How to set fork compression and rebound on a dirt bike

The clickers on your fork are the quickest way to change how the front end feels, and the easiest way to get lost. Riders turn them a few clicks at a time without writing anything down, and after a few weekends nobody knows where the bike started. This guide gives you a simple method: start from a known baseline, change one thing at a time, and read the symptoms.

Set your sag first. If the rear sits too high or too low, the front will feel wrong whatever you do with the fork.

What the two clickers do

Compression damping controls how quickly the fork compresses when it hits a bump, a landing or hard braking. More compression (turning in, clockwise) makes the fork resist more. Less compression (turning out) lets it move more freely.

Rebound damping controls how quickly the fork extends again after it has been compressed. More rebound (turning in) slows the return. Less rebound (turning out) lets it spring back faster.

Where the adjusters sit depends on the fork. On many modern forks compression is on top of one leg and rebound on top of the other, and they are usually marked (for example COMP and REB). Some forks have one of them at the bottom of the leg, at the axle. Check your owner's manual.

Step 1: Find your baseline

Clicker settings are always counted out from fully closed:

1. Turn the adjuster clockwise gently until it stops. Do not force it, because the needle and seat are easy to damage.
2. Count the clicks as you turn it back out.
3. The stock setting is in your owner's manual, for example "12 clicks out".

If you have an air fork, set the air pressure first. The manual has a starting pressure for your weight, and pressure changes the fork's support far more than any clicker. Check it with the fork fully extended (front wheel off the ground) and the same gauge every time, because a few tenths of a bar make a real difference.

Write down where every clicker is before you change anything.

Step 2: Change one thing, two clicks at a time

• Change only one clicker per run, so you know what made the difference.
• Move it two clicks. One click is hard to feel; four can overshoot.
• Test on the same sections every time: the braking bumps into a corner, a jump landing and a set of whoops tell you the most.
• If the change made it worse, go back to the previous setting and try the other direction.

Step 3: Read the symptoms

Compression too soft

• The front dives a lot under braking and the bike feels low and nervous going into corners.
• It bottoms out with a harsh clunk on big landings or flat landings.
• On a long day it feels fine at first and then blows through the stroke as you get tired.

Try: 2 clicks more compression (in). On an air fork, check the pressure before going stiffer on the clicker.

Compression too stiff

• The front feels harsh over small bumps, roots and braking bumps, and you get arm pump faster.
• The wheel deflects off rocks and edges instead of soaking them up.
• The front won't settle into ruts and pushes wide in corners.

Try: 2 clicks less compression (out).

Rebound too fast (not enough rebound damping)

• The front kicks back or bounces after landings and after big bumps.
• Through whoops and chop the front feels loose and wants to deflect.
• The bike feels lively but hard to keep in a line.

Try: 2 clicks more rebound (in).

Rebound too slow (too much rebound damping)

• The fork does not come back up fast enough between bumps and packs down through braking bumps or whoops.
• As it packs, it rides lower and lower and gets harsh, even though the compression setting hasn't changed.
• The front feels dead and heavy rather than planted.

Try: 2 clicks less rebound (out).

A useful rule: if the fork feels harsh only in a series of bumps but fine on a single hit, suspect rebound that is too slow before adding more compression.

Keep the front and rear in balance

The fork and shock work together. If you make the fork much stiffer, the bike may start to feel like it rides "uphill" and the rear will feel soft by comparison, and the other way round. After a few changes at the front, check that the bike still pitches evenly when you push down on the pegs: front and rear should compress and return at a similar rate.

When clickers are not enough

If you find yourself at the end of the clicker range, the problem is probably not the clickers. Common reasons:

• Wrong spring rate or air pressure for your weight. Clickers control speed, not support.
• Old fork oil. Fork oil breaks down with hours and heat, and the damping fades. A fork service at the interval in your manual brings it back.
• Oil height (on coil forks) changes how the fork resists near the bottom of the stroke. That is a job for the workshop or a suspension tuner.
• Fork height in the triple clamps. Raising the tubes in the clamps makes the bike turn quicker but less stable at speed; it is a geometry change, not damping.

Write every change down

The setup that works on a hard-pack track will feel wrong in deep sand, so you will end up with more than one. In MX Rider Pro you can save your fork and shock clickers, air pressure and sag for each bike and track, and compare them with your lap times to see which setup was actually faster, not just which one felt better.