[Rtd15]

I ride with my son track and enduro. Looking for an upgrades on suspension any advice? Exact specs and brands would be appreciated. I know I’m heavy on the bike and need to upgrade. Thank you. I’m not worried about price want the best

[JimDirt]

Welcome to the site !!

I guess the first question is , what bike ??? (year/model) ..... Then , what skill level ?? , and what percentage of track vs trail ?? , and are you jumping ?? , (more details about the type of track and/or riding terrain , help in determining what you need , or if the bike you have is even capable of performing correctly/safely) ..... for example , if the terrain/track you are riding frequently , does not have much for jumps or roughness or square edge holes or G-Outs , then you can use a lesser rate and still be safe and enjoy the ride without beating yourself into the ground and can get away without doing or having a revalve done (again depending on the bike)..... the harsher the terrain along with the faster skill of the rider , will determine how stiff you need to be , .... example , a 20 year old MX/SX Pro level racer that weighs 165 lbs , will use the same rate spring a 30 year old 210 lbs rider that has much lesser skill , the faster/more skilled you are (honest skill level , not what you wish to be , as honesty is important here to avoid injuring yourself) the stiffer the bike needs to be versus a slower rider of the same weight , a slower or less skilled rider would only get beat and wore out with the same springs because the skill level does not allow them to attack the terrain as hard/fast , so the way they hit obstacles is much different than a faster rider that would skill over the same bumps the slower rider rolls or slams over

So , what is needed for info , is

How fast/skilled a rider are you ?

What bike are you riding ??

What type of terrain are you going to frequent ?? , in other words , is 90% going to be trail and 10% track ?? , and is it fire roads ?? , or tight single track that you will be putting thru ?? , or open desert you can fly thru in 4th or 5th gear ?? , is it deep wet sand , or dry sand , or hardpack clay that is slick and full of roots and ruts to deflect off ??

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There is a basic formula for springs (weight/skill level/type of riding) , but the variables will also determine what rate would suit you best and make you the most happy and help the most ..

For basics , I could say you need a (Fork/Shock) spring rate for a 06 450X , , and I will change your skill level only ...... So say you are a moderately skilled rider (Intermediate) , 0.45/6.0 so you could use a standard rate fork spring , but need a stiffer shock (stock would be 0.45/5.6) , if it was the exact same bike and you were doing the exact same riding but you were a A class rider you would be around 0.48/6.1 , same bike same riding , but different skill level only , if you were a Beginner rider with minimal skill sets you would need around 0.43/5.9 ..... Do you see the differences just because of skill level ?? , and this is for doing a mixture of track and trail , if you did more track , then again the rates would change because you would most likely be jumping more , so you would need a stiffer rate , same goes for more trail , softer is fine ... and again , skill level plays a huge role in this ...

So the more detailed you can be , in what your skill level , type of riding and percentage of that type of riding , if its fast paced or slower 1st gear stuff , and what specific bike you are riding , and for example if you are off road riding and wearing a backpack full of drinks and tools and lunch , then that all makes a difference as well , so the more info you give , the easier it will to determine what would work best for your specific needs

What I listed above will get you in the ballpark if you are riding the bike I listed .... and depending on your specific needs , but there are many variables that I am just guessing on because of the limited info you gave ........... as far as brand , etc .... there are only really about 3 manufacturers of springs , the various companies just stick their logo on them , for a example , I believe Race Tech and Factory Connection and Diverse use the same springs , Pro Circuit and some other brands use another , is one better than the other ?? ... it depends on how you look at it

I have used most of the brands , and it depends on the bike , on how well the springs fit and work , for example on a 2018 Suzuki RMZ450 , the Race Tech shock spring is shorter than OEM and is a different diameter , so it requires a special collar that is not only a extra cost , but it becomes another wear part , the new gen Hondas ( like I have) also need this setup for Race Tech as do some other brands ....... for example on my 2020 Honda 450R , I am going to change rates here soon because when spring hits in the next few months I will be hitting the tracks with bigger jumps than where I am currently riding which has minimal jumps so I have been getting away with turning the clickers all the way in (literally all the way in , I have 3 clicks left on the fork and 4 on the shock and I run out of adjustment out of 16 possible clicks), and since I just got the bike a few months ago , and have not ridden it anywhere else I have been able to just skate by for now , BUT , I am going with OEM springs , they are more expensive than the aftermarket , but it will be a exact fit ( I am 200 lbs and a 60+ B rider so I need a 0.52/5.8 ... stock is 0.50/5.6) , so only 1 rate higher , but I am just over the target weight so that helps , but I will be using the same rate as a 20 yr old Pro that weighs 180 would use ....

Unfortunately OEM would not have a rate for your weight , as I am at the top of OEM rate increase , as they only go 1 up and 1 down from stock .... but to answer your question , any brand will work and do the same job , I mainly prefer Race Tech and Factory Connection ..... Diverse is also fine as is Eibach ... what I find with a lot of companies is they do not offer a variety of rates , so you have to go with softer or stiffer than you would actually need , so that can make the ride harsher , as too soft a spring will make the ride harsh as will too stiff a spring rate , Factory Connection has (for example) a 5.9 or 5.7 shock spring , but not a 5.8 , since I am on the cusp of 5.8 , anything stiffer , will make me have to revalve to keep the same ride comfort I have now , which is important to me since I have a bad wrist ...which is why I am going with OEM , I want to not have to use a collar adaptor , and get the rate I want , not the rate they want me to use ... Hopefully I did not confuse you more .... , as I have a tendency to ramble a bit .... but hopefully with your detailed info , I can steer you in the right directing ...... I also could have answered this simply by saying I need more info .... but .....