How to set up your enduro motorbike!
We are all different shapes and sizes.
We will all use our motorbikes in different ways.
So here's a comprehensive guide to setting up your motorbike.
We encourage you to do the free mods first...
then ride your motorbike for a while before spending money.
It is easy to spend a lot of cash that will barely make a difference.
Learning to ride better will always make the biggest difference!
Lets start with ergonomics.
This is the relationship between your levers, handlebars, seat and footpegs.
First, your hand levers.
These should be horizontal, or slightly angled down.
Some riders angle these at 45 degrees but it only encourages bad body positioning.
If you have long fingers,
consider moving the levers in so you have more leverage with your fingers.
You can use plumbing tape or electrical tape under your lever mounts.
The levers will spin in an accident instead of breaking.
If you have short fingers, you can buy this style of lever so it's easier to reach.
Handlebar positioning.
Draw line from your forks to your handgrips.
The more the bars are angled to the rider, the more inline stability you will have at speed.
When the handgrips are actually in line with the forks, the steering is quicker.
This is the positioning we encourage for enduro riding.
It also gives tall riders more room on the motorbike.
Handgrips.
It's a good idea to put some wire around your handgrips to stop water getting in
and suddenly they are rotating while you ride.
Rear brake positioning.
The default position is to have your rear brake
lever horizontal with the footpeg, or only slightly lower.
Riders who sit most of the time often set the angle very low
but it's difficult to use the lever when standing.
Are you a short rider?
You can shave some foam from your seat to make it lower.
You can increase the 'sag' on your rear shock, and slide the forks up through the triple clamps.
You can buy a different linkage that will lower the rear.
Or actually get your suspension professionally lowered.
See our 'short rider setup' video lots of other tips.
Are you a tall rider?
Roll your bars forward.
You can use high bend bars, bar risers, pad the seat higher,
and get footpegs like the Fastway that drop the footpegs down and back.
See our tall rider setup video for more information.
Tyre pressure.
There is endless debate about this.
If you are using the normal thin tubes that come with new enduro motorbikes,
this is a rough guideline.
This can vary depending on your weight, your type of tyre, and if you are using heavy duty tubes.
Apart from heavy duty tubes, you can also use TUbliss or mousses.
Generally speaking, racers and very aggressive riders will benefit from mousses.
TUbliss is a handy way to get some of the same benefits
with more adjustability but not quite as bulletproof.
See our video comparing tubes, mousses and the TUbliss system.
If you do run tubes, make sure you don't tighten these bolts!
If your tyre moves, you won't notice your tube is moving then it will be ripped apart.
Suspension. This is an endlessly debated topic.
Some riders insist you must spend a fortune getting it custom tuned.
We believe the suspension on most enduro motorbikes is pretty good nowadays.
You won't need to spend a lot of money unless you are very heavy,
very light, or you are a very talented rider pushing the motorbike hard.
It is important to set the sag correctly, and dial your clickers in.
If that's not enough, look into the correct spring weights and possibly a revalve.
See our video 'do I really need suspension mods?'
Motorbike protection.
It's easy to spend two thousand dollars and make your motorbike much heavier.
Skidplates, disc guards, linkage protectors, full wrap handguards, sidecase covers,
crankcase savers, swingarm covers, exhaust guards, frame guards, radiator guards,
heavy duty chain guides, speedo protectors, fender braces, and master cylinder guards.
Do your research and see which items you really need.
For example, does a two stroke bike really need this heavy expensive guard?
Would a much lighter carbon fibre guard be enough?
Some riders have no guard but simply repair the pipe every time it is dinged.
And remember even a big dent often doesn't affect engine power much, if at all.
Another example is handguards.
We recently did a video about full wrap handguards
versus the plastic 'flag-style' ones on most new motorbikes.
Each has it's pros and cons.
See our video about which will suit you best.
Exhausts and power mods.
One of the sillier mods tends to be getting louder exhausts.
The majority of exhausts are designed quite well on most motorbikes.
Aftermarket guys will make ridiculous claims about power increases,
but often dyno test will show a 2 to 4% improvement.
In most cases you are far better off working on your riding technique.
The same goes for most power mods.
Occasionally a motorbike won't be running well from the factory,
such as some of KTM's TPI models or Sherco two strokes often run too rich.
But most of the time you will be spending on a lot of money for marginal increases.
Just learn to ride well instead.
Tyres. Everyday riders obsess about tyres way too much.
Sure there are different types.
Some might suit you a bit better.
But your riding skills will make a much bigger difference.
But you never see anyone obsess over riding skills. Sigh.
For enduro riders, I believe air pressure makes a bigger difference,
especially if you want good traction.
Look into heavy duty tubes, soft mousses,
or the TUbliss system if you want to get obsessive about tyres.
Personally we like old worn out tyres as they force us to ride better.
Your toolkit.
Every motorbike comes with one.
And they don't give you much either.
The further you ride from base, the more important it is to take it with you.
And as it gets gnarlier and more remote, you will probably want to take extras.
See our video for a pile of different ideas.
Gearing.
Some riders claim small changes in gearing make a huge difference.
More experienced riders who use their clutch a lot often don't touch their gearing.
But if you are riding much slower or faster terrain than normal
then it's always worth looking at a change.
A lighter clutch.
As your skills improve, you will use your clutch more and more.
If your motorbike has a heavy clutch pull, there are mods to make it lighter.
You can just add washers to lighten the springs, change to lighter springs,
use a Midwest clutch lever, or go for the expensive but awesome Clake One Light Clutch.
See our video for more information.
Speaking of clutches, some beginners like to install an autoclutch.
Even some experienced riders use these.
Many criticise the autoclutch as a crutch, but it can be a very sensible option
if you have physical issues with your hands, or simply want to make riding as easy as possible.
Another crutch? Steg Pegz.
I always use these to reduce problems with my arms and hands as I get older.
Beginner riders also find them useful as it encourages you
to get into the right body position.
Speaking of crutches, some beginners can benefit from the G2 Throttle Tamer.
It gives you much more throttle control at lower revs.
And it takes away that snappy throttle response common with some fuel injected four strokes.
A final note.
Maintaining your motorbike is an important part of setup.
Regularly check your air filter, radiator coolant, brake fluid, chain tension and spoke tension.
Check all those bolts and loctite any that come loose.
Do you have any extra tips?
I will put them in the pinned first comment of the Youtube video.