Hi, sorry, maybe this is more of a setup related, but its definitely related to riding.

So, if we setup the front forks too soft, its soggy and unresponsive with too much dive and squat etc. If we set it up to hard, it doesn't get enough weight over the front tires in braking and cornering??

I ask because I'm trying to understand the front end more. If we come hard into a corner, we put lots of weight on the front tire. I know this is good, so if we stiffen up the front too much, it won't put as much weight on the front? Or am I barking up the wrong tree? But if we leave it soft, it will be too squishy, like a non sport bike, or a "basic" sport bike. Or a bike sprung and damped for a lighter person.

thanks.

PS, Misti?? you gotcher ears on?

 

I got my ears on, yes . Hahaha. I'm not really sure there is an actual question in here. You want to have your set up so it is somewhere in the middle of that combination, not too hard in the front, not too soft. The idea (and I'm no suspension expert) is that you have a stable and planted motorcycle that doesn't dive or squish too much under hard braking but that isn't too stiff and unresponsive either. Now, how you ride can also influence suspension and that is important to note, what you do with the brakes and how you carry them into a corner will affect the handling, steering etc of your bike as will what you do with the throttle once the bike is turned and pointed in the direction you want to go. There is something to be said for taking some time during track days to play around with suspension, start with something in the middle ground and then go full hard, full soft etc to get a feeling and understanding of how suspension affects handling. But, there also needs to be an understanding of how riding technique also affects handling.

How for example might trail braking affect the suspension/handling of your motorcycle? How might throttle control have an affect? These are all important things to consider. Not sure if that was helpful at all...but a good start to a discussion for sure.

 

thanks, yes that's the sort of thing I am asking about.

With car suspension, I have both lots of experience, so I know what is right and I am fully able to explore what happens when its wrong. A car will just slide out and maybe spin or slide around a bit. I am fully comfortable doing that with a car. Not even sort of with a bike. If I do something like that and the bike doesn't end up on its side, separate from me, its pure luck, and I am not about to learn from experience like I did on 4 wheels. If I make a mistake on 4 wheels, I just go "oops", select 1st gear, check for any obstacles and drive away.

 

Is there anything in particular you were wanting to learn more about? Suspension is kind of a broad topic and I can totally understand that you feel more comfortable with car set up vs bike set up etc...is there something you are feeling from the bike that is making you nervous or something specific you want to know more about?

 

just overall how to setup the suspension.

I know it can't be too mushy, or too rigid.

Public roads are not a racetrack and often have bumps, potholes, tar strips, waves, undulations etc.

I was totally caught out the other day making a left across two lanes of a 4 lane road. The weight of vehicles over the years had worn 4 grooves in the pavement and crossing those grooves at 90deg, with a 40 degree lean or more on two wheels definitely gave me heart palpitations! I've crossed that countless times in a car, and many on the bikes too, but never at any speed.

Each fork has 3 adjustments and the rear has 3 as well.

I had started with stock according to the manual. I have stiffened up the front preload and softened it as well. I THINK I have that pretty good. If I bounce the bike with me on it, the front and rear go down as one and come back up as one.

As for compression and rebound damping, I am not sure I quite understand it. I think that stiffening the compression damping will slow the downward stroke, and stiffening the rebound will slow down the upward stroke, but I might be wrong. The opposite should be applicable for softening those. Yes??

But I am not sure what will happen if you go to far or not far enough, and the permutations between one and the other and the 3rd.

I am about 183lbs in full gear and I ride a mostly stock '17 CBR 600rr. Showa BPF up front

 

I'm not a suspension expert by any means. I'm used to riding different bikes and rarely changing the suspension at all. That being said, you can totally play around with different settings to find what works best for you. Have someone help you set the sag for your weight and then try putting the settings in the middle or where recommended and then experiment with going full hard on one setting, full soft, full hard on the other, full soft etc....until you notice the differences and see what you prefer. It does take time and some experimentation to find what works best for you.

However, one thing to keep in mind is that poor riding technique can often manifest itself as issues with suspension. What I mean by that is for example, if you have poor throttle control and are rolling on and off the gas throughout the corner, or are choppy with the application or roll off of the gas then it can feel like the motorcycle is unstable and could be blamed on suspension. Same with riders that are moving around on the bike too much or are gripping the handlebars too tightly. These common riding errors can be mistaken for bike and suspension related issues.

How else do you think riding errors could translate to bike instability? How do you know whether the issues you are feeling are related to rider error or suspension?

 

I don't know if they are rider related or suspension setting related, that's why I am asking

 

Fair enough! Like I suggested above, I'd put the settings somewhere in the middle and then play around with them. But I think it would also be worthwhile to look into some rider training, or at least to practice some skills to see how it effects motorcycle handling and stability. Take throttle control for example. Poor throttle control can easily make it feel like the bike is unstable and it could then get blamed on suspension issues. So how might you define good throttle control? What is the ideal situation you want with the throttle one the bike is turned and pointed in the direction you want to go? How should the throttle be applied?

 

I definitely want to get some track days in, but it won't be until next summer obvs hehe.

They almost always seem to be when I am working. I will get one in

 

Although I've only done one track day, it was time extremely well spent. There are often folks there specifically set up to help you get your suspension dialed in.

I didn't read all the posts but when I bought my F4i, I put all the settings on full soft and rode in varied settings for a week or so until I got comfortable with how the bike felt and reacted. I did a freaking lot of reading and then I started playing around, keeping notes of changes I made, until I found what was most comfortable for me...