Suspension setup on Gen6

When I bought this VFR, the stealer said that the suspension was setup to my weight (165-170 lbs) before I drove it off the floor. I believed him, and never touched the suspension until I took my first trip with the wife/gear on the back. At that time, I kept adjusting both front/rear & rebound until I felt comfortable...no measuring. Now that i'm back to single rider, I dialed back the suspension settings, but felt more comfortable with it being on the "stiffer" side. I'm not a track rider, nor do I drag my knees in the twisties. But like most riders, I enjoy pushing the VFR within my comfort levels.
So the question is, how important is it to dial in the suspension travel to optimal (stock suspension)? Does/should it be exact science, or to what i'm comfortable with?

 

I dialed my preload in to the max front and rear, and have found this to be the most comfortable setting for me. Feels just as comfortable with a passenger.

 

it should be what you are comfortable with, the stock or recommended settings are just a guidline. You also have to deal with even at the same settings it is unlikely your bike will feel the same way as it did, as the bike is used, the components wear, especially on the cheap stock stuff, so you would have to change the settings just to keep up.

 

Thanks for your input, i'll keep the settings to where I feel comfortable versus the recommended/ideal sag.

 

what feels good to the rider is the best adjustment some like soft some like hard..rebound etc

 

just reset mine...

we recently did a 2 day trip and reset both our gen6 VFR's from the stock settings. the basic problem with the stock set up was that it was too soft and as result would squat the rear end under acceleration. the net effect was to unload the front end and reduce feedback from the front wheel.
we reset the rear spring preload to one of max and increased the rebound also.
on the front we also increased the preload close to max.

the bike now rides a little more nose heavy but tracks alot better at speed through the corner as its not sitting back on is rear end so much under acceleration. its most noticeable in slow speed corners where the bike no longer pitches in under wieght transfer.

it also feels a little longer in the leg, not significantly, but i can definately detect the rear sitting higher.

this set up was for one up with gear loaded onto a rear mount pack frame(see pic). as you're lighter than me, adding your pillion wieght is possibly similar to my wieght (120KG) plus load.



everything was adjustable with the stock tool kit and was done in abought 5 minutes using the bikes manual as a setup guide.

 

Yes I like how the VFR doesn't nose dive now, both under cornering and stopping, now that my suspension is set "stiffer". Maybe it was too soft to begin with. It will be interesting, when I check the sag, when I find a second person to help me. It diffidently helped when I stiffened the suspension (of course), when I loaded my wife and gear on the back. But it was too stiff after they were off. So I can feel the difference between those extremes. I was only concerned, if I would ever catch my self deep into a curve, and hit a bump were the suspension was not set up properly, and I'd find myself in trouble. Since i'm not a knee dragging aggressive rider, maybe that scenario will never happen to me.
I've taken the FAST racing school up here in Ontario but with an SV650. I choose that bike, because I figured it would closely mimic the performance of the VFR. I was wrong. I found that the bike had a lot of negative feed back deep in the corners with regards to the brake, gas, lean angle, etc. I had to be really smooth with that bike (Great to learn the basic i imagine). Either way, I know I didn't like that setup thats for sure. I've never pushed my VFR on the road as hard as I did with that bike on the track. Maybe only then, when/if I take my VFR on the track, before I really realize what is ideal for setup.... i dunno. For now, I'm happy. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't alone.

 

this may be helpful, most every modern bike with recommended settingz

Sport Bike Motorcycle Suspension Settings - Sportbike Review - Sport Rider

 

sounds like you know what your up to there.

as a side note, we found the limit of this set up at about 180kmph, when the ride started to become a bit choppy, especially on bumps.

after this its 'ohlins time'....:thumbsup:

 

Race Tech

I'm merely a street rider, with no track-schooling. That said, I found that my '07 VFR 800A's stock suspension left much to be desired, so last winter I consulted with my dealer and Race Tech, and then went with Race Tech's front and rear suspension rebuilds.

The Race Tech kits are a bit pricey, but the results are well worth it, and as you begin to think about modifications, etc., I would place Race Tech near the top of the list, right after a good quality seat (e.g., Sargent) and perhaps a nice windscreen such as the MRA Vario touring screen.

If you find yourself with some cash that's about to burn a hole in your pocket, and you want to use it most wisely, you might do well to first spend it on suspension rebuilds rather than such things as expensive aftermarket exhaust cans which tend to be more about aesthetics and an "Ooh, this sounds so cool" factor rather than real-world functional improvements in the motorcycle's performance and handling. Just a thought.

 

So what you're saying, after upgrading the suspension, you feel that bike is more stable/planted to the road? You really felt a big improvement versus the stock during regular riding conditions?

 

OK
first off if the dealer did not have to sit on bike and set the sag for you before you left the shop, it was not set up for you.
second you should set the sag on your bike to see if you are in the range of the springs installed from the factory, if you are over 160lbs most likely not.
third if you just ride on the street and will never track it the best option would be buy correct springs for your weight. many aftermarket are availible for the forks and the rear spring you can get from honda or directly from manufacturer of stock rear shock and have correct rear spring installed on stock shock.

Race tech gold valves and springs for front forks and after market rear shock is nice to have for the street but alot of $$$$ if you ride the track it is a must have.

 

I ride and load up my VFR in multiple configurations (i.e. single, 2up, single + camp gear, etc). How does one go about finding an ideal spring setup to accommodate these scenario and weight variances (upgrading spring, or doing Race Tech, etc)?

 

local honda shop will have list of springs for rear shock and fork springs and will be able to tell you what one is stock, from there you can figure out what one you need ( prob next one up from stock will do you fine ) then I would go online to find best price and place to have spring installed if you dont want dealer to do the work.

set in sag for solo ride and just add more preload ( more so on rear then front )according to added weight when you load up the bike.

 

From what you weigh, and the fact that you like to play in the s's, you'll need to adjust the sag(with all your gear on).
I looked for over an hour last night for a good video(You Tube), that shows the steps to go though. Some of them seem to have never had to speak in public before, which is to bad. They know what they're doing but can't put it across.
I,d suggest you going to You Tube and watching "all" the vid's on
suspension setup/tuning/etc.
I find it interesting to watch even though I'm set.
Just to give you a finished result(remember I weigh more than you)... But the jest is to set it up for you as a solo rider.... and when you take a rider and/or bags on the back the only thing is to put in more rear spring pressure with your shock spanner.
So first write down all your adjustments so you can go back to it, if needed.

First turn down the straight slot screws on top of your forks(cw)(do not tighten them, be gentle. It's just a starting point)
2 turns (ccw) from seat (pre-load) (remember this is my weight)

Now go to the rear and set the pre-load (you can see a staircase on the shock's outside ring(use shock spanner) (about 7 or 8 steps)
3 notches F/soft (pre-load)

Now go to the bottom of the rear shock and you'll see a tiny straight slot on the side of the shock. Turn this in all the way(cw)to start, then back it out(ccw)
1 turn (ccw) from seat (compression dampner)then went 1/8 turn(cw)back towards seat

This is my added stuff adjustment(only if it's more than about 30/50 lbs.)
Rear - 4 notches F/soft (PL)

The VFR is pretty much the same amount of sag front to rear.
1st you need to know what the measurement is with the frt wheel off the ground(measure from the top of fork seal to the lower trip-tree)

Then do the same with the rear wheel(from rear axle to somewhere on the seat area (try to keep the tape inline with the movement of the rear arm travel)

Write these measurements down.

Now get the measurements with you on the bike(feet on the pegs)

Also get the measurements of of the bike settled on the ground front and rear without a rider.

Now go watch you Tube and you'll see how to apply these measurements..

Hope this helps.... Monk

 

This guy is a suspension Guru'

YouTube - Honda 2007 VFR Interceptor Stock Suspension Evaluation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5ZFQZut6NY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2XtqeNU95M

 

but even they say, to use this only as a guide, a starting point, then go from there. These are only the settings for a particular rider, of a particular weight, with specific skills, with a particular set of tires, on a particular day, riding on specific roads and surface, on a bike that is often new, or very nearly so.

 

In my 94, 96, and 2002, I've run the next heavier front springs in the forks with the same weight oil. I weight in a 185-195 fully loaded. Cranking up the preload is not good compensation for too weak springs. For the rear, even towards 55k miles it doesn't "pack up" with age, just kind of wallows, so not that much of a concern, just need to be a little careful with the relative lack of rebound damping.

The other trick to adjust the attitude of the bike is to use a 3/32" fender shim at the top rear shock mount (safety wired through the hole in the shim) and drop the triple tree on the forks 1/2". I've found that has helped each iteration of bike and has provided more confidence.


Jason

 

You should really set the sag correctly at least. I'd suggest targetting 30-35mm front and 35-40mm rear. You probably won't be able to get those numbers with the stock springs, but dial in as much as you can while making sure to check the sag numbers just to be sure.

In case you were wondering, the stock suspension is setup correctly for a rider weight of less than 100lb. That means for 99.9% of the US riders it's way undersprung.