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       #Post#: 91--------------------------------------------------
       Setting Sag and Adjusting Ride
       By: Rusty Shovel Date: January 25, 2014, 4:48 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       So you've heard that the KTM 690 Enduro has a great suspension,
       but in reality your bike pogos through rough sections or wallows
       in the whoops?  Most likely you're the problem, not the
       suspension.
       But it's not your fault, bike manufacturers are forced to set up
       their suspensions from the factory for "the average person."
       I've heard that 175 lbs is the magic rider weight, but that's
       anyone's guess.  Good news though, unlike most dual sports, the
       690 Enduro's suspension can be adjusted to suit most any rider
       and load.
       First off, you have to set both "Static Sag" and "Rider Sag,"
       front and rear.  Both measurements are made while the bike is
       upright, so make a friend or get the dealer to help you.
       Static Sag is the distance in millimeters that the bike settles
       under it's own weight.  Free sag is between 5% and 10% of the
       total travel.  The 2012 690 Enduro, for example, has 250mm of
       total travel, so the sag should be between 15 and 25 mm's.
       Rider Sag is the amount the bike settles with the rider in
       riding position (feet on the pegs).  The general rule of thumb
       is that the sag should be 25% to 33% of the total available
       travel (62.5 to 82.5mm's).  If you are unable to get the total
       sag number you seek without either too much or too little static
       sag, you may need to change springs (depending on how much
       compromise you're willing to accept).
       Set all the adjustments to stock standard settings as per the
       manual.  This is your starting point. The general goal is to
       have both the front and rear suspension compress and return at
       the same rate, so the bike is balanced front/rear.  Some folks
       have observed that from the factory the 690's front suspension
       is set stiffer than the rear.  YMMV.
       With rebound adjustment, the bike should not "pogo" when you
       press down quickly on the rear suspension, or top out too fast.
       Same for the front.  You might make a few small changes from
       stock based on pushing the suspension up and down, see how it
       returns.
       From there, its best to make your adjustments while riding the
       bike.  I think the easiest thing to mess up is compression
       damping, having too much of it.  This will make the ride harsh,
       it will "ping pong" off the rocks, and be hard to hold
       direction.  The rear will have a "choppy" ride. Reduce your
       compression damping to the least you need.  As speeds increase,
       you may need a bit more. The 2012 manual states: 20
       clicks=comfort, 15 clicks=standard, 10 clicks=sport, 10
       clicks="full payload."
       On rebound damping, you dont want the bike to "pack down" as
       though its not rebounding fast enough after hitting bumps. On
       the other hand, you dont want it rebounding too fast and
       "topping out" or banging you in the butt.  The manual's
       recommended clicker settings for rebound damping are the same as
       for compression damping.
       Generally, as you ride faster, over rougher terrain, you may
       need more rebound damping to keep up with higher speeds, and
       maybe a bit more compression damping as you hit jumps, or whoops
       at faster speed.
       So to re-cap:
       1) Set sag correctly, front and rear.
       2) Set tire pressures correctly for dirt, say 20 front and 22
       rear?  Tire pressure recommendations deserve their own thread,
       so I won't belabor the point.
       3) Set compression and rebound settings at stock positions, or
       the settings you arrived at in the garage, from pushing down on
       the shocks.  Note down what settings you have as you go on to 4
       below.
       4) Ride the bike, and make one change at a time, so you can feel
       the difference. You can even experiment by going to extreme
       setting so you can feel the difference, like maxium compression
       damping.  Then back it off to get the best ride quality.
       5) Reduce compression damping first, to get a plush ride.
       6) Adjust rebound damping to get bike settled correctly.
       7) Note down your settings that you like.  As speed increases,
       or terrain becomes more technical and rough, make further
       adjustments as you feel needed.  If you get confused from too
       many changes, go back to your baseline settings you wrote down,
       and try again.
       Thanks to DRXXR at RideDualSport.com
       (
  HTML http://ridedualsport.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=ts4b8bfrs3he2ldi6te2suo6f3&action=forum
  HTML http://ridedualsport.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=ts4b8bfrs3he2ldi6te2suo6f3&action=forum)<br
       />for the lion's share of this tutorial.  Also, thanks to James
       Siddall at the KTM 690 Wiki
       (
  HTML http://ktm690.inf
       o/index.php/The_Basics_-_James_Siddall
  HTML http://ktm690.inf
       o/index.php/The_Basics_-_James_Siddall)
       Also, check out your manual!  Beginning at page 64 (2012), the
       entire process is described (with pictures!).
       #Post#: 657--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Setting Sag and Adjusting Ride
       By: BigDogAdventures Date: March 31, 2014, 2:07 pm
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       Boy---I am really struggling with the suspension.
       Sport settings--------way way way too harsh.
       Regular settings-------way way to harsh.
       Soft settings-------way to harsh.
       Over a 2 day ride the bike literally beat me into submission on
       the soft setting. My lowly WR250R is perfect in the rocks I was
       riding in and is
       rock stable while the suspension moves up and down and the frame
       stays still.
       Riding on a flat river levee with a fresh spread of 2" rocks The
       bike was skittering around so much I just knew I was going to
       bite it.
       My riding buddy behind me couldn't hardly watch.
       I'm so dumb with suspension settings-----I just need to work
       with it some more I'm sure.
       BigDog
       Otherwise the bike was awesome in most stuff------I'll never use
       full throttle--but it's there.
       #Post#: 663--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Setting Sag and Adjusting Ride
       By: Rusty Shovel Date: April 1, 2014, 4:04 pm
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       [quote author=BigDogAdventures link=topic=48.msg657#msg657
       date=1396292875]
       Sport settings--------way way way too harsh.
       Regular settings-------way way to harsh.
       Soft settings-------way to harsh.
       [/quote]
       Ha!  I tumbled twice during Uncle's Desert Challenge, both times
       because my front end "hopped" at an awkward moment.  Nothing
       Travis Pastrana couldn't have handled, but my skills weren't up
       to it.   ::)
       Keep us posted on your experiments!
       #Post#: 685--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Setting Sag and Adjusting Ride
       By: SDMF_Reaps Date: April 3, 2014, 7:41 pm
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       I would definitely recommend setting the sag as above.  It'll
       sort out weather the springs are correct for your weight.  As
       mentioned most manufacturers set the bike up for a lighter
       rider.  My KLX 450r required new springs front and rear for my
       weight.  As did the KLR.
       I read Rusty's post a few days ago so I don't recall if it was
       mentioned but when you do set the sag it's best to have all your
       gear on and anything you will be riding with on a regular basis.
       It's also a good idea to give it a few bounces to find where it
       will sag while riding.  Also take several measurements just to
       be sure.
       I too have noticed that the front washes out more than I would
       like, but I haven't set the sag on my ride yet either.  I want
       to get the rally raid tanks up front before I do that.  I really
       wanted the safari tank but I think it'll mess with my tank bag
       too much, but that's another story.
       I also wonder about the front tire.  Could that be a little bit
       of the issue?  I know I noticed a big improvement when I put a
       K777 on the KLR.  At my first tire change I plan to go the same
       route with the 690 as I have on the KLR.  A K777 up front and a
       D606 on the back, man I love that combo.
       Just some thoughts for you.  I personally enjoy working on the
       bikes nearly as much as riding them... especially when you can
       see the results on the following ride.
       Thanks for the forum Rusty!!!
       #Post#: 801--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Setting Sag and Adjusting Ride
       By: Dogfarm Date: April 15, 2014, 6:36 pm
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       I measured my SAG and needed to adjust the preload on the
       shock. I had trouble turning the adjustment collar. Wondering if
       other people take the shock off the bike to adjust the preload
       or is there a way to do it without taking it off.
       #Post#: 810--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Setting Sag and Adjusting Ride
       By: Rusty Shovel Date: April 16, 2014, 10:30 am
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       Did you have one of these?
       [img]
  HTML http://s7d2.scene7.com/is/image/Motosport/MOS-SW-001_is?$NewPDP2$[/img]
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