Suspension Adjustments

[TGriffith]

Currently, I know close to nothing about suspension adjustments.  But, considering my bike is most likely setup for the street, and that I weigh less than the average human - I'm pretty sure that it would be advantageous for me to figure out this dark art, and make some adjustments to my bike for the next track day.

I found this article, which should be a good start:
http://www.sportrider.com/tech/146_0006_susp/

[TGriffith]

Using the link listed in the previous post, I'll set the Static Sag to the race setting (25 to 30mm) for both the front and rear.  That should help.  I'll also get some steel brake lines.  Lastly, I'll drop the front end by raising the fork tubes in the triple clamp about 15mm (at most).  This will sharpen the steering - but I should alos get a steering damper.  Of course, this stuff isn't free, and the exhaust on the truck just rusted out, and the weather is cold... so it will be a long time before I finish this thread!

[oneal]

Nothing like a bike that sags properly...

[TGriffith]

Is it spring yet?
In anticipation of the weather change - I pulled out the bike and set the rebound on the front forks.  I was at 6 clicks out, but got 3 bounces out of that.  I had to tune it down to 3 clicks to get one bounce.  (And that's with cold fork oil... and I'm no pro at bouncing a bike.)  I might have to go down to 2 or 1 click out when it gets hotter! 
The next get-together will have to be a "set your sag" day.  Although, I'm not sure what the sag for a KTM is... I'm guessing about 3 feet 

April 28th won't get here soon enough!  The next 58 days are going to seem like a year!

[TGriffith]

Well, the temp right now is 70 - and since I work from home... no reason to stay inside!
Took the bike out, and double-checked the rebound (now that the temp is above freezing)... still got 2 bounces on the rebound, so went down to 2 clicks.
Took the bike out for a test spin, and what a difference!  I can take the turns much faster now, and with a lot more confidence!  Just 46 more days until the next track day... tomorrow wouldn't be soon enough!

[prudolf]

...still re-reading your bouncing situation...that thing shouldn't be that springy, even stock.  Are you dropping the bike from the ceiling to get a bounce?

you either need stiffer springs for your weight, or theres no fluid in your fork to dampen the spring effect...both!?  You haven't noticed a fork seal seeping on you have you?

[TGriffith]

Well, I've been practicing to get max leverage to bounce the bike as much as possible (as I learned from the Dave Moss videos - Catalyst Reaction Suspension Tuning (from www.OnTheThrottle.tv).  But, it is true... 2 out seems a little extreme.  I better look for a leak in the fork seals.  I don't do wheelies on the bike, so I doubt the fork seals are bad.

[oneal]

I'll admit that I haven't watched the video yet and I'm no expert on suspension, but I tend to agree with Paul on the dampening.  How do they tell you to set the compression (does your bike have it)?

Have you checked your static sag and how much fork travel you're using?  The old zip-tie around the fork tube can tell you a lot about your suspension.  I've always heard that under HARD riding, you should be using 80% (or more) of your fork travel.  I think you want to work on this before playing with dampening too much.

It's amazing how much better the bike handles when you get the damping set right.  I had a problem with my left fork tube last year where compression was stuck at max (slow).  Didn't realize it until after 2 track days.

[prudolf]

look's like I'll be borrowing a copy of the shop manual and tearing into a daytona 600 anyhow...

[TGriffith]

What the hell are you waiting for?  My advice to anyone that ever wants to do a track day... watch the suspension tuning videos!  I can't emphasize this enough.  The proper suspension settings make a huge difference - and they're not difficult to do.  BUT, it's difficult to understand by simply reading a book... the videos do a great job explaining wht to do, and how to do it, and what it all means.  They even explain tire wear - and what to do!

As for my bike - according to "the experts" I could even be at 1 click out from full stiff for rebound... http://www.sportrider.com/bikes/146_street_bike_suspension_settings/

As for the other settings (Static sag, fork travel, etc.) - I still need to set all of those too!

[TGriffith]

I don't know if that rusty old daytona 600 will pass tech inspection 

[TGriffith]

For those of you that have no idea what videos I'm talking about... they're all on the internet, and you can find the locations from this forum:
http://www.nesba.com/TrackTalk/bb/Forum1/HTML/002036.html

[prudolf]

Front Fork Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 mm
Recommended Fork Oil grade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SAE 10w
Oil Volume (dry fill) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465cc
Oil Level (fork fully compressed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 mm

Yes, I know this is a new bike and if you haven't had any oil seeping, but if you're trying to get your suspension to work as close to perfect as possible, I'd make sure everything is to spec before trying to use the clickers to get around it.

I posted those specs mainly to for fork oil level.

[prudolf]

wow, i just re-read my last post and noticed how garbled my English was...I think I did just post that at work after getting off the phone with a mexican BMW customer from Jersey speaking Spanglish...my brain must've been still spinning.

Thats my story and I'm sticking to it

[oneal]

Yes, I know this is a new bike and if you haven't had any oil seeping, but if you're trying to get your suspension to work as close to perfect as possible, I'd make sure everything is to spec before trying to use the clickers to get around it.

Longest single sentence I've seen in a long time...