# Honda Rancher Suspension Qustion



## Davans (Dec 30, 2011)

Bought a brand new 2010 Rancher 420 for my son last year. It has Power Steering, Electric Shift and Independant Suspension. We did put aftermarket wheels and tires on it. The issue we are having is that it rides like a buggy. Very stiff suspension. It is actually dangerous to ride at speeds over 15mph or so on slightly rough terrian. I do believe the P/S kinda works against you on rough terrian but the suspension just does not give much at all. The tires are at 7lbs. We have looked for Adjustable shocks to replace the factory non-adjustable shocks with but it appears replacement shocks are geared toward racers and primarily offer stiffer suspension than factory. 

Any ideas on softening the ride???


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## Hooked On Quack (Dec 30, 2011)

Let some air out of the tires, down to 5lbs.


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## MOTS (Dec 30, 2011)

My 07 Foreman with factory tires and my son-in-laws 2011 Yamaha both says 3.1 on the tire pressure. You should have gotten a low pressure gauge in the tool pouch. Could be different on the aftermarket tires.


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## Davans (Dec 30, 2011)

We have played around with tire pressures. Recommended tire pressure is  7-15 lbs. The stiffness is in the springs. We could lighten the pressure a bit and soften the ride but it is the suspension that needs lightening. Comparing it to the other 4-wheelers it is very stiff.


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## MOTS (Dec 30, 2011)

You may find help on the suspension at hondaforeman.com, they have a section for all of Honda's models not just the foreman. The site was a big help to me when mine stopped shifting(electric), now I know everthing about an angle sensor which was the problem....


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## Davans (Dec 30, 2011)

MOTS said:


> You may find help on the suspension at hondaforeman.com, they have a section for all of Honda's models not just the foreman. The site was a big help to me when mine stopped shifting(electric), now I know everthing about an angle sensor which was the problem....



Thanks, for the link to hondaforum.


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## mattech (Dec 30, 2011)

I would think that the shocks are somewhat adjustable, not saying they are not, but form being into dirtbikes and 4 wheelers since I was a little kid I have always been able to adjust. If it has a coil over  type suspension you should be able to turn the bottom plate the springs sit on to adjust the stiffness there and the on the canister ( forgot the name) it should have a flat had screw that you can turn to adjust the stiffness. The way they cover everything with plastic nowadays it might make it very difficult to see though.


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## mattech (Dec 30, 2011)

One more thing, if you do any kind of work on this yourself I would highly recommend investing the 25 buck into a haynes manual. They are very detailed.


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## MOTS (Dec 31, 2011)

Davans said:


> Thanks, for the link to hondaforum.



It's hondaforeman not hondaforum.


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## no clever name (Jan 1, 2012)

1st try adjusting the preload on the springs.  Too much preload makes for a very stiff ride.  If the sag is right and the ride is still too stiff you may have to go to lighter weight springs.

If the shocks are adjustable for rebound and compression try slowing down the rebound.  Rebound that is too fast will tend to buck you around.  

Only make one adjustment at a time then ride around some to see how it feels.  Write down all the adjustments you make so you have a baseline to go back to.  You can easily turn a vehicle that rides great into a hard riding beast by making the wrong or too many adjustments at once.


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## germag (Jan 1, 2012)

I would think those shocks would have to have at least a preload adjustment on them.


Edit:

Well, it looks like it can be adjusted for preload, but you need this:


http://www.atvserver.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=ATV&Product_Code=320234&Category_Code=SHKH


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## germag (Jan 1, 2012)

no clever name said:


> 1st try adjusting the preload on the springs.  Too much preload makes for a very stiff ride.  If the sag is right and the ride is still too stiff you may have to go to lighter weight springs.
> 
> If the shocks are adjustable for rebound and compression try slowing down the rebound.  Rebound that is too fast will tend to buck you around.
> 
> Only make one adjustment at a time then ride around some to see how it feels.  Write down all the adjustments you make so you have a baseline to go back to.  You can easily turn a vehicle that rides great into a hard riding beast by making the wrong or too many adjustments at once.



Man, I crashed and nearly crashed several times while I was road-racing motorcycles (self-inflicted) from improper suspension setup....they happened when I was trying to set up the suspension and gearing for a particular track, got the rebound rate wrong (usually rebound, and usually too slow)...slow laps seemed OK.... and on my race speed lap I'd get wheel hop on braking and end up running off the track and doing a little high-speed motocrossing.

If you ride an ATV or motorcycle hard, then suspension setup is critical. If you just putt around on it in the deer woods, it's not such a big deal.

It looks like Honda has decided to set these ATVs up for the "average" rider, and has tried to take away any "user friendly" suspension adjustments. But, with the kit in the link I posted above, it looks like you can at least get the preload adjustment back.


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## Davans (Jan 1, 2012)

Thanks for the info!!


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