| Author | Message | ||
     Paul_in_japan |
Just wondering if anyone knows what effects the changes in season (temp), time and mileage have on your suspension (especially the front) and how we should go about adjusting them to compensate. When I got my used XB12R with the old Dunflop's 208 I spent ages adjusting the setting and recording the effects until I got it to handle the best I could (quite different to the recommended set up). When I added some new Michelin Pilot Power 2ct the bike was just awesome and would happily go around any corner.Now with 4500km on the tires she is handling like a dog again. Obviously the tires have a lot to do with it.I think as the fronts wear on both sides they become 'pointy' which makes it hard to make nice smooth changes in bank angle when cornering. Instead you get this all or nothing type feel, especially noticeable when putting slowly around town, lean the bike a little and the whole wheel wants to turn it. However, tires aside, the suspension has felt different since the onset of summer. This was especially noticeable after taking a 2 week holiday while the Buell sat and cooked in the garage.I would assume as the temp gets hotter the fork oil gets softer requiring some kind of adjustment to the forks to compensate. Yet wouldn't the oil and the air in the fork expand slightly creating greater pressure requiring an adjustment in the opposite direction? The same questions apply for time. As the fork oil degrades should I be making slight adjustments to the fork settings to compensate? What might these be? any idea? sorry for the long post, just plan to do some more suspension experimenting this week. cheers ! | ||
| Glitch |
Tires. I'd bet the tires are just worn. Once I got my suspension set, I've only had to change the setting once. When I swapped the S for the R tail. I rebuilt my front forks at 25thousand miles or so, because I had a leaky seal. Except for the seal, and minimal wear on the bushings, the fork internals looked pretty new. If the tires don't do it for you, try changing the fork oil. If that don't do it for ya, then you can start worrying about settings. | ||
| Buelet |
I'd check the tire pressures too. My '03 XB9S was just in the shop a while back for a week or so and when I got it back it felt horrible. It was just in for front wheel bearing / axle replacement, as well as the fan, and the adjustable brake lever (had a crack in it causing it to be "sticky"). Granted the front tire is WELL worn and needs replaced (may do this today in fact), I had just ridden it over 2000 miles the week before and I knew it didn't handle like that. I had ridden my Uly in the mean time and just couldn't believe that I had forgotten how my 9 felt. I was SURE that THEY had done something wrong... Before I went back, I stopped and checked my tire pressures... My front was at something like 22psi... If I would ride at parking lot speeds, when I would just SLIGHTLY move my weight from side to side the bike would FALL that way immediately. Making a turn on the street was the same. Start to turn in and the front end just wanted to flop all the way in. It was bad. Once I brought the front tire up to 36psi it was seriously like a brand new bike. Felt like it was supposed to. No surprise, huh? I'm sure my tire just lost air that fast over the past week or so while it sat at the dealership due to my tire being in such poor shape, but what it did for me was to dramatically illustrate what a difference air pressure makes. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
+1 tire pressures | ||
| Punkid8888 |
You are correct, the fork oil when hot will become less viscous (resistance to movement) Temperature will play a big role in your suspension setting, but obviously this is to what degree you can feel or care. Most racers will adjust suspension day to day, depending on weather and track condition. And your setting my be great at the beginning of the day, when both air temp and suspension temp is cooler, but as the day continues the outside air temp will be higher, and the fork (depending how hard your riding) might become heat saturated. I think for the average street rider (like me) I only adjust a couple times a year. In the colder months, I will adjust compression to allow it to move a little quicker, setting per the manual recommendation. I actually keep this setting for most of the season while commuting through Boston, as the roads are very rough. But if its in the middle of the summer, with a week of 90s in the forecast, or I am planning a weekend ride that will be over some smoother roads, at a higher speed I will adjust the compression and rebound accordingly. Honestly If I forget, I forget. Its not a big deal the bike will still handle great, maybe just not its best. | ||
| Diablobrian |
Eventually your fork and shock oil will break down and lose it's viscosity. the heat and shearing action of the fork internals break down the long molecules that are used to modify friction. On a street bike this can take years to have any really significant effect. Whereas on a race bike you may need to change the oil twice a season to keep action consistent | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
I have found fuel level, and temp and make fairly noticeable changed to my suspension. I asked a local buell racer about this and he mentioned it is much more noticeable if you are a lightweight. If it is cold out, and I am low on fuel, freeway expansion joints can become almost unbearable. I am wondering when someone will make an active suspension system for motorcycles. I know BMW has an electronic system, but it static. Fully automatic (think GM's MagneRide Suspension) would be cool |
