Settin up your suspension

[Moreboost]

Ok I know the bikes are still new and the shocks are going to take sometime to settle in, I'm on the lighter side and the bike is kinda stiff from the factory... feels more like a track setting with me on it... I'm looking for a little softer ride but still want it firm and controlled...

Is there such a sitting?

please share your secrets

 

[Charlesbusa]

Stiff from the factory!!!

All us trackday junkies do is complain about how soft, especially the front end, is stock.

The question you have to ask yourself is do you want a plush soft ride at the expense to performance. The softer you go;
The lower you bike is to the ground, easier to scrape in corners
Easier to bottomout the suspension
The more the front end is going to dive under braking.

But if you don't ride the twisties, just do the straight line thing, you can always take some preload out or take out some rebound and compression damping.

But be warned, don't do this and then try to be a Matt Mlandin.

 

[Madman_K]

I found that the dampening in frond and rear are indeed to stiff.
This results that the bike was somewhat "jumpy"￾ and felt nervous a small bumps in the road.
But on long bumps it is the opposite, I found the bike to soft.

To get rid of the jumpy part I made the dampening in front and rear 1 point softer.
Against the soft part I made the rebound in front 1 point harder.

This works fine for me now (80kg
I like the suspension pretty hard for the better cornering.
When it gets warmer and I'm going to corner a bit harder I might to adjust it a little more, probable just a bit more rebound.

 

[acnaz]

grab a budy and set your sag. it only takes about an hour and it is very important. then use this as your starting point and adjust as needed.

 

[acnaz]

grab a budy and set your sag. it only takes about an hour and it is very important. then use this as your starting point and adjust as needed.

suspension for mortals is a great dvd yhat can show you how to set sag if you dont have a road racing buddy or someone who knows how among your local friends.

 

[Lamb busa]

Is this the new '08 you're talking about? They did put a stiffer spring in there for '08.

 

[Moreboost]

Is this the new '08 you're talking about?  They did put a stiffer spring in there for '08.

Roger 08 would be the one

 

[Moreboost]

I found that the dampening in frond and rear are indeed to stiff.
This results that the bike was somewhat "jumpy"￾ and felt nervous a small bumps in the road.
But on long bumps it is the opposite, I found the bike to soft.

To get rid of the jumpy part I made the dampening in front and rear 1 point softer.
Against the soft part I made the rebound in front 1 point harder.

This works fine for me now (80kg
I like the suspension pretty hard for the better cornering.
When it gets warmer and I'm going to corner a bit harder I might to adjust it a little more, probable just a bit more rebound.

Thanks Madman,

Its funny how that's is how I have it setup now

Great minds think alike...

Much better road manners

I'm sure I will need to adjust it again after the springs settle in. For the street and all its pot holes bumps this feels like a great start

I was just wondering if any one has tried any other combos...

I'm sure as the rest of the country warms up we should see a lot more input.

I really love the bike, its really hard not to just want to ring it out!!

Its funny how just a small click + or - makes a huge difference on how the bike feels, its like is this my bike?? hehe

Thanks again for the input Madman

 

[Moreboost]

grab a budy and set your sag. it only takes about an hour and it is very important. then use this as your starting point and adjust as needed.

suspension for mortals is a great dvd yhat can show you how to set sag if you dont have a road racing buddy or someone who knows how among your local friends.

Thanks acnaz,

I'll have to see if I can find a road racing buddy to ask that question.

One hour?

 

[mr8ball]

Around where i live the roads are really bumpy. I have noticed it is hard to ride on them after a while. I would like to soften my bike up a little but wasnt sure it would hurt the handlening of it. I dont do much of the twistys so a little sofetr ride would suit me and my back just fine. What do i need to do this? Thanks in advance, Doug

 

[Moreboost]

Around where i live the roads are really bumpy. I have noticed it is hard to ride on them after a while. I would like to soften my bike up a little but wasnt sure it would hurt the handlening of it. I dont do much of the twistys so a little sofetr ride would suit me and my back just fine. What do i need to do this? Thanks in advance, Doug

Hey Doug,

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one

Ok here is what I did, get your bike manual LOL ok bare with me...

Find the page on suspension, what you are doing here is making sure your set to the factory setting to get a starting point and to make make sure the shocks are set the same...

Once your sure, set the compression 1 click less and the rebound 1 click more.

Ride and see how you like it

Give us feed back

 

[mr8ball]

Around where i live the roads are really bumpy. I have noticed it is hard to ride on them after a while. I would like to soften my bike up a little but wasnt sure it would hurt the handlening of it. I dont do much of the twistys so a little sofetr ride would suit me and my back just fine. What do i need to do this? Thanks in advance, Doug

Hey Doug,

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one

Ok here is what I did, get your bike manual LOL ok bare with me...

Find the page on suspension, what you are doing here is making sure your set to the factory setting to get a starting point and to make make sure the shocks are set the same...

Once your sure, set the compression 1 click less and the rebound 1 click more.

Ride and see how you like it

Give us feed back  

Thanks. Is that on the front? Do i need to do anything to the back? I have never done it before so i want to be sure. We have ice here so it might be a while before i can do anything but i would still like to know. Thanks again, Doug

 

[Charlesbusa]

grab a budy and set your sag. it only takes about an hour and it is very important. then use this as your starting point and adjust as needed.

Depends on what sag recommendations he uses.


If he sets his sag for sport riding, his ride is going to be bumpier and stiffer.  He's wanting a plush cruiser type ride.

Sounds like he needs to try a touring type sag setting.

 

[Charlesbusa]

Is this the new '08 you're talking about?  They did put a stiffer spring in there for '08.

I highly doubt it, I bet its the same .85

 

[mr8ball]

Is this the new '08 you're talking about?  They did put a stiffer spring in there for '08.

I highly doubt it, I bet its the same .85

My buddy has an 05 and i road it and compared to my 08 my bike has a stiffer ride. When the ice melts here and it warms up again i am going to try to adjust mine and see what it does. I would like for it not to jar me so bad when i do hit bumps. I will let you know how it works out. Thanks, Doug

 

[Moreboost]

Around where i live the roads are really bumpy. I have noticed it is hard to ride on them after a while. I would like to soften my bike up a little but wasnt sure it would hurt the handlening of it. I dont do much of the twistys so a little sofetr ride would suit me and my back just fine. What do i need to do this? Thanks in advance, Doug

Hey Doug,

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one

Ok here is what I did, get your bike manual LOL ok bare with me...

Find the page on suspension, what you are doing here is making sure your set to the factory setting to get a starting point and to make make sure the shocks are set the same...

Once your sure, set the compression 1 click less and the rebound 1 click more.

Ride and see how you like it

Give us feed back  

Thanks. Is that on the front? Do i need to do anything to the back?  I have never done it before so i want to be sure. We have ice here so it might be a while before i can do anything but i would still like to know.  Thanks again, Doug

Front and back shocks

 

[mr8ball]

Around where i live the roads are really bumpy. I have noticed it is hard to ride on them after a while. I would like to soften my bike up a little but wasnt sure it would hurt the handlening of it. I dont do much of the twistys so a little sofetr ride would suit me and my back just fine. What do i need to do this? Thanks in advance, Doug

Hey Doug,

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one

Ok here is what I did, get your bike manual LOL ok bare with me...

Find the page on suspension, what you are doing here is making sure your set to the factory setting to get a starting point and to make make sure the shocks are set the same...

Once your sure, set the compression 1 click less and the rebound 1 click more.

Ride and see how you like it

Give us feed back  

OK its been a while but now i have 3300 miles on my bike and here is what i have done.

I set the compression 1 click less and the rebound 1 click more. Front and back and it still feels a little stiff to me. I weigh 160 lbs and have put the two brothers slip ons on which took some weight off the bike there. It still handles the curves pretty good for me.

My question is can i go to much?? Has the bike had time to settle? It still pounds my arms and back pretty good when i hit the bumps. Can i have the best of both worlds? Is there a way to have a softer ride and still handle the curves at a good speed? Thanks again, Doug

 

[In10SS]

There's already been some good advice given here. If it really feels too stiff then you want to back off on the compression damping a notch. You have to know where you are starting from, so you need to follow the directions to achieve the std setting and make sure that is where you are. Also important to make sure you stop in the actual detents on the adjuster. If you soften the the compression, your wheel will travel upwards farther when you hit a bump, so it's important to adjust your spring preload until your sag is set properly so you have all the suspension travel you need. Generally between 1/4 and 1/3 of fork travel or 1 3/8 to 1 1/2" (about 35mm) a good value to shoot for. This is the difference between loaded suspension (you on bike) and full extension To much sag and you run out of suspension on a hard bump. Not good. If your sag is good and it still feels to stiff, soften the compression another notch. Just do one adjustment at a time so you can quantify your changes. The stock front spring should be pretty close for your weight and street riding, so I think you'll be happy once you get it adjusted properly.

 

[TruWrecks]

As Fluid Suspensions has taught me, set the sag on the front and back to rest in the center of travel with you on the bike and dressed to ride how you usually gear up. You can use a zip-tie and a friend to help you out. (Max extention-max compression)/2=center of travel (Example: Max Ext: 4in - Max Comp: 1in = 3in / 2 = Target Sag: 1.5in). I like to back the preload off when I measure the travel on my bikes. It's more accurate. Be sure to count the turns if you back off the springs so you know where you started. I found on my bike the factory setting were 1/2 turn different on the forks. It is very important to get the sag set correctly if you ride in a spirited manner. If the bike rests too high the suspension will top out and lift the wheel from the ground, which means severely reduced traction in a bumpy corner. If the sag is set too low the bike will pound your hands and arms when you ride on bumpy roads.

Once you have both front a rear sag set properly you can move on to the Compression and Rebound settings. Only change one click at a time. Ride it. Make changes as needed to get the ride feel that you want. Take extra care to make sure your fork settings match from left and right. If you don't keep them the same it will feel odd in a fast corner. The different settings will also cause a twisting force in the front axle. The front wheel will not track as smoothly in that condition. Changing just the Comp and Rebound is not enough if you want the best ride out of a sportbike.

Happy riding.

 

[Tufbusa]

As Fluid Suspensions has taught me, set the sag on the front and back to rest in the center of travel with you on the bike and dressed to ride how you usually gear up.  You can use a zip-tie and a friend to help you out.  (Max extention-max compression)/2=center of travel (Example: Max Ext: 4in - Max Comp: 1in = 3in / 2 = Target Sag: 1.5in).  


Happy riding.  

I'm confused? Maybe you could explain your example with a bit more detail?

Max Ext: do you mean Max Travel (Distance from fully extended to fully compressed)

Max Comp: I'm lost on this one so I won't even guess? (Measured from where to where)