Suspension questions

Hello fellow 5th Gen'ers!

I have a couple of suspension questions and was hoping you could give me some advice....

First off, I'm 6'2" and 205pounds (probably closer to 230 w/ gear). I noticed that my 98 is pretty soft in the front. It has stock suspension.

Anyone have any recommendations on how many clicks I should go to tighten it up in the front and back?

Also, I noticed that until my bike warms up to about 170, the front feels kind of squirrely, not sure if that is from the tires not being warmed up or maybe the suspension fluid needs to get worked around for a few minutes... can anyone shed some light?

Thanks guys!

 

I hate to say it but the 5th gen's stock suspension is just plain horrible, when I had the stock suspension I had it adjusted to the firmest settings possible and was still disappointed in the pogo stick like suspension, If your a non aggressive rider it might be adequate in the firmest settings, but if your a rider who like hitting the twistys hard you will never be happy with the stock suspension on a 5th gen, a popular but costly alternative is to invest in the Race Tech springs & Gold Valves for the front and a Penske for the rear, that will make a huge difference on the way the VFR handles...

 

Funny, I recently came to the same conclusion about my '01 VFR. The suspension sucks. The local (Mass.) sportriding group sent me to G.M.D. Computrack in Bellingham, MA.

 

Anyone have info on where to adjust my suspension? I want to put it on the firmest setting possible. Thanks!

 

Up front, at the top of your forks are 2 oversize slats(?). Use a wide screwdriver to turn right (tighten) or left... you get the idea. Word of advice: Don't use a small flat head screwdriver, as the metal is a bit soft and it will get indentations (ask me how I know this), especially if they haven't been turned in a while.

For the rear, you'll need the spanner tool to adjust. Easily accessed from the left side of your bike. You should see the adjustment "ring" at the top of the spring. I haven't adjusted mine in a while, but think that you have 7 positions you can adjust to.

By the way, I'm not questioning your riding abilities, but you might want to make adjustments gradually. As weak as the 5th Gen suspension is (that's not a dig at you, I have one too!) if you crank it down, it is going to provide a different feel.

 

Thank you very much, I appreciate the info! I ride at NJMP often & prefer a stiffer ride for better cornering. My prior bike (Honda Hawk GT) was tuned so nice (Gold valve emulators, Fox racing shock, etc., etc.). I ran the Fox shock on the firmest setting 24/7. This VFR is rather "spongy" in comparison to my old Hawk GT. So I'm just looking for that stiff response, or as close as I can get to it with stock suspension.

 

as mentioned the VFR isnt the greatest suspension on the planet, but check here for some reasonable base settings:
Motorcycle Suspension Tuning, Sport Bike Suspension Settings & Setup at Sport Rider
specifically:
Honda Sport Bike Motorcycle Suspension Settings - Honda Sport Bike Review - Sport Rider Magazine

setting the sag is most important:
[video=youtube;bBlqVx4mWUw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBlqVx4mWUw[/video]