CBR 600 f4 suspension adjustment

[Furyos J]

Hi all, i am enjoying riding my 99 cbr600, i am the first nz owner, as it is a japan import. i suspect that the roads in japan are better then here, as the ride is a little harsh on the bumps. any suggestions on where to start softening the setup, or any links to threads or links on basic suspension setup etc. I have a downloaded honda workshop manual, so a good place to start would be reset back to standard?
thanks

[Robert Taylor]

Hi all, i am enjoying riding my 99 cbr600, i am the first nz owner, as it is a japan import. i suspect that the roads in japan are better then here, as the ride is a little harsh on the bumps. any suggestions on where to start softening the setup, or any links to threads or links on basic suspension setup etc. I have a downloaded honda workshop manual, so a good place to start would be reset back to standard?
thanks

If only it were as simple as adjusting the external clickers, which in any event are just a bypass bleed with a response range much much narrower than popular misconception.
You first need to establish if the spring rate is suitable for you as it may be that the domestic Japanese model uses a lighter spring than the export models. If so its arriving at the acceleartive part of the link ratio too early and that is contributing to the harsh feeling. Also that shock has a piston with ridiculously small ports and in spite of attempts at revalving its an inalterable fact that the port size causes the flow to choke off, that harms your back and your tyres.
Opening the bleeds further ( external clickers ) ends up making the suspension feel sloppy with in reality very little improvement in abrupt bump compliance. The shim stack opening pressure is already too high and opening the bleeds delays their opening even further.
Being a 99 model that shock will certainly need servicing and its spring rate testing to verify if it needs changing or not. Fitting a big port high flow Race Tech piston with an appropriate valving stack will transform it.
Yes it costs, but its the only way to sort it out properly. External adjustments with what youve got will not achieve what you are looking for

[Furyos J]

hi, thanks for the reply Robert. I really should have checked my settings before posting. I reset all values to stock and it rides much better. the compression and rebound damping on shock were as hard as could go, and compression damping on forks was very high as well. after the reset the ride is very much improved.
I may look into getting my suspension better setup once im a better rider or have some spare money.
Thanks