I ride moslty trails and and rough terrain. Occasional jump. What shoud the dampening on the rear shock be set on? im about 200 pounds if that helps?

 

can anybody help?

 

you'll have to experiment yourself. Even if someone is the same weight as you, they probably don't have the same riding mannerism's. How you land (body placement) on the machine will put you in a different position then me.

For starters, make some "somewhat" drastic changes, but only one at a time. Play with your comp. screw. First, take a ride, hit the obstacle. Then adjust the Compression rate 2-3 turns one way, hit the obstacle. Notice the difference. Then go back to your "zero", and go 2-3 the opposite way. Run it again, notice difference. Use a note pad if you need to for observations.

Bring it back to zero, then adjust spring tension (plus or minus) 3/8 inch. Run the obstacle. Better or worse? Back to zero, then the other way.

I think you get the idea.

Starting out, you would understand this better if you do it with the fronts. Set them both at 1, run it. Set them both at 5, run it. Huge difference in setup on jump (compression), and landing. All you did was adjust the spring tension (1/2 inch or so) and you will see that difference.

This should get you more informed of your machine, as well as how to tweak it. All the manufacturers put out "general" use shocks on their machines, made to fit everyone. When you go to an aftermarket, they dial it in more for your weight and riding style/level. Even though you spend the $500, some dialing may be necessary.