Help with suspension

[Nastee]

I've actually talked to the few shops I've been in for tires and such and they are clueless and I had no confidence in letting them touch my suspension. I know as big as I am the stock suspension needs upgraded anyway but I did manage to do just what you said and went out adjusting a couple clicks at a time until now it feels allot better and not quite so much spring effect on the rear.

Dopey are you on a Gen2 & ballpark what is your weight?

 

[Dopey]

Dopey are you on a Gen2 & ballpark what is your weight?

With gear around 225 which I already know is way too much for my stock suspension. Then adding the extra 100 from the wife im way over. So I know it'll never be 100 percent till I upgrade but for now I think I have it pretty good for myself and should be allot better for when she rides which isn't very often anyway.

 

[fallenarch]

You might look for a track day close. There are usually some suspension guys there in the paddock. They talked me into getting the Ohlins. Humm, maybe don't talk to a suspension expert.... Fine a Ducati dealer, they know how to setup the suspension.

So we are talking about setting up the suspension but how many of you know exactly a good suspension setup feels like? It's pretty hard to adjust the suspension if you are not clear what the goal is. Trust me just keeping the shock from bottoming is not the only goal! Here are a few things to watch for as far as suspension setup:

Wallowing (my term). That's when the bike squats over the back wheel when you accelerate and dives over the front wheel when you brake. When properly setup the bike should be pretty stable. It does squat and wallow some, but not excessively.

Bike feels twitchy or nervous. This can be that the suspension is too hard for the tire pressure you are running. The wheels are not following the road but are bouncing over stuff. Change the tire pressure and you need to adjust the suspension.

Bump memory (again my term). That's when you go over a bump and the bike springs on for another few yards after the bump. When properly setup up the bike may be upset by a bump, but then it's back stable again and ready for the next bit of road. I believe this is called underdamped, as the suspension is basically acting like a spring.

Lack of straight line stability - wandering. This can be that the bike does not have enough weight on the front end. The front end feels floaty or light. This can be due to the ride height adjustments, specifically the back end too low.

No traction at rear. This can be a lot of things but proper suspension adjustment can be a cause.

Bike not holding a radius. When you lean a bike, as long as you hold a certain speed the bike should hold that radius. More throttle and the radius increases, less throttle and it decreases. If the suspension is constantly bouncing around, the bike will not be predictable in a lean.

Poor breaking feel, confidence. When you hit the brakes, the front suspension should support you. This will greatly improve braking performance and confidence. It's so important, I always say the best brake improvements I made to the bike is buying Ohlins forks.

Front doesn't feel solid in a lean. When things are right the front should feel like it's pushing back through the bars. The better the adjustment the more you feel from the road. I can actually tell what type of road surface paving I'm by the feeling through the bars.

Most of the finer issues of suspension setup you won't notice until you ride a bike that is properly setup. But those issues are working on you subconsciously and making you less confident in the bike and some issues are very dangerous.

 

[sixpack577]

You might look for a track day close. There are usually some suspension guys there in the paddock. They talked me into getting the Ohlins. Humm, maybe don't talk to a suspension expert.... Fine a Ducati dealer, they know how to setup the suspension.

So we are talking about setting up the suspension but how many of you know exactly a good suspension setup feels like? It's pretty hard to adjust the suspension if you are not clear what the goal is. Trust me just keeping the shock from bottoming is not the only goal! Here are a few things to watch for as far as suspension setup:

Wallowing (my term). That's when the bike squats over the back wheel when you accelerate and dives over the front wheel when you brake. When properly setup the bike should be pretty stable. It does squat and wallow some, but not excessively.

Bike feels twitchy or nervous. This can be that the suspension is too hard for the tire pressure you are running. The wheels are not following the road but are bouncing over stuff. Change the tire pressure and you need to adjust the suspension.

Bump memory (again my term). That's when you go over a bump and the bike springs on for another few yards after the bump. When properly setup up the bike may be upset by a bump, but then it's back stable again and ready for the next bit of road. I believe this is called underdamped, as the suspension is basically acting like a spring.

Lack of straight line stability - wandering. This can be that the bike does not have enough weight on the front end. The front end feels floaty or light. This can be due to the ride height adjustments, specifically the back end too low.

No traction at rear. This can be a lot of things but proper suspension adjustment can be a cause.

Bike not holding a radius. When you lean a bike, as long as you hold a certain speed the bike should hold that radius. More throttle and the radius increases, less throttle and it decreases. If the suspension is constantly bouncing around, the bike will not be predictable in a lean.

Poor breaking feel, confidence. When you hit the brakes, the front suspension should support you. This will greatly improve braking performance and confidence. It's so important, I always say the best brake improvements I made to the bike is buying Ohlins forks.

Front doesn't feel solid in a lean. When things are right the front should feel like it's pushing back through the bars. The better the adjustment the more you feel from the road. I can actually tell what type of road surface paving I'm by the feeling through the bars.

Most of the finer issues of suspension setup you won't notice until you ride a bike that is properly setup. But those issues are working on you subconsciously and making you less confident in the bike and some issues are very dangerous.

You can read the tires, once you get clean edges, and no feathering, the sag was in the right range to start with, and as long as the bike feels planted and stable, it's usually pretty good.

 

[Kiwi Rider]

I just read the entire thread and I must say, thank you to all for putting up such invaluable advice re suspension set-up.
You guys are all legends for being so caring and helpful.
Even when you know this info, it's just so good to go over it again, really solidifies it in your brain.

 

[Nastee]

With gear around 225 which I already know is way too much for my stock suspension. Then adding the extra 100 from the wife im way over. So I know it'll never be 100 percent till I upgrade but for now I think I have it pretty good for myself and should be allot better for when she rides which isn't very often anyway.

Yes you are not super heavy & can tune better performance at that weight pushing with two but will be better no doubt. Usually people complain about the front forks before the rear. Take your time & try to undo what was done by prior owner & adjust spring for you. It does sound like they may have cranked the spring down tighter than needed so check that first as mentioned prior then rebound/compression adjustments.

 

[RedBull]

Gotcha ,
and I understand
your concern . . .

It makes sense .

 

[Nastee]

This RED is on fire tonight. Look out.