new tire on and replacing the rear shock with a Stage 2 Elka. When I notice scraping, I'll put a set of Elka's on the front.

 

[BajaRon]

It is possible that your springs are losing their tensile strength. That would be surprising if they are a quality spring steel. But with lesser quality steel it is a definite possibility.

 

[Marker]

I have to agree with BajaRon. You might need new stiffer springs.

 

[elkk]

I did use a level to check if the wheels were vertical.

Before shows bubble indicating wheel is off.

After shows the wheel is better

In a few weeks I'll be putting a new tire on and replacing the rear shock with a Stage 2 Elka. When I notice scraping, I'll put a set of Elka's on the front.

Based on the photo you posted above I would have expected the bubble to have been way out of the center mark. Did you make adjustments yourself?

 

[Flamewinger]

The fox shocks are adjustable and I was able to adjust them to their highest level which gave me a couple more thousand miles of use. Now I have Elka shocks. Thinking I might get Fox to check them out.


Susie
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk