Suspension tuning advice
Been trying to get the suspension on the '11 GasGas EC250 dialed in for several months now and can't seem to get it where I want it. It's pretty good but I know it can be better. I'm hoping for a little advice to get me going in the correct direction.
I'm right at 140lbs without gear and a mid to bottom B rider/racer. I ride rocks, hard pack, sand, and silt, from hike-a-bike technical to hare scrambles/GP's, and some very beat up trails.
Forks are Marzocchi PFP 48's, .38kg main springs, 1.4 cartridge spring, Maxima 85/150 5wt oil, 210cc cartridge, 300cc outer, 0mm main spring preload, PFP fully out, compression 19, rebound fully closed, 5mm above clamps. Shock is Ohlins 888, 4.8kg spring, sag 103mm, hsc 3, low compression 26, rebound 8. IIRC, suspension front and rear was re-valved by Motolab for AZRickD who is a 180lb rider of similar skill and when I bought the bike it had .44/5.4kg springs installed
Front is really plush eating up trail junk, does well on square edges, and zero deflection. However, the front wants to wash pretty easily and when riding sand it is really tough getting the bike to go where I want to and to hold a line. Tried slowing the rebound as much as I could without fixing the problem. Next I started dialing out the PFP in hopes of slowing it down. It seems to have helped some but it still feels like I'm maybe 3-4 rebound clicks away from being where I want it.
The rear kicks a lot but not severe as if it's going to eject me but it definitely feels busy.
So, my left fork seal started leaking so I gotta have them out anyway. Should I try to switch to a heavier fork oil, 26.7cst@40 vs my current 16.2cst? Maybe raise the forks some more? Trying to avoid a re-valve right now as my budget is tight being it's the holiday season. I just don't know which way to go as my mind is reeling from all the variables and I think I have lost sight on how to get it where I want it.
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