I put on a new Dunlop AT82 with fresh mousse balls before the Muddobbers National Enduro, and my bike felt weird in the front end. Not terrible, but off. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong until I saw a few comments on an Instagram post by Steward Baylor Jr and Precision Powersports explaining that a taller tire affects how your weight impacts sag on the bike.

The problem was that I didn’t act on this information before the race started. I spent the first two test sections fighting the front end, wasting energy shifting between 3rd and 4th gear with the wrong gearing, and having a complete comedy of errors in Test 2 that required me to reset my race expectations.

At the gas stop, I finally made the correct adjustments: reset my clickers and removed half a turn of preload from the shock. Suddenly I had a brand new feeling motorcycle. The last three test sections were competitive, and I beat Ryan Moss by 8 tenths of a second in Test 5. That’s the difference proper setup makes.

Muddobbers Enduro Race Recap Video

The Tire Height Problem

When you install a taller tire, it changes the geometry of your bike. The AT82 is taller than what I had been running, and with new mousse balls inside, the overall diameter increased even more. This affects your weight bias and how the suspension compresses under load.

Think about it: if the tire is taller, your static sag numbers change. What felt dialed in with your old tire is now off because the bike is sitting higher. The front end can feel vague or disconnected, and the bike doesn’t settle into corners the way it should.

I only learned this recently from comments by Steward Baylor Jr and Precision Powersports on a post I made about this very subject. Their comments were gold. I just needed to be better at testing and trying this information in real time instead of racing first and learning later.

The Gearing Mistake

The other setup mistake I made was running the wrong rear sprocket. I had a 51T DDC rear sprocket on the Adventure Moto GasGas EX350F because I ran it in the hills of Missouri at the previous race. Indiana was flatter, so I should have put the 50T back on.

I was wasting energy shifting between 3rd and 4th gear all day, and I kept needing to “make it work” when I didn’t find myself in the right gear. It’s a small change, one tooth, but it makes a difference when you’re trying to minimize mistakes and save energy.

The Mid-Race Fix

At the gas stop, I made two adjustments:

I reset my clickers after attempting quick fixes in the first three test sections. I removed half a turn of preload from the shock. This dropped the bike back down closer to where it should be with the taller tire.

The difference was immediate. I had a brand new feeling motorcycle for the second half of the race. My times in the last three test sections were very competitive with Ryan Moss. He beat me by 3 seconds in Test 6, but I beat him by 8 tenths in Test 5. That’s close enduro racing, and it wouldn’t have happened without the mid-race adjustments.

It’s good to know Stu and Precision Powersports know what they’re talking about. I just need to be better at testing and trying this information before race day instead of learning lessons the hard way.

The Race Story: Putting It All Together

The Muddobbers Enduro was the penultimate round of the 2025 National Enduro Series, and it was a great event to test the merit of us enduro racers. The enduro was held at the Cumberland Covered Bridge, which I have seen in many dirt bike pictures over the years, but this was my first time making the trek to ride through the historic landmark.

The Muddobbers Motorcycle Club knows what they are doing when it comes to laying out a challenging, technical enduro. The Indiana area didn’t have much moisture in the ground this time around, which let the club add in trails they haven’t been able to get riders to in awhile. Some of the singletrack was powdery and the dust would hang in the air (not as bad as Leadbelt though), while other areas of the trail were very hard packed, allowing less dust to hang in the air. Regardless for me, row 22 was stacked and I was eating faster riders’ dust all day.

One thing that’s new to me is all the water crossing. This Indiana enduro has a lot of river and creek crossings, as well as a few jaunts down the creeks themselves. The chance for a quick bath was high if you weren’t paying attention. I was hesitant as I would start my way into the water, only gassing it a little as I was 75% of the way through a crossing. I didn’t see anyone completely underwater, but I did see a few riders sitting on the banks of the river.

The test sections that dropped us into the technical gullies didn’t have any water in them. They did have a rocky bottom though that kept you on your toes. I had a mishap in Test 2 while following Hunter Smith that had me needing to refocus and reset my race expectations. It was truly a comedy of errors. I hope you giggle a bit watching that part of the video.

The Adventure Moto GasGas EX350F did have those setup issues that held me back. Indiana was flatter than Missouri, so I should have put the 50T DDC rear sprocket back on over the 51T I ran in the hills of Missouri. I was wasting energy shifting between 3rd and 4th gear, while also needing to “make it work” when I didn’t find myself in the right gear.

The bike also felt weird in the front end. As it turns out, the new Dunlop AT82 I put on, with a few new mousse balls, did affect the weight bias of the bike. It’s a taller tire, and that taller tire affects how my weight affects sag on the bike.

At the gas stop, I reset my clickers, removed half a turn of preload from the shock, and I had a brand new feeling motorcycle.

I finished 4th in the 45A class, having very competitive times with Ryan Moss in the last three test sections. I beat him by 8 tenths of a second in Test 5 and he beat me by 3 seconds in Test 6. That’s some close enduro racing.

Muddobbers Enduro | Test 5 POV Video

Key Takeaways

When you install a new tire or new bib mousse, recheck your sag numbers and adjust preload accordingly. The geometry change affects how the suspension works under your weight.

Match your gearing to the terrain. One to two teeth on the rear sprocket can make a bigger difference than you think, especially over a full day of racing.

Mid-race adjustments can save your day. Clicker settings and preload adjustments don’t require much time at a gas stop, and the improvement is worth it. Even if a quick adjustment made the bike worse, in an enduro, you can go back before the next test section.

Test setup changes before race day. Don’t learn lessons during test sections when you could have figured them out before race day. 

Pay attention to advice from fast riders and experienced suspension tuners. They’ve already made these mistakes so you don’t have to.

Looking Ahead

We only have Gobbler Getter National Enduro left on the NEPG schedule. I’m a bit saddened that this enduro journey is coming to an end. It’s been a heck of a fun year. Thank you to everyone who has helped make it so awesome and memorable.

But the lessons from this season will carry forward. Every mistake is a chance to learn, and every race teaches you something about setup, technique, or mental game. The tire height and sag issue was an expensive lesson to learn mid-race, but now I know what to watch for next time.

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