Time to start thinking!

[TLKD]

You're totally right TCskibike, straight rate spring would have a linear line on a graph and progressive a parabola.

My bad here.

That being said, the force that has to be applied to a straight rate spring to compree still has to go "up" !

[007_Hawk]

Send "SteveSamps" a message. He has some info on rising rate spring set up and might be able to help you out. Of course he's probably off in the dirt bike section these days...

[cooksend]

I am all in on the concept of falling rate versus rising rate! I do also understand that there is no way to overcome the falling rate design! I would however just like to take my stock suspension and make it work! Like I said I cannot even get it to used a couple inches of travel. I have had the shocks out and I can compress the shock without the springs installed! Very stiff but I can get it done!

Everyone talks about things being overly plush when installiing the suspension relocation brackets! Didn't help mine at all... Still stiff as a board (big board too). Just kind of thinking that someone may have revalved this thing back in the day to catch some major air!!! SnoCross possibly! WOuld like to get it back to or close to stock and see what happens! New springs for sure... Just can't understand How this one stock could be that stiff???

[TLKD]

Do you have the third forward shock up front ? If so, take the spring off of it, throw it back in your suspension and try jumping on it again. You should see a difference.

[Hawkster]

I'm not sure if I can be any help here but I had the same problem when I bought by 05 new it was so bad that at mild speeds in the studders the ass end would come around , then had them revalved softer but that tore off my fender piece by piece, so I went back to the stock valving, which on the 05 are all the same. I now have the 350# and 300# spring on the uprights and the 503 spring in the center. The ride is plush now. So .......... in a nut shell I'm back to stock valving and have one stiffer spring on the up right and a softer in the center, the ride is plush but the heat exchangers still take a beating. Maybe the shocks came with thicker oil? or the oil is dirty from mileage? that would make them stiff also. They are such bizzare animals to each there own.

[Thunderhawk]

I'm really not someone to be giving mechanical advice, and you may already know this, but the suspension WILL NOT compress with the machine sitting on firm ground. The front ski needs to be on a dolly so it can move forward and backward as the suspension flexes. As the suspension compresses, the distance between the track and ski changes. On firm ground, the ski can not move and thus the suspension can not compress.

[2006sigouin]

I just revalved my suspension on my 250f with gold valves.The thing i notice when doing that was the shim stack on the valving.

The stock valving was 1 stage compression and damping.With the gold valves i had 3 stack comp and rebound.That said the first stage is very soft ,second harder and third harder harder .....Whatever.

My suspension fell very soft on the first inch of travel and the more i hit it hard on the jumps and houps ,it comes very very stiff.

Thats something you could try with race tech to have a kind of progressive feeling on your Hawk.

[mnsnowhawk]

If nothing is bent in the suspension and it will move easily without the shocks installed, then it is your shocks. Try taking the shocks apart and see if something doesn't look right. It can't hurt. They already don't work. Then get them put back together with the same valving as a 503 and get the same spring rate as the 503 also. I have ridden an 04 with the 503 shocks and relocation brackets. It seemed to work very well. Either way you need to get away from the stock setting. It is too harsh. If you really want the stock shocks, I have them. I also have 280 lb springs.

[cooksend]

Thanks for all the help Y'all. Be wrenching soon!

Need some springs and stock valving specs! MNSnowhawk I sent you a PM...

[mnsnowhawk]

All of the manuals can be downloaded off of the ad boivin website. They will show the stock settings for each year hawk.