I need some help adjusting the suspension to a more optimal setting, or at least getting started going in the right direction. I've had my 2002 F4i for a full year now, and maybe the person that had it before me was a lot heavier than I am (I weigh 130 lbs). But she feels SO stiff and the ride is really harsh. I live in NJ so most of the roads are crap anyways but unless I give the throttle a good crack to shift the weight to the rear before I hit a bump or pothole it feels like I fell off a cliff. It's even happened a few times that the handle bars wiggle a little if I hit a bump while I'm leaned over.

I've read some of the threads around here and the articles on cycleworld but I don't really feel too confident without someone kinda talking me through it. And I'd rather do it myself than take it somewhere so I can learn.

So let's begin, what should I be looking at to determine how my bike's set up now, and what should I do to make it a little softer?

 

Are your tires in good shape? What you may think is a suspension problem could be worn tires..
If they're good..
Im guessing you dont have a manual then.. it tells how to adjust to the stock settings, which would be a good starting point. To do this you turn each adjuster clockwise until they stop. this is the hardest setting. From there turn it counter-clockwise to soften it.Maybe start by turning them 1 and 1/2 turns from the hardest setting and see how it feels. Just make sure you do the corresponding sides the exact same amount.

 

I think they're in fairly good shape, they're not brand new, about 6500 miles but it looks like there's good tread left. Then again I'm no tire expert either so I could be totally wrong.

I do have a manual but I just wasn't sure what I should be adjusting to make the ride better. I know there's a bunch of different things that can be played with and I didn't wanna mess with the wrong settings and make it worse. Basically looking for help dumbing things down a little for me.

 

Another suspension write-up for ya... pretty detailed.
http://www.gostar-racing.com/club/mo...ion_set-up.htm

Also, if yours is an '02, I'd say replace the tires if they're the original ones. Old tires are no good even if they have tread. They tend to harden up. I changed out mine after I had two slips going STRAIGHT, not accelerating hard! If you know a local racer you might get cheap take-offs, if not I'd recommend browsing tire threads. My personal fav is Metzeler M3, for best grip.

 

Well I already have an extra set of diablos that I bought on a pre-order sale so maybe at the start of next season ill put them on and go from there.

Thanks for that article, sounds like a good place to start.

 

What's the best way to measure this since our bikes don't have center stands?

 

Anybody?

 

You could try adjusting the shock absorber in the rear. There is a cylinder shape looking tube on the left side of the bike, that will adjust the shock to be softer or harder. You can also adjust the front suspension up on the handlebars, there are two ***** that you turn clockwise or counterclockwise to stiffen or soften the front end also.

 

Ok thanks, but I was talking about measuring the unloaded length of the suspension.

 

how about this one...
http://www.sportrider.com/tech/146_0402_susp/index.html