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Thread: Help me with suspension setup please

  1. #16
    Join Date
    9th January 2005 - 22:12
    Bike
    Street Triple R
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    christchurch
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    8,193
    Quote Originally Posted by pritch View Post
    HDC I gather from previous posts that you are not ummm over tall(?). Never seen a comment on your weight though.

    Sometimes heavier riders have a problem caused by the valves in the forks being too small to pass the fluid required to deal with a sharp bump and it feels as if the forks have locked. The cheap fix is to get a good machinist to make the holes bigger. A better fix is to install Race Tech Gold Valves or similar and get springs and valves matched to your weight.

    Robert @ KSS performed the latter option on my bike.
    Hobbit sized - 5ft 4 and 72kg - say 75 ready to ride.

    I have been off work for two weeks and havent even started the bloody bike - but I am off next week and will have a crack at it then.
    I thought elections were decided by angry posts on social media. - F5 Dave

  2. #17
    Join Date
    8th January 2005 - 15:05
    Bike
    Triumph Speed Triple
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    New Plymouth
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    Quote Originally Posted by HenryDorsetCase View Post
    Hobbit sized - 5ft 4 and 72kg - say 75 ready to ride.
    Your weight shouldn't be a problem because you are close to the weight they build the bikes for.

    It's a long time since I read about the European Honda test team, they signed off on all new Honda models over 250cc. At that stage the English rider was the senior tester and he had to keep his weight close to the Honda spec weight, which IIRC was 72kg.
    There is a grey blur, and a green blur. I try to stay on the grey one. - Joey Dunlop

  3. #18
    Join Date
    9th January 2005 - 22:12
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    Street Triple R
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    christchurch
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    Quote Originally Posted by pritch View Post
    Your weight shouldn't be a problem because you are close to the weight they build the bikes for.

    It's a long time since I read about the European Honda test team, they signed off on all new Honda models over 250cc. At that stage the English rider was the senior tester and he had to keep his weight close to the Honda spec weight, which IIRC was 72kg.
    I read an article about that dude in PB last year. Dave something? Had been a road racer and endurance racer and had the most amazing memorabilia collection....
    I thought elections were decided by angry posts on social media. - F5 Dave

  4. #19
    Join Date
    2nd February 2018 - 21:50
    Bike
    2014 Honda NC750 SD 2007 Buell XB12Ss
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    Wellington
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    33
    Quote Originally Posted by malcy25 View Post
    HDC. First up, adding preload ain't worth shit when your spring rate is too light. All it does is change your ride height a bit, but mostly increases the force first required to move the suspension. When it does move, you are still stuck with whatever the spring rate is (does this sound familiar

    Many people crank preload in to band aid not enough spring rate (thinking they will make the overall rate stiffer). What it actually does is just make the first part of the stroke very harsh. Surprisingly, when you have a better spring rate and less preload, you get better compliance.....because you are not having to over come that initial preload (eg is you have 30mm of preload on a 1kg/mm spring you need 30kgs of suspension force before it moves 1mm) . It can also cause patter in the front under hard corning load when off the throttle (ie corner entry). I was looking at one of my TZ's years ago and the rear spring rate and I asked RT what was a benchmark preload % (ie say 10% of overall free length) was an indicator the rate was too light. The 20% I had we came to the conclusion was well overdue for an increase in spring rate, and reduced preload. I've subsequently gone up a again. 5.7kg/mm to 6.2kg/mm to 8+kg/mm and each change was better.

    Compression damping from there will then also have an effect, but ultimately, the bike sits on the springs and the damping controls the rate of movement. Reducing comp damping may have an effect, but could cause a compromise elsewhere , ie on the brakes as it will dive quicker and unload the back.

    Apart from doing CSS, some of the biggest gains I have ever had with my racing was getting the right spring rates....Yamaha were notorious for too light fork springs for years. On my race bike I went from 0.45kg/mm stock to 0.75kg/mm with min actual preload. feel is better, small bump compliance is better, less patter, more speed vicar.

    I'd look at spring rate first. Go back and redo your sag figures and see whether your laden and unladen sag figures correlate okay. Ie if to get a laden sag figure that is okay, but that creates too small a unladen sag figure, I'd say too much preload, not enough spring rate.

    Remember, all bikes from the factory are a compromise on theri suspension set up - not just cost of components used, but the settings and rates as they try and make it work for 50kg lightweight and 120kg fatties. But the needs are very different.....and one size does not fit all.
    Perfect post. Not one herecy and a lot of good advice. RT would approve for sure.

    If you want really good suspension response the factory offerings are very unlikely to be good enough for you. My last four bikes have had the KSS treatment and it has been money well spent.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    25th March 2004 - 17:22
    Bike
    RZ496/Street 765RS/GasGas/ etc etc
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    Wellington. . ok the hutt
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    Huh! Never saw this thread till now.
    On my 11 we made some mods which transformed the STR. I rode a mates one and was reminded how bad they are std. Last couple of posts on the money.

    The fork Springs for my 80kg are too soft. The valving is primitive. I went Racetech valves on my Tiger and was going to again but a mate does Wellington KTech so he convinced me to try their valves. Big improvement with 0.95 Springs .
    The rear shock is quite good but had a stupid 12kg rear spring. Changed to a 10 but also stk valving is wacko. Some new shims and now it doesn't skate over stutter bumps yet hard enough for sport riding. Don't underestimate how much the rear affects the front.
    Don't you look at my accountant.
    He's the only one I've got.

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