| Author | Message | ||
     Buellere |
ok, after going for a 150 mile plus ride this weekend with a buddy who has a 2006 R1 we/I have come to the conclusion that there is somthin very wrong with my firebolt. we switched back and forth a bunch of times. problem is the firebolt TURNS LIKE A SEMI! Ive been riding for about 13 years and have had all different bikes r6, cbr900rr, zx6r, blah blah, I went through the suspension starting with the stock settings for my weight and then "tweeked" I finally got the bike feelin neutral ie. not staning up under braking or excessive dive while braking. however compared to the R1 the bolt feels like it wont transition correctly its slow side to side and lumbaring(?) through the corner. PLEASE any suggestions would be very helpful IM 5'5'' and 160lbs any one have a set up that might work better??? | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
First of all, lets get one thing straight. In spite of lot's of propaganda to the contrary on this site, the recent Japanese sport bikes are great handling bikes. That being said, a properly set up XB9R is a pretty good handling bike too. Couple of questions. 1. What tires and inflation pressure are you using. 2. Exactly what are you suspension settings? | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
I used to think that my bike (9S) was agile, nimble and when I pressed either side of the bar, it was really responsive.....then about two weeks ago I rode a 94 GSXR 1100 and a 2002 Honda 954. My suspension was adjusted for me by a Development Mechanic an Harley, has a brand spankin new set of Pirelli's and is still a "nervous nelly" and is no where near the two afermentioned bikes. I still love it though. | ||
| Buellere |
ok tires new dunlop d208 tire pressure last checked was manf sug. like 40lbs suspension front preload 5 lines compression 1/4 out rebound 1/2 out suspension rear preload 4 clicks compression 1/4 out rebound 1/2 out my understaning is that for a "quicker" handeling bike for a lighter guy you want to be stiffer?? but not to have to much preload so the bike can squat out of corners under acceleration and to allow for weight transfer from front to rear UNDERPOWER with no throttle input you want a neutral chasis??? or am i just not understanding the buell? oh yeah i also race for two years on a fzr 400 so i thought I knew what i was doing?? a asked my dealer and they said nope, you just need to lear to ride it!!! | ||
| Damnut |
ok tires new dunlop d208 There's your problem!!!! GET RID OF THOSE DUNFLOPS!!!!!! The worst possible tire for this bike. Night and day difference when I switched to Pirelli Diablo Corsa III tires. Bike doesn't want to "stand up" in the corners anymore. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Thanks for the info. Without wanting to suggest that I am an expert in bike handling in general, or your bike in particular, I might make a few suggestions. 1. The Dunlop 208's are not the very best handling tires, or even Dunlop's best handling tire. Most responsible reviews of sport bike tires rate the Dunlop Qualifiers as an excellent tire,( I use them myself), one of the best. Michelin Pilot Powers, and Pirelli Diablos are also widely praised. 2. Tire pressures recommended by Buell are 36 front, 38 rear. ( Most people run about 5lb.s less for track days). 3. I am including the oft posted Shawn Higbee aggressive settings for your use. These have proven to be very useful for many riders on this board. Sorry that they are a bit hard to read.  One of the first thing that I noticed on your settings is that the compression and rebound settings are much, much stiffer than recommended, more like the settings for 2 up riding. Just in case you can't read them, the suggestions are: Front Preload: 5.5 Comp. 1.75 Rebound 1.625 Rear Preload 3 Comp 1.5 Rebound 1.25 As you can see, these are quite a bit different than what you are using. Hope that helps. Let us know if you make any progress. | ||
| Punkid8888 |
Tire pressure also seams High. I am not sure what Buell recomends with the donlops. But my Pirelli scorpions are specified in the book at 34 Front, 36 rear (I believe, I don’t have it in front of me) and it says not to change the pressure with rider weight. | ||
| Lazyj |
Can the dunlops get diablos or pilot sports.....I switched from dunlops to pilot sports and you would think I added a power steering system to the bike....... | ||
| Paul_in_japan |
I got my 05 XB12R (with Dunlop 208's 3200kms) a week after my buddy got his 06 ZX6R. I made the mistake of riding his bike and was a bit disappointed with mine. Modern Jap bikes handle really well too, I think the longer wheel base makes it feel stable, and the smooth revving I4 engine, and silky smooth gear box makes the Buell seem a bit crude in comparison with its clunky gear box and jack hammer engine. Since then though, I played with the suspension settings a lot, recording the differences in feel, response etc. I got a good sense of what effects what etc. Knowing how badly it can handle helps you remedy the problem. Try riding it with really hard front compression for example, it will feel really good one way yet really bad in another. Stick it back to the stock setting then try the same with the damping. You can get a good sense of what fixes what. The main trouble I had was getting it to bank and turn. It felt like the nose was too high and the front and rear wheel were not working together to get me round the corner.I tried different riding positions , hanging off the bike etc, but it wasn't working. I was starting to think the brochure was all hype. The big change was when i stiffened the back up. I added more preload, comp&damp than the factory settings which allowed me to put the front back closer to the factory settings. The bike had a nice nose down , tail up feel and I could basically hold any line around the corner, just by sitting on the bike and leaning. A week after this I added some new Pilot Powers (the D208's bald at the back and the fronts all pointy by this stage) and the bike was transformed into a magical grin making machine. I just cant stop riding it. I havent ridden my mates zx6r since the set up changes but i wouldnt want to. So basically in a nut shell, try stiffening the back a little and ditch the (208's). | ||
| Tpoppa |
my understaning is that for a "quicker" handeling bike for a lighter guy you want to be stiffer If you are referring to quicker steering, that is not accurate. You can make the steering quicker by reducing trail and rake angle. This can be accomplished by increasing rear preload or decreasing front preload (or both). But be careful, if you make the steering too sensitive you will have a twitchy ill-handling machine. As far as cornering ability goes...I would put the XB near the top of the list. That said, I have ridden several bikes that were more flickable (if you want see what flickable is like, throw a Bandit 400 into a corner). The XB (propery setup) excells in cornering stability and holding a line even on less-than-perfect roads. The Short wheelbase also creates advantages for corner entry speed and allows you to get on the throttle a bit earlier on corner exit. I have ridden many tight technical backroads with some EXTREMELY capable riders on R1's, GSXR1k's, Duc's, and all manner of sportbikes. I have NEVER felt that my XB had a handling disadvantage to any of these machines. | ||
| Staindus |
I had some trouble setting up my suspension settings too (06 XB9SX) but I can tell you with the pirelli's at the correct pressure the bike is very smooth and quick steering. If my pressure falls just 3 PSI It turns into a truck (at least until the tires warm up) I also had to get used to the handling of the bike itself after setting up the suspension. Its nothing like My ninja 500R or my Brothers Duc. Just my 2 cents | ||
| M1combat |
I hear the 208's are better than the 207's, but only just... Change the tires. This should eliminate nearly all tendency to stand under braking (you want just a tad...). and it will drastically reduce the effort put into the lever (the lumbering feeling). I use Metzeler M3's (same as the Pirelli's... they're the same company). Oh... If you were to hang WAY off (like actually hook your knee to the outside of the seat and ride the bike with your inner thigh...), that would solve the problem as well. | ||
| M1combat |
I use 30lbs front and 32lbs rear. | ||
| Permagrin |
I too had some issues when I first got mine and set it up. It took a little time but now the bike handles great. Basically from buell recommendation I added 1 more click on the rear preloadand a half turn in on the compreesion up front. But i weigh much more than you. Those adjustment helped but not nearly as much as getting rid of those d208's. I went with the qualifiers. And i love them. I run 35front 37.5 rear cold, 37f 40 rear when hot. I also found that where you sit on the seat makes a difference as well.. If you sit up close to the "tank" it handles different than if you sit way back toward the rear seat. My best recomendation would be get some differnt tires and then throw the spanner wrench and a screw driver in ur trunk and head for your favorite road.. Make a day of it and it'll reward you well.. HTH oh and on a seperate note I finally use all of my tires.. no more chicken strips  | ||
| Luxor |
Same story as most of you. I have an XB9S and 12S. I spent alot of time on setup with the stock D208s, and they were great handling bikes. Then I put Pilot Powers on the 9 and WOW. Huge difference, the bike became very flickable and light. The 12 sits in the garage most of the time because the 9 is just way too much fun. (Message edited by luxor on June 18, 2007) |
