Need Suspension Adjustment Advice

[BanditKing]

Okay, so after riding Deals Gap for the first time, I took the plunge and decided to firm the suspension up on the Busa.

According to RaceTech, for my weight, I went with 0.95kg/mm springs up front and a 14 kg/mm spring in the rear. I was willing to sacrifice the plush ride the Busa offered for better/faster handling.

On smooth pavement, the bike is now WAY more responsive and nimble.

I did notice however that over pavement that "undulates" (like gentle waves, not like ridges or bumps), there is a tendency for the forks to compress on the way up and then spring me up as I approach the crest and go over it (feels like bouncing on a pogo stick). This has caused the bike to become unsettled at speed particularly when one pavement "wave" comes after another in quick succession (like on the Gardiner), and especially if the bike is leaned over. (it feels like i'm smacking into the next wave)

I've been meaning to adjust the fork settings (more rebound and compression damping) but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Yesterday though, on a ride through some twistie back roads I noticed that over some of the rougher stuff (patched/cracked pavement, tire ruts) in some of the corners the bike really became unsettled to the point were i thought i'd lose the front end it was bouncing so much. A friend behind me even commented that he could see that I was getting bounced around. It completely made me lose confidence in the corners.

So if I set the damping higher will the handling be worse on the rough stuff?

What possible options do I have?
Heavier oil?
Less preload (I don't know if this is possible yet)?
Increase rebound damping, decrease compression damping?
Increase both rebound and compression damping (I get the feeling this won't help on rougher roads)

[Scar]

What possible options do I have?

OK: I'm not an expert on this stuff, so I took mine to a shop which has a race team and let the expert do it.

It cost me $30.

That's all I can offer you, Bandit. It was the best $30 I have thus far spent on that bike. The difference is so incredibly amazing.

Additionally, it took them less than 45 minutes start to finish, which seems like a paultry amount of time for changes so significant.

It's my soundest recommendation.

I know a lot of people like to work on their own equipment...and I support this wholely...but if you pick the expert's brains while they're doing their $30, then you'll know what to do in the future.

Good luck, bro.

PS: I didn't vote in the poll, cuz there wasn't an option which best described my advice.

[ToXSicK RoCKeT]

OK: I'm not an expert on this stuff, so I took mine to a shop which has a race team and let the expert do it.

It cost me $30.

That's all I can offer you, Bandit. It was the best $30 I have thus far spent on that bike. The difference is so incredibly amazing.

Additionally, it took them less than 45 minutes start to finish, which seems like a paultry amount of time for changes so significant.

It's my soundest recommendation.

I know a lot of people like to work on their own equipment...and I support this wholely...but if you pick the expert's brains while they're doing their $30, then you'll know what to do in the future.

Good luck, bro.

PS: I didn't vote in the poll, cuz there wasn't an option which best described my advice.

I whould have to concur with Scar on this one, i for one am one of those Guy's that LOVE to wrench on my own bike, But i have not a clue when it comes to dailling in suspension And i know that's one aspect on a bike you dont just start "turning screws on". I whould definitely seek professional assistance at the very least!

[BusaWizard]

I concur.

[Commuta_Busa]

do one change at a time... is your sag setup right?
add some rebound and see what happens. Add three clicks so you can really feel a small change. Adjusting the compression/rebound by only a click will be very hard to feel a difference.

Call the folks at Race Tech for some help too. Explain the situation and ask them how you should make changes to improve the suspension step by step.

[Mr Bogus]

Did you get the valves too? I had the springs and valves installed and like you found a world of difference initially.. the problem you are describing (the pogo stick) will go away if you set the rebound up a click or two..

I pushed mine to extremes on either side of the adjustment and it was pretty interesting.. I found a 1 mile section of road (pretty rough) and rode over it in both directions a number of times while dialing compression and rebound all the way up and down..

The ride went from a covered wagon to a Cadillac I then went from the ultra soft to just "firm" Was really time consuming but pretty worthwhile learning experience..

The compression seemed to have the most effect on comfort (getting jarred from initial bump) and working the rebound I found that it did not make a lot of difference unless there were a series of bumps in a row, too soft the bike rocked like a horse, too stiff and the front would start to load up and get too stiff..

You will save a ton of time and work if you find someone that can do the initial setup but you still have to fine tune it for your own liking.. just time and patience.. (but worth it )

It would be really worthwhile to note what click settings you find for cruiser soft to "sport firm" and then tweak them as needed (commuting to riding area then home again)

[mike04busa]

With stiffer spring's it may act like you sped-up the rebound(loosened it). Try tightening the rebound 1 click at a time.Ride it for a few day's and try 1 more click.Put some seat time between change's.

[GPW]

First decide how much better you want your chassis, better than stock or racing quality. Properly set your sag first, the other stuff is pretty easy. We do suspension tuning all the time, many members here have used our services. We send you out on three rides over an hour and tune three times or until its to your liking. $100.00 per hour.

[Commuta_Busa]

This is very good advice. An expert suspension guy can get you setup in the right ballpark with the inital settings. After a short ride and your feedback they'll really dial things in for you. I've seen alot of places that do this for 30 or so bucks. They're filled with knowledge and are very open to your questions. They wont techno-babble either.

OK: I'm not an expert on this stuff, so I took mine to a shop which has a race team and let the expert do it.

It cost me $30.

That's all I can offer you, Bandit. It was the best $30 I have thus far spent on that bike. The difference is so incredibly amazing.

Additionally, it took them less than 45 minutes start to finish, which seems like a paultry amount of time for changes so significant.

It's my soundest recommendation.

I know a lot of people like to work on their own equipment...and I support this wholely...but if you pick the expert's brains while they're doing their $30, then you'll know what to do in the future.

[b4thenite]

Search the threads, and you shall find the most comprehensive and informative write up on suspension tuning. When I changed the front spring, I went with this information, and tuned it half assly. It still made a totally different bike far as suspension performance goes.
However, hiring professional service is a good thing. My problem was that once I learned how sytraight forward this is, I felt confident enough to try it by myself.
Maybe you can save youself some money and donate the fund to org? At the end, you are the better master of your machine.
Good luck.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Tufbusa]

You can calm the pogo stick syndrome with rebound damping. The stock busa valving is notorious for being weak on rebound. Adding stiffer springs compounds this lack of rebound.

You will be much better off to have a suspension guy set up your baseline. You can then make small adjustments to your liking!

Suspension is an art all it's own. Not just anybody with a screwdriver can do the trick. However, if you don't play with the adjustments you'll never learn.

[BusaWhipped]

Too much front end dive on brakes

[BanditKing]

okay, so I've played around with my suspension settings and this is where I'm at:

my weight with gear 215 lbs

front springs: Racetech 0.95 kg/mm spring upgrade
rear shock spring: Racetech 14 kg/mm srping upgrade

valves: stock front and rear

front preload: back out all the way (8 lines)
front compression damping: turned OUT all the way (minimum damping)
front rebound damping: turned OUT one click (maximum damping)

rear compression damping: turned out fifteen clicks
rear rebound damping: turned OUT eight clicks

these numbers seem to be working for me, with fairly good pavement that undulates a bit, and has the occassional asphalt repair job. Cornering seems pretty good, and I've got my confidence back.

It seems that the shop that did my install had not only stiffed the springs but the maxed out compression damping on top of that, making my suspension WAY too stiff. The pogo-like feeling over bumps was the springiness of the tires as they compressed instead of the forks and shock.

do others have similar settings?

I still think that I might have a bit too much rebound damping up front, but I've been told that I have to have at least one click out from full closed or else the circuit will be closed. Is this true? Should I go for Racetech's gold valves as well?

[b4thenite]

Mine has much stiffer preload front set up, and I'm only 170lb.
Posted via Mobile Device