| Author | Message | ||
     Slickshoes19 |
After reading the review of the 1125R in Sport Rider I noticed the reviewer was almost exactly my size and it gave his recommended suspension settings. I've never tuned my suspension before (16,500 miles on an 06 XB12SS with no tuning) but given the similarity between the reviewer's and my weights I figured it would be well worth the effort. Now after tuning to what the Sport Rider settings were my bike likes to wobble its head more than it did in stock form. I thought maybe I screwed the forks up and made one different from the other but I was pretty meticulous about the counts. When the manual says a "turn" that means 1 full 360 rotation correct? Also of note are the dots on the fork rebound adjusters: One of them is above the screw driver slot and the other is below but they are turned the same amount of times from all the way in. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks. | ||
| Spectrum |
Read the owners manual carefully as there is pretty good descriptions of what adjustments do what and which way to turn them. For example the adjustments on the top of the forks are: 1 The big blue nut is "preload". Counter clock wise decreases preload and clock wise increases. Start at minimum preload (turned counter clock wise till it stops) and adjust to desired setting by turning clock wise x turns. 2. The screw head on top of the forks is "rebound". it turns the opposite as preload. in other words, start at maximum rebound (turn the screw clockwise till it stops). Then turn it counter clockwise x.x times to the desired setting. Preloads are whole numbers (turns on the front forks or stops on the rear shock. Rebound and compression can be fractions. for example 1.75 rebound would be 1 and 3/4 turns counter clockwise on the top fork screws. Again, it's all explained fairly well in the manual so read it carefully. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Never understood the Sport Rider suspension setting "recommendations" since settings are meaningless with a corresponding rider weight....I might be blind, but I never see any rider weight with the SR settings, so to me they are absolutely meaningless. ...and having to eyeball the tester in the article pics is no way to determine if te settings are for "you"...not a slam on the originator of this thread, but all on Sport Rider. Higbee had some great aggressive settings for the XBs. Wish he could do the same for the 1125r... | ||
| Slickshoes19 |
It says in the article that he is 5 ft. 8 and about 150lbs. He is the "heavyweight" of the testers. I'm a little over 5 ft. 7 and about 150 lbs. so that's why I thought it'd be good to follow his suspension settings. I find setting the suspension up myself to be pretty daunting as you have to take notice of every reaction the bike has and adjust accordingly. I figured this was an easy way out. | ||
| Pariah |
Remember that in the Sport Rider article, they made changes to the steering geometry... can't remember what they did exactly, but they were trying to make the 1125R's steering feel lighter. So, unless you make this change also, I wouldn't trust their suspension settings. To me, the steering doesn't feel heavy--- but when you don't have a steering damper, maybe some heaviness is good. What pisses me off is that they tried to make the 1125R like another bike (a Ducati or a Kawi or whatever). It is what it is, dammit! | ||
| Slickshoes19 |
When I set up the suspension I had the manual opened up to the corresponding pages and the Sport Rider issue next to that. I thought I did everything right but like I said the head wobbles a bit. I guess I just have to tune it and then just pay attention. Thanks for all the input so far. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
What pisses me off is that they tried to make the 1125R like another bike (a Ducati or a Kawi or whatever). It is what it is, dammit! It's because the 1125r has "wonky" steering in their estimation....Hard to get a fair shake in the moto mags when the test riders spend 99% of their time on conventional cookie cutter sportbikes. Not to say that the Japanese bikes are not wonderful engineering marvels, but there is no way that they can FULLY appreciate 1125r handling in the limited testing time. We are already seeing what kind of track weapon the 1125r can be in the right set of hands (versus all makes of motorcycle--even ones making boat-loads more HP.) Plus factor in the pre-test bias and it's amazing they get any good press at all. How many articles begin with a clause referring to their low expectations of the 1125r? | ||
| D_adams |
Wow, I'm a freakin pig (or a giant) compared to those guys out there at SR. 6'1" @ 205 lbs. It's a little harsh over some of the bigger bumps, but for aggressive riding, mine came in pretty close from the showroom floor. I'll have to actually check mine now to see where it really is. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Mine suspension settings were all over the place when it came from the dealer...another bonus (or lack thereof) from the PDI! Let's see, it came with over-filled oil, air in the brake line & wacky suspension settings. What did I pay for again? | ||
| Usmoto |
I'm 5'10" and weigh 220. I set up my suspension settings to what the owner's manual suggested. It rides much better now, especially the front handling in a corner. Before I changed the suspension, the front was very bouncy in any corner. Now the whole bike seems more solid. | ||
| Clarkjw |
FWIW, my suspension softened up after 1200 miles and I had to stiffen it 2 clicks. ( I do ride to NYC though) | ||
| Dalton_gang |
Hey Clark, The suspension may have softened up due to the ambient air temperature getting "hot". Mine did the same and I expect it to firm up a bit in about a month or two when it cools back down. | ||
| Chevycummins |
Fresnobuell, you paid for and got the same thing I got. My dealer made a big deal about "setting the bike up for my weight" and then they did nothing. I had to go and change everything per the owners manual. The low fuel light came on within 3 miles of leaving the dealer! | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Yeah, not sure what you get for the $650 setup fee--but it is the biggest BS fee ever. I can't see myself paying for it again. No way...I'll find a dealer who will waive it or buy used. anyone know what we are supposed to get for the 7-8 hours of labor we are paying for? |
