suspension set up.

[dcm1000]

Has anyone found any good suspension setting as I want to sort mine out, soft in nice but it bottoms out a few times a week.
I'm 16 stone and 6'4" if this helps.

[Slaninar]

Generaly, when bike is loaded with rider on it (the amount of weight you normaly carry, if you often carry weight), suspension should drop around 1/3 of it's travel. E.g: if rear end has 13 cm travel, it should go down about 4 cm when you sit on it (4 cm compared to bike on center stand - if you compare it to travel while bike is  both wheels on the ground, that will be between 2 and 3 cm).


THis article looks OK:
http://www.gostar-racing.com/information/motorcycle_suspension_set-up.htm
(part about rear end squating when on the gas is complete nonsense, but the rest of it seems OK).

Shorter one:
http://www.sportrider.com/tech/146_0308_set_your_static_sag/index.html

[Falcon 269]

I'm 16 stone and 6'4" if this helps.

It does, but not your suspension.

The rear shock on the Gen 1 is woefully undersprung and riders above 14st in kit will need max preload to achieve the 30 - 35% sag target.  The shock oil and gas also get tired after 10k miles and above.  Both factors would explain the bottoming out you're getting.

For now, set max preload on the shock and compression damping to maybe 1 - 2 clicks out from max.  Set rebound damping to 4 clicks out then send Devilsyam a PM to ask about R6 shock availability.

Up front, I'd offer 2 rings preload showing with compression damping at 10 clicks out from max and rebound at 3 clicks out.  Try those initially and adjust to taste.

[mcyoungy]

Do yourself a huge favour and do the R6 thing; it's excellent value for money. It will make a huge difference to your bike, as would any premium shock or overhauled properly sprung OE shock but at a fraction of the price.

[dcm1000]

Many thanks for this. I'll adjust it then see how we go. Using the same 24 miles route for work will give me a chance to feel the differance. 7 years down the same roads means I know every bump and camber.

[know your limitations]

For now, set max preload on the shock and compression damping to maybe 1 - 2 clicks out from max.  Set rebound damping to 4 clicks out then send Devilsyam a PM to ask about R6 shock availability.

Up front, I'd offer 2 rings preload showing with compression damping at 10 clicks out from max and rebound at 3 clicks out.  Try those initially and adjust to taste.

I'm almost the identical weight to you and while my settings are SLIGHTLY different, these from Mike will get you well on your way.
Mine's got 30k on the clock and the original rear shock is still doing me nicely.
In the future, an upgrade would be nice when finances allow but for now, if it feels right, it probably is right.

[dekker555]

Whilst I am only 11 stone fully kitted, I had my 10,000 m gen 1 re- sprung, re- gassed and re- oiled by MCT suspension in Suffolk, and even I, at 80 yrs old, have to say it was a big improvement. With no disrespect to those using R6 conversions, what is so "special" about them do they incorporate an Ohlins or some similar damper?

[mcyoungy]

no they have a stiffer spring than stock and a better quality damper. damping adjustments that actually work with high and low speed comp.

[dcm1000]

I've set up the front as follows-,
 
15 clicks at the top and 15 at the bottom of the forks. There are 3 lines showing at the top.  The rear is now 8 clicks, nothing else changed. Seems OK, I'll use it tomorrow for work and I'll see how it all goes.

I don't know any technical words so I will leave it like that.

I'll up date tomorrow evening.

The bike had been set up and each one was set at 5 clicks from soft.

[mcyoungy]

clickers are normally counted from hard, or fully in. counting clicks in from fully soft will make life very confusing.

[ghostbiker]

the R6 conversion basicly is a better std shock damping and spring rate.
add to that that most if not all of the R6 shocks with kit you can get from devilsyam are basicly run in millage only. so your getting a pretty much new shock, thats better as std. for the price of a service to your old shock that has slightly less than perfect damping to begin with.

for the price its the best option by far.
other options are around and i personaly went with a top Nitron shock. with Ktec front end. but if the R6 conversion had been around back then i would most likely have saved a good few hundred quid and tried a R6 conversion and used the saved cash to go R1 forks :P

[Falcon 269]

... counting clicks in from fully soft will make life very confusing.

Impossible is perhaps more descriptive.  Why?  Because there are way more clicks available than actually make a difference to the damping.  Once the damping needle is sufficiently clear of the orifice it controls, you can wind it further and further out without changing anything. 

By always adjusting damping as turns out from max, you can be certain of starting from the same baseline every time you make a change.

[dcm1000]

I've set it in the middle of the clicks so I can work back words to the hardest setting.
I have tools with me so I can do my 24 miles to work and adjust when I arrive, I'd required I'll adjust 2 clicks at a time. If all else fails I'll set it as it was and start again.

No wind or rain, first time in weeks....

[Falcon 269]

Hmm, not sure that's the most efficient way to do this.  All the suspension specialists will tell you to always do your adjustments as turns/clicks out from max (ie, the adjuster needle seated in the orifice).

To paraphrase what I wrote earlier, the Gen 1 fork rebound adjusters have somewhere in the region of 50 clicks available but in practice, only the first 20 or so from max make any difference to the damping.

So, if you start at say, 25 clicks out and work in at 2 clicks at a time, you'll have done nothing for the first two adjustment sessions and only just started to increase the damping by a smidgen by the time you've made your third pass with the screwdriver.

Also be aware that the adjuster needles aren't shaped to give fine levels of adjustment on the Fazer (and many othe bikes).  As I've often said, they give you 'off, on and somewhere in the middle'.  You could drive yourself nuts trying to feel the difference between a couple of clicks either way. 

The settings I gave a few posts ago are based on many years of Gen 1 owner experience and feedback. 

[mcyoungy]

it'll handle like a jelly. best to start from the stock settings if you're going to experiment that much or someone else's recommendations like those up there ^^^^^^

[dcm1000]

I've set it in the middle of the clicks so I can work back words to the hardest setting.
I have tools with me so I can do my 24 miles to work and adjust when I arrive, I'd required I'll adjust 2 clicks at a time. If all else fails I'll set it as it was and start again.

No wind or rain, first time in weeks....

Got to work and the ride was really good, no diving or bouncing around. It seemed like there were more grip then before and generally more confidence in the corners. 

Happy so far. 

[bigbluebear]

Also try a jack up kit, I am 6'3 and 16 stone and it works for me with the suspension one click from the max

[ghostbiker]

I have a nitron rear shock, Affter a "friend" borrowed the bike for a couple weeks late last year he decided to alter all the settings. since then i have never managed to get them right again.
Well spent a couple of hours today with my daughter setting up the rear sag, turns out not only had he altered all 3 rebound/damping settings he had also altered the sag. prob why i could never find a setting that was right again.

It was 7 lines to soft giving me 67mm sag rather than 30mm lol
altered it now to a perfect 30 mm sag again (glad he didnt touch the forks)
now have no base settings at all for the compresion or rebound so gunna be a long couple days trying to find them again now.
I hate setting it up as i can never honestly tell if its getting better or worse untill i hit the sweetspot and it works.

will take it for a spin affter i have cooled off SOOO hot.... great aint it

[locksmith]

Ghosty, a pen and paper will help my friend. Write it down and date it.

I must confess here, I asked about adjustments in another thread. I started looking at the bike and adjusted the sag a bit. I then wondered which way to turn the adjusting screws so went indoors and dug out the owners manual. Bugger me a slip of paper fell out with all the settings I made 2 years ago

[ghostbiker]

30mm rider sag is to harsh, will open it up a bit to 35 maybe even 40. but 30 was a damn sight better than the 67mm it was set at :P 

I used to have it set up perfectly then i had the spring changed as i had lost weight and got it okish but never had it in the sweet spot again. then when i lent it out everything just went to pot.
I have writen down the settings from before i had it serviced and resprung but those just dont come even close now.
but on the road to a good setting again now so am writing down each change.

[FZ_Rich]

Facinating thread guys, will help me  lot one day but, er, you know if you've got a stock shock just come back from being refurbished by a suspension specialist...should you be able to feel any difference between fully in on the compression damping and fully out? because, and you knew this was coming didn't you, mine makes no discernable difference whatsoever  it looks cleaner though so it's not all bad I spose

Gonna give em a ring in morning to see what they have to say for themselves.

[ghostbiker]

Who did the service?

[know your limitations]

should you be able to feel any difference between fully in on the compression damping and fully out?

I have a stock shock.
The difference in feel between softest and hardest damping can go from space hopper on a trampoline to getting booted up the ar5e if you so much as look at a pothole. So yes, I'd say something is amiss with yours.
Look forward to hearing what they have to say! Good luck

[FZ_Rich]

K Tech did the work, they were recomended to me by Webbs at Lincoln (local Yamaha dealer).  Pissed off cos I gotta take it all to bits again - just what I wanted in weather like this with a week off work. 

I've only recently started to adjust rear suspension since taking my missus on the back so I just didn't know how fine or course the adjustments were - it always felt ok to ride so I just left it alone until then.

Thanks Know your limitations, for confirming what I thought should be happening