suspension explained page 3

[indie]

No advanced damping control
if you cannot adjust the rebound and compression separately but you can adjust the damping, then you will have to go for a compromise. Since most accidents happen in a turn, then I will suggest that you set it up for cornering. Try to get the bike to enter and exit a corner with minimal rocking or seesawing to the front end. These setting should be ok for bumpy tarmac.
Keep a record
Keep a note of the settings you are using as well as the make and pressure of your tyres. Different tyres shapes, sizes and pressure can affect your readings and therefore you may want to keep a record of all your setting especially if you are a track addict or racer. Also keep a note of the weather and cooler temperature will thicken the oil in your forks while on a hotter day, your fork oil may thin a bit. You do not want to go through all this again
Counting Clicks
If your bike uses clicks to adjust damping, and you want to adjust your damping settings, do not simply turn it a few clicks till you think you have the right new settings. Fully count the clicks in to ensure you were on the right old settings then count it out to the right new settings. Example you think your front compression is on 5 clicks out and you want to try 7 clicks out. Do not simply turn it 2 clicks out. Count the 5 click in, and then count the 7 clicks out.
Set Up
Do not adjust more than one setting at a time unless it is to a previously recorded set up as you will not know which setting cause the most effect. I commute to work and I used to make one small (a click) adjustment a day. Sometimes I would leave it for a week because the conditions where not right to feel the new settings in action. On the track, I would suggest one setting change per session, minimum.
Altering Bike Geometry
You can alter your bikes geometry by sliding your front forks up through your front yoke.. i.e. your forks will stick up through the yoke a bit more than standard thereby causing your bike to have a more nose down bias. This makes the bike turn in faster, it doesn't increase the corner speed and you will loose ground clearance (CBR riders take note)
I will not recommend moving your front forks more than 5 mm

DAY 4 - REAR DAMPING


Kick up--------------------------------------Squatting

Once you are done with the preload and front wheel damping let move onto the rear wheel. You can set it based on comfort and uneven road using the same methods as you would with the front wheel. Also you could try to do what’s called:

Suspension Balance
Take the bike off its stand onto level ground and stand next to it. While holding your motorcycle upright, put one foot on the foot peg next to you and press hard on it. The front and rear of the bike should squash down and raise at the same rate. If not adjust rear damping compression and rebound to compensate

Now you have a comfortable bike with adequate suspension balance. Now let’s fine tune it a bit. Again there are no tricks to setting up your rear wheel suspension, you have to understand what causes your rear suspension to work. Since rebound occurs after compression we will deal with compression first.

Rear Compression
Like with the front wheel; if your rear compression is too hard you will have an uncomfortable ride because the rear wheel simply bounces off bumps and ripples in the road also giving a vague “feel”. Conversely, if it is too soft, you may get excessive “squatting” under heavy acceleration causing the bike to feel lethargic or even “bottoming out” on those rough roads.

When you accelerate, you need a bit of rear end squatting to give the tyres a chance to get some traction and absorb excessive power to the back wheel. However, it is that squatting action under heavy acceleration that can cause problems when coming out of corners.

SOFT: Let’s imagine that you are exiting a corner on your motorcycle, and the bike is leant over and you start to accelerate smartly. If the compression damping is too soft, you will get too much rear end “squatting” causing a “nose up” situation. This will cause your bike to drift wide on exit of the corner. This is not the same as a too much of front compression damping which causes the bike to drift wide on entry to the corner.

HARD: On the other hand if your rear compression damping is too hard, you will not get enough “squatting” and therefore may not get enough traction. This will cause a bit of rear wheel spin, or the rear wheel suddenly “kicking up”. You can imagine what can happen in extreme circumstances.

To set your rear compression damping up properly, it is best to have the front end sorted out first. That way you know you that your entry into the corner is as smooth as possible. Then you want to be able to put on the gas as you exit the corner and your bike should hold its line and inspire confidence.


Rear Rebound
Nearly the end of this setting up drivel. You have exited the corner and the bike is now flying forward in a straight line. At this point you want the rear rebound damping to keep the rear wheel in contact with the road, thereby giving you maximum traction

SOFT: However if it is a long corner then your rear rebound will come into play mid-corner. If your rear wheel kicks up too quickly, it will unsettle the chassis of the bike making it “wallow” and “lurch” mid corner. A lot of people wrongly try to cure mid comer “wallowing” by increasing rear preload. This may "stiffen" the rear end but you may loose a bit of suspension travel. The cure is to increase (harden) rear rebound.

HARD: However if your rear suspension is too hard, your back wheel will not sit up quick enough. This will cause you the have the back end squatting causing a “nose up “ situation for longer. This may cause you to drift wide similar to the effects of soft compression. Also since the rear shock does not extend quick enough, you may get a feeling of vagueness or loss of traction

That’s it.
If you have reached this point and found out that your original set up was the best then oops sorry. At least you have a few more buzz words to drop in the pub with other bike mates.

SUMMARY

First get your owner manual out and familiarise and compare your current suspension settings with the recommended settings in the manufactures hand book. Still not satisfied?

Then set-up your preload, front and rear, so that you can use as much suspension travel as possible when riding your bike. This is based on your weight, so if your weight fluctuates then keep an eye on it.

Next adjust your damping so that your suspension does not compress or rebound too fast or too slow to upset the bike and be uncomfortable. I believe that if you can get your bike suspension set up for cornering then it should be OK on a straight line.



1 - Front compressionThis is when you want your front compression to control the "nose down" effects of braking so it turns in to corner properly

2 - Front rebound
You have let go of brakes, adjust front rebound so that the front forks extend at a controlled rate allowing you to keep your line.

3 - Rear Compression
You want the rear end to squat a bit as you apply the power.

Make sure that the rear rebound setting keeps the rear wheel in contact with the road.
Note: this image is only for illustration only. Your braking, turning and exit points and lines may vary, especially in the wet.

CONCLUSION

The point of this article is to educate you on how your suspension works so you can attempt to sort it out yourself. You should be able to feel the bike through the handle bars and the bike seat and be brave enough to note down the current settings and have a go at altering it to suit yourself.

I found that it is difficult to set up the bike for all condition. I recently changed my front brake pads and they were biting harder which made the bike nose down quicker. As summer approaches, I like to ride a bit faster. My weight is fluctuating. All these scenarios have caused me to change my setup. Top racers alter their setup at every track.

However if you are not competent with DIY, remember that if it isn't broke, don't fix it