After purchasing my new 07 Interceptor a few weeks ago, the suspension felt a little soft to my liking after riding sport bikes with the suspensions being dialed in for track riding. I did some research on the VFR suspension and found it was set up soft from the factory and quite honestly does not have the adjustments it should have from the factory especially being classed as a sport bike. That being said, this bike was purchased to be my street ride and to be more comfortable for extended street rides but to still have the sport side when the twisties arrive. I wanted to upgrade the suspension without spending a lot at this time. A good friend of mine is an expert racer and knows his stuff when it comes to suspension and how to set it up for each individual. When I took it over to his place he confirmed that the stock front end had pretty soft springs and that he thought they were progressive springs. He explained this to me as the spring compresses it tends to resist that compression the farther it gets into the stroke. This is not a bad thing but the only problem is that progressive springs are not always consistent in their compression due to the changing spring rate of the springs. We pulled the front springs out and they are indeed progressive rate springs with the top of the spring being larger than the bottom of the spring in diameter. To save cost, but not quality, he offered to give me some .95 rate fork springs from a GSX-R 1000 that are linear, not progressive. These springs are designed for an individual that weighs around 190-200 lbs give or take 10. I weight 175 so I was unsure if they would match my weight since I have always had springs put in my bikes that matched my weight, but he reasoned that the extra weight of this bike compared to my last R6 would compensate for the extra stiffness of the spring. The linear springs will also be consistent in their travel every time especially under hard braking. After installation we adjusted the preload out to four lines on the front and set the rear shock to one setting out from full stiff. The front and back suspension then would compress together when pushing down on the pegs. When pushing down on the front forks they would rebound up and settle slightly like they should. I could definitely feel they front end was stiffer. Now the good stuff. My initial ride felt like I had a new sportbike. The front end felt amazing in the corners. The ride felt great on the freeway and spectacular in the corners. Although you can feel the weight of this bike compared to an 600rr, I feel it will handle up there with the best of them. The only drawback was the ride was a little stiff over some bigger bumps, etc. so when I returned home I took a little more preload out of the front and adjusted the rear shock preload back to 2 out from full stiff. I will give updates after the next ride. I understand this is probably not quite as good as getting race tech front springs and revalving to match but it also was free and the handling is excellent. Springs to match your weight are cheap if you find them from a wrecked bike. The fork tubes on the 07 and up are 43 mm, so many stock springs from other bikes will fit. Not sure of the size of other year VFR's. Just need to find out the spring rate of the spring you want and if it will work with your weight. Like I said earlier, the .95 springs I used from a GSX-R 1000 will probably work for someone from 175-200lbs or so due to the weight of the VFR. If you weight more than 200 you might want to get a .975 spring or even a 1.0. Hope this helps. I will update as I get more miles on them.
your right on the money with your set up there. i did the same exercise and got the same out come. i must be heavier than you as i have kept mine at one notch off max rear preload and have preloaded the front up 2 clicks also. but i havent changed the front springs. im happy with the stock front feel. the biggest assistance was with tyre choice. we rode 2 gen 6 VFR's with this set up back to back-one on bridgestones and one on conti road attacks. the conti's suited the stiffer set up much more than the bridgies. they have a bit more sidewall profile and are more compliant with road irregularities which helps offset the stiffer rear end set up. in terms of grip,lean angle there wasnt much in it, but comfort wise the conti was aclear winner delivering a smoother ride.
Good info Kiwi. I am already thinking of upgrading the tires. I was thinking about Michelin Pilot Powers, but those Conti's sound good too. Thanks for the good info! Keep the shiny side up.
