| Author | Message | ||
     Snackbar64 |
This may be a silly question, but here goes. How would someone know what settings are right for them if they have never ridden a bike with an adjustable suspension? I have never adjusted mine in the three plus years I've owned it. How do you know that it is not rider error, or some other ambiguous force at work? How do you know the bike is doing what it is supposed to do and how hard, or easy it should be for the bike to do what it is supposed to do? I had a blast before the XB and what you saw was what you got, no adjustments. Can anyone attempt to answer this, as I am befuddled by the numerous articles that rant and rave of the XB suspension sensitivity. | ||
| Brineusaf |
How do you know the bike is doing what it is supposed to do and how hard, or easy it should be for the bike to do what it is supposed to do? It is my belief the bike will only do what it is supposed to do (with little effort from rider) when the suspension is setup according to specifications. (and then possibly altered to further the handling / preferances) I know mine are right for me because I started at the suggested settings in the manual, and worked my way from there until the bike performed how I was comfortable. You could very well make the bike handle well now, but it is my idea that with the "tuned" suspension that you wouldn't have to "make" the bike to anything... it will react more to your thoughts than to your actions. (in short- you won't have to work as hard to make it do something) | ||
| Ulendo |
keep in mind that 'tuned' has different meanings. lots of guys on here flog the XB12s /R on roads like the dragon - handling is king. the uly guys go longer distances, and want a softer ride. Guys like me use their Xb on gravel, 2 tracks, etc, and want compliant suspension using as much of the available travel as possible. my setup is less than ideal for the Dragon, and someone with a 12R set up for the dragon would rattle their fillings loose trying to keep up with me over a gravel track canyon washout....thus, all the raving about adjustable suspension. | ||
| Tleighbell |
Try it. If you experience certain pro.blems, manyof them have a standard fix. For example, if the rear wallows over bumps in a corner, more rebound may help. If your wheel is bouncing off bumps in a corner, you may want to reduce compression. Kevin Cameron had a good article in Cycle World (I think it was) a couple of years ago. His suggestion was to find a suitable road where you can go up and down again and again. Take one adjustment and gradually increase or decrease the setting in order to understand and feel what that adjustment does. Then set it where you like it best and try it with another one. You will likely go back and readjust the first one after doing all the others as the settings are interdependent. There is no correct setting. What is right is what feels best to you in the particular conditions in which you are riding. One thing that I found made a big difference was increasing the rear ride height by increasing the rear pre-load and decreasing the front. Made the bike turn in much more aggressively. It is an ongoing process of trial and error. | ||
| Josh_cox |
To give credit where credit is due, I did not write these suspension settings/tips. I have however used them, and they are great. This info is taken from Buell training material that was put together for the XB9R release. Hopefully it can help you guys as much as it has me in the past. Sorry for the poor formatting, I can't get it to look quite right on Badweb. Firebolt Suspension ________________________________________ Spring-Preload The spring preload adjustment has a major affect on the running geometry (vehicle handling) of the chassis. These adjustments set: • Vehicle sag: The amount of suspension travel that is used to support the static weight of the bike. • Rider sag: The amount of suspension travel that is used to support the weight of the rider and load on the motorcycle. Recommended Suspension Settings Riding Condition / Preload Settings Rear Setting (ramp position) / Front Setting(number of lines showing) Rider, 150 lbs (68 kg) or less 1 / 5 Rider, 150-180 lbs (68-82 kg) (Note: this is the factory setting) 2 / 4 to 5 Rider, 180-210 lbs (82-95 kg) 3 to 4 / 4 Rider, 210-250 lbs (95-113 kg) 5 / 4 Rider+passenger+ cargo, 250-325 lbs (113-147 kg) total 6 / 3 Rider+passenger+ cargo, 325-390 lbs (147-177 kg) total 6 / 3 GVWR Up to 410 lbs (186 kg) of rider+passenger+cargo 7 / 2 Firebolt Suspension Settings ________________________________________ Damping Adjustment • Damping: The resistance to movement. This affects how easily the suspension can move and limits oscillations or smooths the absorption and release of energy once the movement has begun. • Compression: When the wheel is moving up, the springs are being compressed, and energy is being stored. • Rebound: When the wheel is moving down and the spring is releasing its stored energy. Recommended Suspension Damping Settings: Riding/Road Conditions Counterclockwise Turns Rear Shock first Front Forks second Rebound /Compression Rebound Compression Smooth surface, aggressive riding,max feedback (race track) R1/4 1/4 / F3/4 1/4 Average roads, but high preload (2-up or heavy rider) R3/4 1 / F1-1/4 1 Average roads, sport riding (Note: this is the factory setting) R1-1/4 1-1/4 / F1-5/8 1-1/2 Moderately rough roads more comfort, less sport R2 3-1/2 / F1-3/4 2 Rough roads, long rides, “max comfort setting” R2-5/8 4-3/4 / F2-3/8 2-1/4 Firebolt Suspension settings ________________________________________ Fine Tuning Performance When making adjustments, remember there are two mediums in setting up a bike, geometry and suspension. Both components work together because suspension is a part of geometry. In order to solve handling problems, it is important to diagnose the problem’s true nature. Chattering, sliding or an uncomfortable feeling are suspension-related. Handling and a swinging fork (steering head shake) are geometry-related, but often these unwanted characteristics can be solved by suspension adjustments. General Suspension Solutions: Troubleshooting Condition / Adjustment Solution Bike wallows through turns. Feels loose or vague after bumps. Wheel tends to “pogo” after passing over a bump. This is noticeable by watching the bike continue to bounce as it travels over multiple bumps. Increase rebound damping. Wheel responds to bump, but doesn’t return to ground quickly after bumps. This is more pronounced over a series of bumps and is often referred to as “packing down”. Reduce rebound damping. The bike bottoms out or dips while cornering. Bike has excessive brake dive. Increase compression damping. Harsh ride particularly over washboard surfaces. Bumps kick through handlebars or seat. Suspension seems not to respond to bumps.This is evidenced by tire chattering (a movement with short stroke and high frequency) through corners or by jolting the rider over rough roads. Reduce compression damping. Rear Suspension Solutions: Troubleshooting Condition / Adjustment Solution “Pumping on the Rear” occurs when you are accelerating out of a corner. This problem occurs in two varieties. 1. The first type has a movement with a long stroke and a high frequency. 2. The second version has a movement with a short stroke and high frequency. 1. The shock is too soft. Increase compression damping. If the adjuster is already set to the maximum, add more preload to the spring (one turn maximum) 2. In this case the shock is too hard. Decrease compression damping. Chattering during braking. Decrease the compression damping.If the problem persists, decrease rebound damping for a faster rebound rate. Less spring preload may also help. Lack of tire feedback The suspension is too soft. Increase compression damping. Sliding during cornering. Sliding may occur going into the corner or accelerating out of the corner. The suspension is too hard. Decrease compression damping. Front Suspension Solutions: Troubleshooting Condition / Adjustment Solution Not absorbing bumps. A good suspension is a balance damping and track condition. Finding this balance requires exploring all possible compression settings. Lack of tire feedback Increase compression damping. Tire slides. Decrease compression damping. | ||
| Starter |
Dunno, very hard to describe the feeling of the bike once it is setup nice. Suppose all you can do is tinker and trial. The only way to really get a feel for it is to go out and experiment starting with a good baseline which is the Handbook settings. Getting the static sag on track is probably the first step. From there I would start with rear end comp and rebound then move to the front. Rear comp is easily dialled within a bees dick using the rear squat under power. Get this to your liking and set rebound to your comfort & speed preference. Front end very similar but "I" like is a little soft on the compression side of things and high rebound to enable carrying the sharper steering geometry through the initial turn in after braking. | ||
| Fcbuell |
Correct suspension set-up is huge. I was in a similar boat, I set them to the manual then was happy for a good year or two (05 CityX). After putting on crossroads bars that changed the position, I've been "struggling" with the bike and lost all confidence it its handling. Felt like I couldn't fully arc, sink into a turn, the feedback in the front was bumpy and unsettling. Anyway, after spending some time, adjusting, trying, adjusting, it becomes obvious. After lightening up the front preload some, ample dampening, it feels great! And its EASY to ride. Start with manual settings and tinker... (Message edited by fcbuell on September 11, 2006) | ||
| Throttle_jockey |
AS soon as I bought my XB I starded building a shockabsorber for my bike,I build a shockabsorber with a hose like the original 1 and also I build a upside down version with the piggyback at the swingarm side and the rebound adjuster on the frameside...so these shocks are build by a buellenthousiast    | ||
| Throttle_jockey |
shocking news....today I finished my see trough shockabsorber for my "general lee"  |
