March 20, 201115 yr My 2010 280 shock dampener has broken in bits. I have heard this is a fault in them. Anyone else had this problem? If so what should I do? Cheers in advance!
March 20, 201115 yr Mine too......., well, broken in two and then 1/2 of it into bits. I was assuming it was because I rode too long without enough preload on the spring. Interested in hearing others opinions and experiences. BTW, I do believe you're actually referring to the "bump stop"? The rubber part that keeps the shock from bottoming completely? Jon Edited March 20, 201115 yr by jonny042
March 20, 201115 yr Author Mine too......., well, broken in two and then 1/2 of it into bits. I was assuming it was because I rode too long without enough preload on the spring. Interested in hearing others opinions and experiences. BTW, I do believe you're actually referring to the "bump stop"? The rubber part that keeps the shock from bottoming completely? Jon Yeah sorry thats the one!
March 21, 201115 yr I know of 2 2010 bikes that had the same problem. Happened when fairly new - riders got replacement shocks from GG.
March 22, 201115 yr The rear Sach shocks come with the dampener adjuster wound right off, and virtually no pre-load at all on the spring perch. This is to keep the components with no load on them in transit and storage. (same with the front forks). The bikes must have the pre-load adjuster set to suit the rider weight when setting up the new bike. If not then the bump rubber will get "flogged out" in no time if the rider weighs a bit more, or has more advanced skills (eg hits harder)! . Descriptions are found in the owners manual. New bikes are NOT delivered from Gas Gas Spain with pre-determined settings for a specific weight of rider. This must be done by the owner, or by the dealer in conjunction with the owners supplied rider weight, rider preferences and specifications. Edited March 22, 201115 yr by arnoux
March 22, 201115 yr No-You dont determine how a shock bottoms out with spring Preload. Yes, Adjust the SAG of the bike to your weight. Setting the SAG with preload primarily maintains the correct bike geometry and determines the initial force to activate the suspension, but does nothing to change the Spring K, so the bottoming (or bump rubber flogging) is mainly unaffected. I believe SACHS had a bad batch of the bumpers. You can replace it with a new ones. If your bottoming out really hard, play with damping adjustments and stiffer springs.
March 23, 201115 yr I agree Laser,I did not say you determine how it bottoms out with pre-load, but I am stating bikes delivered new from the Gas Gas Factory in Spain come with virtually no Pre-load on the spring at all. They also have the dampening adjustment screw all the way out. So the fastest setting. Not any more or any less. Take your time and set up your suspension properly. You may need a stiffer spring, you may need more pre-load, you may need to adjust the dampening screw to suit your preferences. Do not assume it is "right for you" straight out of the box. It's probably not. Edited March 23, 201115 yr by arnoux
March 23, 201115 yr I agree Laser,I did not say you determine how it bottoms out with pre-load, but I am stating bikes delivered new from the Gas Gas Factory in Spain come with virtually no Pre-load on the spring at all. They also have the dampening adjustment screw all the way out. So the fastest setting. Not any more or any less. Take your time and set up your suspension properly. You may need a stiffer spring, you may need more pre-load, you may need to adjust the dampening screw to suit your preferences. Do not assume it is "right for you" straight out of the box. It's probably not. Sorry about that Arnoux - I read your previous message wrong.
March 23, 201115 yr I agree Laser,I did not say you determine how it bottoms out with pre-load, but I am stating bikes delivered new from the Gas Gas Factory in Spain come with virtually no Pre-load on the spring at all. They also have the dampening adjustment screw all the way out. So the fastest setting. Not any more or any less. Take your time and set up your suspension properly. You may need a stiffer spring, you may need more pre-load, you may need to adjust the dampening screw to suit your preferences. Do not assume it is "right for you" straight out of the box. It's probably not. Just to throw in a little extra information (I know, I can't help myself), that shock "bumper" is an important part of the rear suspension system and it's good to check it's condition once in a while. With the MX and SX modification and set-up of shocks we will use a variety of bumpers depending on the track and rider. The density, length/width and profile (some bumpers act in "stages" depending on the shape) have an important effect on the last quarter of shock travel, not just as a bottoming-out damper. I totally agree with arnoux, time spent setting up suspension correctly will pay back huge rewards in the future. It doesn't have to be perfect at the start, only in the ballpark as the components need a little "break-in" time. I've always thought it a little interesting that riders will spend countless hours getting their engine to respond perfectly but then ignore their suspension settings and maintenance schedules, thereby picking up many needless points (and frustration). Jon
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