STM Suspension Review

[knovello]

I wanted to give you guys a quick review on the STM Suspension modifications I had done to my 2012 300Race a few months ago. I live in Colorado and race the Rocky Mountain Enduro Circuit in the AA class, and the WeBe Racing Hare Scramble Series in the Open A Class. I weigh 200lbs. For those of you that have never ridden the rocky mountain region, the terrain changes drastically depending on what part of the region you're riding/racing in. Racing here demands a lot from your suspension. One day you could be in the mountains riding gnarly rocky single track, the next be out on the plains hauling ass on big sandy whoops. Most racing here is unfortunately a combination of the two! Talk about asking a lot of your suspension!!
I thought the stock GasGas suspension was quite adequate for the single track, but at my weight once any real speed came into play it simply wasn't up to the task. Some friends recommended STM Suspension in Fort Collins Colorado. I talked with Dave Rose, the owner of STM. Dave doesn't believe in pre-determined suspension mods and really listened to what I was looking for out of my suspension.

My initial issues with the stock suspension were:
1. The spring rates were obviously too soft.
2. Fork mid-stroke harshness with some deflection
3. I was blowing thru the stroke with ease on faster stutter bumps and deep sand whoops.
4. Both the forks and the shock were tunable to specific terrain types, but lacked the ability to handle a variety of terrain.
5. The back end was kicking badly when under hard braking or hitting bumps at speed

I dropped off my suspension and had it back in two days. Dave upped my springs rates, re-valved the suspension, and installed SKF fork seals to decrease front fork friction. Dave said he also used some new top secret suspension fluids that I can't remember the name of. Wow, what a difference!!! While I will make some minor clicker settings based on where I'm riding, in general my suspension can handle everything I've thrown at it, including the motocross track! My suspension is now plush, yet firm with great bottoming resistance. I feel like I can now ride faster, longer and with less fatigue.
I found a sag height of 105mm and 40mm of free sag to be perfect for me. I also ride with my forks with 4mm of fork leg above the upper clamp and my PFP set at 0 turns in for the rocky stuff and 2 turns in for really sandy riding.

I've used multiple suspension companies over the years with mixed results. STM Suspension offers a level of knowledge and customer service that is unmatched in my opinion. If you would like to make your GasGas suspension perform at its' optimum, then I would highly recommend giving them a try, you won't be disappointed!

Let me know if you have any questions,

Keith