| Author | Message | ||
     Shoob815 |
I set the baseline suspension per the owners manual to my weight. I'm still getting a wallow mid turn and fighting the front end. From searching here i'm sure i need more fork compression damping. I also get the loose front end feeling after the century mark, and on aggressive decel/braking. Will increasing fork compression damping AND increasing rear pre-load take care of these issues? Being new to a sportbike (and Buells for that matter) should i expect to have to countersteer through the entire turn in a low lean or should the bike track pretty well once its into the lean? I'm sure it's been covered...I just can't seem to sort it out. | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Tire pressure is very key also, check that first. | ||
| Mountainstorm |
And Tire Profile. With the OEM tires I found 36F 38R made the bike turn in anything less it was fighting me. And after a 1000 miles of street riding they square off making cornering feel dodgy. Then I switched to Michelin Pilot Power 2CT for the front and Pilot Road for the back. The back tire profile is too flat but it wears really well. I feel a Power 2 CT on the back would provide better cornering after a few thousand miles but I've gotten used to the combination. It's outlasting the OEM tires and I can run 35F 36R and get a little better grip with cold tires. (Message edited by MountainStorm on May 17, 2010) (Message edited by MountainStorm on May 17, 2010) | ||
| Metalrabbit |
counter steering on the 1125r just about dosen't exist with the stock tires inflated correctly. I could imagine you could soften the suspension to a point that it would act like your stating. Mine is set pretty firm cause I intend to go GD fast every minute I can. I've had no suspension issues at all since the first couple settings I made. | ||
| Redduck124 |
Tire pressure could be the culprit, as can the tire profile, especially if the stock tires have been replaced. Wallowing mid corner can be caused by a too soft (or light if you will) rebound damping or preload. Even rear preload can effect it to a degree. My suggestion, find a nice, smooth secluded corner away from traffic and other hazards - preferably one that can be taken quickly in both directions - bring the necessary selection of tools with you. I'd avoid a track day because constantly making a lap and pulling off to make a minor adjustment can get old quickly. First make sure you're at baseline settings in the manual for your weight as you said you were, then take the corner, note the bike's behavior and make minor adjustments - one or two notches at a time and only to one adjuster at a time - then make a note on how that changes the ride. It will take a while, but once you have it dialed, you shouldn't need to do it again unless you change something else on the bike like the tire profile or the fork oil weight...etc. I found my bike, as set from the dealer, was not at the baseline settings. Just that simple adjustment cured most of the handing quirks. Spend a couple hours and you'll gain more confidence in the bike and you'll also learn something about suspension setup. (Message edited by redduck124 on May 17, 2010) | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
I used Sport Rider's recommended settings. http://www.sportrider.com/bikes/146_0809_2008_buel l_1125r/buell_suspension_settings.html Most noticeably, Sport Rider recommends lowering the fork tubes so that they're flush with the top of the triple tree. SR also recommends more compression damping than rebound damping, relatively speaking. With my 1125R set up exactly like this (I weigh about 210lbs in gear), it handles relatively benignly. I think I'll dial in an extra half turn of damping on each of the adjusters, though, since I'm undoubtedly heavier than SR's test rider. I also run 34F 37R tire pressures and haven't had any problems with the bike leaning over progressively. I might try bumping up those pressures a bit more if it's likely to make turn-in more neutral. As others have said, check your tire pressure first. Improperly inflated tires can have a noticeable negative effect on handling. For example, a buddy bought my SV650S from me. I had the suspension set up very nicely but this spring he asked me to help him because it felt like it was fighting him in turns. I rode it and confirmed. I suggested that he check the tire pressure. The next day he came over and we spent a good hour fiddling with suspension settings with no noticeable improvement. Finally I asked, what did you set the tire pressures to? He said he didn't. So I corrected that and the bike instantly went back to its good-handling self. (The tires were down to the mid/upper 20s, so it doesn't take a huge drop in pressure to screw up handling.) | ||
| Gemini |
another thing that you might consider is the rider input. i was reading twist of wrist 2 the other day and i talks about a common bike setup problem isn't the bike's fault at all. if you ride with too much weight on your hands or hold to bars too tight, the road inputs can "toss" you around a little bit further upsetting the bike. after i read that i found i was doing exactly that. hit the same bumps in the same turn at about the same speed and it "felt" so much smoother. felt like i was in more control and could go faster and smoother. just my 2 cents | ||
| Xb1200rick |
I had my CR set up at Wheelers recently . He said that for my weight(180) the springs were too hard and the oil was too light . I need lighter springs and thicker oil . I had been fighting the front end also with the stock settings. His set up is working much better. I have almost no preload and 1/2 out on damping. getting rid of the stock tires helped a lot also. Rick | ||
| Ratsmc |
Just a point of clarification, steering on a bike is counter-steering. Even if you don't feel it, that is what you are doing. | ||
| Dannybuell |
Xb1200rick The reason for thinner oil is immediate performance, less warm up time. The most worthwhile answer is F/R springs for your weight and ability. The valving must then be matched to those springs for your compression and rebound tuning! Thicker oil is the wrong answer for forks or shocks. Steer clear of those folks. Counter steering is also flexing your inside turn arm to the shoulder and offering just the right amount of resistance to turn in. Need more steering and already leaned over enough? Looking around turn keeps shoulders in position for turn. Eyes turn head and head turns shoulders. Staying on the front brake a bit and adding a bit can sharpen the turn. Putting weight on the inside peg will make the bike want to turn even more. Pushing outside leg onto side of frame will make the bike want to lean more. If this scares you relax inside turn arm and turn wheel just a bit, it will turn in. Start out a little at a time to develop an understanding of these actions. | ||
| Duphuckincati |
New to sportbikes-get to a trackday school. Help ya out plenty. Whadija ride before? | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
Danny, in a best-case scenario, riders would always revalve their fork or shock when the damping wasn't optimal. However, changing the oil to a different viscosity is a good, cheap way to change the range of damping. While you are correct that thicker oil will be more susceptible to temperature changes, the fact is that even thin oil is affected by ambient temp. A bike's suspension will damp differently in the winter than it does in the summer if the rider doesn't adjust the settings to compensate. I see no problem going from a 2.5wt oil to a 5wt or even a 7.5wt, or vice versa, when trying to achieve optimum damping while on a budget. But if that isn't enough to resolve damping issues, the rider should look into revalving the affected suspension component. | ||
| Shoob815 |
My previous ride was a Fatboy. No offense, but that thing was a slug and pretty much the opposite of a fun time. I'm sure it has a lot to do with rider input and lack of saddle time. I'll test and tune til i get it right. Thanks for all the input. | ||
| Carbonbigfoot |
+1 On the tire pressure thing. Try that first. R | ||
| Xodot |
tire pressure and ensure you are starting with the suspension set to stock. Once you are accustomed to that, spend $50 and get your suspension custom tuned to your riding weight (where you actually sit on the bike and move around as they measure your suspension) by an "expert", someone with references from people you trust - not necessarily your local dealer. FWIW Good luck and welcome! | ||
| Xb1200rick |
Danny and Dave, Actually the recommendation from wheeler was both . He said the best thing to do was revalve , but thicker oil would help and be cheaper. I thought I would try the oil first and see how I liked it and try the revalve later. Rick | ||
| Duphuckincati |
Yeah, Fatboy to 1125 is a whole different universe. Welcome to the land of speed and handling. You can cruise when you get old and fat. |
