Anybody here 250lbs or heavier found a sweet spot for thier suspension set up without changing out stock suspension on a K8.I watched the "throttle" vid which is very good but tough to do alone,mind you i managed ok using a rear stand .I found my rear suspension was very stiff in the rear and soft in the front as far as initial sag,as set up from the dealer.Suspect factory settings originaly.Only had 3/4 inch sag in rear,so i backed off the rear adjusting rings by about one full turn and got inch and 1/4 sag now.Had to stiffen up front preload and followed video on the rest of the adjustments ,but what have you heavier guys out there done,that worked for you as far as settings go.
Heavy guy suspension set up-250+
- Thread starter ta-kid
- Start date
ToXSicK RoCKeT
Registered
Really depends on what your looking for....what kind of riding you do(drag race, twisties, street, track, ect...)? I mainly drag race, im 250lbs +/- a few and the stock springs work fine for me. Your gonna get alot of different answers that might get you in the ball park, but nothing beats good ol trial and error. JMHO 
All street riding with some twistys.Just breaking the bike in at the moment but will start to do some real testing to see how it really feels underload in corners.I realize I will get a number of answers likely,but the tendency is always to go stiffer,especially when you wiegh in at 250 plus.A question is on rebound.i found the rebound was slow on the rear suspension to return to its static level compared to the front.Do you open the compression setting more or the damping setting more to get the rebound speed matched to the front forks.
Might be wrong but I don't think you'll be able to keep it stock for 250 +
Steve@OrientExpress
Registered
Getting the sag set up is only one step along the way. Next you have to make adjustments to the compression and rebound damping front and rear to provide some control. You may have the sag set correctly, but way too much compression damping, so the bike will feel really stiff. The best thing is to start with the factory settings for both, and then add two clicks at a time to one adjuster. I prefer to start with the front compression damping, then the rear, and then the front rebound damping, finally the rear rebound. Between each adjustment, take a ride around a preset loop with a variety of corners and speeds. Take notes at the end of the loop and then make some adjustments. It just takes some time to find that set up that works - the set up that feels good - like you are in total control of the bike.
This is where a good quality aftermarket suspension system can really help...
This is where a good quality aftermarket suspension system can really help...
15 kg??????? Will that be a double coil over or a big heavy leaf spring like you'd find on the front axle of a Mack dump truck? ???
Boy howdy, that's gonna be one stout som*****! Are you sure it's not 1.5 Kg?
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]note little k not big K so yes you would be right in that respect but that is not how they list their springs.. (is only RaceTech)
REAR SHOCK SPRING [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Recommended Rear Shock Spring Rate for Racing: 15.59 kg/mm (use closest available)
Stock Shock Spring Rate: 13.1 kg/mm (stock)
[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]REAR SHOCK SPRING [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Recommended Rear Shock Spring Rate for Street: 15.10 kg/mm (use closest available)
Stock Shock Spring Rate: 13.1 kg/mm (stock)[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Spring Rate Calculation
[/FONT]
REAR SHOCK SPRING [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Recommended Rear Shock Spring Rate for Racing: 15.59 kg/mm (use closest available)
Stock Shock Spring Rate: 13.1 kg/mm (stock)
[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]REAR SHOCK SPRING [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Recommended Rear Shock Spring Rate for Street: 15.10 kg/mm (use closest available)
Stock Shock Spring Rate: 13.1 kg/mm (stock)[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Spring Rate Calculation
[/FONT]
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SANDFLEA85
Registered
Im 290 ....(just wanna state i have a 36" waist,dont want you thinking im a fatty..ha,,,bodybuilder) now that were straight on that
send your spring out to traxxion dynamics,google them,send email,explain your size and your ride,ship to them and it will come back custom made for you for about $250...trust me,it cant be beat
send your spring out to traxxion dynamics,google them,send email,explain your size and your ride,ship to them and it will come back custom made for you for about $250...trust me,it cant be beat
Not sure of the SAE to metric conversion. I upgraded to 1100 lb spring in the rear. When you upgrade the spring you should upgrade the valving to match. +1 on Traxxon Dynamics. They built my last shock.
IF i respring, i will also revalve.. other option is to just replace the entire thing for $$$
So with all the talk of springs not heavy enough for 250+ should I be setting the front preload to max,thats screwed all the way in clockwise to start with,and then adjust compression and damping the best I can,realizing of course i will eventually proably want to change the fork springs>
and I bet you got a deal for me?
I really do not ride at the level of needing a 3 way killer shock/spring but could not hurt right? Would like to do something before the first track day in May..Changing preload does not change the spring rate.. it will change the sag (the amount the front end compresses with your weight) However the spring rate (amount spring compresses per lb of weight) will not really be affected..
If the spring is too weak, you can only bandaid the issue with a ton of preload.. The suspension is going to try and bottom out still due to lack of spring..
I also ran my rebound and compression on the highest settings (had to try it).. That turned out to be mistake.. the bike handled terrible and was not at all compliant with the road surface.. beat me to death and wanted to push the tires out from under the bike.. (for lack of better term for the feel)
It is my understanding these bikes are setup with a 175lb or so rider in mind.. probably heck of a lot cheaper just to loose 50 lbs
I think setting up suspension on a nitro funny car was a lot easier.. preload and tire pressures
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