How good is Traxxion out of the box?

[mikeyjudkins]

Do racers re-valve their "A-grade" suspension components after they replace the stock valves or do these components (such as Traxxion) typically provide race ready damping quality right out of the box?

I know it cost me 180 to get my stock forks revalved at Aftershocks. It costs 225 for the Traxxion fork valves and 175 for the rebound valves, parts only. Is the Traxxion stuff way better than revalving the stock valves? Or do the Traxxion products just provide you with the "potential" for better damping.

And for the shock, Penske 8981 from Traxxion - A-grade damping out of the box?

MJ

[MrCrash]

You mean the "out of the box" settings?

I ran a Traxxion front end when I was consistently finishing on the box in WSMC 550 Superbike, Middleweight Twins, and AFM 650 Twins. It's hard to say how good the "out of the box" settings were, as I immediately made setup adjustments to the bike, and got consistently faster with each race weekend.

I can't say that one is better than the other, as I know fast people who swear by Traxxion, Circuit One, Lindemann, Aftershocks, and so on.

Each suspension tuner seems to have their own philosophy on what an ideal setup is, I remember talking with Scott (Winders) once about this. Aftershocks seems to run a more plush setup that uses more travel (form their dirt background), while Lindemann and Traxxion seem to lean towards a firmer, more controlled setup. I've ridden a Circuit One bike in an endurance race, the bike felt really loose until I started really loading the suspension in the corner, when it started to feel more controlled. I rode Lee Acree's Formula USA championship winning GSX-R600 last year, it felt the same way.

Any of the suspension tuners should be receptive to rider feedback, making adjustments as necessary if the rider sees fit.

[mikeyjudkins]

Originally posted by MrCrash907
You mean the "out of the box" settings?.......It's hard to say how good the "out of the box" settings were, as I immediately made setup adjustments to the bike, and got consistently faster with each race weekend.

Did you ever have the Traxxion suspension internals re-valved after you got the out of the box product from them? I guess my question is, if I do go out and buy the Traxxion valves, does this mean that I still have to take them in to somehwere like Aftershocks to revalve them for my weight/spring rate/riding type? Or are they designed to be installed "out of the box", with no additional valving work required after they are purchased and simply installed.

[MrCrash]

I didn't realize that merely purchasing the valves was an option. I let them revalve my front end at the 1999 AMA National at Sears Point, with the addition of their valves.

I would think that you would need a specific shim stack to go along with their valves to optimize the forks, I'm not sure though.

[rdcyclist]

Traxxion, like RaceTech will supply you with a setup sheet that outlines how to sequence the shim stack for your weight and riding style. Their recommendations are just a starting point and you may need to change the stack to get the ride you want. Or not.

Most of the guys I know that have had their forks done by Computrack/Honda of Milpitas or Lindemann have been happy out of the box. 50% of the guys that sent their forks to Traxxion ended up sending 'em back to have the stack changed. You can change the stack yourself if you're fairly handy with tools but you've gotta pay attention...

[mikeyjudkins]

Cool. Thanks for the info guys....