Hi Guys . This may be the wrong place for this question but it need advice from experianced track riders.
i started doing track days last year on a track only, allmost stock 01cbrf4i. rearsets, slip on hindle. i ended the season by braking my wrist in a crash. to much braking on a cold track. i am recovering well and looking forward to another round.
my question is , how do i tell if/when i need a suspension upgrade.
i was thinking of doing a spring and valve upgrade to the forks, but now i am haveing second thoughts. if i could not feel and negative stuff from my forks now, would i just be waisting my money . should i wait untill i can ride fast enough to ride beyond the limitations my stock setup? will there be any benafit to spending money on this now?

 

Go to racetech.com and click on sportbike. Now click on the link at the top left to see what racetech has for your bike. Once you find your bike you can click on custom setup and will be asked to enter your weight. Then you will see the factory spring rates and the recommended spring rates for your bike.

What kind of tires do you have on your bike and how is the wear pattern after track days? What air pressures do you run at the track? Learning what to look for in your tire wear will tell you if your suspension settings are good or need adjusted.

 

First off you have to tune your suspension based on your body weight.....
Your body weight might be perfect for this motorcycle you just need to
adjust the settings such as preload, damping, compression, and reboun on the motorcycle.... If your too heavy or too light and the settings don't work out for you
then I would start thinking about upgrading your cartridges....
I just sent mine off to these guys cause i'm a heavy guy and need to upgrade my springs
and cartridges... Great service and they can answer all the questions you have
about your set up.. http://www.traxxion.com/

 

stock brings are .66 and my weight of 170lbs calls for .95 springs. u would think the 1st symptom would be the springs bottoming? but i did not feel the forks bottom out at the track. if i put tie wraps on and they dont bottom do i still need springs? i will be changing the fork oil this week. i'll let u know what the sag #s are after i do that. i have recently read about setting the sag, it said something like,if u could not achieve the proper sag #s that the springs are the wrong weight?
is there any articles u can point me to about tire ware patterns? i dont see any abnormal ware . but i dont know what to look for either. lol i am running Corsa 111 tires.

 

Your stock springs are too soft which requires you to add more preload into the front forks to keep from bottoming out. When the springs are too soft it causes the front end to dive too much under hard braking into a corner. Check to see what weight fork oil your bike requires. Going with a heavier weight oil may help. Unless you are into serious track days or racing I would not consider changing the cartridges because they are expensive. Maybe gold valves along with springs. Getting your sag (preload), rebound, compression and tire PSI all set correct will not only make you faster it will make your tires last much longer.

Check out the video below of Dave Moss on youtube about tire wear. Understanding your tires tells you alot of whats going on with your bike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLbxc...eature=related

 

excellent video. i can see now that my tire have some seriously bad wear patterns.i have some homework to do.
Thanks again.