Maximizing Motocross Suspension Performance Through Compression and Rebound Adjustments with your Clickers MX App.

Motocross riders often focus on upgrading parts or buying new gear to improve their bike’s performance. Yet, one of the most effective ways to enhance your motocross suspension does not require expensive parts or upgrades. Instead, it involves fine-tuning the suspension using the compression and rebound adjusters. These simple adjustments, combined with regular maintenance like changing the fork oil and seals, can dramatically improve your ride quality, control, and confidence on the track.

This post will guide you through understanding compression and rebound settings, how to adjust them in a safe and easy manner using Clickers MX App, all without breaking the bank and without having to resort to a factory suspension tech .

Compression (COMP) and Rebound (REB or TEN) Adjusters are worked with a flat-head screwdriver in the majority of bike models.

Understanding Compression and Rebound in Motocross Suspension

Suspension on a motocross bike controls how the bike absorbs bumps, landings, and rough terrain. It consists mainly of forks at the front and a shock absorber at the rear. Two key settings affect how the suspension behaves:

• The Compression (COMP) adjuster controls how quickly the suspension compresses when hitting a bump or landing a jump.

  
  

• The Rebound (REB) adjuster controls how quickly the suspension returns to its original position after compressing.

  
  

Both settings work together to balance comfort, traction, and control. Too much or too little in either adjuster can cause poor handling, loss of traction, and/or rider fatigue. Suspension works best in the middle of the stroke. Your job is to make it work as much as possible there.

Compression Force (COMP)

The compression adjuster controls the force applied to keep suspension from compressing. If compression force is too little, the suspension will bottom out easily, making the ride harsh and unstable. If it’s too much, the bike won’t absorb bumps well, causing you to feel every hit and lose traction.

Rebound Speed (REB)

The rebound adjuster controls how fast the suspension extends after compression. If rebound is too fast, the suspension will bounce back quickly, causing the bike to feel unstable or “pogo.” If it’s too slow, the suspension may not extend fully before the next bump, leading to a “packing down” effect where the suspension stays compressed in the lower part of the stroke.

How to Adjust Compression and Rebound for Better Performance

Adjusting compression and rebound is straightforward once you understand what each adjuster does and how your bike feels on the track. Most motocross forks and shocks have knobs or screws labeled with "COMP" for compression and "REB or TEN" for rebound, mostly with click settings (except for A-kit suspension, the High Speed COMP on the shock is worked counting half turns or quarters of a turn).

Step 1: Save your base setting.

Follow the steps in the App for securing your base settings. If the handling of the bike feels flat-out worse after trying other settings, you can always go back to your base settings. This 'safe spot' will give you the courage to mess with your suspension and try other settings.

Step 2: Check out the balance. Do the push-down test and check your base settings.

To check your motocross suspension balance, push down on the middle of the bike with one hand on the seat and the other on the tank. The fork and shock should compress evenly, feeling like the entire bike moves down as a unit. If one end compresses more than the other, it is indicative of an imbalance, and you'll need to adjust your settings. 

Now, you will find yourself in two different escenarios: either your suspension is balanced and so are the settings, or the suspension is balanced BUT at the expense of unbalanced settings. Sounds confusing? Ok, say your bike feels balanced, but when you check the balance of your base settings in the App it turns out the compression of your shock is way stiffer than the compression of your forks (for example, 85% to 55%). This would reveal that your shock is undersprung, meaning that the spring rate is too soft for your weight, causing the suspension to compress too easily, and that in order to keep a balanced suspension you need to set your COMP force near its maximum capacity.

Can you guess why this matters? exactly. While you can still stiffen your forks to meet other track and rider conditions until you reach the 100%, your shock is already almost at that 100%. If this is the case, the best move is to take your suspension to a suspension tuner and tell him what your situation is (the app's balance check, the type of track where you usually ride, your weight & ability, etc). When your suspension is back in your bike, use the MISC box in the app to write down its reference (for instance, Race Tech has a DVS number). A fine tuning should allow you to start testing having both the COMP and the REB at 50% of their capacities, so you can go either way.

Step 3: Test Ride & Rate how it Feels

Ride on your usual track and pay attention to how the suspension behaves. Have someone with you to compare what you feel with what the bike actually does. Use the PRO version for rating every setting, and delete those which are worth keeping.

For the first adjustments, "go big or go home". Once you know where the bike is starting to feel better, make small changes, about 1-2 clicks at a time, and test ride after each adjustment.

Forks first: They influence steering feel and front-end confidence. If the front feels unstable or harsh, it’s hard to judge the rear. Once the front is balanced, move to the shock for traction and comfort. Try different settings for the High Speed Compression (HSC) of the shock, for it affects how high the rear of the bike sits on the track and therefore your level of confort while riding it. You'll be amazed!

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Adjusting Suspension

• Changing compression and rebound too much at once, making it hard to identify what works.

• Ignoring regular maintenance and expecting adjustments alone to fix problems.

• Over-tightening adjusters, which can damage internal components.

• Using generic settings without considering rider weight, style, or track type.

• Forgetting to bleed air in the forks, check tire pressure and other factors that affect suspension feel.