Sorry to drag the talk away from politics and whether or not Scottish people should go back where they came from but I'd like some advice on suspension settings. I read this guide... Motorcycle Suspension Setup - Performance Motorcycle Parts - and today I attempted to make some adjustments to my settings. Pre-load only today. All settings were on the standard, manufacturer set values when I got it. I reconfirmed today for every adjustment, and I remember the adjustment made by MADASL last week. Thaat guide says that a rider sag of 30mm is recommended. Last week Mark and I had a quick measure and set the bike 2 clicks up from standard on the rear pre-load. This gave me rider sag of 10mm on front and rear and put the rear pre-load on 7 of 8 clicks. The bike was rock solid and I felt every bump through the arse. Today I set the rear-preload to 4 of 8 clicks, one less than the manufacturers recommended settings which gave me a rider sag on the rear of 30mm. I also softened up the front pre-load by 2 quantities, putting it on 7 lines rather than 5 showing through the fork tops. Previously the ride was extremely hard, but I feel like at that setting I got a lot more information from the bike underneath me. I guess that is what people call feedback. With todays settings the bike was a lot more comfortable, with a little more dive on the brakes but not excessive and a lot more to soak up the bumps. It also felt a lot more 'wooly' almost like there was some information missing from how the bike was sticking to the road etc; like it could have been going any where and the only way I would have known would have been by the angle of the bike rather than anything I could feel coming back at me. Not that I had any bother though, I'm just talking about how it felt. So what should I be aiming for? Do I want a rock hard ride that gives me loads of information on what is going on beneath me but has me out the seat on big bumps, or do I want a slightly wooly feeling but a much more comfortable ride? Do I want rider sag values of 10mm front and rear or do I want 30mm front and rear? Can I have different settings on the front to stop so much dive on the brakes, but keep it softer at the rear to tackle the bumps? Do I then adjust rebound damping to keep the bike coming up at equal speeds after compressing. Complicated stuff this.
Sag sets the neutral position of the suspension within the available range of travel to minimise the risk of bottoming out or topping out. It does not affect the hardness of the suspension. Damping settings are set after the sag has been set.
'Optimum' settings are entirely dependent upon what you want to do with the bike and on what kind of roads / track you ride. Feeling every bump through the arse is not the objective, the suspension should be absorbing bumps to keep the tyres in contact with the road.
Sorry.........not with this...........Since when does preload get set with 'clicks'? Or is Ducati suspension completely different on the newer models?
Preload is increasing load on the spring pingping, this is done with the ring nuts on the rear and 17/19mm nuts on front Setting up your Bike part 2: spring preload | Öhlins DTC
It's a yamaha, you all know that! There are 8 positions on the rear spring preload adjuster on my R1, it clicks when you move it to the next one. Forget the branding or the method, but talk to me about general suspension causes if you know what is happening. Can I regain that 'feedback' feeling through adjusting something else to find it? And still unanswered, will different amounts of pre-load front and rear cause problems? Do dampening values need to be adjusted to keep the bike compressing and returning 'flat', I.e. At the same rate front and rear? Edit: that last bit is still confusing. The bike wants to return to the neutral position in a flat manner? So if the rear had further to travel than the front it must do so a little faster to 'arrive' at neutral position at the same time as the front? This would be the rebound damping setting? And to compress 'flat' would also be controlled by the compression dampening? Am I right in saying that the optimum set up for general use is a bike set to the correct rider sag and then adjusted to rise and fall 'flat' depending on the hardness of the suspension wanted by the rider? I'm not going to be dragging my knee round Thruxton and checking my tyre wear for tips at this point, I just want a bike that won't chuck me off through bad settings.
As Bradders says "Sag plus factory settings is the place to start". Have you thought about a suspension set up from an expert who would take your weight and objectives into account ? Suspension settings, like many engineering solutions, are a compromise. The Multistrada has programable suspension settings with multiple modes for a variety of different situations. If your requirement is just a bike that won't chuck you off due to bad settings then go with Bradders advice.
anyhoo, only 100days to go. i am genuinely interested in this thread the 848 deffo needs a set up. pissed about with the fugly and just got lucky. handels v.well
2007 on an 08 plate, they're the same model over those 2 years with different paint schemes. I followed the workshop manual to check the settings so I know I'm twiddling the right bits
So this evening before I rode out I increased front pre-load by 1 value. Didn't feel much different if I'm honest. However... on attempting to hustle the bike around some roundabouts, I drifted wide every time. A suspension problem? I was pretty far leaned over, only 5mm chicken strips remain on the right after tonights ride so I was about as far as I can get. And still drifting wide. Smoothly applying throttle through the turn as per 'twist of the wrist' advice. What should I try to fix this?
Try taking it to someone that knows what they're doing. It'll be the best £60 you've ever spent. Excepting hookers and coke that is
Very complicated and easy to get lost. Follow Bradders starting advice and change things slowly. Concentrate on one area at a time and try not to change too many things at once. There is no wrong or right it what gives you the best feeling. Some track lads like to feel every bump and set the bike quite stiff to avoid drive and wallowing out of corners. Some like a bit rear dip as it helps them feel the amount of power going on. What ever gives you the most confidence without the bike working you too hard is probably the best.
Did that already. Adjustment to front pre-load done today to see if feel came back. The bike has had the sag set, and confirmed settings as recommended. Nothing else had been changed apart from pre-load values.
