[dougo1199]

Hey Guys, (and gals)
Thought it might be cool to have an ongoing discussion in regards to what everyone is doing with suspension settings, tires / pressures, and engine /rider aid settings. We've kinda started this on the tire wear thread so lets continue it here.

Current settings:

Rider Weight: 160 lbs (no gear)

Engine / Aids:
Sport / High - 2/4/1

Clicks from full in:
Fork: C- R-
Shock: C- R-

Preload:
Front:
Rear:

Tires:
Front:OEM
Rear: OEM

Pressures:
Front: 36 psi (cold)
Rear: 36 psi (cold)

Currently I'm focused on getting my suspension dialed in so I'll need to add some of my info as I don't have it handy at the moment. I may also drop the ETC down one, but I really haven't noticed it kicking much so far on 4.

 

[SixShock]

this is good thread, i'll update when i check my own settings

 

[dougo1199]

Update: These are my latest setting as of this past Sunday.


Current settings:

Rider: 5' 10" / 160 lbs (no gear)

Engine / Aids:
Sport / High - 2/4/1

Clicks from full in:
Fork: C- 4 R- 4.5
Shock: C- 2 R- 10

Preload / Sag
Front: 8 from full out / 40mm
Rear: 8mm thread showing / 30mm


Tires:
Front:OEM
Rear: OEM

Pressures:
Front: 36 psi (cold)
Rear: 36 psi (cold)

 

[Lastknight0]

Cool thread! Can you tell us your thought process behind the adjustments? I'd like to see if I'd make the same adjustment given your experiences.

 

[dougo1199]

Cool thread! Can you tell us your thought process behind the adjustments? I'd like to see if I'd make the same adjustment given your experiences.

Are you talking about the clicker adjustments? I had my dealer set up my front and rear static and rider sag, plus give me a baseline Comp / rebound setting on the fork and shock. I was getting kicked around quite a bit on bumpy sections so at this point I'm just trying to soften up the ride, or speed things up a bit. When you add (towards full in) rebound or compression you are in essence slowing down the movement of the suspension. The settings listed above are pretty good, but I may soften it a up bit more.

I'm sure you know, but they say never make more than one adjustment at a time. Always adjust, test, then adjust again if needed.

 

[Lastknight0]

I'm sure you know, but they say never make more than one adjustment at a time. Always adjust, test, then adjust again if needed.

Indeed! My concern is that i want about an 85/15 performance/comfort split since i commute (with quite a bit of "spirited riding"). After my sag settings were adjusted, it's handling better, and the suspension actually feels more compliant, but still not easy to deal with every day. I'm just wondering how comfy I can get it before i start to move into crappy handling territory. I also get a little scared hitting bumps leaned over. Really feels like it sends the bike for a loop! Anyway...just thinking(and drinking....) out loud. :nerd::grin2:

 

[moyski]

Interesting thread. Started to play around with my suspension settings as well. When I picked the 959 up from the dealer, the ride felt too harsh, even at slow speeds over bumpy roads. After a few rides I set the suspension to comfort setting based on the manual. Ride was a lot better with those settings so I left it at that. Yesterday after reading this thread, I set the suspension to standard setting, again based from the manual. Initially on smooth roads I couldn't tell the difference from comfort setting. Once I passed over bumpy portions, that's when I felt the stiffness. I had to back off the throttle going over rough patches and had to lift myself off the seat over some hard bumps. I did appreciate however the difference during braking. The front doesn't dive as quickly in standard setting compared to comfort setting. I've decided on setting it back to comfort setting for road use. I was pretty satisfied with how the bike feels on that setting. I'll reserve playing with the suspension when I have the chance to do track days as I don't really and have no intentions to push the bike near it's limits when on regular roads.

 

[dougo1199]

Good stuff guys! It's tricky to find that perfect balance. I'm still moving in the "soft" direction myself.

 

[Lastknight0]

My solution so far has been to ride like a horse Jockey lol

 

[dougo1199]

My solution so far has been to ride like a horse Jockey lol

Well that's exactly what I do over really rough stuff. Actually, I'm never relaxed on the seat aside from at a stop.

 

[dougo1199]

Had my third long ride on Sunday. I'm pretty pleased with the suspension settings although I may add more rebound on the rear. Also, still messing with the EBC settings. Was in 2, then I tried to go to 3 towards the end of the ride, but I must not have saved it because it was back on 2 after I got going. ?? I was tired! lol!

 

[Dingo]

My Suspension Settings from the Dealer

Current settings:

Rider Weight: 186 lbs (no gear)

Engine / Aids:
Race / High - 2/3/1

Fork Left: Compression - 5 / Rebound - 4.25
Fork Right: Compression - 5 / Rebound - 4
Preload (both equal): 17 Clicks (4.25Turns)

Rear Shock:
Compression: 2.5
Rebound: 15 Clicks (1.25Turns)

I've been riding since day 1 with the suspension like this. I now have 1492 miles on the odo and the bike feels good for the street. I'll tweak Fork Compression because it feels a little soft - 4 is probably where I'll like it. Fork Spring Preload will get adjusted too, 2 or 3 more clicks.

 

[Dingo]

Rear Shock Preload: 21.5mm

 

[dougo1199]

Current settings:

Rider Weight: 186 lbs (no gear)

Engine / Aids:
Race / High - 2/3/1

Fork Left: Compression - 5 / Rebound - 4.25
Fork Right: Compression - 5 / Rebound - 4
Preload (both equal): 17 Clicks (4.25Turns)

Rear Shock:
Compression: 2.5
Rebound: 15 Clicks (1.25Turns)

I've been riding since day 1 with the suspension like this. I now have 1492 miles on the odo and the bike feels good for the street. I'll tweak Fork Compression because it feels a little soft - 4 is probably where I'll like it. Fork Spring Preload will get adjusted too, 2 or 3 more clicks.

Interesting! We are running similar settings. I changed my DTC from 4 to 3 and it feels better. Did you get close to bottoming out the forks with the comp at 5?

 

[Kruz]

Moving toward stiffer myself but backed way off from Ulrich's settings, way too stiff!


Interesting that you're a lot lighter and have dialed in an extra 4 turns of front preload from standard.


I'm still at 4 turns out on front preload but will play with that once I get a good baseline setup.


I was actually considering backing off on front preload to get better initial turn in.

 

[Lastknight0]

I was actually considering backing off on front preload to get better initial turn in.

If you do this, please do tell how it turns out. Once I get a new set of tires on, i may consider that myself. My DRCorsas are definitely starting to show a little bit of a flat spot after 2000+ miles with plenty of freeway, and i dont want that to skew my turn-in/stability perception.

 

[Lastknight0]

Well that's exactly what I do over really rough stuff. Actually, I'm never relaxed on the seat aside from at a stop.

Me either, but there are some MONSTER bumps (especially seams in road/bridge) that actually have my butt up in the air/me standing on pegs to keep my coccyx (among other things) in one piece. More so than even my 1098. I even keep my teeth actively clenched while i ride lol :nerd:

 

[Kev242]

Hola Thread!

Just done with my break in miles and had my shop set up my suspension. The preload on the front forks were maxed out to achieve the desired sag so I swapped the springs for Race Tech 1.00kg/mm.

Rider Weight: 195 lbs (no gear)

Engine / Aids:
Race / High - 2/1/1

Clicks from full in:
Fork: C-5 R-4.5
Shock: C-2.5 R-18

Sag
Front:40mm
Rear:35mm

Tires:
Front:OEM
Rear: OEM

Pressures:
Front: 33 psi (cold)
Rear: 33.5 psi (cold)

Ran my usual 110 mile loop twice this weekend and I was consistently 8-10mph faster everywhere, great feel though now I have to be more wary of police. A lot more stable in L-R transitions and still soaks up the bumps for me, though my roads are fairly well maintained.

I plan on two track events in the fall once past 1500 miles, so no feedback on that aspect yet.

Cheers!

 

[dougo1199]

I think I have the suspension settings about where I want them. Still tweaking the rider aids / engine modes.

Rode the bike yesterday with the EBC on 3 and found it much more rider (and hopefully tire) friendly than my previous setting of 2.

Current settings are:
3/3/1 (may be able to drop the DTC down one - but I'll probably try the race mode at those settings first)
Sport / High

 

[dougo1199]

Rode my route again yesterday with a new rear tire and a few suspension / electronic adjustments. The rear still seemed to be bouncing a bitt too much so I took two more clicks out of the rear rebound, and added a 1/4 turn of compression. That seemed to help. Also went into Race mode for the first time. While I did notice it pulled a bit harder the difference between Sport / High and Race wasn't that different. However, I forgot to check and see if the engine power setting (high) transferred with the mode change. If not, that may be why I didn't feel much of a difference. In any case, I'm definitely getting it dialed in!

Updated Settings:
Rider Aids: 3/3/1 (same as before)
Fork: C / 4 R / 4.5 (same as before)
Shock: C / 2.25 R / 12
Tire Pressures: 36 / 36 (same as before)