FZS 1000 suspension settings for beginners:

[b1k3rdude]

I found the following word doc on my PC, Im guessing I saved it for when I thought I would need it.

1. can someone confirm the settings are accurate/correct..?
2. does the advice in said doc seem right..?

FRONT FORKS

• rider sag – 40mm
• static sag - 39mm (std 25-30mm)
• Preload - 3 rings (std 2) (max 4.5 soft, anti-clockwise) - manual says 5, but on all the FZS1000's I have they only unscrew to 4.5
  
• compression- 8-10 clks  (std 6)(max 21 soft, anti-clockwise)
• rebound - 3-4 clks  (std 7) (max 17 soft, anti-clockwise)

Put cable ties around the fork tubes, (stanchions, shiny top parts) of the forks near to the seals.  Go and have a ride around, experiencing as many different riding conditions that you are likely to meet on your travels.  Bumps, corners, emergency stops, wheelies, stoppies etc.  Your cable tie should stop about 10mm before the suspension bottoms out.  This will give you an extra 10mm of travel for emergencies, such as hitting pot holes etc.

FORK COMPRESSION

set is too soft

• then your bike will nose dive under braking.  This risks bottoming the forks out and you will lose too much grip on the back of the bike.  You will also find that the front feels bouncy.
• your bike will dive quickly and the bike will collapse in to the bend.  You will then have to compensate to lift the bike back up.

set is too hard

• your forks can’t react quickly enough to braking, the weight of  the bike does not pivot forward enough, and as a result the grip on the front tyre is compromised.  You may also get front wheel skipping or chatter during braking or over bumps.  These symptoms will probably show up in the wet, when grip is reduced anyway.
• your bike will not dive enough, your wheelbase is not shortened enough, and the bike will be difficult to tip in to the bends. 

FORK REBOUND

You can get a feel for your rebound settings if you put the bike on the centre stand and bounce the front of the bike down without using the front brake.  The fork should compress down and return to the neutral position in about a second.  If it is sluggish returning to neutral, then you need to soften the rebound.  If it bounces past the neutral position and has a down up down up motion, then it needs to be hardened.

set is too soft

• the forks will not return quick enough after being compressed.  This will create a lack of feel in the front end, and under extreme circumstances, such as bumpy roads.
• Again, the differences in your rebound settings will become apparent in the corners.  Once you have braked in to the corner, your forks will sit back up in the middle of the bend.  If your rebound is too soft, they will sit up too quickly, reducing mid-corner grip on the front wheel.  If you are lucky, the wheel may just skip or skid slightly.  Another affect will be that your wheelbase extends too quickly mid-corner and you will find yourself drifting wide in the corner.

set is too hard

• then your wheel base will stay shorter for longer, and the bike will not stand up when you want it to coming out of the corner.  This will lead to oversteer on the exit.

REAR SHOCK

• Rider sag - 35mm
• Static sag – 5mm
• Preload - 4 clks (std 6) (max-out 11, hard, clockwise)
• rebnd - 8 clks   (std-10) (max-out 20 soft, clockwise)

If your rider sag is less than 35mm, then your preload is too hard.  More than 35mm and it is too soft.  Please note – the above figures refer to the standard progressive springs – 5mm static sag, 35mm rider sag.  My new refurbed suspension will have linear springs.  I would therefore expect the figures to be a bit more even (r25 + s10 or r20 + s15).  If you have a linear shock spring yourself, I would go for rider sag of 35mm, ignoring the individual measurements.Adjust your preload on the shock so that your rider sag is 35mm. 

Once that is done, measure the static sag again.  If it is a lot more than 5mm static sag, then your shock spring is probably on the way out.  If you don’t want to change your spring, I would try the bike out, then adjust the rider sag to 35mm and try it again.  See which works best for you.  If your static sag is a lot less than 5mm, then your springs may well be too hard for you.

REAR COMPRESSION

I find setting up the rear compression more so to do with comfort than handling.  However, as with any aspect of the suspension, it does have effects on the handling.

set is too hard

• the bike will feel uncomfortable and will bounce off the bumps
• the bike will not squat enough, and you will lose rear traction on the exit of the corner.  This will cause rear wheel spin and highsides in extreme circumstances.

set is too soft

• the bike will squat excessively during acceleration.  Your front end will get too light too quickly and may drift to the side on acceleration. 
• During acceleration, you want a bit of squatting at the back to shift the weight on to the rear wheel and increase grip.  However, if it squats too much, you will have problems accelerating out of corners.
• when you accelerate out of a bend, this will cause the rear to squat, you will lose grip on the front and your bike will drift wide on the exit of the corner

REAR REBOUNDset is too soft

• If you are in the middle of those long, sweeping bends, you tip the bike in and you find the bike a bit unsettled mid-corner, wallowing like you are on a pedalo, then you will likely need to increase the rear rebound.  Don’t fall in to the trap of increasing rear preload due to this wallowing, as you will then lose suspension travel.

set is too hard

• your shock will stay compressed for longer mid-corner, your front end will become lighter and you may find yourself drifting wide again. 

Setting up your front suspension first will ensure you get a nice entry in to the corner and your bike is set up for that mid-corner sweep.  You can then adjust the rear of the bike to get your exit nice and smooth.

[JoeRock]

Advice seems fine. "Click" settings likely to be nowere near the mark unless you've had your supension serviced - at 10+ years old the fork oil will be like water by now with little to no damping properties and the shock (already a weak point) will be in the same boat!