i am new to riding and have very little idea how to set the suspension. i think mine needs adjusted on my 05 f4i becuase when i go over bumps over anything larger than very small i usaly come out of my seat and get on sme throttle(very annouying). it seams very stiff. if i am in a turn and leaned over a good bit and hit bumps it scares the crap out of me becuase i think i am going to loose traction. from what i read i think i need to adjust the comprssion and rebound damping. is this right? how do i do this? i am about 190 pounds in gear. thanks

 

Your best bet is to go to a professional suspension tuner. It might be expensive, but they are experts and can tailor your bike to you and your riding style. If you can't afford it, here is a good setup guideline for aggressive street riding:

First, setup the rear... you will need at least 2 of your friends to help. Using metric units (millimeters) will be more accurate.
1. Fully unload the rear suspension by lifting up the rear of the bike. A swingarm stand won't work here because it lifts on the swingarm, and the suspension will still be flexed. With the rear in the air, measure vertically from the rear axle to a point on the frame. Call this measurement "X."

2. Lower the bike, put the rider in the riding position, and have your 2 helpers hold the bike straight up. Have the helper in the rear SLOWLY push down on the tail to compress the rear about one inch, and release it so the rear comes back up SLOWLY. When the suspension stops, with the rider still on the bike,measure the distance from the rear axle to the same point on the frame that you used for step 1. Call this measurement "Y."

3. With the rider still on the bike in riding position, and the helpers still holding the bike upright, have the rear helper lift up the rear about one inch SLOWLY. Have the helper SLOWLY let the rear return to resting position. When the suspension stops, with the rider still on the bike, measure the distance from the rear axle to the same vertical point on the frame as used in steps 1 and 2. Call this measurement "Z."

Using those measurements, calculate static spring sag by using this equation: static spring sag = X - [(Y+Z)/2]
30mm-35mm is a good setting for aggressive street riding. You can also test if your rear shock needs to be replaced or not by calculating Z-Y. If this measurement is 3mm, your shock is in good condition. If it is more than 3mm, it is getting worn, with quality getting worse the farther the measurement is from 3mm.

PS- I can NOT take credit for these directions or equations. I paraphrased from Total Control by Lee Parks!

 

ok thanks. i think for now though i am going to stick with pre load rebound and compression damping. i figured out where they are but i am confused. do i need to adjust the pre load in the front the same as the back? should everything be the same in the back as the front?

 

Now for the front. This is also paraphrased from Total Control by Lee Parks. I take no credit for th equations, etc...

As with the rear, you will need a few friends to help you.

1. (no rider on the bike) Measure front end sag by extending the front forks all the way, with the bike upright. Measure from the top of the dust seal to the bottom of the triple clamp. If you have inverted forks, measure from the dust seal to the lower fork casting. Call this measurement "X."

2. Put the rider on the bike in riding position. Have some friends hold the bike straight. Have the assistant in the front push down on the front end SLOWLY, and let the forks SLOWLY rebound. When the forks stop moving, measure from the top of the dust seal to the bottom of the triple clamp, as you did in step 1. If you have inverted forks, measure as you did in step 1. Call this measurement "Y."

3. With the rider still on the bike in riding position, and the assistants holding the bike upright, have the front assistant SLOWLY lift up on the front end to extend the forks. Have him SLOWLY allow the forks to compress. When they stop measure from the top of the dust seal to the bottom of the triple clamp as you did in step 1 and 2. If you have inverted forks, measure as you did in steps 1 and 2. Call this measurement "Z."

Calculate static spring sag with this equation: static spring sag = X- [(Y+Z)/2]
Again, a road bike should be 30mm-35mm. Check the status of your front forks by doing Z-Y. Forks in good condition will have less than 15mm difference. Forks with 40mm or more difference need to be rebuilt.

Hope this helps. I think this is really good advice from a champion racer.

 

Read the post about setting up the front too. You'll have to read the manual for your bike to see exactly how to change the settings on your bike. I just posted on what good measurements should be for aggressive street riding according to Lee Parks.
But on most CBR's, the rear shock is adjusted by a collar that is on the shock. The front forks are adjusted using the screw-type things that are near the handle bars.

 

the screw thing for rebound goes from s to h gusing soft to hard. is hard fast rebounding and soft slow?

 

95% of your problems will go away when you become comfortable with the bike, and learn solid throttle control.

That bike could be completely out of whack suspension-wise, and as long as your comfortable on a motorcycle with good throttle/brake control - you can ride the **** out of it without problems.

That being said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting your suspension tuned to you. Go to a local trackday, there are almost always booths set up where you can get your bike set up perfectly for you at around $50-$70.

 

What these guys have said really is the 'right' answer to your problem. But if you want to just get things close you can search suspension threads and find some recommended settings. I had the same thing on my bike...way too stiff after they put my new tires on...somehow they messed with the suspension settings. Had a headache after riding for 30 minutes. So what i did was set everything back to stock and just tweak a few things from there.

So far these are my favorite settings: front preload at stock, rear preload at full firm, front compression at stock +1/4 turn firm, rear compression stock, front rebound at stock +1/4 turn firm, rear rebound at stock +1/4 turn firm. This gives me a good ride and very good balance and response overall. I'm about 30lbs lighter than you, btw. If you don't know what the stock settings are or how to get back to them just keep searching and i know you'll find it. If you have any more trouble feel free to speak up.

Hope that helps...

 

I am around 200 lbs, but I haven't felt any discomfort on the motorcycle. Do I need to adjust the stock settings in order to make sure that i don't harm the motorcycle, or should I just let it be?