Supreme bike set up suggestions required please.

Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - Printable Version

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Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - noggythenog - 28-02-13

I would like to try a different suspension & tyre set up this year & am interested to hear your thoughts.Last year i jacked the bike up, went with the stiffest setting on the rear shock & had 2 lines showing on the front shocks, the bike felt precise,turned in quickly but was a little bit jumpy & i was bounced off the seat a few times.I am aiming for a bit of speed & fun, not particularly doing any slow speed touring.Im circa 15 stone.

I got thinking about the way i corner in the car & i tend to hold wide on the corners, wait until the suspension has gone all the way over before powering out or around the corner & i quite like that bit of sponginess the suspension gives me rather than being stiff as a board on solid suspension, ive no doubt the stiff suspension is in reality better for cornering but the comfort of the soft suspension makes me feel more comfortable and thus more relaxed and feeling in control so maybe i am quicker on that type of set up.

back to bikes then, anyone got any suggestions for softening things up whilst still being able to do some spirited riding???

i was running 36psi front and 42psi rear i believe after reading the article on here somewhere about this universal tyre pressure for all bike tyres being just that but perhaps that's part of the problem.

open to suggestions,anyone of similar weight & their set ups please, apologies if it's a bit de-ja-vu.thanks 8)

Re: Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - darrsi - 28-02-13

Tyre pressure is correct, don't alter it!

Re: Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - packie - 28-02-13

(28-02-13, 12:14 AM)noggythenog link Wrote: I would like to try a different suspension & tyre set up this year & am interested to hear your thoughts.

Re: Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - Ruby Racing - 28-02-13

(28-02-13, 12:59 AM)packie link Wrote: [quote author=noggythenog link=topic=6510.msg60678#msg60678 date=1362006885]
I would like to try a different suspension & tyre set up this year & am interested to hear your thoughts.

New Set Up .....as in different settings on your current suspension???

If you want a top notch set up you need to invest in a new suspension altogether. Thats might cost you £350-£500 for a seriously real good suspension. What year is your bike? If its pre-02 then you might need to convert to adjusters on the forks to be able to adjust the preload there and you will at least need a set of Hagon progressive springs or a better set up than that which will set you back another £80 plus.

You have to remember that your bike is a budget bike with budget suspension and will have its limitations.
[/quote]

Agreed.

A common misconception is that you make everything as hard as possible to get sporty handling. In actuality you try to get the suspension as soft you can for the pace you're riding at. You need the compliance to keep the bike stable. The only real way to improve things on what is essentially a budget bike is to throw money at improved, fully adjustable suspension front and rear. Or buy a more sporty bike!

Re: Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - noggythenog - 28-02-13

Thanks chaps,tyre pressures staying put then, i know people differ on this one.

was just checking whether my theory of sometimes softer is better & it seems it can be.

the bike is an 01 plate so ive got the fork adjustors & i will eventually throw money at the suspension but if anyone has a particular setting that they've already tried and tested with the stock kit it will save me the methodical fine tuning. i was thinking i've had front & back on stiffest so i'll maybe try half way on each & see how that feels & take it from there.

the bike has only done 11k miles so although im sure some new kit will be beneficial the suspension can't be completely shot yet.

Re: Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - wezdavo - 28-02-13

What are the sag measurements??..

When you alter preload you are not making anything harder or softer you are just changing the way the bike sits ON its suspension..

When you wind in front preload, you are not compressing the spring, you are pushing the the front end up..

This is setting sag...

Re: Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - packie - 28-02-13

(28-02-13, 04:38 AM)noggythenog link Wrote: Thanks chaps,tyre pressures staying put then, i know people differ on this one.

was just checking whether my theory of sometimes softer is better & it seems it can be.

the bike is an 01 plate so ive got the fork adjustors & i will eventually throw money at the suspension but if anyone has a particular setting that they've already tried and tested with the stock kit it will save me the methodical fine tuning. i was thinking i've had front & back on stiffest so i'll maybe try half way on each & see how that feels & take it from there.

the bike has only done 11k miles so although im sure some new kit will be beneficial the suspension can't be completely shot yet.

I thnk you are correct in having a midway starting point and work from there. It is hard to get an ideal set-up from anybody here with all the variables involved. For instance take me....I'm 16st and you are 15st.. I use different handle bars which are lower to standard, which means more weight on the front. The roads I drive (Ireland) are different to yours and may even vary between places in your own country. My speeds styles, while could be close to yours...still might vary. My tyres could have same tyre pressure, but might be a different brand with different characteristics ect ect. The only real way of going about it, is to do what you are doing now. Start at a mild set up and work your way up and reach the best point. But as noted, you could be riding beyond the limits of the budget suspension.

Re: Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - Dead Eye - 28-02-13

The only thing I kinda of know about suspension so that you want the bike to be working in the middle of the spring under a typical gentle roll on of power - at that's what I took away from Twist of the Wrist II :|

I'm about 15st now and typically have the rear on 2 or 3 down from the stiffest setting. But again, packie makes some very very good points above.

Re: Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - noggythenog - 28-02-13

Cool,i've got to be honest that twist of the wrist is mostly responsible for me asking,it kinda confirmed a few things,i'll do a bit of trial & error & see how i get on,i'll have a look at how much the suspension is compressed at stand still & take it from there.

Re: Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - Lumpy - 01-03-13

(28-02-13, 12:47 AM)darrsi link Wrote: Tyre pressure is correct, don't alter it!

why not? A few pounds here and there can make all the difference, especially on track. These are guidelines for the uninitiated not Gospel.

Re: Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - JoeRock - 01-03-13

(28-02-13, 03:09 PM)noggythenog link Wrote: Cool,i've got to be honest that twist of the wrist is mostly responsible for me asking,it kinda confirmed a few things,i'll do a bit of trial & error & see how i get on,i'll have a look at how much the suspension is compressed at stand still & take it from there.

As wezdavo said, the settings on your bike are just preload. Get your sag set properly and that's as far as you can go, sag is a fixed measurement and once it's set up, you can just leave it unless you take pillions. As also said, the suspension on this is very budget, to get what you're after is pretty much impossible on the stock stuff, on the front you need a set of springs matched to your weight, and then an oil a, air gap and damping settings set to your riding style and the road surfaces you do. That should set you back about 120 ish for the springs and oil, and then once your preload is set you can just leave it. Similar story for the back really, the suspension needs to be replaced with a decent aftermarket shock for you to be able to adjust it how you want, which will also hav the right spring on it for your weight so you can set the sag properly. The rear end is more expensive though with the cheapest being about 300, but youll be amazed at the difference
J

Re: Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - JoeRock - 01-03-13

(01-03-13, 03:14 PM)Lumpy link Wrote: [quote author=darrsi link=topic=6510.msg60680#msg60680 date=1362008833]
Tyre pressure is correct, don't alter it!

why not? A few pounds here and there can make all the difference, especially on track. These are guidelines for the uninitiated not Gospel.
[/quote]
Personally, I'd probably be leaving them as they are, the rest recommend for the road and although softening the tyres would make the ride softer, at 15 stone I'd not be wanting to drop them. Also, without trying to cause offence to the original poster, he's clearly not a suspension guru, as most people aren't, and it's just adding another thing into the equation. Decent set of linear springs (you don't want progressive if you're only doing sporty riding) and a good shock and he'll be sorted Smile

Re: Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - noggythenog - 01-03-13

Yep i didnt know that about the adjustments,i thought it was adjusting stiffness, so this sag then is just about what kinda level the bike sits on is it????

Im guessing i'd prefer the front end down & the rear up rather than being totally level in which case ill wind out the pre load a bit & have some more lines showing.

Hope im getting there. :\

I dont take much convincing to buy some new uprated stuff & i will do it after this summer is spent figuring out exactly what i want/need.

A bit of googling about pre-load clearly wont do me any harm either.

Thanks allot Smile

Re: Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - Lumpy - 01-03-13

jacking the rear up with a kit could be useful then as you don't want to mess the preload up just to have that effect.

Re: Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - noggythenog - 01-03-13

(01-03-13, 04:18 PM)Lumpy link Wrote: jacking the rear up with a kit could be useful then as you don't want to mess the preload up just to have that effect.

Thanks lumpy, it's already jacked up which for whatever reason just felt miles better as soon as i did it so i'll adjust the rear shock back to mid way'ish,wind out some pre load on front & see if that makes a difference.new tyres'll be going on soon which should make a big difference.lovely jubbly 8)

Re: Supreme bike set up suggestions required please. - Lumpy - 01-03-13

1/2 inch with an inch max for preload. I would try some 2,5 grade heavier oil too