What you mean your vinson doesnt top 100mph [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I have not seen any mentioned here but I have been seeing a lot of questions and issues on aftermarket suspension for the YFZ.

Seems that with the stk mounting positions on the front shocks that somehow the stock travel must be pretty good since some are claiming that they have been told the a-arms their looking at will not allow the aftermarket shock to offer any real advantage as far as an increase in travel.

Sounds pretty weird to me, but I have not had a chance to get into one of these yet and am asking if anyone knows anything about the real deal with this, and also that some of the LT set ups only adding a 1/2 inch of travel.

 

hey!
i got 300EX 94' the shocks are weak and i want to replace them...so i wanted to know which shocks will fit to it.
i mean other ATV shocks...!
Thankx!

 

I dont have much info on what your looking for but have heard both good and about the 400ex front end conversion, and I have talked with people who just dont seem to really know enough to tell if the stuff was working right or not.

I do know that the shocks are on ebay (stk 400ex) all the time and that there are a couple people selling the other parts needed to do the swap.

So its not expensive, but with all the time and effort involved you could prob put in less of it making the extra $$$ to get a set of works that would most likely perform better. The only draw back is the 400ex conversion is supposedly wider and that would add stability if not any better actual suspension action.

 

Do you actually get more wheel travel out of long travel setups.

Thanks, Geoff.

 

Hey great question!!

Even though I am pretty sure it was discussed earlier in this thread I also know its pretty long to re read for one subject so I will give it a go again.

Basically the honest answer is sometimes.

The reason its sometimes is because of the misuse and abuse of the word "long travel" as well as all the honest confusion to what it really should mean.

I was looking over an old dirtwheels the other day and had a laugh at a Yamaha advertizment that referred to the suspension on the Raptor as "Super Long Travel". I mean compared to my first mini bike or go kart it sure is super whatever but this is part of what makes the whole idea of long travel suspension so confusing etc.

Still no matter what you make of it there is some general ideas that seem to stick with most of the people who are actually designing and making this stuff (at least those I have talked to etc) and here is my take on it.

First the atv mfg's will continue to use the best words they can in promoting their product, and no matter what we the riders or the aftermarket may agree on there will still be those adds and other info that uses the "LT" designation to describe their product in a way that will make it easier to sell.

The next issue concerns how as the atv itself has evolved and how todays sport models have more wheel travel than many of those in the past. Knowing this makes it easy to understand why the mfg's would refer to their newer machines suspension as "LT" since it allows more travel than comparable stuff did previously, but this is not the same "LT" that is reffered to by the aftermarket companies.

To further add to the confusion there are several aftermarket parts mfg's (a-arms etc) that will call their products "LT" that use a ball joint with the capability for a larger amount of misalignment therefore allowing the a-arms to move beyond the binding point of the typical oem ball joint. This makes sense except for the fact that most everytime if not damn near everytime these parts are set up to be used with stock length shocks and therefore will never be able to see any travel beyond the original OEM ball joints due to the shock being the limiting factor. So yes these are not really "LT" either, and though some can allow a small amount of additional travel from the various aftermarket shocks used (with longer strokes etc) and different motion ratios from shock mount position and arm length etc its still not what should be thought of as "LT" but maybe should be referred to as increased travel.

Lastly what most agree to be true "LT" set ups include as part of their design the ability to work with a longer shock that has a much increased piston stroke over the stock unit. They may still use the rod end type ball joints that allow additional misalignment but have a better chance at actualy using this feature. The increased shock length and different mounting position on the a-arm to work with them properly will actually increase travel enough to have more travel in a +1 "LT" set up as the imitators may have in a +3 so called set up.

The advatage is in the amount of travel in the shock itself and with a longer stroke most times there is more room for a larger "sweet spot" which is the shock can perform at its plushist (is that a word) while still having enough travel left over for running zero preload springs or landing larger jumps etc.

From my experience with the 400ex the difference between a properly set up true "LT" front end and a std travel aftermarket set up (even using the same brand shocks) is as much or more than that of comparing the std travel to the stock set up. To be clear the examples I have in my mind were all using elka shocks and a combo of houser and laeger a-arms and one had full aftermarket shocks with stock a-arms. All were XC type use and a few were regular racers etc, and all were set up for weights within 20lbs so there wasnt any real differences there, but there was an obvious difference in travel and overall performance, and one thing that was interesing was the one with the stock arms worked about as well as the others and actually landed bigger stuff a little better, but if you read thru the earlier parts of this thread you would understand that it could have been from better set up and dialing in that out performed any advantage of the aftermarket arms.

 

redex300x: i don't know if you were planning on modifying the stock set-up to fit different shocks or what. but if you are planning on modifying the stock set-up i have a set of TRX450r stock front shocks up for sale. i'll part with them for about $200. i had them for about 4 months and decided to upgrade. they look and work great, never had a problem with them.

i've heard of a lot of people putting the 400ex A-arms and shocks on the 300ex, and i've never heard a complaint. i know the 450r stocks shocks wont fit a 300ex, i tried putting them on my mom's bike. you would have to either get ball joints that allow more downward motion, or move the upper shock mount up a few inches. the 450r shocks are a little long.

 

Interesting, have you considered trying the upper shock mount brackets for the 400 to 300 conversion?

Never measured them but I believed the 450 shocks were about the same (16"+) as the 400?

 

wow this post is old but if its still "Everything You Allways Wanted To Know About Suspension Set Up" then im at the right place. problem is got a rappy with a stock rear shock and yfz fronts they are both set to stock. i was wondering me being 155-160lbs. how i would go about making my ride better on the track. (if i can adjusat it all the way out or in and then adjust from theyre i think that would be easier, unless the right adjustment isnt far from stock) thanks!

 

LOL I did say "everything" didnt I [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Now your basic question is pretty popular "how do I make my stock shocks work better for me" and the yfz fronts may change this a little but their still basically stock shocks.

I am pretty sure this was tackled previous in the thread ( I mean its long enough that it should have) but it may not have been directed at your model, but the basics are the same for any model.

What I am getting at is that unless your stock shocks are of a similar design as the aftermarket ones where they have the same adjustments and were more detail in being set up for you and the various needs of your quad and your riding style I am going to think of them as stock at least for set up purposes.

The main difference as I can see it (read back thru the thread and you will see I am not the suspension pro here, but at least I am still following the thread lol) when running stock shocks is that your limited on your ability to set up the suspension by ride height only or as the main setting since the shocks may not give you their best at those settings because they were not designed (valving and springs) for you and your machine. So if you get the ride height correct you may have a very poorly riding quad, but if you set up your shocks by trial and error in testing them over various obstacles making adjustment until you achieve the best ride then you may have a totally wrong ride height or weight bias from front to rear (front higher or too much lower then the rear) and that will totally work against any good settings you can acheive.

What I can offer is that if you read thru the thread you will find some very good suggestions on what ride heights to try to achieve for various use (XC MX etc) and also how to work on getting your pre load dialed in and also fine tuning the compression and rebound settings.

Also if your having a distinctive problem like pushing in turns or kicking over square bumps etc post it up because I would do my best in taking on the problems one at a time etc but on a set up like you have I am not sure I would help you in the overall set up suggestions.

Either way dont be afraid to make changes and see what happens and always keep track of any changes and also the effects so you can always count your way back to where you started if you really mess it up.