Stock suspension question here .

Hey Guys and Gals !

I have an 06 VFR that I got last January. When I got the bike it felt soft, looked like preload was still in the stock position but it felt okay. Took my girlfriend for a ride on the bike and it was almost scary soft so I got to reading a little and found the recommended sag settings, can't remember what they are now, was way off, even for just me. I had to crank the front preload all the way down to get the front sag to be right at the proper sag settings. On the rear, I had to take it all the way to the third notch from max spring preload and that is how I have been riding it since then.

With me and my passenger, it rides just fine. With just me, its pretty dang harsh. I took it for a ride yesterday on some rougher back roads and by the time I got home, I felt beat up and am wanting to do something with it.

A couple of facts here... the bike has 18,500 miles on it. I don't think any suspension work has ever been done. Bike was bone stock when I got it and near perfect. I am only about 165 pounds, no gear. I really do not ride very hard at all. My girlfriend is about 110 pounds, no gear. She rides with me about 20% of the time. Sometimes we run up to the mountains for a long weekend and cruise the back roads. Most of the time, its running around town and me riding back roads around my home.

So I guess my questions are....

Where are you guys running your pre-load settings for similar loads to mine?

I have read that VFR's are soft but mine seems harsh. Is this a normal for others with similar loads or is just because of my pre-load settings?

January normally stays a bit too cold for me to want to ride so that is a good down time month for me. I was thinking of taking the front forks off and dumping the fluid. Just a quick inspection and a refill. What is the stock weight fork oil and does anyone like a particular brand oil over another? Or do you even feel a difference between brands?

I am sure someone will recommend a full suspension rework and I know that would be best I do not have that kind of cash to dump at it right now and for my riding style, probably would never really need it. I would like to get it to feel a little more comfortable but still be able to handle my passenger load when required.

My bike is a non-ABS bike so I do not have the remote preload adjustable rear shock. Would it be worth trying to find one for my bike? Even if for the one simple reason of just being able to quickly crank down on the rear pre-load for when my passenger jumps on.

Just looking for simple low cost things that I can play with to try and make it better.

Thanks ahead of time for any info!

 

One thing I failed to mention is that I did do a LSL handlebar conversion not long ago too and I know that has probably shifted a little bit of weight around on the bike. Not sure if it makes a difference but thought I should add that info.

 

I just bought a 2007 non ABS model. I take my wife riding as well. This bike is very squishy at stock settings. You're doing the right thing tightening up for two up riding. However you'll have to expect a stiff ride once your passenger gets off the bike.
Preload will differ rider to rider or rider to riders. Imagine the difference between you and another larger rider, preloads will differ. In a perfect world you'd have to set your preload for you and for you and your girl. Or at the very least set your preload and crank up the tension when taking on the passenger.
I was on my way to changing the rear spring when I first took it out for a ride. Then I cranked in the spring preload and am satisfied now. If you want a better shock or front springs you'll want to contact Daughery Motorsports. He emailed me all the info to upgrade the VFR.

 

Try a higher rear tire pressure with your load.:biggrin-new:

 

Tire psi is at 36 in the front and 40 in the rear.

I totally understand the concept of needed preload to carry the extra weight of passenger. Guess what I am wondering more about is how hard I have the preload now to get what was recommended for proper sag just for me. The way it is, it is great with two but kind of sucks with just me.

What are you guys running for sag front and rear?

 

I haven't adjusted mine properly yet. I just set it to the second to last adjustment on the rear and 3/4 in on front. Rear rebound wasn't messed with since it felt ok.
But after reading similar topics I found that recommended sag is 32-35mm. And a buddy who owned a VFR said as you were thinking to exchange the rear shock with the ABS model. Not easy to find though.

 

So I went the route of obtaining an OEM ABS model shock and sent it to fellow VFRW member Jamie Daugherty (www.daughertymotorsports.com) to have him rebuild it to suit my weight range and riding type I would be doing (Commuting/touring with lite canyon riding). I was able to find a shock on eBay and it was in almost new condition but a rebuild was in order regardless, IMO.

Long story short, for less than $600 JD rebuilt the rear shock (new valve, shims and spring) and sent me new valves, shims and springs for the front forks which I installed myself. All I can say is what a difference and a great ROI!

Although it is tough to find, locating an ABS model shock is worth the effort if you're situation is like mine, where I have different weight loads almost daily. If I'm going to work, I'll have my work "tools" but "street" clothes I.e. Not my leather riding suit, if I'm out playing I'll have my leather suit but not my work stuff, and then sometimes I'll be with the wife and sometimes my tank bag and top case to boot, touring is a whole other weight category as well. So the weight load truly changes for me. Yet, all I have to do is twist a knob and my pre-load changes are done! The forks are still the same, get a large blade screw driver and turn one way or the other.

Here's the thing, with the stock suspension, there's only so much you can do with it. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try and set it up the best it can be, but to truly get the most out of it, you'll need to change the internal bits and/or the springs at a minimum.

Personally I would talk with Jamie or other suspension technician and see what they can do for you. You never know what you can get for your money unless you ask.

Cheers

 

I weigh about the same as you.

I have mine set at the second preload setting at the rear shock, which I believe is the stock setting. I also have the front at stock preload. This is the setting I use with just me on board with light luggage for daily commuting, sport riding, and freeway work. Any more preload on either end results in too harsh of a ride in bumpy roads for me. But when I tour with bags, I raise the rear to 3rd or 4th preload setting, with the front an additional notch.

If you want a more supple ride, you're only recourse is to reduce the rebound damping on your rear shock. Just a little goes a long way (don't turn it half a turn as that's probably too much of a change). A quarter turn at a time makes a noticeable difference. Other than that you're pretty limited.

If you want better than that, then aftermarket suspension is the way to go.

 

Guess I will try and re-measure the sag front and rear again to see where it is at. Then put it back to stock and compare again. When I brought the bike home, it was still at stock settings and the sag was way off for my weight. (Maybe the VFR is just meant to run with at lot of sag with stock springs.) I checked it that one time, tightened it all up till I got the sag numbers right and have ridden it like that since then. Of course I guess I could have been recommended incorrect sag settings too which could certainly have caused a problem.

I will just have to play with it some more. Maybe keep my eyes out for an ABS rear shock too. Would be really nice to just make quick and easy pre-load adjustments for load changes.

 

Went out to the garage and took a few new measurements and here is what I got....

Front...
Was max preload with 1-1/8" sag
Stock (2 lines showing) yields a sag of 1-5/8"
One line showing gives me 1-1/2" of sag and that is where I left it for the moment.

Rear...
Was at notch 5 with only 1" of sag
Now at notch 3 with 1-3/8" of sag
Did not measure at the stock setting for sag. This is also no gear on, just quick measurements because of curiosity.

Going to try and ride it like this and see how it feels now. Still not getting it where I think it should be but its as close as I can get at the moment with a tape measure. If it does okay like this, guess I will leave it for a while to get a better impression of it. I know I will have to add a little rear preload for a passenger but we can experiment with that one too.