[zerossix]

i got my new 888rc on my cheeta and its just too damn soft. i took SMT's advice and added a few capfuls of 7.5wt oil and it still feels about the same. how much oil have you added to your fork? im a pretty light guy (140lbs) so i dont see why it would be this soft still. any ideas or advice would be great. thanks, colin

 

[RedDwarf]

try this . . .

http://www.go-ride.com/article_888_tuning.html

Props to Go-Ride for the info.

 

[Alloy]

i got my new 888rc on my cheeta and its just too damn soft. i took SMT's advice and added a few capfuls of 7.5wt oil and it still feels about the same. how much oil have you added to your fork? im a pretty light guy (140lbs) so i dont see why it would be this soft still. any ideas or advice would be great. thanks, colin

I don't remember how much I added to my fork when I first got… It was more than a few cap fulls though. I think It was a like a couple shot classes. Keep adding oil and testing it. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get it right. If you wanted to skip the trial and error part you could take the springs out and measure the level.

I'm not sure If the 05 version has the compression sleeve "like in the go ride article" or not. If it does that would be another way of reducing dive and bottom out resistance. I have mine in the middle of the 3 settings and it works great. You might look into that if the oil levels aren't working.

Anyways, good luck. When set up right the 888 is a killer fork.

 

[kidwoo]

.

Anyways, good luck. When set up right the 888 is a killer fork.

You riding stock springs in yours?

I've got one of those sleeves but haven't put it in yet. I've just got the end stroke compression cranked all the way. I think it cuts off the last half inch of travel or so but it does dive less.

If you haven't changed your oil yet and are still running the stock stuff......get that crap out of there. I guarantee it's already foul.

 

[Alloy]

I don't remember how much I added to my fork when I first got It. was more than a few cap fulls though. I think It was a like a couple shot classes. Keep adding oil and testing it. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get it right. If you wanted to skip the trial and error part you could take the springs out and measure the level.

I'm not sure If the 05 version has the compression sleeve "like in the go ride article" or not. If it does that would be another way of reducing dive and bottom out resistance. I have mine in the middle of the 3 settings and it works great. You might look into that if the oil levels aren't working.

Anyways, good luck. When set up right the 888 is a killer fork.

Actually never mind about that bottom part, I just realized you said you have the rc model.

 

[Alloy]

You riding stock springs in yours?

I've got one of those sleeves but haven't put it in yet. I've just got the end stroke compression cranked all the way. I think it cuts off the last half inch of travel or so but it does dive less.

If you haven't changed your oil yet and are still running the stock stuff......get that crap out of there. I guarantee it's already foul.

Actually I just changed mine out to firm springs a week ago.... I'm still not sure if I like it or not. They're great for charging straight into hairy rocky sections... as I don't really have to finesse the bike as much. I can just kind of hold on and point. But in bumpy turns I tend to get a little out of control. Next I'm going to try it with just one firm spring and see how that goes.

The sleeve makes all the difference. Before I ran one I had problems with the fork diving in turns. I tried to correct it with 10wt oil, which worked... but the fork lost all it's small bump sensitivity. After that I put the sleeve in and was able to get the best of both worlds....I highly recommend it, if you got one put it in.

 

[kidwoo]

A buddy of mine has the sleeve with one heavy and one stock spring. It felt pretty good. I think that's the setup I need to shoot for.

90% of what my big bike sees is northstar so I dig the plushness but I could also stand not always riding 5 inches into my travel.

Thanks for the info.

 

[zerossix]

Actually never mind about that bottom part, I just realized you said you have the rc model.

that mean i got the sleeve?

 

[zerossix]

hey i got it workin to the point that i want it pretty much i think. thanks alloy, kidwoo, SMT, COmtbiker, and everyone else who helped me at all who i cant think of.

 

[sriracha]

if it's too soft, you need to adjust the spring preload. the preload is adjusted internally by moving the c-clip, on top of the spring stack, down a notch. there are three notches and the 888 comes set up on the top notch, the softest setting. most of the time, the springs pack down over time (this explains the rattling spring noise often heard after a season of riding) and you eventually need to add preload anyways. so, pop the tops, compress the forks till you see the spring stack, look at the top of the stack and you will see the notches and c-clips. be careful to not bend / damage / loose the c-clips.
and yah, check out that go-ride link.

 

[own154]

What difference is there between the 04 and 05

 

[kntr]

Nothing except the lowers have a little more beef around the thru axle bolts and the preload is set in the middle on a 05 stock and the preload is set in the top on a 04 stock.

 

[BJ-]

if your 140' lbs and your running stock sprinds then you should have no problem, if anything i think you might be having trouble with the conversion from DJ to DH bikes...

im about 155' lbs and i run an 04' 888r with stock springs but had it rebuilt (oil, sleves etc) to cater for my exact needs, ive never bottemed out my fork, in the most exreme cases used about 7.5" of my travel...

my mate whos like 180' lbs runs stock springs, with just extra oil in his 888rc, som turns on his adjuster knobs and never has any problems with it, like myself...

how much travel do you use when you compress it with you arms just standing next to it, try hard, soft and really hard and let me know, i can use about 4" when i really try...

if its significantly more than me then you have a problem, if not then you just have to get used to riding DH bikes, and the point of soft squishy suspension you might ask is the obvious, to use the travel you have and make the ride easyer, because unless your using your travel then theres no point in having it and you mas as well be riding a ridgid bike...

let us know how you go...

 

[gonzostrike]

I agree with BJ.

if you weigh 140 lbs, I don't care how big you go, you shouldn't be finding the stock springs "too soft"

sounds to me like you don't yet appreciate WHY that "soft" feeling is proper and is GOOD FOR YOU.

 

[zerossix]

so i went i tried that BJ and im getting to to about 3.5" or so. so i guess this is pretty resonable eh? i think gonzo is right. im just not grasping the whole idea of using all of my travel yet. seing as im used to my urban bike that i ahve set up stiff as hell.

 

[BJ-]

so i went i tried that BJ and im getting to to about 3.5" or so. so i guess this is pretty resonable eh? i think gonzo is right. im just not grasping the whole idea of using all of my travel yet. seing as im used to my urban bike that i ahve set up stiff as hell.

my point exactly...

enjoy your new bike dude...