| Author | Message | ||
     Mainstreamer |
I'm having a little "debate" with the service manager at the local dealer. I think his techs are feeding him a bunch of poop on suspension set up. Can someone tell me the 'rider weight' for which the suspension is set when leaving the factory? Also, do the dealer set up instructions call for adjusting the suspension to the weight of the purchaser as part of the prep.. Finally, are the techs suppose make the adjustments as per the table in the owners manual and shop manual..... or is there a different procedure they are to use? Thanks for your help. (Message edited by mainstreamer on January 29, 2008) | ||
| Dalton_gang |
Mine was all out of wack. The front was set up super light (150# ish) and the rear heavy duty (300# ish). My dealer was more than willing to set mine up but I had the owners manual at home at the time. I`m glad that I set it up myself though. It`s easier if you make a little list of each point of adjustment with your numeric values written next to them. | ||
| Glitch |
Regardless of what the dealership does/tells you, get out the owners manual and check it yourself. If they get it right, you know you're dealing with a good dealership, and you're also more familiar with your bike from the get go. If it's all out of wack, well, you're in the know, and are adjusting it correctly. Either way, you'll be riding more confidently. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
This is a big old can of worms. To answer your questions, I believe that the "standard" rider weight is around 160 lb. , which is the average weight of an American man. I do not know if the dealer prep instructions call for adjusting the suspension or not. The thing to remember is that Harley's do not have adjustable suspension, (except for one or two sport models), so the average Harley tech has no idea what the entire concept of suspension adjustment is all about. Therefore whether or not he is supposed to do it or not, the simple fact is that most HD techs and Service Managers just don't understand suspension adjustment , and it is really not a good idea to have them mess with it if they don't. That's the bad news. The good news, is that you can do it yourself in about five minutes, ( once you get the hang of it), and learning how to adjust one's own suspension is part of the fun of owning a Buell. Start out by setting the settings according to the owners manual that came with your bike: different models have different settings. This will give you a good average setting, a bit on the comfort rather than the performance end of things. After you get the bike broken in, and begin to have a feeling for how the bike handles, you may want to further modify the settings, according to the instructions in the owners manual. If you really get into the handling thing, there are the Higbee aggressive settings to consider. In any event you have already learned two valuable lessons. 1. You dealer doesn't know anything about Buells. 2. He is perfectly willing to BS you about it. Thus he is like the vast majority of HD dealers who don't know squat about Buells or their customers. There are a number of Buell friendly dealers out there, however, the trick is to find one. A good place to start is in the Buell Motorcycles, Parts, Service & Accessories section of this site. | ||
| Xl1200r |
When I took delivery on mine I asked about the suspension setup - what it was all set for, etc. I was told - by the Service Manager no less - that the suspension was not set up and they didn't have the tools to do it. I kind of chuckled, took my bike and went home. | ||
| Pwnzor |
they didn't have the tools to do it   | ||
| Doerman |
When mine came in the salesman called and asked me what I weigh all geared up so his tech could set the suspension appropriately. Of course, the dealer fields a local Buell race team and are very adept and aware of suspension setting. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
When I took delivery, the service guy was a little perturbed that he was taken away from his hotdog and beans. They had a big shindig going on and all. "I don't know much about Buells, but I'll tell you what I know." I set the suspension to rider plus gear and was done. | ||
| Slaughter |
The techs SHOULD make adjustments per the table in the manual - UNLESS they have experience in suspension tuning (other than maybe a half dozen dealers, few really do have that experience) Glendale has probably setup a dozen track and race bikes and so they COULD make subtle changes based on your preferences - other dealers may have that experience but if not, STICK to the manual! Both times I bought Buells from Glendale, Ernie took the time to SHOW me the setup and we actually adjusted the S3 right there before he let me ride it away. When I got the XB, Ernie already had it setup for me. I feel that you CANNOT ASS-u-me that the factory has the suspension setup properly for some mythical "average" rider weight. If nothing else, get the manual in your hands when you pickup the bike - make arrangements to have it setup per the manual or else take it around the block a couple times before you drive it away - just make sure there are no surprises. When you get it home, go to the starting suspension settings. Remember, the settings in the manual are ONLY approximate. You really have to "tune" suspension settings depending on your preferences. (Message edited by slaughter on January 29, 2008) | ||
| Daves |
I used to set the suspension with the customer when they came to pick up the bike. That way they could see what I was doing and listen to the "why" | ||
| Chainsaw |
Can someone tell me the 'rider weight' for which the suspension is set when leaving the factory? Preload is set for a rider between 150-180 pounds according to my 2003 XB9R Owner's Manual page 46. |
