Suspension setup / mods ?

[FreepZ]

Please excuse me if I'm being a pedant and everyone already knows this kind of stuff. I'm just trying to help.

I don't know anything about suspension, so I for one appreciate the information.

• Read some stuff on the Internet so you get an idea of what pogo'ing, packing, pushing, etc. is. Learn how to set sag. http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/howto/122_0509_motorcycle_suspension_damping/

That website says that I should rebuild the suspension after 15k miles. I've just passed 20k. I don't think that my suspension is trashed. It might be, but it's all straight roads in Florida, and most of the stuff I'm on isn't too bumpy, so perhaps suspension isn't too critical. Am I taking a big risk? How much does a suspension rebuild cost anyway?

I bet most people (including myself) will be happy with just a preload setting.

I'm about 150 lbs and have at least 15-20 lbs of gear, and I'm not very aggressive, so the default suspension is probably fine for me.

[Shinysideup]

Shiny, I hope it didn't damp your spirits too much.

 Caveat here: this is probably the nicest suspension I've ever had, so I may just not know any better.

No damping of spirits at all! I agree with others that the stock shock may well suit others' riding style and preferences. My yardstick was a top-end set of Wilbers on a R1200R. Before that, I was fat, dumb and happy with whatever came on my bikes. If you like it, it works.

[Shinysideup]

That website says that I should rebuild the suspension after 15k miles. I've just passed 20k. I don't think that my suspension is trashed. It might be, but it's all straight roads in Florida, and most of the stuff I'm on isn't too bumpy, so perhaps suspension isn't too critical. Am I taking a big risk? How much does a suspension rebuild cost anyway?

In my totally non-expert opinion, you are not taking a big risk. If the shock is no longer doing its job, you will feel it. Harshness from bottoming out. Failure to damp properly (pogo action). If it feels good, it probably is.

As to pricing: highly local, so check with shops in your area. Here's an example from a not-so-cheap city, San Francisco:

http://www.superplushsuspension.com/o-pricing.htm

[Shinysideup]

At the same time I am not an aggressive rider...If I'm dragging a knee that means I am falling down

But I still have fun in the twisties and get a nice lean on...just a safe lean.

That's about my style. With just over 1000 miles on  the Empulse R, my chicken strips are still almost a full inch. After 35K on my R1200R, they were half that. That said, the Empulse gives me much more confidence in cornering at speed. So far, I haven't made it down to my favorite "twisty" route, and use it almost solely as a commuter/ride around SF bike. Better weather coming though!

Also, I'd offer that throwing a knee out, even hanging off, need not be thought of as aggressive, since it allows considerably more traction than riding on the rims! I find that I do a moderate hang-off even when I feel I don't absolutely "need" to. Just makes the bike happier in the turn, which on the Empulse is saying something, since it seems to grin through all of them.

[Richard230]

My daughter's VFR (which used to be mine) has almost 90k miles on its Ohlins shock.  It has never been serviced and she remains happy with its performance.  I am more concerned about dirty fork oil wearing out the components, but the only real problems that I have seen with a damper-rod fork is the failure of any rubber seals that might be in the fork.  Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with upside-down cartridge-type forks, like the ones used on the Brammo.  From what I have heard they should probably be serviced every 15K to 20K miles in order to keep them in good working order.

[aledbetter]

I have to agree with implovator.

The suspension on the bike is actually quite good, possibly a bit aggressive for a city with bad roads.
But i would see no need to alter it if I were using it to commute.

I should also note, I have never even thought to rebuild my suspension at 15k... this seems a bit excessive in my opinion....

[flar]

I've been commuting on it 35 miles or so of highway each way.  There are a few potholes on our highways that I'd like to see go away, but the main thing that is annoying is the ripples.  The bike is all like "Hey, look, the highway goes down, and then up and then down and then up."  And, I'm like "Very nice, but I'd prefer to just sit here and let the tires enjoy that, can we leave me out of this?"

Time to see a suspension tuner...

[Shinysideup]

Thanks for pointing this aspect out. Exactly!

The stretch of 101 South freeway, lane 1, between Grand Ave. and So. Airport Blvd darned near bucks me off the bike as the ripples set up a harmonic response in the stiff suspension.

I don't want to "suck it up." I want the suspension to "soak it up."

[Richard230]

Thanks for pointing this aspect out. Exactly!

The stretch of 101 South freeway, lane 1, between Grand Ave. and So. Airport Blvd darned near bucks me off the bike as the ripples set up a harmonic response in the stiff suspension.

I don't want to "suck it up." I want the suspension to "soak it up."

Good luck with that. I have been riding that highway off and on for almost 50 years now and I have yet to own a motorcycle with a suspension that can deal with the pavement.  Maybe dirt bike suspension is needed to absorb the bumps, potholes, and concrete pavement joints of that section of the Bayshore Freeway.   

[AJ Nin]

Yes. Get the suspension adjusted. I weigh 150 lbs and the suspensions are typically way to stiff. Luckily, I have a suspension pro right here in town, but the dealer should do it for you. It makes all the difference. If you find yourself flying off the seat when you hit a bump or dip, it's imperative. Having said that though, The suspension on the Empulse I test rode today seems OK for me. I didn't get up to full speed though. BTW, that bike is for say. It's a demo and also for sale if you live near Austin. I doubt they would knock anything off the price for it being used though...although they should.

[00049 (AKA SopFu)]

If you go to a shop, make sure they are custom building your suspension like Brian said. A "cheap" setup that is custom (and correct) will be better than a high end set up that is off-the shelf. Most race shops will dial in OEM equipment for $40 to $80, and it's money well spent. They can point you to the system's weaknesses, too. Also keep in mind that compression/rebound settings will be different for each piece, so while one 150lbs person will use full tight, another 150lbs person will want full loose, and the shock/fork would perform exactly he same. Even high end stuff isn't consistent.

I recommend Penske for the shock and Traxxion Dynamics for the forks in terms of bang for the buck. Doing both with top of the line stuff will run ~$2,300, or ~1,500 with lower grade equipment.

As far as maintenance is concerned, all suspension has a bushing at the bottom that slides along the inside of the cylinder. As it is sliding, it is wearing. Eventually you end up with a nice, metallic mix in the fluid which acts like a sandpaper and wears things out even faster. Just swapping fluids every 15k miles will make a big difference. Doing a full cleaning is even better.

Realistically suspension is a big compromise. If you set it up for pot holes, it'll be bad in corners, and vice versa. I plan on sticking with OEM equipment, and maybe - and that's a big maybe - swapping springs.

[Shinysideup]

Realistically suspension is a big compromise. If you set it up for pot holes, it'll be bad in corners, and vice versa. I plan on sticking with OEM equipment, and maybe - and that's a big maybe - swapping springs.

I hear what you're saying about getting suspension set up correctly. And, I see the common sense in your "compromise" hypothesis, and would totally agree with you were it not for my experience of having Wilbers suspension set up properly on a R1200R which dialed in the handling on twisties AND smoothed out the abrupt impacts of potholes to a satisfactory degree. Heck it even tamed the washboard roller coaster of the Bayshore Freeway! So I know it CAN be done!

Perhaps a big part of getting it to do both is to have a shock with separate high-speed and low-speed circuits.

[Richard230]

This afternoon I rode down to Catalyst Reaction Tuning, 1010 Commercial Street, San Carlos, CA and had them adjust my 2012 Zero S suspension.  It took them about 30 minutes (including talking about old times at Cal BMW where they used to work) to perform the work.  The cost for their "basic suspension setup" was only $40.  I complained that the bike was weaving around corners in the Santa Cruz Mountains at speeds above 50 mph and they told me that the suspension was set much too soft.  After spinning the dials and riding around for a few minutes to test their work, they gave it to me to test ride. The bike rides much firmer and is noticeably more stable when cornering. Naturally, it is not as plush around town, but keeping the wallow at bay is probably worth a harsher ride over city potholes.  Attached is a photo of their shop.

[Richard230]

The shop is really hard to find, as there is no sign and the only address is on the man door next to their roll-up door, located off the street and in a fenced-off yard.  Attached is a photo of the shop taken from across the driveway. Commercial Street is on the left.

Note:  The address that I found on their website is incorrect, as they have recently moved to this new, but nearby, location and it appears that their website needs a little updating.  But their trailer kind of gives the location away.

[7racer]

can anyone tell me if the ride height is adjustable?  It looks like the rear is but not sure of the front.  My inseam is 30" and I am a bit on my toes on the bike.