Suspension Info

[Seanus]

Click HERE
To download Chees' article summarising what he learnt at the Suspension School.

Thanks Chees! ;D

[Seanus]

Sport Rider's recommended settings for the Firestorm.




(what exactly do they mean by "one turn"?

[falommc]

Seanus said:

Sport Rider's recommended settings for the Firestorm.




(what exactly do they mean by "one turn"?

I would say they refer to one full turn Sean. 360 degrees


Stew

[falommc]

Recommended for who though? I am only 70kg but I know of riders that have 20+ on top of that. Also depends on how you ride. Aggreseive riding generally needs a stiffer set up. So if you weigh 90 odd kg but ride like an Across rider how will this effect the settings. Maybe we should just do that suspension day we have all been talking about ;D


Stew

[Seanus]

Falommc said:

... Maybe we should just do that suspension day we have all been talking about ;D

Stew

Well I was kinda hoping that this post would lead there

However as a starting point some might find it interesting to see.
Certainly quite different to how my storm came to me off the showroom
floor.

[yellowvtwin]

Seanus said:

Sport Rider's recommended settings for the Firestorm.

Im 95kg's and i run
front preload 0 lines showing, F/rebound 1.3 turns out, r/preload number 2, R/rebound almost 1 turn out and i have dropped the forks 15mm down from the lock ring

This works for me I have been known to push a little harder than a across rider ;D ;D ;D I would love to get it professionally set up but I havent got the $$$$$$

[vtrbob]

Hmm i agree , ive got 1 and a bit lines ( real ) technical huh

one turn out on the dampening

No 3 on the rear preload and 1/2 turn out on the dampening
on the rear !!

And its so stopped all that dipping and lurching through the corners,
I found the back settings like that are friendly for me both by myself or two up !

[glossyblack]

Hi all,

I've recently had my rear shock rebuilt. This consisted of re-valving and a new spring.

I've set the suspension before, but this time I'm experiencing trouble determining the actual travel of the rear shock.

So does anyone know the actual travel of the shock absorber?

[Sharpest1]

What about my 120kg's?

[chees]

i'm 93kg
front preload 2 lines show
front rebound 1 turn out
rear preload number 5 (up from bottom)
rear rebound 3/4 turn out

i've been told that i may need a harder spring, but i have no problem riding the bike, and have experimented with other settings and this is best for me. depends also on weight of fork oil etc

[vtrraider]

chees said:

i'm 93kg
front preload 2 lines show
front rebound 1 turn out
rear preload number 5 (up from bottom)
rear rebound 3/4 turn out

i've been told that i may need a harder spring, but i have no problem riding the bike, and have experimented with other settings and this is best for me. depends also on weight of fork oil etc

Hey chees, spring for the front or rear? The guys at racetech told me that the standard for spring on the VTR is quite good, even in racing applications, they only need a re-valve & slightly heaver grade oil..I'm 113kgs (I know i'm a fat arse), but i'd love a replacement rear shock & spring!

Anyone got any suggestions or experience here!

[chees]

Monomaster said:

Hey chees, spring for the front or rear? The guys at racetech told me that the standard for spring on the VTR is quite good, even in racing applications, they only need a re-valve & slightly heaver grade oil..I'm 113kgs (I know i'm a fat arse), but i'd love a replacement rear shock & spring!

Anyone got any suggestions or experience here!

springs for the rear, i've got racetech valves at the front.
but i think revalve would be plenty.... i'm happy with the way it is at the moment though

[vtr996]

I blew a fork seal last weekend,so yesterday afternoon I pulled the front end out,replaced the seals,put new 10 weight oil in,and set my suspension up,did my static sag and 1G sag front and rear.

I was more than impressed with how my Storm rode and handled before,but now it is 'across' hot. Just got back from my first blast and its like riding a different bike.

[blade]

they told me at race tech that pre 2001 front forks were designed for 50 kg riders and that they new the replacement race tech springs so well because they had sold so many .having said that on my 2000 model when I got it it felt way to soft on the front diving severly under hard braking [if thats posibble on the vtr.....lol]with the spring upgrade it handles great now took a lot of tweeking to get it that way though as you have to cut adapters down the good thing is you can put in decent oil during the process. As everybody rides and weighs different I dont believe anybody elses settings would work for me except as a base at which to start as its easy to get lost on suspension settings. I road the same piece of road time after time making small adjustments each time .still not perfect still head shakes on full throttle but I like that..lets you know you're alive !!!

[vtr996]

That was something I noticed when I went for a blast which I hadn't noticed before I changed the oil and settings,I was accelerating away from the lights full throttle and noticed some head shake while the front wheel had no weight on it,is this normal?Or is it something I can and should tune out of it?

[toastman]

My machine wallowed quite badly in fast corners on the factory settings, so I jacked up the rear preload to 4 and dialled in .5 turn harder (than standard) on the rear rebound damping. It no longer wallows, but does have less rear traction under power exiting corners. I will experiment with the rebound damping further cos I reckon that is prob the key to the traction, whist the preload sorts out stability issues.
I'll start messing with the front next...
Still, I know nothing but what I have read sport-rider and other similar sights, so it is all empirical from here on in. I'm surprised that there aren't more posts on this topic.
I am ~80kgs and on an 04 model btw

[Deleted]

Guy's,

Does anyone have a contact number for Race-tec,
I'm after some heavier front springs & re-valve.

Regards
Gordon

[yellaterra]

fathead said:

Guy's,

Does anyone have a contact number for Race-tec,
I'm after some heavier front springs & re-valve.

Regards
Gordon

Gordon this is the place I got onto though I havent got around to getting the forks done yet.

Southlakes Motorcycles & Accessories
Shop 2 Gateway Industrial Park
6 Alliance Rd Morisset.
0438 77 3240

Central Coast's authorised Race Tech centre it says in the phone book.

[Deleted]

yellaterra said:

fathead said:

Guy's,

Does anyone have a contact number for Race-tec,
I'm after some heavier front springs & re-valve.

Regards
Gordon

Gordon this is the place I got onto though I havent got around to getting the forks done yet.

Southlakes Motorcycles & Accessories
Shop 2 Gateway Industrial Park
6 Alliance Rd Morisset.
0438 77 3240

Central Coast's authorised Race Tech centre it says in the phone book.

Why thank you sir,
bling bling being stuck on as we speak!
Will have a gay leather jacket soon!!mmmmmm
then can i go riding saz? whats wrong with trackie dacks?

[Saz]

Nothing wrong with trackie dacks mate. They are aero-dynamic, cool and comfortable.

However..i've seen a few nasty pics and you saw my helmet hanging in the garage. That was 40kmh. While i'm not a full member of the anti-squid brigade the poofy leather jacket you are buying would be helpful.

Oh and thanks for the info yellaterra, those guys are like 10 minutes from me, haven't really checked them out as they seem dirt bike orientated but i'll keep it in mind

[yellaterra]

Saz, I thought you would've known all about them seeing as you live so close to Morwithet (Morisset)

The dude I rang quoted less than $300 for in his words "springs and oil to suit your weight and to tweak the valves"

I got offended when he said to tweak my valves and hung up.

;D

Nahh I didnt!

[yellaterra]

[/quote]
Why thank you sir,
bling bling being stuck on as we speak!
Will have a gay leather jacket soon!!mmmmmm
then can i go riding saz? whats wrong with trackie dacks?[/quote]

Gordon,

What! Are you saying you have a leather jacket with a Village People patch embroided on it? ;D

[Deleted]

Glen,
I was thinking of some leather pants (they feel soooo nice)similar to the ones i used to wear many years ago (on the VF1000) but when i think of the pants i just he the following"

Nobody cant stop the music,no body cant stop the music, ???what is that song??

On a brighter note "saz" i do have a pair of fluro pink,blue,purple & white MX nylons, wouldn't they look the biz with the bling shit???

Nobody cant stop the music!! sorry..... in the navy!
#yells#

[yellaterra]

#rofl#

[griffin]

After experiencing myself and reading about the incredibly soft forks i had hyperpro springs fitted. World of difference. Now i still have fork travel left when braking hard.

The original springs just cant be set up right for anyone over 70kg. Its no use fiddeling arround with them, they are just to soft. Only solution is heavier springs.

It's a great mod, and whatever brand of springs you choose it probably will allways be a big improvement.

[mintpaul]

Hey Stormers I thought I would bring up suspension again to see what every body is doing ad what they are happy about.

I'm 80kgs give or take a couple "depending on how many coopers I drink on a weekend"

What is the best for the front forks?

I have looked and I was wondering if the later models are any different in the setup..

Cheers

[shayne]

Have a look in the archive mate, I have covered this before.

Cheers,
Shayne

[colinlinz]

This has been covered a number of times, but I thought I might post some scans from my notes. It is important to understand there is no one answer, the right set up will depend on a number personal issues like costs, type of riding and what your personnel preferences are in the way the bike responds to you.

The first is a chart to workout spring rate, use the lower chart.


This one is how to measure and set your ride height.


This one is how to go about adjusting the suspension. It is written for mechanics in race teams but the adjustment process is the same.


Here is a link that is written a little simpler and deals in broad terms. www.factorypro.com/tech/Suspension_Setting.html

Here is a sheet that will help keep track of what you have done and the results.

[shayne]

Hey Colin,

Why don't you post that up as a new thread, and have Admin transfer it to the new archive. It would be a good reference point, and better on its own rather than at the end of a long thread.

[colinlinz]

Sorry about the length of time to reply Shayne. I've been a bit busy of late and have been thinking about this.

What I'm considering is creating a google doc's account and uploading the resources I have to this. As you may know I have taught motorcycle mechanics in the past and have a great deal of resources, either my own or what I've collected from various courses I have done in the past. I'm thinking of creating a post with links to subject areas and the password to to them here on this bulletin board. It will take me a little while to do this, I have a lot of stuff at home, but I will need to wait till I go back to work later this month for the rest. At the moment I'm working on some resources for my next block of training and this will have to take priority, but I should be able to get some worthwhile stuff up fairly quickly.

I should mention that these resources won't be directly related to VTR's, but to motorcycles in general. Just like the image I posted of the process of adjusting suspension systems.