Magazine Reviews
Amatuer MX Magazine
In the modern world of four strokes, customers today are looking less toward motor upgrades and more towards suspension work. If you are serious about racing then you know how important it is to have your suspension set up properly.
I feel that it is far more important to have great suspension then it is to have a 60hp monster. Truth is most of the big four strokes come with more power than the average rider will ever use. This month we decided to have our Yamaha YZ450f's suspension sent out for a few upgrades. We made the call to Active Ride and start the ball rolling.
Testing suspension can be tricky. It is difficult to find two riders that like the same suspension settings. For our test we chose two riders who were very familiar with the Yamaha 450 and who both had extensive experience testing suspension. With the Mammoth Motocross quickly approaching we had the perfect testing ground. I can't think of a track that demands excellent suspension more than the hills of Mammoth Mountain.
Active Ride was up for than challenge! We were directed to their website and downloaded a questioner helping us better select our suspension needs. Once the form was filled, the forks and shock were shipped off to Active Ride in Florida. We were pleased to see a quick turn around, leaving us time for a couple of days of testing at a local practice track. Then it was off to Mammoth for some real punishment.
For the test results, I am going to put you inside the minds of our test riders. One is a veteran intermediate rider who raced the bike in Mammoth; the other is a local 125/250 intermediate who tested the Active Ride suspension on his private track.
The suspension was set up exactly as I requested. I called Matt once I received the suspension and he gave me a sag adjustment of 100mm. I previously ran the YZ450 at 104mm. This improved the handling of the bike in corners, I was very pleased with the result. The front and rear suspension worked really well together. The bike felt balanced, I actually backed off the compression damping on the forks and shock two clicks initially. After a short break in period I want back to the settings supplied by Active Ride. My main concern was bottoming control. Which was great! I felt real confident charging the rough uphill holding my line not worrying about a large hit. On the downhill it was excellent. Charging and passing other riders was not a problem. It tracked straight and never kicked me around. I give it an A+ when it comes to handling the big stuff. The real surprise was coming out of the rough rutted corners. I went for more bottoming control and expected to give up the plush ride exiting corners; it worked great in the corners too! I think the reduced sag and stiffer shock helped keep the bike working through the corner.
I like working with a smaller suspension company as Matt was available to answer my questions. He said to call if I needed any help setting the bike up, in fact he encouraged it. He was right on with his setup! In the end all I need to do was set the sag, I was very pleased with the bottoming control, it was the one thing I requested. It felt like a whole new bike. It inspired confidence. You don't feel beat up if you slightly over jump something or catch a square edge bump. I have tested suspension from several other companies and the Active Ride suspension really suited me well. I would not hesitate to send my personal suspension to Active Ride. -Randy Commans (Vet intermediate)
It has been some times since I rode the Yamaha YZ450F. Recently I found I like the power of the Honda better. The suspension on the Yamaha has always been a little unforgiving to me. The Active Ride suspension changed that! I was impressed with the bikes ability to soak up the whoops section on my practice track. The whoops are no place for poor suspension. The rear of the bike tracked nicely while under power. I was worried about the settings from Active Ride as I was not the one who filled out the information sheet. I did have to play with the initial settings a bit find a ride I was confident with. I was surprised to find a few clicks here and a few clicks there made a huge difference. Knowing the suspension was set up for better bottoming control, I set out to give it a thorough test. I over jumped some of the biggest jumps on my track. The bike never gave me the big jolt I was expecting. I found myself charging the faces of jumps with more speed, never worrying about landings. I was even more surprised to find the bike cornered excellent. It was very forgiving on the small chatter bumps exiting turns. The bike definitely kept the power to the ground coming out of corners. In the past I felt like the Yamaha wanted to stand up exiting the corners. The Active Ride suspension all but eliminated that feeling. It has been awhile since I put some laps on the Yamaha. After today I may just spend a few more hours riding this bike. - Brett Mountain (125/250 intermediate)
I think in the end both of our test riders agreed, the Active Ride suspension made a huge difference in the performance of the bike. Although we asked Active Ride to focus on bottoming control, it never gave up its plush ride. Cornering was another area where the stiffer suspension was not a problem. The bike never had that stiff feel you get when you try to prevent bottoming. Bottoming your suspension is not a bad thing. In fact you want your suspension to bottom at some point. Active Ride suspension rated very high with our test riders. Both felt the new suspension changed the bike for the better. Active Ride may not be one of the huge marketing machines you see dominating the aftermarket today, but bigger isn't always better. The personal attention you get when you select a smaller company to work with far out weighs the cool factor of going with the big boys. It's nice to know your suspension guy by his first name, not the company he works for. Two thumbs up!
Transworld Motocross Magazine
APPLICATION: 2005 KTM 250SX
PRICE: $565 ($145 shock revalve, $155 fork revalve, $105 shock springs, $95 fork springs, $65 shock shortening)
RATING: 8.5
The TransWorld testing staff has really enjoyed the 2005 250SX from KTM, but it is no secret that the suspension on the bike is a bit...well, it's pretty harsh and unforgiving in stock trim. After several rides at some rough local tracks, we had numerous complaints about our KTM test bike's suspension and handling. For one, the forks dove too much under deceleration, and the front end had a very vague feeling in flat corners. The bike also had a very stink-bugged feel around the track, making us think that we would launch over the bars at any moment. In short, we knew that we had to do something.
Active Ride Suspension is a mod shop out of the sunny town of Spring Hill, Florida. After hearing of our woes on the orange bike, the guys there offered to give the problem a try. We briefly described our issues and asked them to set the KTM up for a speedy 175 lb. rider.
The first modification was to soften up the high-speed valving in order to make the KTM handle better in choppy sections of the track. The mid-valve was then modified to help keep the forks up in their stroke, and to also alleviate mid-stroke harshness. Next, stiffer .46 kg/mm springs were installed with the intent of supporting the rider and further keeping the front end riding high up in the stroke.
Once the forks were finished, the Active guys dug into the shock. They first softened the primary piston, working a large amount on both the high and low speed compression valving in order to make the shock run a bit softer and have a much smoother action. The secondary piston valving was then stiffened to make the shock more stable and progressive, as well as to give it more control later in the stroke. A stiffer, 8.0 kg/mm rear spring was installed to suit a 175 lb. rider.
To cure the stinkbug feeling, the rear shock was shortened 5mm. This lowers the seat height a whopping 30mm, which also keeps the shock from over-extending in the whoops, resulting in way more stability. Lowering the seat height was also a fix for the vague feeling of the front end, because it increases trail and gives the bike more of a contact patch with the ground.
After getting the suspension back, the changes to the KTM were immediately noticeable. For one, the front-end problems were obviously a thing of the past. Not only did the front not dive, it also had a much lighter feeling to it in rough sections, and grabbed a lot more traction up front. The stinkbug stance was cured, as the bike felt very balanced all the way around the track. In fact, one of our favorite things about the Active Ride suspension was that it felt very even and did not kick in any way. Stock KTMs can have a lot of unexpected bumps and jolts, but after the Active modifications, there were absolutely no surprises. The bike also felt great in rough sections of the track, and mild chop was no problem.
We only had a few small complaints about the Active Ride suspension. First, we found the forks to be too soft for our tastes when it came to hard landings. Aggressive over-jumping and exceptionally harsh square-edged bumps made the forks blow through the stroke, sending a massive jolt to our hands. This is a problem that could be solved by either smoother riding or a more forgiving track, but we would have liked to see the forks a bit stiffer near the bottom of the stroke. Secondly, the front wheel of the KTM became somewhat harder to turn once the seat height was lowered, but this was not too much of a problem on the track, and is an easy trade-off for the extra traction that the modification brings.
Overall, Active did a great job of turning our KTM into a better-handling, more rideable machine. Each of our original complaints was handled perfectly, and the tuners were extremely knowledgeable and easy to talk to. If you ride a KTM and are looking for a way to give it a more personal, smoother feel, we suggest getting in touch with the crew at Active Ride Suspension: they will definitely listen to what you have to say.
Call 352/247-6776 or visit www.active-ride.com