2007 Hornet 900 suspension tips?

[zeocen]

Hi all!

I'm having some trouble with the lovely Hornet I own... the trouble is - it has too many suspension settings!
All my previous bikes have only had rear preload and that's it, I'm 6'1 and around 95kg so I would up the preload to that sector and I'm away.. but now the Hornet comes along with all this fangdangled rebound, compression, even front fork adjustments! I'm bewildered at this above-par technology.

I've been doing some reading and I'm about as clued up as I'll get without someone drawing how it works to me in bright crayons, and no where on any site have I found a simple figure to work with (previous bike had 7 preload settings, 5th was in the 92 -97kg area, so it was easy), not even in the manual.

The rear preload on the Hornet I can figure out, but everything else, I'm just not sure. I have people telling me not to touch the front at all, that it is fine the way it is, they have had the bike longer than me so I believe them. But I have no idea what to do with the rear, how to set it up for my weight and what not.

Is anybody able to shed some ideas? I've done the search thing, and the youtube thing.. but it's all quite literally over my head

[discotex]

If you only do one thing that would be to setup your sag correctly. Can rifle out some links if you want them.

Rebound and compression come next if you can be arsed playing around.

But yeah you can totally change how the bike feels for the better if you dial it in.

[zeocen]

From my limited knowledge, is the sag where you hoist the bike up and see how far it drops and try to minimise that a bit?

When comparing gijoe1313's Hornet to mine, his tips in FAR easier than mine, apparently he only changed the dial on the back, not the preload (not actually sure what the dial is, rebound maybe?). I thought it was just different tyre profiles but it seems to be such a drastic change that it may not just be all tyre?

Cheers disco!

[Robert Taylor]

Hi all!

I'm having some trouble with the lovely Hornet I own... the trouble is - it has too many suspension settings!
All my previous bikes have only had rear preload and that's it, I'm 6'1 and around 95kg so I would up the preload to that sector and I'm away.. but now the Hornet comes along with all this fangdangled rebound, compression, even front fork adjustments! I'm bewildered at this above-par technology.

I've been doing some reading and I'm about as clued up as I'll get without someone drawing how it works to me in bright crayons, and no where on any site have I found a simple figure to work with (previous bike had 7 preload settings, 5th was in the 92 -97kg area, so it was easy), not even in the manual.

The rear preload on the Hornet I can figure out, but everything else, I'm just not sure. I have people telling me not to touch the front at all, that it is fine the way it is, they have had the bike longer than me so I believe them. But I have no idea what to do with the rear, how to set it up for my weight and what not.

Is anybody able to shed some ideas? I've done the search thing, and the youtube thing.. but it's all quite literally over my head

The standard fork springs are too light in rate for your personal stats. No amount of external preload adjustment and messing with the clickers is going to achieve a really satisfactory result. E-mail me your e-mail address to robert@crownkiwi.co.nz and I will e-mail you a set up tips manual that will answer some of your questions.
I simply am gobsmacked at the ''advice'' you say some people have given you.

[98tls]

Mr Taylors on the button,the interweb is filled with people offering advice on subjects they think they are experts on but sadly more often than not its a load of opinionated rubbish,when dealing with suspension go to him or someone equally qualified.

[AllanB]

At 20 kg lighter than you I'll point you in Roberts direction as well.

I've got my Hornet set up pretty well after playing around a fair bit (record small changes and see how they feel before changing anything else) -Ironically I'm back close(ish) to stock settings, but I probably weigh the exact medium Honda set all their bikes up for!
With your specs (big boy) you'll want the front end a bit stiffer than stock and ditto on the rear. The handbook tells you how to return the settings to stock, and which way to adjust what to make it stiffer or softer. If you do not have this PM me with your address or a fax number and I'll send you a copy.

Don't leave them alone! Ask those who tell you not to touch them why the heck they are adjustable in the first place, we are not all created exactly the same (just watch a porn movie!).

[zeocen]

Thanks an absolute bunch Robert, I've emailed you my address now! And thank you everyone else also for the helpful tips. I'm inclined to agree with you AllanB, as some of the people who say they leave the stuff as it is and recommend I do the same, ride quite different to me (long, fast, generally better riders). Which is why I decided to make this thread, as I'm sure stock is a good medium but if it's adjustable then perhaps I could adjust it a bit more to my weight (I'm just tall, not fat! hehe) and riding style to be a bit safer on the road.

Thanks again guys!

Matt