Suspension setup help

Hey all,

I just took ownership of a beautiful '99 VFR, I am in love! I am trying to setup the front suspension. I thought there would be notches, but you can turn and turn.. I'm a noob with this, my last few bikes had non-adjustable forks.

Is there a stop at full soft setting? I was planning on setting front and back to full soft, then dial in from there.

Thanks in advance!

 

Unless you've bought a bike that has been "frankenviffered", you only have spring preload adjustment at the front, and preload and rebound at the rear. The standard suspension is crap, so it's best to go to a motorcycle suspension expert and get them to put in linear rate fork springs that are suitable for the weight of yourself and the bike, and revalve the fork dampers. At the back, it's best to get a good quality after market fully adjustible shock with a spring that's suitable for your weight and that of the bike. Set up the "rider sag" to about 35mm (front and rear - don't forget to make both fork legs even), and leave the other settings standard while you get used to the bike. There's plenty of info about how to set up damping adjusters of any bike out there on the web. However, bear in mind that the standard VFR set-up doesn't have clickers, it has a setting screw for the rebound damping adjustment, specific preload increments at the rear, and screw setting of the front preload (the lines on the preload screws are in 3mm increments). Screwing the preload all the way one way or the other won't make things fall apart, but failing to set up the suspension properly will make the bike a pig when it needs to work hard.

 

What adjustment are you trying to make?

 

At first, getting everything back to their default settings, then tuning for my weight and riding style. I am missing the extension bar for the rear preload adjuster, so thats a PITA. I'm 5'10 and 190lbs btw.

 

Maybe I can help save you a step - don't bother trying to get the stock parts back to a "standard" setting. It will be so far off from a good setting that it won't really matter a whole lot. I suggest you wait until you can get some decent parts in there and then start thinking about making adjustments.

 

Crashburn, just so you know Jamie is an expert on VFR suspension and a well respected member here.

 

I gathered as much,, I checked out his site

I think I'll concentrate on riding, and trying to get more knowledgable on suspension, so when the time comes I can clearly describe my needs.

Thanks for all the advice, you guys rock!

 

I can understand this point of view, and to a certain extent I do agree. However, I'd highly recommend setting the rider sag to be about right in the meanwhile. At least then, the springs are sitting in the right place.

 

Something you may want to consider is that the stock shock spring is good for a 12lb rider and the fork springs are good for a 55lb rider. It's clear to see that no matter what you do it will never perform well. Sag is sag and you can get the correct number with any spring (within reason) but without the proper rate the performance will be lacking. It's ok to go through the process of setting sag but do not be fooled into thinking this will in any way resemble a good setup.

 

Well I know what setting the suspension too hard feels like lol.. 2 notches on rear preload, and 2 turns on compression.. ouch! Went for 2.5 hour ride, felt like my ass was up in the air, and my back and wrists were crazy sore afterwards. Lesson learned.

 

That's not the springs, it's the valving. The only way to correct that is by replacing the parts inside. - FYI

 

Well upgrading the suspension is on my to-do list, i'm sure doing that, some helibars and lowering the pegs will make my rides much more enjoyable.