JINKSTER ATTACKS "SUSPENSION"

[rockadaous]

just did mine. Man thanks for doing your homework

[00Negative]

Had to comment on how awesome this thread is and BUMP it for some questions that may seem redundant.

I weigh 260lbs and I'd like to be able to push the Beast a little harder in the curves and eliminate the rocking motion from the soft suspension settings.

I have yet to receive my PitBull rear stand OR my service manual so I'm anxiously awaiting those so I can begin this process but..... I'd like some input from those who know a considerable amount more than me on the issue.

What should I adjust the front forks to in the mean time? Rebound... compression?

How about the rear? If I can't get to the lock collars, can and should I adjust the rebound & comp on the rear? If so... what should I adjust it to for my weight for right now?

Any info is appreciated!

J.L.

[jetguy]

hi, i also used these settings on my 04 le. works better for sure. but i have a queston or two.
my busa is lowered 2" front and rear (tripple tree and dog bones)
anyone have sugjestions for a lowered bike like mine? i am 205 lbs

[Luvanicebum]

I would imagine, given that most people will not replace their fork internals,
if your are over 200lbs+, it's safe to say you can crank your front fork preload right down to 1 line or tight.
I noticed that some folks are trying to cheat and do 1 or 2 clicks of either compression or rebound adjustment and asking if it's, "OK".....
The suspension, both front and back work in unison, so if you don't:
1. Measure the front, set up the front.
2. Measure the rear, set up the rear.
3. Re-check the front and re-adjust if neccessary.
You're really not going to maximize the potential of your suspension as a system.

Jink, thanks for the post. I don't have stands and no way of suspending the rear, so I actually had to attend my set-up session with the dealer and walk them through what I wanted. I kinda had a little disagreement with the service counter guy about how it was possible for the mechanics to set-up my suspention to my weight without me "on" the bike. Needless to say, after a few technical terms and explaination, I was escorted into the holy grail of motorcycle maintenance. The whole time they're looking at me like I'm Steven Hawkins or something.
Bike feels better than expected. This along with the steering damper (90W GO) Mod and this bike isn't even the same bike I bought.

Next mod...43 Tooth rear, crank rear tire in as far as possible.
stainless lines and EBC HH pads.

I'll show those 750's what's up.

[BOOOSA]

Jinkster, I'm a big guy 290# what suggestions do you have to adjust my front and rear suspension?
Thanks

[XLCC]

I recently took my 06 to the dealer (still under warranty) and had him adjust the suspension to the specs in this article... nice... very nice! I havent had the opportunity to "prove" the adjustments in the canyons yet, but I am heading out to Mulholland Hwy this coming weekend. I look forward to the "new" feel and coupled with my new Tomahawk tires (awesome in turns and great grip) this ride should be fantastic!

[BOOOSA]

Thanks Jinkster,
I turned my adj.in 1/2 way down and even that made the bike stiffer and feel much better.
Thanks

[rondaige]

Just wanted to say thanks. Took your advice and adjusted the suspension on my bike, and it made a world of difference. Actually feels like it wants to hold in the corners now.

[JINKSTER]

WOW!...and here i thought this thread died back around page 5 or so and then?..i get a moment to check it and it's up to 7 pages of mostly "thank you's", "helpful suggestions" and a few questions.

Well..1st off?...you are ALL very welcome and it was my privilage to share what extremely knowledgable others have taught me...your all welcome!..my pleasure.

and as far as the questions?...well...lemme try an be a lil more clear and concise..the bottom line is this folks...

Setting Sag "SIMPLIFIED": what you're looking to achieve in the end here is this...with your full weight (feet off the ground) seated on the bike?...you want 33% of your "OVERALL TRAVEL" compressed....yet...most of us who are in excess of 180 aren't gonn achieve that without spring replacement...however...the numbers are loose...in other words?...while a tight 33% compression might be best for track days?...it may not be the best for general purpose ST'ing..it may be a tad taunt for the public roadways iron butt type and a softer, more supple and compliant 40% compression might be in order...but i would seriousely consider heavier springs at anything near or over 45% compression..."LADENED" compression...point being?...you may weigh 200-220 and with all the sping endplay taken up and the spring adjusters socked down tight?..you very well may hit close to a fine, possibly "desirable" suspension.

Also.."TAKE CAUTION" in not abusing your compression and rebound damping adjustments...they are there to damp the springs and assist in eliviating front end dive (during decel) and rear-end squatting (durinng accel)...in other words?...

"DO NOT TRY TO USE YOUR DAMPING SETTINGS TO COMPENSATE FOR WEAK OR UNDER-POWERED SPRINGS"

as you'll only achieve one thing..."Loss Of Suspension Compliancy"...as the damping will slow down the suspension and you'll lose valuable footprint over the rough stuff as the suspension will not be able to respond quickly enough to an imperfect road surface.

and you'll RISK another thing..."Prematurely Blown Seals"

However..you can play some cool damping games with the slow re-acting oem valves by switching to a lighter weight fork oil...which moves through the tight oem valving much quicker facilitating a higher level of damped compliancy via...faster hydraulic cross-talk.

oh and...ya'll *stay safe out there and don't forget to "EASE INTO IT" after any suspension adjustments...do some hard braking and accelerating..tweak your damping to reduce the diving and squatting..then?...take the first few curves slow and feel'er out...but most of all?...

GET'ER DONE!

L8R, Bill.

[wll2m]

Very nice write up. I didn't even know my bike had preload adjustments. My bike feels so much better. Thanks !

[warezdog]

Bar none the best walk thru on busa stock suspension adjustments ever!!

[Dr. Matt]

Very well done and illustrated. I changed my shock to Ohlins, jacked up the rear by about an inch, raised the forks in the clamps until bottomed out on top clamp cover and put in 1.0 springs. Just fantastic for me and the wife. This is by far the best sport tourer I've ever owned and have owned several BMWs.

[MiwaRob]

This has to be one of the best posts on here, and that is saying a lot. My bike no longer wallows in turns, talk about adding confidence in corners. 35mph turns that felt fast with the stock setup have turned into 50 mph turns without any worries. Only downside is that after an extended ride, but rear feels like it just sat on my old R1.

[black07]

Hey Jinks... im seeing red "X"s and im thinking about setting mine up in the next couple of days. You think you could fix it. I really am only confused about the part of how you held up the rear, using some jackstands and just need the pics to clear things up... thanks

[brian7396]

this is great information, i setup both bikes with this information. both bikes handle so much better!!! and i suggest learning to do the setup instead of just asking for advice on where it should be. thanks jinkster!!!! 3 years later and its still helping people

[Smugly]

I upgraded the springs this winter and set up the bike based on this thread. Front end is dead on perfect for me. I found the rear to be a little harsh. I back off the damping one click and now it is perfect.

[Spectre]

I made a copy of this article when I first found it, but apparently I have misplaced it. Anyone have the pics or a pdf of the original article? It would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

[beaquel]

I remember reading this thread before I even got my Hayabusa. Â*To put it mildly, I was a suspension novice. Â*My first bike (Honda Shadow 750) hardly had anything you could adjust. Â*I think the only thing was a ramp adjuster on the crappy rear shocks. Â*I don't think I ever noticed a difference. Â*I then upgraded to a Suzuki V-Strom 650. Â*I left everything bone stock until just a few months before I sold it. Â*Once I adjusted the rear preload (very convenient knob right under the subframe) I noticed a firmer ride. Â*I didn't have crazy racing skills, but I could tell an improvement. Â*I stepped up to the Hayabusa last June. Â*It has so many adjustments, it was like overload. Â*The most I've ever done to my bike was rear preload. Â*Now I had front and rear preload in addition to front and rear compression and rebound damping. Â*I was intimidated by all the complexity. Â*Finally, after a year of ownership, I decided to tweak my settings. Â*It seems that the biggest difference I made was to preload. Â*The compression and rebound damping settings were both very close to Jinxter's recommendations. Â*I believe my rear preload was somewhere between 10 and 15 mm of thread showing when I started. Â*I ended up right at 20mm when I was done in the back. Â*I then cranked the front down to 3 lines just to see if I could tell a difference. Â*I can't say it really blew me away, but I can tell something is different. Â*I'll have to give it some more miles before I make a final judgement. Â*I just got back from a mainly highway blast and decided to crank the front down to 2 lines showing on the preload. Â*I'll use this as my new baseline and see where that gets me. Â*The biggest improvement so far is less front end dive when I hit the brakes. Â*It used to dive quite a bit, now it's much more level when I stop. Â*I'll have to scope out some twisty roads to see if it handles any different in the corners. Â*Here's hoping!

[MC MUSTANG]

Moved to the "How Tos" for ease of search...

[beaquel]

I can now report that I'm extremely happy with this simple tweak to the default settings. Â*My front end brake dive is completely gone now. Â*I went to lunch yesterday with a buddy who rides a 2003 FZ1. Â*We both pulled up to a stoplight together and his bike dove so far I almost laughed. Â*When we got back to the office, I pointed out how his preload adjusters were almost backed out all the way. Â*He's gotta fix that. Â*I'm sad it took me a full year to figure it out for myself. Â*Hats off to Jinkster for posting this excellent thread.