the owners manual tells you how to set factory suspension to factory specifications...which is an ok place to start. make small adjustments to settings from there and see if it gets better or worse...just keep track of what you did on a sheet of paper so you can go back to a setting if you like it better than another.

after you make an adjustment and record it on paper, take the bike out for s hot ride to see how it effects your handling.

 

I started by setting my suspension to the recommendation on SportRider.com for 2006 F4i. It is very close to being full-on stiff (is there another word I could use that wouldn't sound like a boner joke?).

A lot of you are giving conflicting information, saying nobody should drag PEGS, your suspension is too soft, etc etc. And then you go on to admit that you're not running unmodified stock pegs, or even stock rearsets, or that you've had professional suspension work done with aftermarket parts. None of this is direct comparison! This is about taking a showroom stock F4i to the track as a first timer. I mentioned that aftermarket suspension work, rearsets, etc. would solve a lot of these limitations - but guys like me with stock bikes need to know what they're working with. The fact of the matter is we have to work harder on riding technique than the race replica bikes to overcome these minor limitations. And for a first time track day novice who may have never stuck a knee out beyond the fairing these limitations need to be acknowledged. It doesn't mean the bike is bad or that a track day on an F4i isn't fun, but that the rider has to try harder to get off the bike more, time braking more carefully, and for us with big feet - adjust them in funny positions to clear the tarmac.

 

what a great thread...I shouldve left 10 mins ago from work but i saw this awsome thread and had to read every post ....now cant wait till my first track day...thanks for sharing OP

 

Dave, you are correct. The F4i has decent enough suspension out of the box to get the new guy down the track in a safe manner. But, if he's draggin' hard parts its time to make adjustments at the least.

 

Following students around in the Novice/First Timer group, most commonly we see that many times folks get a knee down the first day only due to poor body position. 90% move butts over but leave the head in place (on the bike's centerline). I get students dragging knee on every turn, yet while following them, I never come close. Reason? Body position!

These have been posted before, but they are great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxODo...layer_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxb5n...layer_embedded

 

Have seen them before, but those are great videos.

Also want to put this out there - I am not what I would call a highly experienced rider. Sure I've had a bike more often than not since 2003, but I might only ride 4 or 5 times a year at the MOST. And I'd never been around a challenging corner until Track Day, because I live in South Florida where every road is straight and they all meet at perpendicular angles!

So if I can get out there and get around a track and have a great time, then so can any of you who are doubting yourselves or your bikes. Once you get a few comfort laps under your belt, you will be transformed.

 

+1

Once you've done a track day, your street riding will change. You wont feel the need to have to push it in that corner, because you know you can get it done safely elsewhere.

After my first trackday, i didn't care if i ever rode the street again.

 

Same here. Sadly I'm contemplating selling the CBR and getting a track-only bike. I would never turn this bike into a track bike and I don't see the need to ride on the street anymore. I never truly enjoyed it anyway, too many things trying to end your life out there.

 

While I'd love to spend as much time as possible on the track, there's no replacing street riding. I'd never be able to give up street riding with all my friends and stuff unless something serious happened (accident or something along those lines). But I'm with Tori, I probably won't be as redonkulous on the street (though I can never resist a few favorite corners of mine!).

 

Sounds like u had a blast....it's addicting isn't it?

As far as scraping things... you will learn that leaning off your bike will help you keep your tires in check. The whole point of leaning off a bike is to keep the bike more upright, hence better grip. If you're scraping pegs, try leaning off the bike more and keeping the bikes lean angle more upright. You'll be much more quicker and smoother in a turn over time.

I'm on both an F4 and F4i...my F4i having stock pegs and F4 with rear sets. And also...it's not about who can drag a knee. I'm only 5'4" and can touch down at will, but I'm much quicker the less I do.