Mountain Race Shop

Mountain Race Shop Technical Series

Suspension Knowledge Centre

Motorcycle suspension diagnosis and the engineering behind springs, damping, shim stacks, fluid flow and complete damper systems.

Post-Race ReportTry Shim CalculatorBook Service

Featured Engineering Article

Why a Hydraulic Damper Must Be Modelled as a Changing Flow NetworkWhat Wen, Chen and Liu’s peer-reviewed multi-scale damper model means for bleed flow, shim deflection, flow redistribution, separator valves, mid-valves and whole-system motorcycle damper analysis.->

Free Workshop Tools

Post-Race Suspension Report - Free PrintableRecord the bike, rider, track, symptoms, clicker settings, sag, tyres and setup changes while the ride is still fresh.->

Mountain Race Shop Technical Series

004 — The Truth About Sag: Ride Height, Traction and Handling BalanceWhy sag exists, why preload is better understood as ride-height adjustment, and how front-to-rear balance changes traction, stability and turning.->003 — What Causes Fork Harshness?Why orifice-like pressure rise, damping-curve gradient, mid-valve behaviour and valve opening force can create the sharp hit riders call harshness.->002 — Clickers Won't Fix a Bad Damping CurveWhy clickers adjust bleed flow but cannot rewrite the shim stack, rescue poor rider data or replace a proper damping target.->001 — Clickers Won't Fix the Wrong SpringWhy matching sag at one point does not make different spring rates behave the same—and why damping cannot replace mechanical support.->

Suspension Basics

What is Rebound Damping?What is Compression Damping?What Does Oil Height Do?What is Spring Preload?

Suspension Problems

Fork Harsh on Small BumpsShock Packing DownBottoming OutFront End PushRear Wheel Spin

Suspension Engineering

Changing Flow Networks in Hydraulic DampersCoupled flow paths, pressure, shim deformation and why the governing mechanism changes across the operating envelope.->How Shim Stacks WorkBase Valve vs Mid ValveFluid Mechanics of SuspensionUnderstanding Damping CurvesPressure Differential in Suspension Systems