suspension rake?

[hotrodaj_2]

One of the numbers I cant find is how muck rake do you want in the chassis. Im not sure if this is what you call it in the quad world but rake is the slope of the chassis from front to rear. The front is generally higher that the back. Where would you measure this at? Im not known for catching big air but I do ride the sh*t out of anything I get on. Just for a riding reference. Thanks for any help.

 

[Brute71]

in RC's we call it kick up. There's a bend on the bottom of the chassis, that's where you can measure it from.

Here's a pic of what i mean:

 

[brandoz28]

yup, what brute said. hopefully phragle jumps in on this, i'm always interested to see what he says. i think most of the times guys put like 8-12* ini IIRC

 

[phragle]

not sure of the exact degree anymore, but its not adjustable anyways (unless you are good with a tube bender, welder, and spend boatloads of money... BTDT

 

[hotrodaj_2]

Right on guy's, thanks for the help. I like to know where everything is, even if I cant change it. I would think you could change that number buy adjusting the threaded body shocks longer or shorter. Everything is a balance and one thing effects another but there are situations where raising or lowering the front or rear slightly could help (or hurt) performance.

 

[brandoz28]

that's not gonna change the rake of the front suspension.

actually i think that we're talking about 2 different things. we're talking about the angle of the front suspension in relation to the chassis, and i think you're talking about this kind of rake

 

[phragle]

It will change it staticly because your changing the angle of the frame in relation to horizontally level . The biggest advantage to increasing rake is that the tires move up AND rearward as you hit bumps. This is best suited to desert racing where your hitting bumps at much greater speed, it will also affect the castor. The effects will help keep the bike going straight. These mods will hurt in mx, woods riding as it decreases turning /handeling. My bike was designed to go down a whopped out sandwash at 70mph while going straight and sitting on the seat. On an MX track, I would get my ass handed to me.

 

[hotrodaj_2]

Ya, That's the kind of rake I'm talking about brandoz. That's also some of the info I was looking for phragle. Quads are very versatile machines and I wanted to know when to make a chassis change and why. Thanks again. "ELBOWS UP"

 

[CRZ125R]

Yamaha claims the magic angle is 11 degrees on the YFZ450...

 

[hotrodaj_2]

Thanks CRZ125R, any info is a help.

 

[Kgibson]

When your sitting on the quad you want the front end 1/4" to 1/2" higher than the back. That's the standard among all the shock companies.

 

[phragle]

When your sitting on the quad you want the front end 1/4" to 1/2" higher than the back. That's the standard among all the shock companies.

Thats a hard one to buy into, especially with a blaster since that theroy gets completely jacked with diffeent length swingarms, longer shocks etc. Plus personal riding style has a huge effect on setup.

 

[Kgibson]

Fox, Elka and PEP all recommend those settings. The reason it is hard for Blaster's is because everyone puts on shocks or a-arms that are not set-up right....too long or not valved right. It is hard to bolt something on and expect it to work with the other components...properly. When we put the PEP off a 250r on our +4 swingarm we had to revalve, shortened and a differant spring. When we put the +5 a-arms we ordered the Elkas for them. There are alot of personnel preferences when setting a quad up, like riding style, desired ride height and type of riding.

From Elka
The ride height, or frame clearance, is the distance between the ground and the chassis with
the rider sitting on the vehicle in riding position. The ride height is measured in inches, the front
and rear measurements being taken according to the following procedures:
HOW TO ADJUST THE RIDE HEIGHT:
A preload adjustment ring is located under the head of the shock absorber. This ring is used
to increase or decrease the tension in the springs as well as for adjusting the ride height of the
vehicle (frame or ground clearance). See p.10 for detailed instructions on how to use the
preload adjustment. While the ride height of the vehicle is a matter of vehicle model and driver
preference, the front and rear heights need to be in balance.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADJUST THE RIDE HEIGHT:
Whatever ride height setting you choose, the height must be similar at the front and rear
of the vehicle, with the front slightly higher (from 1/4 to 3/4 inch maximum).
A higher ride height will provide more ground clearance with less chances to bottom out
but will make the suspension stiffer.
A lower ride height will reduce the ground clearance and make the suspension softer, but
will make the vehicle more prone to bottoming out.
WITH THE RIDER SITTING ON THE
VEHICLE IN RIDING POSITION:
Front Ride Height Measurement:
Measure the vertical distance from the
ground to the chassis in front of the
engine, right behind the front wheels.
Rear Ride Height Measurement:
Measure the vertical distance from
the ground

 

[super noober]

ok i gotta ask.. wtf is "elbows up" ? :-/

 

[stephen12091985]

i read in my elka manuel that the front should be 1- 1 1/2 inches higher in the front

 

[phragle]

Another oddity that exists, an atv is more like a mini car than a motorcycle as far as suspension setup is concerned, yet common theroy in car/truck setup is that the rear should have more travel than the front. pretty much every quad out there doesnt follow this rule.

 

[hotrodaj_2]

First of all I come from a Car racing background, Sprint cars to be exact. They have 700hp and weight 1400lb, do the power to weight ratio on that, then compare to other performance vehicles. If you want to compete at a high level and run up front you better get up on that wheel and drive as hard as you can. "Elbows up" is a term used in the circle track scene to get a driver fired up and focused on the race moments away. Good posture and technique does nothing but help with lap times and physical endurance. You drive the car, you cant let it drive you! Get those elbows up and attack that steering wheel!!!
Now, down to business. I agree the front needs to be higher than the front. The 8-12 degree thing will work but the measuring from the ground has me a little lost. The front I get, Its the back. Where on the frame do you measure this on the rear? Good stuff here though, keep it coming. As far as the difference from front to back, I dont know where to measure this at either. Thanks

 

[phragle]

Elbows up...when racing an atv or bike, your in the attack position, standing on the pegs, chest over the bars and your elbows are out/up, thats going fast/ you can tell the people who are getting tired, they sit and their elbows start to droop so they are now riding instead of attacking.

 

[Kgibson]

Where on the frame do you measure this on the rear? Good stuff here though, keep it coming. As far as the difference from front to back, I dont know where to measure this at either. Thanks

You measure in front of the peg and behind the a-arm, both fom the frame to the ground.

 

[hotrodaj_2]

That's what I'm talking about phragle!!! And now I can measure from ground or use a degree wheel to get my rake. Right on guys.