Suspension questions

Hi everybody, just got my '99 VFR Mon the 7th, and other then the 27 degree ride home, I've done nothing more than clean and shine the bodywork & wheels. But, looks like I've got alot of suspention adjustments. Is there a thread around here that gives recommended settings for rider weight? I also own a Kawasaki ZRX1200R, and the OA had a page on how to set the suspention for rider weight, and when I set it up (per recomendation) it transformed the bike. So much so that I've set up several ZRX's for friends based on my settings, and everyone has raved about the difference. Any such luck on VFR's? I've raced off road for years, so I've set up a few bikes from scatch, but never a streetbike. Dirt bikes are easy, cause you can make some changes, run over the log again and have instant feedback. So some baseline settings would help alot. I weigh about 200lbs in full gear, any thoughts? Thanks in advance! Weatherman says weekend of the 19th may see temps near 60, so I may get a good ride in before winter closes it all down. :thumbsup:

 

I'd suggest doing a Google/Bing search for motorcycle suspension adjustment and tuning. I think you'll find TONS of info.

Here are Sport Rider's suggested settings, for whatever it's worth. Personally I think each rider will be different, but at least this gives you an idea:

Sport Bike Motorcycle Suspension Settings - Sportbike Review - Sport Rider

 

This is part 1 of four in suspension tuning how too. Your vfr does not alow you to set rebound of the fork tubes but does let you adjust preload for sag. The rear shock you can adjust for preload for sag and dampening can be set to match the front. I would suggest watching all 4 episodes to give yourself a better understanding of setting up a bikes baseline suspension for a specific rider. This series helped me understand how my suspension works and how it should work together. Unfortunately it also got me thinking of how to ruin my savings account by wanting a more adjustable suspension on my VFR

YouTube - Setting Sag -GSX-R600 part 1

 

Thanks for the info

 

I recently went through this when I got my 98 in november. A good place to start is to do a fork oil change, set it all back to factory. 2 lines showing on front preload and position 2 on the rear preload from memory. I'd suggest using the genuine honda fork oil as it seems to be a bit different to the over the counter oils e.g castrol fork oil.

I've got mine set 2 lines front and position 3 on the rear preload. That's with about 104Kg of rider and gear. Handling is a reasonable enough compromise for street use, still bottoms out occassionally but not often enough to be a concern. I'm running michelin pilot road 2 rear and bridgestone bt021 front. Obviously if you go to stickier tyres you'd need to firm it up a bit more.

 

Actually, what you should do is set the rider sag. This isn't just a "nice thing to do" but really something everyone should do. Correct sag is the first step to having a motorcycle with good control when riding.

What most riders will find is that you cannot get to the correct sag numbers with the stock springs - thus the need for a change. Don't be at all surprised if you have to wind the preload all the way and still have too much sag.

 

Interesting..........what sag settings are considered good?

I tried setting mine up via sag measurement from elsewhere (internet) on stock suspension. The bike developed alot of problems, street sweeping, inconsistent turn in, inconsistent break away when sliding the rear, etc etc.

I just went to option B & set mine up through trial and error, fiddle until it's settling into corners in the middle 1/3 of suspension travel and reasonably predictable.

Just wondering if a good bike can be made even better?

 

A good target for rider sag on your bike is 30mm front and 35mm rear. Winding in extra preload to get the correct sag number will cause handling problems. You really need the correct spring rates.

The answer is: most certainly yes. With improvements you'll realize that your "good handling" bike really wasn't that great after all. Every upgrade I do to my bikes always makes me wonder how I ever rode them the way they used to be.

 

Don't forget the old trick of putting a ziptie on a fork tube to see how much suspension travel you're actually using.......