Been riding motocross off and on for most of my life. I have never really done anything with suspension on my bikes. I have a CRF 450 and looked into getting the suspension set up for my weight, riding style, etc. It is about $800 to get it done by a shop - no way I can do the work myself.

Is it worth the 800 to get this done? Will I see a huge difference in how the bike handles? The 800 is hard for me to swallow, so I want to make sure it is going to make a difference.

Thanks

assuming you take it to a good place and you have the dough go for it. I didn't believe how much of a difference it made for my bike until I got mine resprung and vavled for me the first time.

How much do you weigh? How aggressive are you? How old is your 450? You may just need to have them serviced.

450 only has probably 15 hours on it. I weigh 210 and I would say a little above average in aggressiveness.

http://www.mx-tech.com/, That will call for heavier springs I am pretty sure. I can not think of a better investment for around 600 dollars, plus springs, that can help you ride faster and longer. New rider, learning, may never feel it. I do not think you appreciate valving till you can get to like top 5 b class speed. How does that compare to you though? Are you jumping over 70 feet, blasting 3rd gear coming out of corners? What are your race and static lengths now? Stock CRF's are not bad, as long as the sag is correct.

Not sure what 5 b class speed is, but I'd say I am close to an intermediate class speed. I can jump long table tops and doubles. It just seems like I fight the bike a lot - in the woods, on whoops, rough sections, etc. Feels like the bike is in tar when I go through whoops - just kinda rolls though them.

What is your sag set at?

Depending on the year model of the bike it might be slightly under sprung for you. If your a true 210 with gear the 2002 through 2007 should work fine for you. However, the 2008 and 2009 are sprung for a much lighter rider. I agree totally with whenfoxforksruled, it all depends on your riding style. If your riding at the Bubba level the under sprung is not an issue. But more the average C or B level rider it will feel very harsh, and the CRF's really like to push the fronts bad. If it's harsh now ride it harder otherwise seek out a suspension tuner. The price range you quoted is about right for front and rear revalve.

Do you set sag on the forks too? I know my Mountain bike forks you set sag on the forks.

Here is the method I use which works extremely well. Not sure who first came up with this, I've seen others that use this method. Set the bike on a stand so both wheels are off the ground. Measure the rear by placing a piece of masking tape in a convenient postion on the number plate. Measure from the center of the rear axle to an identifying mark on the masking tape. Write this down as R1. Measure from the bottom of the fork stanchion (tube) to the dust cover (seal). Write this down as F1. You'll need a buddy for the next step. Remove the bike from the stand and climb on the bike with your gear on in your normal riding position. Have your buddy support the bike and lift up the rear extending rear shock then gently lower until it finds a resting place have your buddy measure from axle center to mark on tape again. Write this down as R2. Do the same procedure for the front of the bike and write down as F2. Now since your at the front, have your buddy support the bike and depress the front forks and gently release until it finds a resting place. Write this down as F3. Repeat this procedure for the rear and record as R3. Note: All dimensions except for R1 and F1 are with the rider aboard. Now for a little math. Add R2 and R3 then divide by 2. This is your average rear sag, write this down as Ra. Add F2 and F3 then divide by 2. This is your average front sag, write this down as Fa. This is important due to friction of the seals, especially since you only have 15 hrs on the bike. Now subtract Fa from F1 this is your total front sag. Subtract Ra from R1 this is your total rear sag. If the total front sag number falls between 65mm and 75mm and the total rear sag falls between 95mm and 100mm your in the ballpark. The CRF is notorious for being imbalanced, by this I mean the forks are normally too stiff and the shock is too soft. Hope this helps!