I currently own a z400 which i do most of my trail riding on, and every time i hit a jump i land rock hard. This quads got awesome suspension but any jump that's higher or close to my full height 5'9 i hit the ground and the landing is so rough i swear gravity wants me dead.

Now i don't shift my weight much (i bend my knees and sometimes stand up because its easier to hang on and absorb the impact if it gets rough) but i suppose that's the main issue here?


Is there any tips on shifting your weight, such as whether or not i should be shifting to the front or the back. Whether or not i should be standing up when i hit those jumps. And whether or not bending your knees is actually a good idea?

 

Even with aftermarket suspension, my Z400 was a terrible jumper! It always come off nose low, no matter what I did. This was the main reason I got rid of it.

Do be sure that your suspnesion is properly adjusted! I blew the stock shocks out within the first week, so if you are landing on stockers, I can imagine that things are intense. Sounds like you are bottoming really hard....

You want to hit the ramp in the "attack" position. Crouched with your hiney just off the seat, arms extended, and your weight toward the back. This at least should insue that if things go bad, you should be a little nose high, rather than nose low. From this position, a jerk back on the bars, or a little lean forward should be good enough for any small attitude adjustments.

If things go really bad, a "panic rev" (stab the throtle) will use centrifugal force to lift the front end. If you are way nose high, tap the (rear) brake and that should being the nose down.

 

Well I cannot speak for recon's problems, but my z400 jumps perfectly well.....my buddy that races a 450R said mine jumps very similar to his........ and most people who've ridden a z400 will tell you it jumps quite well in stock form..... Not its not a full blown racer so if you are hitting 60-foot doubles you will find its limits......

If the nose if low you are chopping the throttle off the ramp.... You want to be under power on the launch, and you want to be on the gas when you land.....

A lot of people make that mistake and do not land with the gas on, and so the landings are more harsh than they have to be. When you land, you want your weight going forward as you hit the gas.....all in one motion.....

As far as suspension, if the landings are too hard, soften up your dampening adjustment, it is probably too hard......

Also you made no mention on what type of landing you are hitting....Is this a 5-9 flat landing? Are you jumping off a ledge? Or is it a ramp with a downside?

A flat landing of 5-9 is going to be harsh on anything.....especially anything with stock suspension other than perhaps a 450 racer.

 

My Z was also a terrible jumper. Not to mention reliability problems galore starting a week after I bought it brand new. I could not make it land smooth no mater what I did. It was better for me to trade it in on a Honda 450r rather than doing a full suspension upgrade.

 

in response to sprayedgt, posts like this do nothingg to help me man, i dont have the money to shell out for a race quad and i ride alot of narrow trails, if i get stuck, i NEED reverse. I appreatiate your two cents but things like that arent a big help to me.


back on topic:

a ramp with a very long downside.. its kind of like a mini hill, only im jumping off the high side of the hill and landing at least 5 or so more feet below me. and even so theres dips in the ground everywhere that i hit,

i found that if i slow down right before the jump and then hit the throttle right before i start going up it evens out alot better, rather than going full speed. Shifting my weight as well as bending my knees helps alot too, when i lean forward right before hitting the ground while keeping myself leveled on the quad helps with support as my entire body doesnt give out from the impact of the ground, rather than hitting the ground like i rock i come out moving, with the throttle up.

i also got those tusk nerf bars hooked up on friday, they help ALOT, my feet actually have somewhere to go in case i get a rough landing, those tiny heel guards and foot pegs did nothing for support, i have to commend you 97, this was possibly the best buy ive made for my quad so far, i wasnt expecting these to help out this much

 

I totally understand. I was just saying that sometimes instead of upgrading a machine with $2k in suspension, it's better to eat the cost and trade for something better with more potential. But if you read a lot of the posts on here and other forums you'll find that the z400 suspension is set up for trails and is really not that great for jumping.