Most ATV riders don't know much about adjusting their ATV shocks. Having proper suspension adjustments can make a huge difference in your ride. You may not think you have suspension problems until you realize how much better they can become.
Three main adjustments should be made to your ATV shocks. The shock length needs to be adjusted to fit the riders' weight. The compression and rebound will also need to be adjusted according to the riders riding style and preference.
To adjust the length of your shock you will need to take a couple measurements. First, lift your ATV off the floor and measure the length of the front and back shocks. Then, set it back down and measure them again with the rider sitting on the ATV.
These two measurements give you the height sag difference. Generally you will want the second measurement to reduce by 20 percent for the front shocks and 30 percent for the rear ones. This should give you a pretty good shock length for the person riding it.
The shock compression can be adjusted to give you a smoother or bumpier ride. A lot depends on the riders' preference but you want to be sure your shock length is used without bottoming out. You will want to test drive it as you make these adjustments so you can get a feel for what's going on.
The softer the compression is adjusted, the more it will absorb the bumps. Harder compression will give you a really bumpy ride. A lot of this is based on the riders' preference. However, you also don't want your ATV to bottom out which will happen when it's adjusted too hard.
The rebound happens when the shock returns to its normal length. Making adjustments to this will make it return quicker or slower. You will want to match this adjustment to the type of trails and courses you ride on.
Making these few adjustments to your ATV shocks will really give you a better ride. Make sure you give yourself a lot of time as it's definitely not a quick job. If you aren't sure how to tune your ATV shocks, you can usually pay someone to do it for you. Once your shocks are adjusted sit back and enjoy your ride.
At Zebroz Racing, we are dedicated to making sure you're outdoors having fun with a smooth ride by offering ATV shocks, snowmobile shocks, ATV suspension, and snowmobile suspension fitting brands like Arctic Cat, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Polaris, Suzuki, Yamaha, can-am, and DRR ATV.
