Question about adjusting stock suspension..
07-12-2007 | 09:06 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Member
Squid
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 58
Question about adjusting stock suspension..
So, since I pick my SH in 3 weeks, I email the seller almost daily to make sure she is a-ok and we got on a conversation about the suspension....
He said its set at full soft - front and rear. He said he would let me adjust this based on my weight !?!
Any tips on how to do this? Do I need a stand to get the wheels up? I want to make sure I have the stuff to do this....
Thanks, gang!
He said its set at full soft - front and rear. He said he would let me adjust this based on my weight !?!
Any tips on how to do this? Do I need a stand to get the wheels up? I want to make sure I have the stuff to do this....
Thanks, gang!
07-12-2007 | 11:02 AM
#2
Junior Member
Squid
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 10
From: Vancouver, WA
You can do all of the suspension adjustments on the sidestand. If the bike comes with the original owner's manual it explains the adjustment procedures. If the bike still has its toolkit it contains a spanner wrench for adjusting the rear shock preload. The front fork preload requires an open-end 14mm wrench, also in the toolkit. The front and rear rebound damping adjustments require a small slotted screwdriver.
I weigh 178. The stock front fork springs, like every other bike I've owned in the past 20 years, are way too soft. They have too much sag even before I sit on the bike. Why the Japanese continue to believe that we all weigh 110 pounds is a mystery to me. You'll probably want to increase the preload on the front springs, and if you plan on riding hard you really need to go with stiffer aftermarket springs.
As for the rear shock, well, good luck. It's good for holding up the rear end of the bike but not much else. I have mine set full soft for prelaod but the spring rate and compression damping don't seem very well matched. When you have an extra grand or so to blow an aftermarket shock will be a good investment.
I weigh 178. The stock front fork springs, like every other bike I've owned in the past 20 years, are way too soft. They have too much sag even before I sit on the bike. Why the Japanese continue to believe that we all weigh 110 pounds is a mystery to me. You'll probably want to increase the preload on the front springs, and if you plan on riding hard you really need to go with stiffer aftermarket springs.
As for the rear shock, well, good luck. It's good for holding up the rear end of the bike but not much else. I have mine set full soft for prelaod but the spring rate and compression damping don't seem very well matched. When you have an extra grand or so to blow an aftermarket shock will be a good investment.
07-12-2007 | 12:45 PM
#3
Thread Starter
Member
Squid
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 58
Thanks, motorhall.
I have been reaiding on all these front end swaps etc and have decided if anything, I will do the race tech springs in front and some sort of shock in the rear. For now, I want it to handle OK. The full soft concerns me, I want it to be stiffer, if possible but not slide out from under me stiff....He said he will give me a service manual which should help!
I have been reaiding on all these front end swaps etc and have decided if anything, I will do the race tech springs in front and some sort of shock in the rear. For now, I want it to handle OK. The full soft concerns me, I want it to be stiffer, if possible but not slide out from under me stiff....He said he will give me a service manual which should help!
07-12-2007 | 03:13 PM
#4
Senior Member
SuperSport
SuperSport
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 809
From: North Wales, PA
I don't think you have to worry about it sliding out on you. I've got mine set pretty stiff and if the front were gonna slide out, believe me it would have by now. think about it this way: track suspension settings are always stiffer than street settings, and you know how much farther a bike gets leaned over at the track, so don't worry about lowsiding unless you've got crappy tires, or something on the road. stiffen it up. you weigh about the same as me by the way. oh, and motorhall, love the avatar. I'm a big Bill the cat fan.
07-13-2007 | 08:18 AM
#5
Junior Member
Squid
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 8
From: Fayetteville, NC
Hyperpro
I was reading another thread and someone there recommended a HyperPro rear shock. I looked at the website. (I think it's www.Hyperpro.com) Other than having a purple spring, it looks pretty good. Reasonably priced too. 500 or so with out the remote reservoir and about 200 for a remote reservoir; which you can add if you decide to race it later. From what I have been reading/researching all of the other springs from various Sport bikes require some sort of modification to fit the VTR, so I am saving for the Hyper Pro. Just thought I would pass on the knowledge.
07-13-2007 | 08:39 AM
#6
Senior Member
Superstock
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 284
From: New Jersey USA
You can send the shock out and have the spring changed some companys do that but its probably better to just bite the bullet and buy what you want. I did the race tech valves and springs with a Penske shock. If your dealling with race tech you can haggle a little mabye up to 30% off list prices. I did but don't recall how much better a dell I got.
ebay an RC51 ,954, 929 brake system. Its worth it. good luck
ebay an RC51 ,954, 929 brake system. Its worth it. good luck
07-17-2007 | 12:01 PM
#7
Dirty Bird
Squid
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 36
From: Concord, NC
Before doing anything to the shocks, you need to set ride hight which is normally a two man job as you're going to be sitting on the bike. Although all of this can be done between you and a buddy assist; check with your local bike shop to see if they have somebody in service whose done lots of suspension setting or is a track day hound. They can do the adjustments with you and you'll learn something and establish a relationship with them which comes in handy when you need something on a moments notice.
07-19-2007 | 11:21 AM
#13
Junior Member
Squid
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 10
From: Vancouver, WA
I'm also close to 180. I've done some more experimenting since my first post in this thread. Someone posted this link in another thread:
http://sportrider.com/bikes/146_susp_settings/#honda
With the stock components, these settings seem to be about as good a compromise as anything else I've tried. Next order of business for me is changing the sponge-o-matic fork springs.
http://sportrider.com/bikes/146_susp_settings/#honda
With the stock components, these settings seem to be about as good a compromise as anything else I've tried. Next order of business for me is changing the sponge-o-matic fork springs.
07-19-2007 | 07:29 PM
#14
Senior Member
Back Marker
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 175
From: Amsterdam, NY.
I cranked my rear suspension to the max, and proceeded to get **** pounded by my SH. The front is cranked too, and like a previous forum member wrote, the Japanese need to realize we Americans are a tad bit larger. I weigh 215 Lbs. and have backed my rear springs down two clicks, and am quite happy. But all this talk about aftermarket shocks really has me thinking.....I will say that my SH was more squirelly in the corners at the lower suspension settings than higher. So like another said, as long as you don't have crap tires - don't worry about sliding...
07-19-2007 | 09:19 PM
#16
Señor Miembro, Ay Caramba
SuperSport
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 562
From: a little north of DC
Okay, well, you're definitely on the right track with wanting new front springs and a new shock. Will you be doing the work yourself?
I don't know the stock setting for the front springs' preload, but it likely needs to be cranked all the way in, since it's set for like a 140 lb rider. Start with the rebound like a half turn from full hard, and ride it a bit and soften it a half or full turn, and ride again. It'll be pretty close to that range, likely. For the shock, I'm thinking the rebound is likely to require a stiffer setting than the front, because you need it to balance out the high compression damping.
I don't know the stock setting for the front springs' preload, but it likely needs to be cranked all the way in, since it's set for like a 140 lb rider. Start with the rebound like a half turn from full hard, and ride it a bit and soften it a half or full turn, and ride again. It'll be pretty close to that range, likely. For the shock, I'm thinking the rebound is likely to require a stiffer setting than the front, because you need it to balance out the high compression damping.
07-20-2007 | 07:17 AM
#17
Senior Member
Superstock
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 284
From: New Jersey USA
The best thing you can do with the stock crap is try to adjust the saga as best you can and then play with different compression settings till you happy.
What works for someone else might not work for you.
What works for someone else might not work for you.
07-20-2007 | 07:32 AM
#19
Administrator
World Champion
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 105,287
From: Fulton, MO
Okay, well, you're definitely on the right track with wanting new front springs and a new shock. Will you be doing the work yourself?
I don't know the stock setting for the front springs' preload, but it likely needs to be cranked all the way in, since it's set for like a 140 lb rider. Start with the rebound like a half turn from full hard, and ride it a bit and soften it a half or full turn, and ride again. It'll be pretty close to that range, likely. For the shock, I'm thinking the rebound is likely to require a stiffer setting than the front, because you need it to balance out the high compression damping.
I don't know the stock setting for the front springs' preload, but it likely needs to be cranked all the way in, since it's set for like a 140 lb rider. Start with the rebound like a half turn from full hard, and ride it a bit and soften it a half or full turn, and ride again. It'll be pretty close to that range, likely. For the shock, I'm thinking the rebound is likely to require a stiffer setting than the front, because you need it to balance out the high compression damping.
The objective with the suspension is to try to balance the front and rear. They should be doing almost the exact same thing over bumps, with the exception that the rear should come up just a hair slower than the front (1/8 turn more rebound). On compression they should compress the same front and rear. The front, if pushed rapidly in the garage, should have a controlled rise, come up and settle just once. It takes practice to do this right. This is a good starting point. Minor tweaking will be required based on road conditions and riding preferences.
Getting to these points is a shot in the dark with the stock suspension components.
07-20-2007 | 08:51 AM
#20
Senior Member
SuperBike
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,315
From: Richmond, Virginia
Greg (hawkrider) knows what he's talking about... at least where this is concerned! I've had my Super Hawk a couple years and despite fiddling with the suspension a few times, it's always felt unstable under braking and had a tendency to wander on higher speed sweepers. He set the sag on my bike down @ the Super Hawk Rally last month. That along with a few tweaks of the rebound damping and it felt like a new bike on curvy roads. Felt much better under braking & stable thru the sweeps after he worked on it. It really was a marked difference. Ride is maybe a little harsh, but I can adjust that by reducing the rebound damping for around town use, then dial it back in for serious riding.
08-01-2007 | 12:08 PM
#22
Senior Member
SuperSport
SuperSport
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 809
From: North Wales, PA
08-05-2007 | 12:16 PM
#23
Senior Member
SuperSport
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 714
From: Fredericksburg, VA
I just picked up my first VTR last weekend and after flogging it for a few days I finally got around to checking the tire pressure and adjusting the suspension. I should have done this as soon as I got it (especially tire pressure) but I just couldn't pry myself off the seat. I have ridden almost 1000 miles in 6/7 days.
My tire pressure was about half what it should have been front and rear, and the suspension was still on the stock settings. I clicked up 2 in the rear, half turn stiffer up front, and damping is half turn back from hard on both ends. It is a different bike now. I had been having some issues with wandering in turns and the rear really went out once doing a buck on a 35mph turn. I think that had a lot to do with tire pressure though.
My tire pressure was about half what it should have been front and rear, and the suspension was still on the stock settings. I clicked up 2 in the rear, half turn stiffer up front, and damping is half turn back from hard on both ends. It is a different bike now. I had been having some issues with wandering in turns and the rear really went out once doing a buck on a 35mph turn. I think that had a lot to do with tire pressure though.
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