Suspension setting.

Ok as some of you may know I will be going on my first big trip on a bike. Now I probably will put on close to 2000 if not more miles. Going to sturgis from the other side of the state of South Dakota in sioux falls. Probably will go to Devils Tower too which is another hour or two. And custer state park also. Now my question is the settings of the stock suspension. Now I just discoverd how to change the compression of the front and rear.

First things first, The long haul - do I want to go soft on everything for the straigh line trip for I want to say about 400 miles there. Then go all hard when im in the Hills and going through the state parks(twisty roads im sure)?

I messed with the front forks and noticed there are four lines on the adjusters. Downloaded a manuel and know of the 6 or more settings on the rear. Plus the rebound knob on the bottom I believe.

So I know or atleast think I know how to adjust everything so let me know what you think or prefer on the different road conditions.

One other thing, on the rebound adjustment on the bottom of the shock does the punch marks have to match up or can I go all the way counter clockwise until it stops for softest or all the way clockwise for hardest? Or does it need to match up to be considered the next setting up or down.

Thanks for your input

WC.

:thumbsup: two days before I leave, can't wait.

 

It all depends on your weight... I am 140 without any gear, and I have both front and rear on its softest setting and it feels like track setup (too hard for street touring)... To do it right you need to measure sag...

Rebound / compression is a bit more complex. Just set it up where bike dives down and comes back up at the same rate... If you want it perfect it will probably take a re-valve and aftermarket bits... But for street use, you really dont need that unless you are a lightweight or super heavy weight.

Also you want front and rear work together... Ride slow stand on footpegs and bounce the bike up and down to see if front and back dives in a plane... aka front doesnt dip more then rear, or vise versa..

I am about to do a 5 - 6K trip with suspension being both set to harsh for my weight, it will feel good going hard in twisties, but shitty on highways.

My .02

 

2 days will not be enough time to learn the correct way to adjust it. You dont want to be full hard or soft with any of those settings. What is your weight? I could get you close enough for both ridding conditions. Dont forget tire pressure is key as well.

 

240lbs. 6' 3". Cold tire pressure is at 40 in the rear, but manual says 42 so I will add a couple pounds. I believe the front tire is around 36lbs rite now. Dunlop Roadsmarts. Not stock tires.

 

Well those springs are way out of an adjustable range for you. You can make them better by adding preload but you dont want to adjust them all the way hard becuase the bike will not handle properly. For twisty's try the 6th notch for the rear preload(looks like a stair case, you want to go up which compress's the spring, stock is #2 spot from bottom) Rebound try 1 and a half turns to the right from stock setting. Front forks adjust till 1 line showing, maybe a couple turns out so your half way to 2 lines showing. Use a black Marker to mark the adjustment screw in relation to the triple so you know how far a full turn is. Even for straight line ridding you may want to keep the rear around the #4 notch on preload. If your the type of rider who rides VERY hard(meaning knee down, leaning off the side of the bike ripping turns) then you may try 34 front 36 rear fro better traction. If not ridding to the full potential of the bike most likely 42 rear 36 front wont hurt you at all. Its about heat created by how hard you are pushing the tires and how hot the day is. The hotter the combo of these two things the less tire pressure is needed to get to proper tire temp for traction. You may like these settings more even for straight line ridding.

 

Nice answer Jess, it looks like you have a fair bit of experience adjusting the settings.
It seems to me that there is no perfect settings as any two riders, even if they are exactly the same weight, prefer a different feel according to how aggressively they ride.
Is there any sort of 'rule of thumb' for the adjustment settings on the VFR? I'm looking for a chart of some sort that would give us a good starting point for suspension settings. If there isn't such a thing, maybe we could create one for this forum?
Maybe start with rider weight brackets, say in 10 pound increments and then plus/minus a notch or quarter turn for more aggresive/less aggressive?
I've never tinkered with my settings but I'm sure they could be better if I had some idea where to start...
There is a ton of experience on this forum, I'm sure you guys wouldn't mind sharing..

 

Ive actually only got 400 miles on my 08, my experience is more sport bike related. I became the go to guy for suspension when I grew tired of bikes not feeling right and did an enormus amount of research through reading and watching suspension guro DVD's as well as talking with pros at track days. Every bike is different and I have not had the time to completely explore the VFR but it is limited in its adjustability due to the lack of Compression dampening rear and both Rebound and Compression front forks. But I have begun to tinker and I know where I am at weighing 190 with full gear. My suggestions were as far as I think the springs should be adjusted without shortening thier travel too much. At 240 lbs the OP needs aftermarket stiffer springs. There are too many varibles(tires, chain tension, springs, shocks) to get it all covered by myself in a forum post. I will try and find some links to post in this thread for those more interested folks who want to learn more. Im happy to watch this thread and answer any questions also. :smile:

 

Motorcycle Suspension Set-up Good read.

YouTube - Basic Suspension setup Not a bad video, I'll try to find some other vids. You could find Dave Moss's dvd online if you search, I bought that and like it.

 

Aye at 215 without gear i am suddenly questioning mine being to soft. But as i have no experiance other than my vfr exactly as it is i am hesitant to change it as i enjoy it, but could it be better..probably.
I just have no idea where to start...i read some articals but they seem over my head for determing good feel...i like the sag test but will have to get assistance and would love knowledgable assistance in person...but where would one get this?

 

Sigining up for a track day where a suspension pro is availible is the best way to get it done right if your not comfortable figureing it out on your own. You will pay for it, usually not too much. I havn't done any research yet about heavier springs for the VFR. But it is possible that you would be happy with the stock springs after some adjustments. I have not set my SAGS as of yet. Im simply making adjustments, ridding and then making more adjustments. I havnt had time for measureing my sag(you need the help of two friends). I am much happier with my results so far, I do prefer a sporty ride though where some of you may decide you like it soft. I suggest making sure your tire pressure is 36-42 and experimenting with the adjustments the way I described. Just right down your original settings so you can return to them if you get lost. This suspension is fairly simple. Side note: find something bigger than a regular flat head screw driver to turn the front Preload adjusters as a flathead with bugger them up.

 

Aye, thanks. I may try to figure out how to go to a track with a suspension pro but thats down the road as i have not taken an advanced course or gone to a track day as i simply have not had the time and when i do i simply want to go ride...maybe next year.

I may play with it and do those test on my current settings and see from there.

 

Set the sag first, if it can't be set correctly, you will know if you need heavier springs. at 240 lbs I can guarantee that your springs are not heavy enough, front and rear. There is way more to it than just spinning the screws and preload adjusters, at the very least, read up online and do a little research on how these components work. Even at a body net weight of 160 pounds, for which it was designed, the stock suspension is junk.

 

I'm 6'3" and 230lbs. I Have the forks all the way in and the rear preload all the way up. The bike seems to handle fine for me. But, I'm not a pro by any means. Is this ok ? Am I going to hurt anything?

 

Your not going to hurt anything, your just not going to get race track handleing out of the bike...If your happy with the way the bike handles as is and dont want to invest anything in suspension for more performance then there is nothing to worry about. :smile: If you do decide to become a more aggresive rider it would be safer to get stiffer springs and dial things in for your weight. You need to really be pushing the bike hard through the turns to have issues with suspension that make cornering unsafe.

 

I will invest in suspension upgrade at some point. I also ride 2-up alot and these settings seem to be ok. I know even at this setting the bike is far more capable than I am.

 

I just put a few miles on my 98 vfr today after buying it last night lol and the first thing i did when i returned home was check the adjustability of the suspension...Im also 6'3" and 240lbs...and its just far too soft. Im glad i found a useful thread, ill try the aforementioned settings posted by Jessiah and see how i like it. Im really liking the forum, good stuff!

 

The 98 will have a different setup than the 2008. But the general idea is the same. Your looking to add some preload and compression(not sure what adjustments the 98 has for compression or rebound, maybe its the same) there is no way to get the right SAG at 240lbs. But you can at least see where your at if you want to learn how to set your SAG correctly. Find your stock settings first and keep track of your changes, go for a ride, come back make another change. You will find a point where your happy after awhile.

 

Most of what I've done even thou now my suspension is way different than stock now, but if I recall it was tighten everything up as far as it would go and back of 1/4 of a turn. but that was back in the day. seem to work thou

 

Yeah im going to set it similar to what you suggested earlier and go from there. I knew i was too heavy for a VFR the first time i rode one lol, but ill get it where i like it for now and invest in something aftermarket down the road most likely.

 

I wouldnt say your "Too Heavy". You can get plenty of enjoyment and performance out of the stock suspension. This bike is a "sport" bike to a degree but I can tell you that it doesnt even compare to any 2008 sport bike suspension. Its capable for what it is, and truly fun, but not a razor sharp track bike built for a specific rider. It was built with touring in mind as well so there is allowence in the bikes setup for extra weight, where a track bike is all about the 160lb rider from the factory. I wouldnt replace any suspension components except the rear spring unless you are dying for track performance, and you may not even need to replace that. Definatly run 36PSI front and 42PSI rear also. You can adjust everything hard and back out a quarter turn like was said above...but I would make adjusments from stock each ride feeling out the changes. I cant explain exactly what your looking for but you will know when the handleing has been comprimised by too much preload. Good luck and feel free to update your results or ask more questions!