I'm getting the S#*! beat out of me!

Your input is needed:
I have my brand new RWB ABS - 250 miles (more after today!)
I live in western PA, our roads are crap!
I am only 140 lbs (5"7"), I've ridden older VFRs many times (owned an '85).
I am getting KILLED on bumpy roads - everyone complains the stock suspension is too soft - I wish! My twiddeling with the suspension does not seem to be helping. Can anyone supply any advice on where I should be setting things? Will the suspension become more compliant after it "breaks in"?

 

What exactly have you "twidded"?

For a start, set the preload on both the fork and shock to the lowest possible settings.


Rex

 

I wouldn't soften it all up like that. It actually will handle for crap. I just listed this for another thread.

Sportrider said Gen 6 should be: Front preload 1 line showing, rear preload 4 lines showing, rear rebound .5 turns out from full stiff. This is for a 185 lb rider I believe on normal roads. If this is too harsh I'd back off the front preload first, it should take the bone jarring out.

Only mess with one thing at a time riding in between. Good luck.

 

I started soft, and that wasn't the answer. The owners manual says for rough roads go stiffer. My old guru friend says "suspension adjustments are the opposite of what you intuitively expect them to be".
I'm going riding now, and hopefully stiff is good.
I'll be back....

 

Stiff suspension settings will allow the bike to absorb the medium to big bumps without bottoming out. The small bumps will be felt more.

Soft suspension setting will allow the bike to absorb the small bumps. However, the medium to big bumps will cause it to bottom out.

Would you rather have the bike bottom out on a large pothole/frostheave - or suffer the little bumps.

A good rule of thumb is to set your suspension sag to ride in the middle to upper third of the bikes suspension travel. For example: If you have 3" of suspension travel you should have only used approx. 1" to 1.5" of travel with just the bike and rider's weight.

To measure the rear, you will have to get a friend to help measure. Just vertically measure from the axle up to a point on the bike.

For the front, just take a zip tie and zip it firmly to your front fork on top of your slider. Sit on your bike with as little leg support as possible and wiggle it a little bit to get over the "stiction" of the forks. Get off and measure where the zip tie is in relation to your full travel.

 

...You can also buy an aftermarket shock or revalve to help with the problem. I have the same one and am getting the bike worked on in about 10 days. Basically the shock has a small oriface that helps it move slowly over smooth bumps (gradually incerasing then decreasing) and a different value (spring/spring washer based) that gives and allows more fluid movement over sharp (steep increase/decrease) bumps.

The latter valve is the one that needs work on my bike, because right now the suspension isn't doing it's job of holding the tire on the ground. The tire gets airborne across concrete highway slab ends, so it's not giving me great traction at that point.

And yes, preload/sag are set right, as suggested correctly further up this thread using the measure from the unsprung to the srprung component.

I'll post results when I have them.

Separately, if your bike is like mine ('05), the rebound damping in the forks will be insufficient. Since it's not adjustible, I'll be going with thicker fork oil too.

K

 

Okay, I fiddled for about 3 hours, and came up with:
1.75 lines showing on the forks, just over 4 lines showing in the back - damping .75 turns off of full.

As stated, I'm controlling the big hits, and feeling the small bumps.

Before, I had almost no preload with full damping (I didn't touch the damping, it came that way!) so the back was stacking up. Please let me know how your mods work, I'll be doing some work this winter.
But for now, I'm riding - I SOLD THE MULTISTRADA yesterday!!!

 

FWIW check your tire pressure too. should be in the 33-34lb range for best over all contact patch and have a decent feel. othwise, sorry to say, get use to it..


Funny this comes up.

Now that I have like 1200 miles on the new suspension. Hmm, I can say yep, she works like a dream, rides like it's on rails, thing is now the hi-way ain't so great, I can feel every little wrinkle. Oh well she runs like the wind in the twisty stuff, small sacrifice. IMO. :biggrin:

 

Whats up Man. Did you get the one at west hills honda? I am from Pittsburgh also(Moon Area) I ride all the time I have an 06 and my buddy has a 03. We can help ypu a bit. the bike will bump around it happens. The pittsburgh riders meet up at http://www.riderstalk.com/forum/index.php? it would be nice to meet up with you this weekend.

 

Did some back to back swap overs over back roads with a mates Gen 5 with a rear Ohlin, using my left boot heal on the swingarm as a guide was supprised how silky smooth the Ohlins action feels over the smaller / sharper road imperfections compared against my standard rear shock.

As I'm happy with the way the VFR rides it wasn't worth the cost to upgrade at this time but when my rear shock is toast a Ohlins or Wilbers will be top of the list. :smile:

 

John 451,

Did you feel that the Ohlins dealt with sharp bumps better? Here in LA, the freeways are cement and you get pounded every 20 feet when the cement plates don't line up.

I'm hoping Ohlins will help - do you think it will?

K

 

Re cement cracks, hadn't tried it there but would think it would be better although as it a sharpish bigger hit not sure the advantage would be as rider noticable.

I'd say small road imperfections is where I felt the ohlins offer their best advantage where they track the ridges precisely rather than imperceptibly skip over like the stock shock . The other advantage I've heard from a few folk is that the Ohlins/Wilbers will help get the power down better and the rear tyres last longer.

 

I have changed to Ohlins on other bikes - the difference was subtle.
I don't think the stock Showa (abs) is that bad, I would predict the Ohlins (Wilber, Penske) will be better, but don't think "it will TRANSFORM my bike".
If I make that change, I'll wait until winter.
My multistrada (Ohlins front and rear) had a lot more travel, and floated over the small stuff. Really big hits were still felt.

 

Guys,

Just had Race Tech out in Covina, CA rebuild the suspension. Dealt with the weak (for me) front fork springs (I'm 180 lbs or so) as well as the rebound damping up front.

Just for kicks, try pushing down hard on the front end, and watch the stock suspension bob up and down a couple of times before settling. Not good.

On the rear, instead of going with Ohlins, I had the stock unit rebuilt by them.

The result is kind of like braided steel brake lines. Clearly better when you ride, helps confidence because the handling is actually quite a bit more predictable. More comfortable too. That says, unless you had properly set up bikes (stock and rebuilt suspension) side by side, you'd never really know I guess.

K

 

I am 80KG or 176lb plus gear, and I found every time I hit a bump one of my fillings falls out!

Ikavo commented that the front end bobs up and down, so that indicates not enough damoing in the front it would seem. Can this be fixed with a different grade fork oil?

So what is the consensus guys? Are the spring rates or damping the problem, or is it simply a matter of set-up for the average rider?


Cheers,
Shayne

 

Setting up the suspension you'll have to set the sag first(spring preload)and the set up the rebound and compression etc,you probably have the sag or spring preload set to hard to start with seeing as your fairly light:smile:

Some decient guidelines or how too
http://www.gostar-racing.com/information/motorcycle_suspension_set-up.htm

 

Shayne,

To your question, if you use heavier fork oil it'll help a lot. That's easier than trying to get the valving changed, and cheaper too.

IMHO all the VFRs have too little rebound damping - every one on which i've compressed the suspension sharply and let it release has bounced around.

I'm a bit surprised Honda lets them go like that.

K