How to Adjust Your Sag and Why You Should
Setting the sag on a dirt bike refers to the amount of suspension compression caused by the rider's weight. Adjusting the sag helps the bike to corner, handle, and absorb bumps relative to the rider’s weight. Too much sag means the bike sits too low with the rider on the bike. Too much sag can lead to lazy turning and a twitchy front end. Wrong sag can also interfere with jump landings and cause the landing to be unstable. With this in mind, it is important to balance the front and back end of the bike’s sag because even high-performance suspensions will not work correctly with a bad sag. To check your sag, you’ll need a bike stand, a tape measure, a spanner wrench, and your riding gear. Put the bike on the stand where the rear wheel is off the ground and measure from the rear axle to a fixed point directly above it - a bolt or mark on the fender/subframe. The number measured is the full extension of the bike. Next, put on all your gear, set the bike on the ground, and sit in the natural riding position so that the suspension compresses. Measure this in the same way as before and use this number to subtract from the full extension of the bike. The difference between these two measurements is the rider’s sag. Next, use a spanner wrench to loosen the lock ring on the rear shock. Turn the preload collar to add or remove tension on the spring and set the suspension using the rider’s sag number measured earlier. Then tighten the lock ring to finish setting the sag. Now that your suspension is personalized to your weight, your comfort and control of the bike will most likely improve.
