FZ1 suspension set up.

[noggythenog]

May I ask some basic questions about the FZ front fork adjusters please.


Just dropped my yokes down the forks by 10mm to improve turn in...I only did 15 miles to work so not enough time to say what difference dropping the forks has made but it definitely worked on the 600....you cant get a cheaper mod than a free mod


My main plan now is to sort out the suspension to suit me and I've been doing some basic reading up about it....basically it is a bit too hard for me at the moment...maybe set up more for the track and I've made a few observations........the bike does appear to want to run wide and vague on the front & it is a bit too crashy over even the smallest of bumps front and rear........


I think the preload seems ok for me but I probably need a little less compression up front & a little More rebound.......this would also explain why I don't feel as confident on the brakes with the mighty thou as i'm not getting enough travel under braking so getting less force onto the front tyre....im still having fun on the bike...don't think it is a million miles out but I wanna get it just right.


I'll have a fiddle and see if I can sort out the front end and then move to the Nitron rear.


First Question I suppose is.......can you adjust Compression & Rebound on the FZ1 forks.....mines a 2008....any hints on which way is which ie more or less......I can see what looks like the usual rings which im guessing are still preload....then theres the inner part which looks like it is adjustable..mine is wound almost all the way in...what does that mean then???......so is this just 2 way adjustable...preload and either Compression or Rebound???

[witchfinder]

First off you need to set the sag theres little point doing anything unless this has been done ,then set the comp and rebound back to factory settings ,then set the forks in the yokes back to stock theres nothing at all wrong with the way the fz1 turns in  then do some reading and get a decent understanding of what the comp and rebound does theres loads on the net about it and finally once you have inwardly digested it all go out riding and take your time to notice what she is doing and set accordingly ,its all quiet simple but can be time consuming but well worth the time taken  This is the article I point clients to when asked about setup
 http://www.gostar-racing.com/club/motorcycle_suspension_set-up.htm

[noggythenog]

That's the website I was already looking at witchfinder...very interesting...& im pretty happy with the sag although yes ill be honest I haven't been out there with measuring tapes yet but until I do that then I just wanna have a little play within reason.


What about the front fork adjustors......what is the little one in the middle that is fully wound in on my bike please?

[slimwilly]

Noggy have you got an owners manual?

[noggythenog]

Noggy have you got an owners manual?

Nope...nothing mate....im sure If I do enough googling ill find it but this being the fazer club n'all that I thought Id ask here....plus some other foccers can always benefit from finding out too.

come on slim....enough o the suspense....I cant take it.....whats that twiddly thing do on the middle.....Compression???

[slimwilly]

I have a manual right here, i will scan it and have it on here in a while


the small middle srews are = left leg =compression force adjusting screw and right leg has a rebound force adjusting screw

Details top veiw

top veiw

[noggythenog]

I have a manual right here, i will scan it and have it on here in a while


the small middle srews are = left leg =compression force adjusting screw and right leg has a rebound force adjusting screw

      google it is then

[DekF]

Hi bud
Forks: The compression is a little harsh & the rebound a little soft as stock.
I put lighter oil in the compression fork & heavier oil in the rebound fork.
Till then try 4 compression & 12 rebound :-)
Trial & error for your aftermarket shock but sounds like more compression is required ( assuming you've set sag correctly ) I found 30mm was good on the gen2

edit: after reading a comment above got to say raising the forks makes a significant improvement on turn in. Fact!

[slimwilly]

Details fork adjustment 1

fork adjustment 1

Details fork adjustment 2

fork adjustment 2

[noggythenog]

Hi bud
Forks: The compression is a little harsh & the rebound a little soft as stock.
I put lighter oil in the compression fork & heavier oil in the rebound fork.
Till then try 4 compression & 12 rebound :-)
Trial & error for your aftermarket shock but sounds like more compression is required ( assuming you've set sag correctly ) I found 30mm was good on the gen2

Cheers Dek ill Give that a try & I see slim has posted up a useful pic now too.....Chris said he had it set up for him previously but we are all different and I just think it is too crashy over even the finest of bumps, even bumps I cant even see... & I don't get that nice controlled move onto the forks under braking..hardly any movement...yes you can live to get used to any set up I suppose & even learn to account for it's particular qualities & ride around them but im keen to play about.


Slim...no stealing my settings now.......no point on a blue bike

[noggythenog]

the small middle srews are = left leg =compression force adjusting screw and right leg has a rebound force adjusting screw

I must apologise.....I really did think you were taking the piss by saying one on 1 fork, and 1 on the other...sorry.....im like yeh slim aint getting me with this one....& then what do I see...the manual and you're telling the truth for once...how strange I just imagined all settings would be mirrored on both forks but I suppose they're linked together so they don't need it.....still makes me think whether 1 fork with the adjustment performs slightly differently on a microscopic level....do I really care that much...no...but still a little strange.

[slimwilly]

Live and learn,,,


i do tell the truth sometimes


you will now understand a bit about the setup of the forks,,quite usefull

[witchfinder]

Hi bud
Forks: The compression is a little harsh & the rebound a little soft as stock.
I put lighter oil in the compression fork & heavier oil in the rebound fork.
Till then try 4 compression & 12 rebound :-)
Trial & error for your aftermarket shock but sounds like more compression is required ( assuming you've set sag correctly ) I found 30mm was good on the gen2

edit: after reading a comment above got to say raising the forks makes a significant improvement on turn in. Fact!

Tbh I really dont have a problem with turn in ,in fact it seems a little too quick if anything but that said I am used to an xjr1300 and you had to plan the corner 3 days before you got to it lol

[slimwilly]

Hi bud
Forks: The compression is a little harsh & the rebound a little soft as stock.
I put lighter oil in the compression fork & heavier oil in the rebound fork.
Till then try 4 compression & 12 rebound :-)
Trial & error for your aftermarket shock but sounds like more compression is required ( assuming you've set sag correctly ) I found 30mm was good on the gen2

edit: after reading a comment above got to say raising the forks makes a significant improvement on turn in. Fact!

Dekf , you saying front sag is good at 30mm? i guess we need a starting point, i will check mine.

[noggythenog]

Ref the turn in...that's just how I've learned to ride really & each to their own & I know a little low tech but on the old 600 I jacked up loads on the rear and then I dropped the yokes on the front...already a light bike with skinny tyres and it handles on a knife edge but I like it that way and don't much care for straight line stability....it just gives me more confidence so if I can get a little bit of that into the thou then lovely jubbly.

[DekF]

The 4 turns out on the compression is with the lighter oil not the stock oil, should have said 8 turns out. Vodka blue pays havoc with the thought processes :-)
Willy, I preferred 30mm rear preload & 35mm front preload but yes certainly as a starting point they should get you close.
Even with the electronic suspension on my s1r the preload still has to be set manually, having said that I've tried the recommended settings & I prefer it with more travel so you will need to experiment to find the optimum settings for you.

[sadlonelygit]

rather than drop the forks, why don't you ease off the preload first!
as for your damping, set it to factory and go up/down 2 at a time to see what's better.
spent most of my spare time yesterday soting out the back end of a gixxer for a novice...........he ended up keeping up with his mate, so was well happy

[noggythenog]

Off out for a bit of a fiddle and trial in a mo.




Will let yous know how i get on.

[noggythenog]

Had fun setting it up today......every adjustment i then went a 7 mile loop over some local twisties....same route each time........interesting points as follows:-




- 1 click really does make a difference.


- adjusting the front end makes the back end also feel as if it has been adjusted.


-it wasnt all about the corners.....i could feel adjustments straight away.....feeling through the handlebars & general comfort were instant indicators whether an adjustment had worked before i even got to a corner.


-front end is now nice & sweet....im chuffed.


-the Nitron rear was fully wound out on compression....very surprising as the arse end is real stiff.....for good measure i made it a bit stiffer just incase the arrows were wrong way round.....stiffer actually made the bike handle like shit on the corners......went back to original setting of fully wound out.


- if the rear compression is as soft as i can get it then the shock must be set up hard as per previous customers spec.


- all that is left to adjust on the rear is rebound.......i reckon 2 clicks less rebound as maybe the stiffness is too much rebound and giving that bumpy feeling...worth a fiddle.




-i couldnt adjust rear rebound as i was burning my fingers on the exhaust & the twis mechanism was stiff.....TBC




Here's my sheet of simple recordings.

[noggythenog]

Proper result today.


Went for a decent run out.....all my tweeks done yesterday & the bike was washing out on the corners.




Came home, checked the online explanation.....sounded like the rebound needed adjusting...went 2 click stiffer on rebound on the front end........& woola




Bike is now handling like a dream...a sportsbike...a real performer......& just as nimble now as the old 600 i reckon........i could tell i had hit the sweet spot as i had that urge to just keep riding anywhere i could & i enjoyed every second.




Top notch result

[nickodemon]

What you did was exactly how suspension should be set up. Same bit of road, small change then try again. Lot's of people adjust too much and then try, so it doesn't work and then get lost what was done before. Well done you !

[noggythenog]

What you did was exactly how suspension should be set up. Same bit of road, small change then try again. Lot's of people adjust too much and then try, so it doesn't work and then get lost what was done before. Well done you !

Cheers nick.....ive used almost 2 tanks o fuel to get it right but it was worth it....it really is a different bike now & just in time for a trip up north.....the old dear trimming her hedges a few mile out on the route didn't seem too happy for me though, i was giving her a wave on my last runs .






This is the first bike ive had with more than preload adjustments....if i can do it then anyone can so i highly recommend it as a little time soent adjusting will make every ride thereafter much better.

[slimwilly]

Nice one Noggy

[nickodemon]

Heading up north? Whereabouts are you going? Engerland or Scotland? If It's Scotland i can give you some astounding roads

[woodwizzard]

I'm in the process of sorting mine out. The front was sent off and set up by maxton for a previous owner, it is so firm that it jolts and skips at the front. Nice on a track maybe, but not for the roads around here. I put them back to factory settings but it was still too firm. Backed off the preload and comp a little more and they are starting to feel more like compliant road forks now.
 
The rear in contrast was very soft, preload was on the softest setting, so I have put all 3 adjustments back to stock and then had a little tinker from there. Have about 35mm of rider sag and I would describe it now as firmly plush.
 
Like noggy, never had a bike so adjustable before and was a little apprehensive of altering, but I think as suspension systems have improved, the humble everyday rider can notice the differance when adjustments are made.