Suspension Settings

[rude]

Yes, i was talking about the rubber balls.  Will definately try to open up the throttle a lot sooner than i use to do 

[excat]

Are these settings for track, or for street use? I'm 6 ft 195 lb. I was wondering if the 200lb setup would be appropiate for average street riding, and rare joy riding?

[nut]

yeah and if anyone knows some settings for the 07-09 post 'em up 

[excat]

anyone?

[Jason748]

I've got some baseline stuff for my 07... however unless you have a Penske triple clicker shock and AK-20's in the forks it won't do you any good...

[excat]

Jason, the settings on here for roughly 200lb (2003), are those a track set-up or for street?

[Jason748]

Pretty much street.
Really the biggest issue with the 03/04 (and even the 05/06 & 07/08, but to a lesser extent) is that the stock front springs are about right for a 130lb rider...  it' OK on the street but could be better with a simple spring change.

The first thing I'd do when setting up a suspension, street or track, is set the sag correctly.  Because if the sags not close, adjusting anything else is pretty pointless, IMHO.

[excat]

Alright, thanks Jason. I'm sure I'll have many more questions for you, if you don't mind! My suspension is way too soft for me, and I want to learn to do it myself.

[Jason748]

Not a problem, shoot away...
But just a disclaimer - I am in no way, shape, or form a suspension guy.

Here';s a "how-to" on setting the sag for the front that I wrote up a while ago:

OK... Here goes.  This is how I "base-line" my front sag (preload) setting, this may not be where I end up after adjustments, tweaks, etc... but this is where I start off.  I am describing this based on using USD forks (05 - current), but it the same process on RWU forks (03-04) you just take the measurement in a different place.  It's really, really handy to have two friends to help you, one hold your bike one to take measurements (have him take ALL the measurements for consistency).

WARNING:  THERE WILL BE MATH INVOLVED, but no test 

Forks:
1 ) Place a small zip-tie on one of your fork tubes, this is what you'll be using to take measurements from.
2 ) Get the front end up in the air so the wheel is OFF the ground and the forks are completely extended. (any "under the tree" or "steering stem" front stand is what you should be using)
3 ) Slide the zip-tie all the way up against the seal and take a measurement from the bottom of the zip-tie to the top of the fork bottom.  We'll call this measurement FL1 - Write it down.
4 ) Take the bike off the front stand (and off the back stand too for most accurate measurements).
5 ) With full gear on, sit on the bike in your normal riding position, this is where you want to have a friend to hold the bike up.  Firmly push down on the bars to compress the suspension a bit, then gently let it come back up and settle (all while your still in your ridding position).  Without compressing or decompress in the fork, slide the zip-tie against the seal.
6 ) Take a measurement from the bottom of the zip-tie to the top of the fork bottom.  We'll call this measurement FL2 - Write it down.
7 ) While still sitting on the bike in your normal riding position, with your friend still holding the bike up.  Firmly pull up on the bars to decompress the suspension a bit, then gently let it come back down and settle (all while your still in your ridding position).  Without compressing or decompress in the fork, slide the zip-tie against the seal.
8 ) Take a measurement from the bottom of the zip-tie to the top of the fork bottom.  We'll call this measurement FL3 - Write it down.

Now you have three measurements FL1, FL2 and FL3 and your probably asking yourself:  Well do I do with these now?  I'll tell you:
You plug in the numbers you've written down into this formula:  FL1 - ((FL2 + FL3)/2)  and presto you have your rider sag distance.

So, to plug in some real numbers in for example:
IF:
FL1 = 139mm
FL2 = 110mm
FL3 = 116mm
Then the formula should read:  139 - ((110+116)/2)
First do the addition and you get: 139 - (226/2)
Then the division and you get: 139 - 113
Now have your sag measurement:  26mm

Now depending on what you are doing, you'll need to adjust your preload adjusters and re-measure (FL2 & FL3 only, as FL1 will not change) to get within a "specified range".  I'd recommend shooting for the following numbers to start with (remember these are just starting out numbers).  Depending on your riding style, and comfort range, you may need to go with more or less sag.
Now the the 2005 - 2007 has 120mm of front suspension travel, so:

Street: 34mm - 38mm (approximately 30% of travel used)
Aggressive street / track day: 30mm - 35mm (approximately 27% of travel used)
Race: 28mm - 32mm (approximately 25% of travel used)


Ideally you want to be in the middle of your adjustment range when you get these numbers.  If you just flat out can't get them, or you are close, or at the end of the preload adjustment range (either full hard or full soft) you really need to get the forks re-springs for your weight - talk to a reputable suspension guy about this!

And that is how I baseline my front suspension sag setting.  Anything else while I'm at it?

Disclaimer:  I am in no way, shape, or form a suspension guy... I highly recommend you talk to a REAL suspension guy (like, Rob @ Lithium).

Setting the rear sag uses the same math, but you need to measure from the axle to a point on the sub frame vertical from the axle.

[excat]

Would the outside temperature effect my measurements? It's been cold here the past week. Didn't know if the oil being cold would give me a different measurement than warm oil?

[Jason748]

Not enough to worry about for setting sag as you're measuring and setting the spring preload, which doesn't really factor in the oil.

Unlike adjusting the compression & rebound which are tempature senesitive, to a point, becuase you are adjusting the rate that the oil flows through the valves.

[nick455]

Hey you have done a great job by posting the suspension settings here.Thanks for helping us with this.

[viken]

Thanks for this post!

You might want to check this one too:
http://www.gostar-racing.com/information/motorcycle_suspension_set-up.htm#SET%20UP%20BIKE%20TO%20YOUR%20WEIGHT