Suspension Tuning

[Cdogman]

How do I go about tuning my suspension. I know there are many things I can adjust and I know all the buzz words.

Here is the rub. I dont know what I am looking for when riding. I am a rider who jumps on ans gets to know the bike and rides it the way it is.

I saw a comment here a few days ago that said that is common and I think that is probably correct, however, I want mine to be tuned right.

Is there a "place" or "professon" of people/companies that will tune it for me? Hopefully educate me at the same time?

I can play with the knobs all day long and increase rebound dampening and so on but I dont know what to feel for on the bike to know if I am making it better or worse.

I dont want to sound like an idiot here but I dont want to screw my bike up trying to make it better either. I would rather pay someone to do it and teach me what to "feel" for to do it next time

Any suggestions

 

[EXPDSGT]

I have an '06 and I feel exactly the same way. I ride the bike as it comes from the factory and it seems to do just fine --- but ---- I don't know if it could be better and don't really understand what shocks and forks on a street bike are susposed to take care of. (I understand dirt bikes but not street bikes). I need the same info.

 

[twowheelnut]

There's a company in SoCal - a franchise from Australia - that tunes frames and suspensions. Damned if I can remember it name or location, tho. Anyone? Bueller?

 

[rogdeb]

How do I go about tuning my suspension. I know there are many things I can adjust and I know all the buzz words.
Here is the rub. I dont know what I am looking for when riding. I am a rider who jumps on ans gets to know the bike and rides it the way it is.

I saw a comment here a few days ago that said that is common and I think that is probably correct, however, I want mine to be tuned right.

Is there a "place" or "professon" of people/companies that will tune it for me? Hopefully educate me at the same time?

I can play with the knobs all day long and increase rebound dampening and so on but I dont know what to feel for on the bike to know if I am making it better or worse.

I dont want to sound like an idiot here but I dont want to screw my bike up trying to make it better either. I would rather pay someone to do it and teach me what to "feel" for to do it next time

Any suggestions

Excellent question for us who have the need to know - I know I do.

 

[slapnpop]

Traxxion Dynamics comes to mind as a place like this. There's at least one other with FJR experience whose name eludes me at the moment. Our member here "sportryder" is from one of these companies, you might wish to PM him.

There are lots of after market suspension shops, but not so many good ones.

 

[Rickster]

There is a good article linked in the 06-07 Bin-O-Facts

Clicky

 

[SkooterG]

I hear ya, I feel the same way.

I believe Lee Parks' Total Control clinic spends a limited amount of time on suspension set-up/tuning before hitting the asphalt, but I am not sure about that. I am hoping to take his class in the future and find out.

The 'Nut helped me a little bit, but I am still clueless and ascared to fuke with things myself.

I have been seriously considering riding to Aftershocks in San Jose so they can rebuild my Wilbers shock and perhaps teach me some things at the same time.

I think one of they keys to success here is to find someone who is knowledgeable about this shit, and pay them to spend a half day to teach a small class to a bunch of folks. Take the mystery out of it.

 

[Fairlaner]

I hear ya, I feel the same way.
I believe Lee Parks' Total Control clinic spends a limited amount of time on suspension set-up/tuning before hitting the asphalt, but I am not sure about that. I am hoping to take his class in the future and find out.

The 'Nut helped me a little bit, but I am still clueless and ascared to fuke with things myself.

I have been seriously considering riding to Aftershocks in San Jose so they can rebuild my Wilbers shock and perhaps teach me some things at the same time.

I think one of they keys to success here is to find someone who is knowledgeable about this shit, and pay them to spend a half day to teach a small class to a bunch of folks. Take the mystery out of it.

I'm in, so now all you have to do Greg is set it up in your free time. :huh:

I just orderd a Penske shock from Lee (sportryder) at Traxxion he is also going to rebuild me forks. he seems to be the same weight and height as me so will set them up for him and therefor should be good for me.

He sure is a knowledgable guy with suspensions, call him at 1-770-592-3823 i am sure he can answer your questions.

Richard

 

[UberKul]

Here is the rub. I don’t know what I am looking for when riding.

I think that is going to be the problem. You will need to know what you would like to achieve then work towards that goal. If nothing else figure out what sucks and work up.My experience and opinion only, YMMV.

I'm still a suspension idiot but I read and fiddled around enough to "tune" my suspension to the way I ride my bike most of the time. I did nothing to my bike the first few months other than set sag because it did what I needed/wanted. Pretty soon though I was speeding up and the front collapsed a little too much and the rear squated just because I was riding the bike harder. No problem, crank the compression adjusters so things are stiffer, play with rebound a little and things are good again. Mind you this is being done using the same section of road and concentrating on the one specific item I am trying to improve. Now all this paying attention is starting to pay off because now I'm not happy with the turn-in, so down go the forks in the clamps. Better but not just right. On goes the biggest tail riser I can find and now, for me anyway, turn in is good. A few months latter I have fiddle farted with things enough to realize I'm riding this bike too hard or I need to get some more performance from my suspension. On goes the Wilbers shock and springs that I have tried to have made perfect for just me by answering a few generic questions regarding riding style, weight and number of riders. While I'm at it lets get a little thicker fork oil to make sure I don't use up all the adjustability too quick. Now all that science gets to start over again. By this time you are such a connoisseur of suspension nothing feels right all the time and /or you just say screw it and ride the damn thing. If I need to get the suspension any more hopped-up for this FJR maybe I should have bought a repli-racer.

I love my bike, especially now that it no longer ticks, and think it is about the best compromise for the all around riding I do, but I no longer have aspirations of R1 handling. It's a big old girl; you just have to figure out what you want this girl to do for you.

BTW, I bet if anyone else ever rode my bike thay would HATE it, but that doesn't really matter now does it.

 

[ronjrieth]

Lee Spittler at Traxxion Dynamics replaced my 06 suspension with his cartridges and an Ohlins shock.....its a different bike. IMO it all depends on the roads you ride on....if you frequent any "unsmooth" roads the new suspension will be noticeably superior.

Ride Safe,

Ron

 

[Cdogman]

Traxxion seems to be coming up several times. I think I will ring them up next weeks for a chat.

I know I ride my bike kinda hard, I feel like i am on a race bike because my other bike is a gl1800 (goldwing) I just need more stability at times it wants to pogo when leaned and finding dips. I would like to work on that and makeing it react faster, but not too much. I am not a petite person.

I will buzz Traxxion and see how that goes.. Thanks

R....

 

[650cent]

This site is not the best one I have seen but I can't lay my hands on it right now. https://www.gostar-racing.com/information/m...sion_set-up.htm

This does do a good job of explaining everything and gives a schedule to follow.

Bill

 

[jestal]

A lot of suspension tuning ability comes from experience unfortunately.... Experience is such a wonderful thing...too bad you have to get old to acquire it.

Find a stretch of road, or several different ride routes, that incorporate the things you are interested in. I have a route that includes some rather rough railroad track crossings, heaves and bumps in the normal road surface, right and left curves, etc. Ride thru the route at different speeds to get a feel for what the bike is doing. Then start changing things and experience the result. Dial in a lot more rebound damping, for instance, and try it. Then dial in a lot less and try it. This takes time so getting the "experience" is not for the impatient. As long as you keep track of the suspension settings you are changing you can always return the settings to the original positions so it is not like you can hurt anything. Add and subtract preload on the springs front and rear. Feel for the suspension topping out and bottoming out. Make fairly large adjustments at first to see what the adjustments do. Don't try one click of additional compression damping....try 6 to 10 clicks so there will be a large difference that you can experience.

One thing you can do is to put a plastic tie wrap around the fork tube. Slide it down to the seal. Now keep track of where the tie wrap ends up. This will tell you how much travel the fork is using under the different maneuvers (the slider will push the tie wrap up the fork tube as the suspension compresses). Good way to check that you are using all of the travel and/or when it might be bottoming.

There is really no way to learn this other than thru experience of riding and making changes and evaluating the changes as to whether they make the suspension "better" or "worse" for what you are looking for. Riding a set of known bumps and conditions over and over makes the comparison much easier.

Eventually you can start to home in on a combination of settings that make the suspension work best for you. If you find you have maxed out any of the various adjustments and still need more then you are in the market for more major changes such as stronger springs, more damping capability, etc.

 

[sprint_st]

A lot of suspension tuning ability comes from experience unfortunately.... Experience is such a wonderful thing...too bad you have to get old to acquire it.
Find a stretch of road, or several different ride routes, that incorporate the things you are interested in. I have a route that includes some rather rough railroad track crossings, heaves and bumps in the normal road surface, right and left curves, etc. Ride thru the route at different speeds to get a feel for what the bike is doing. Then start changing things and experience the result. Dial in a lot more rebound damping, for instance, and try it. Then dial in a lot less and try it. This takes time so getting the "experience" is not for the impatient. As long as you keep track of the suspension settings you are changing you can always return the settings to the original positions so it is not like you can hurt anything. Add and subtract preload on the springs front and rear. Feel for the suspension topping out and bottoming out. Make fairly large adjustments at first to see what the adjustments do. Don't try one click of additional compression damping....try 6 to 10 clicks so there will be a large difference that you can experience.

One thing you can do is to put a plastic tie wrap around the fork tube. Slide it down to the seal. Now keep track of where the tie wrap ends up. This will tell you how much travel the fork is using under the different maneuvers (the slider will push the tie wrap up the fork tube as the suspension compresses). Good way to check that you are using all of the travel and/or when it might be bottoming.

There is really no way to learn this other than thru experience of riding and making changes and evaluating the changes as to whether they make the suspension "better" or "worse" for what you are looking for. Riding a set of known bumps and conditions over and over makes the comparison much easier.

Eventually you can start to home in on a combination of settings that make the suspension work best for you. If you find you have maxed out any of the various adjustments and still need more then you are in the market for more major changes such as stronger springs, more damping capability, etc.

+1, I think this is the best advice on this subject I've seen. My only comment is that it might be best to get someone to work with you in the experimentation stage. It's always easier to set SAG with a friend. IMO the FJR is a street/road bike, not a track bike, so you might get a lot better results for "YOU" doing it this way than having an "expert" do it. Just setting the SAG up for your weight might make a big difference right off the bat.

 

[HIGHLANDER]

I have been seriously considering riding to Aftershocks in San Jose so they can rebuild my Wilbers shock and perhaps teach me some things at the same time.
I think one of they keys to success here is to find someone who is knowledgeable about this shit, and pay them to spend a half day to teach a small class to a bunch of folks. Take the mystery out of it.

If your serious , better make an appointment, they are always busy, but they do know there stuff ! I had my Wilbers rebuilt there. WeejerFeejer had his dialed in there also. Great local reputation. They're in Palo Alto, not far from San Jose 'case you can't locate them.

Also the local forum, the Bay Area Riders Forum, has suspension seminars held by Doc Wong and Gary Jaehne ( suspension gurus )all the time. They are broken up into three different nights, beg, int & advanced classes. You donate what you wish as a class fee and for a few hours they teach suspension. Doc Wong is a great community asset, teaching suspension, first aid, Cpr, accident management classes,etc. all the time. Orangevale rode down for a class not too long ago. If anyone is passing through town it's a cheap education on a Friday night.

 

[feejer222]

A lot of suspension tuning ability comes from experience unfortunately.... Experience is such a wonderful thing...too bad you have to get old to acquire it.
Find a stretch of road, or several different ride routes, that incorporate the things you are interested in. I have a route that includes some rather rough railroad track crossings, heaves and bumps in the normal road surface, right and left curves, etc. Ride thru the route at different speeds to get a feel for what the bike is doing. Then start changing things and experience the result. Dial in a lot more rebound damping, for instance, and try it. Then dial in a lot less and try it. This takes time so getting the "experience" is not for the impatient. As long as you keep track of the suspension settings you are changing you can always return the settings to the original positions so it is not like you can hurt anything. Add and subtract preload on the springs front and rear. Feel for the suspension topping out and bottoming out. Make fairly large adjustments at first to see what the adjustments do. Don't try one click of additional compression damping....try 6 to 10 clicks so there will be a large difference that you can experience.

One thing you can do is to put a plastic tie wrap around the fork tube. Slide it down to the seal. Now keep track of where the tie wrap ends up. This will tell you how much travel the fork is using under the different maneuvers (the slider will push the tie wrap up the fork tube as the suspension compresses). Good way to check that you are using all of the travel and/or when it might be bottoming.

There is really no way to learn this other than thru experience of riding and making changes and evaluating the changes as to whether they make the suspension "better" or "worse" for what you are looking for. Riding a set of known bumps and conditions over and over makes the comparison much easier.

Eventually you can start to home in on a combination of settings that make the suspension work best for you. If you find you have maxed out any of the various adjustments and still need more then you are in the market for more major changes such as stronger springs, more damping capability, etc.

Excellent advice, BUT,

Having raced, and worked on race bikes for some time, I really dont think that changing the suspension setup on an FJR is what you want to be doing. Mine handles great with just me on or with wife & luggage. Solid as a rock and smooth. It holds a line in heavy wind, doesn't drift in corners, nor under-steer. As I dont need to shave a couple of tenths of my lap time I don't feel the need to adjust anything, let alone spend money on suspension replacements.

What will make a difference is tyre pressures. I have noticed moreso on a fully loaded road bike than a race bike.

 

[3dogs]

If you are near where you can take a Total Control Advance Riding Clinic they present an hour's worth of "Suspension 101" as part of the class. This includes demonistrations for both sag measurements and damping adjustment. At the end of the class you can have your bike measured (with you aboard) too. After this short suspension module you'll know more than many dealership technicians about the subject. Here is the link: Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic

 

[SkooterG]

Excellent advice, BUT,
Having raced, and worked on race bikes for some time, I really dont think that changing the suspension setup on an FJR is what you want to be doing. Mine handles great with just me on or with wife & luggage. Solid as a rock and smooth. It holds a line in heavy wind, doesn't drift in corners, nor under-steer. As I dont need to shave a couple of tenths of my lap time I don't feel the need to adjust anything, let alone spend money on suspension replacements.

What will make a difference is tyre pressures. I have noticed moreso on a fully loaded road bike than a race bike.

Huh? Gotta disagree with you there. I haven't raced, or wrenched on bikes for a living, but I can tell you that the Wilbers shock and fork springs I installed worked wonders for the FJR's handling, whether hitting the curves, or riding straight down the road. Changing the FJR's suspension is EXACTLY what you want to be doing. Buying quality suspension components will easily show the limitations of the stock suspenders. But then heck, there is that saying, "Ignorance is bliss".

 

[twowheelnut]

Excellent advice, BUT,
Having raced, and worked on race bikes for some time, I really dont think that changing the suspension setup on an FJR is what you want to be doing. Mine handles great with just me on or with wife & luggage. Solid as a rock and smooth. It holds a line in heavy wind, doesn't drift in corners, nor under-steer. As I dont need to shave a couple of tenths of my lap time I don't feel the need to adjust anything, let alone spend money on suspension replacements.

What will make a difference is tyre pressures. I have noticed moreso on a fully loaded road bike than a race bike.

Huh? Gotta disagree with you there. I haven't raced, or wrenched on bikes for a living, but I can tell you that the Wilbers shock and fork springs I installed worked wonders for the FJR's handling, whether hitting the curves, or riding straight down the road. Changing the FJR's suspension is EXACTLY what you want to be doing. Buying quality suspension components will easily show the limitations of the stock suspenders. But then heck, there is that saying, "Ignorance is bliss".

+1

It's a toss-up for me which was the best upgrade to the bike: Wilbers or Bill Mayer Saddle. Without either, I may have sold this machine a long time ago. With them, well, just try and pry this thing away from me.