New 2015 Marzocchi Forks

[bombx3]

Hi Everyone ,I have made the switch to the Beta 300 Racing
My bike was new last week and have now put 14 hours on it

My problem is I ride on stones like tennis balls and hard pack loose lanes and I am finding the forks spike me and several times almost had me off
I am average weight and speed ,the sag is 97mm ,the front end is too hard for me but it is the correct springs for my weight

I checked the clickers and Rebound was on 9 and compression was on 10 ! the Beta manual says 20/20 not very good MR Beta

If I put the Rebound at 20 out will that make the forks bounce out my hands?

[Mark Donovan]

14 hours is plenty time for your suspension to break in. I ride the same bike and I feel it's plush in the rocks. Let me clarify that you do have the Red Marzocchi PFP closed cartridge race edition forks? If you do have these forks the and have not adjusted the progressive floating piston then that may be what you are experiencing. Mine came set firm from the factory. Here is a great video showing what PFP does.

https://youtu.be/N0hj84bZv8w

Another thing, what is average weight? LOL If you weigh more than 180 pounds without riding gear then you more than likely would realize a benefit from a heavier spring.

[bombx3]

Mark ,thank you for the Beta link
I have now adjusted the top pre load nut and what a difference ,I left the comp at 20 clicks out and rebound at 20 out is this OK?

Have you a recommended clicks for the rear ,I am fat 176lb with gear on , I am a rider and don't really understand the Tec stuff but can manage clickers

Cheers
Ray

[hawaiidirtrider]

Great link! .. I guess I subbed stillwell but never looked at the selection of vids? idk..but thanks

[Mark Donovan]

Your clickers are right where they need to be if your happy. About few years ago after having so many people saying so many conflicting things to me about suspension, I decided to study the process and figure it out for myself. A great source of information to get the most out of your suspension is the Race Tech suspension bible, http://racetech.com/page/title/Suspension%20Bible Once I learned what everything was and the effect that it has on handling It was a very simple process to dial in any bike just the way I like it. That's the Key, It's what you like. For a 176 pound rider you should be just fine with the stock springs. If you are happy with the way the bike turns and if you are happy with blasting through mud feeling like you are controlling the bike, then that means your sag is probably fine for you. Don't chase a number with your sag setting chase the sag position that you find that you are in control of the bike and it still turns well. Then that is the right number for you, regardless of what number someone tells to you must have. Chasing a number is not as accurate because it will change with rider position, something that is changing multiple times on any given ride. Use those numbers as a good baseline to start tuning in either direction so you can see what those changes effect. Once you get to that sag setting that gives you the most control over your bike under the widest range of conditions then that is YOUR right sag number. You will find that your bike will have much better handling once the Shock and Forks are carrying the load they were designed to and not inordinately amounts due to too much or too little sag. . When you change that sag it's shifting work back and forth from front to back. Ideally it will handle best when they are at that ideal amount of work. You will also notice it won't nose dive when you stop hard or hit objects on steep downhills. There won't be so much weight shifting. Sag is so important because it also puts both the fork and shock in a central position of their ideal operating range. (sweet spot) Don't be afraid to experiment with sag even if you feel like it's ok now. Imagine you (forks) and a friend (Shock) are carrying a 8 foot 2x6 (Bike) with a bag of cement (Rider) somewhere around the center. If the cement bag (Rider) moves then it affects your load can't change that too much it's gonna happen. If you (Fork) and he ( the shock) keep the board (Bike) level then it will take less work to hand the load. Focus on that sag, master that then play with your clickers once you know exactly what each of them does. Hope this helps.

[bombx3]

Hi Guys
I had a good 6 hour ride today and the forks are a lot better
PFT backed off
Comp backed off all the way
Rebound out 20 clicks
Oil 300cc

Still have 4 inches of travel not being used

[twowheels]

Hi Guys
I had a good 6 hour ride today and the forks are a lot better
PFT backed off
Comp backed off all the way
Rebound out 20 clicks
Oil 300cc

Still have 4 inches of travel not being used

There are internal mods that can be performed that will get them working even better. You might want to consider main spring and PFP spring swaps as well to get the front end to sag appropriately and use the available stroke.

As a related aside - don't judge how much travel is being used only by the unwiped length at the bottom of the leg. Instead, but the bike on a stand and fully extend the fork. Measure the wiped length, then add "a bit" for the rebound spring, and compare to the listed travel (11.4")

[jerbear300]

I recently sent my Zokes and rear shock to Race Tech in SoCal to get revalved and resprung. They hadn't had these particular forks in shop yet
so they offered me an R&D discount to create a Gold Valve kit for the Marzocchi forks. I've got the Gold Valves in my FE570 WP forks and also had
them in my TE511 KYB forks. I skipped work on Friday to go riding and test my new suspension. I haven't ridden my Beta in a month or so
and couldn't wait til the weekend. I'm happy to report that my bike feels so perfect. It really is amazing how much better it feels in really rocky
and wooped out terrain. If you've got the Zokes and like the Race Tech Gold valves you should be able to order them now even if their website
isn't up to date.