Thread: How To: Set your dirt bike sag

The first step to setting your sag is to set your rebound and compression clicks for both the rear shock and forks into their standard positions. You can check your owner’s manuals for exact location but usually it is located halfway before the hard and soft setting.

The first thing we are going to do is set the static sag on the rear shock of your dirt bike. You will need to back off your locking ring so that you can either tighten up or loosen the main ring. This will either increase of decrease the preload on the shock. You should generally look for about 25 mm of sag, if there is more than 25 mm then you will need to tighten the ring more, if there is less than you will need to loosen the ring. To get this measurement you need to measure the distance between the axle bolt and point on the bike itself.

Next you will need to adjust the race sag, also know as the laden sag. For this measurement to be accurate you will need two people. The first person will need to mount the bike as if they were about to ride. They should be in full riding gear, and leaning slightly over the cross brace. With the bike in this position you need to take a measurement. Ideally you want the sag to be anywhere between 90 and 110 mm, if it is more or less than this amount you will need to adjust the preload again. The average bike is setup for a rider that is approximately 5 feet and 11 inches tall and around one hundred and seventy pounds. If you keep these figures in mind, it will be much easier to adjust your sag.