Took my front plastic off for the 1st time and cleaned out the radiator (Lots of dirt).
I noticed there are dials on top of the shocks. Mine are at the number 1 but haven't had any luck finding out what the numbers represent.
I'm sure someone here knows!
I'm not 100% on this but it's gotta be either rebound or compression damping .... I'd bet its compression
they aint stock shocks then.
take a picture.
Iirc there's a dial with four adjustments?
They are stock shocks. All zillas had 4 position rebound dampning adjustment on the front shocks. Stock 87-92 250s had em too.
It is the compression damping adjustment.
The rear shock compression adjustment is on the resi mounted to the frame and the rebound is at the bottom of the shock where it attaches to the swingarm.
What does the dampening do.I don't really understand the suspension things yet
Books could be written about suspension adjustments but here is a quick and dirty explanation.
Damping in a shock is a resistance to movement. The higher you set the damping setting, the slower the shock will compress (compression damping) or extend (rebound damping.)
Increasing compression damping decreases chances of the shock bottoming during large impacts. Too high of a compression damping setting will contribute to a jarring ride over small bumps because the shock is not able to compress fast enough to absorb the impact. Too low of a compression damping setting will allow the shock to bottom unnecessarily. You have to find a balance.
Increasing rebound damping slows the shock's return to normal extension after being compressed. Too high of a rebound damping will cause the shock to extend too slowly after an impact and remain somewhat compressed for subsequent impacts, reducing its effectiveness. Too low of a rebound damping setting will cause the shock to extend too quickly causing the quad to hop or give you the feeling you are being bucked off. Again, you have to find a balance that works for the type of riding you do.
Well then......I guess I'll put mine from 1 to 2 on my next dune trip to see if I can notice a difference. I'm a bigger guy so I'd assume a bigger number would work better for me.