adjusting suspension sag? | GTAMotorcycle.com

adjusting suspension sag?

ravensix

ravensix

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Hey guys, Sorry for all the questions as I am still new to riding and new to my bike. Just had a question for suspension set up.
If you are adjusting suspension sag for your bike to accommodate your own weight, What happens if you gain or lose say...5-10lbs during the summer? Are you going to have to constantly keep tabs of how much you weigh and than re-adjust your suspension based on that?
 
You're not racing, it doesn't need to be 100% perfect. If there is still 1/3rd of travel left when you're sitting then you're fine. On my bike anyway. But it's easier for me as I only have 5 click settings to choose from.

Too much suspension makes for a bumpy ride. Too little makes for a wallow that can bottom out on hard bumps if set too low.

If you have an old road near you with frost heaves and stuff you can test this out and see what I mean.
 
ravensix said:
Hey guys, Sorry for all the questions as I am still new to riding and new to my bike. Just had a question for suspension set up.
If you are adjusting suspension sag for your bike to accommodate your own weight, What happens if you gain or lose say...5-10lbs during the summer? Are you going to have to constantly keep tabs of how much you weigh and than re-adjust your suspension based on that?
Click to expand...

Nope it'll be fine, 11lbs and your in trouble though
 
Sunspark said:
You're not racing, it doesn't need to be 100% perfect. If there is still 1/3rd of travel left when you're sitting then you're fine. On my bike anyway. But it's easier for me as I only have 5 click settings to choose from.

Too much suspension makes for a bumpy ride. Too little makes for a wallow that can bottom out on hard bumps if set too low.

If you have an old road near you with frost heaves and stuff you can test this out and see what I mean.
Click to expand...


Lol ok cool thanks.
 
As others have said if your not racing no, no change needed. Get it close once a year or so. I personally prefer it a touch softer, but then I commute in the city where road repair budgets go to the Scarborough gravy train.

Bigger thing is if you decide to ride two up make sure you stiffen the preload of the rear up for the extra weight. Most modern bikes its a matter of 30 seconds with a wrench.
 
And increase the psi in the back tire too for 2-up. Look at the chain guard or somewhere nearby, there should be a sticker with recommended tire pressures for 1-up vs 2-up. The reason is because 150 lbs + bike is different than 300 lbs + bike on the tire's contact patch.
 
Sunspark said:
You're not racing, it doesn't need to be 100% perfect. If there is still 1/3rd of travel left when you're sitting then you're fine. On my bike anyway. But it's easier for me as I only have 5 click settings to choose from.

Too much suspension makes for a bumpy ride. Too little makes for a wallow that can bottom out on hard bumps if set too low.

If you have an old road near you with frost heaves and stuff you can test this out and see what I mean.
Click to expand...

Pardon my ignorance but isn't it the other way around?

You only want the bike to sag down a 1/3 of the travel so you have 2/3 of travel left for absorbing bumps and letting the suspension work??
 
Don't confuse me, because you now introduce a lot of variables. Intended purpose: casual street riding vs track riding, the type of spring winding (straight, progressive, etc), etc.

On my specific setup if I have it pushed up to firm (compressing the spring higher) with only 1/3 sag while sitting on the street, every bump and jolt is transmitted to me affecting my steering. Relaxing the spring for my weight stretching it out to 2/3rds travel thus giving it more range of motion transmits less bumps to steering. Too soft is no good because that does affect control.

I don't have a race bike, I have a standard. My suspension is probably a very old design as my bike looks like something from the 60s or 70s.

This is part of why I say find a bumpy frost heaved road and see what I mean. If you are dialed in for 1/3, change it to 2/3 and ride that stretch. Then change it back and see how your steering etc may have been affected.
 
Sunspark said:
Don't confuse me, because you now introduce a lot of variables. Intended purpose: casual street riding vs track riding, the type of spring winding (straight, progressive, etc), etc.

On my specific setup if I have it pushed up to firm (compressing the spring higher) with only 1/3 sag while sitting on the street, every bump and jolt is transmitted to me affecting my steering. Relaxing the spring for my weight stretching it out to 2/3rds travel thus giving it more range of motion transmits less bumps to steering. Too soft is no good because that does affect control.

I don't have a race bike, I have a standard. My suspension is probably a very old design as my bike looks like something from the 60s or 70s.

This is part of why I say find a bumpy frost heaved road and see what I mean. If you are dialed in for 1/3, change it to 2/3 and ride that stretch. Then change it back and see how your steering etc may have been affected.
Click to expand...

LOL, makes sense... Thanks!
 
Sunspark said:
Don't confuse me, because you now introduce a lot of variables. Intended purpose: casual street riding vs track riding, the type of spring winding (straight, progressive, etc), etc.

On my specific setup if I have it pushed up to firm (compressing the spring higher) with only 1/3 sag while sitting on the street, every bump and jolt is transmitted to me affecting my steering. Relaxing the spring for my weight stretching it out to 2/3rds travel thus giving it more range of motion transmits less bumps to steering. Too soft is no good because that does affect control.

I don't have a race bike, I have a standard. My suspension is probably a very old design as my bike looks like something from the 60s or 70s.

This is part of why I say find a bumpy frost heaved road and see what I mean. If you are dialed in for 1/3, change it to 2/3 and ride that stretch. Then change it back and see how your steering etc may have been affected.
Click to expand...

Something's wrong. If you have (say) 110mm total suspension travel available (measured from fully extended, to the mechanical bump stop with the spring removed - fully compressed), the nominal rider-aboard sag should be about 36 - 37 mm, i.e. compressed about 1/3 of the way.

If you have it softened so that there is 75mm sag (!) there is only 36 - 37mm of compression travel remaining, and you will be whacking the bump stops in compression all the time!

I'm not saying that what you felt isn't what you felt, but if what you describe is accurate, there's something else going on that the rest of us not aware of.
 
Vid for anyone insterested in setting a bike up

[video=youtube;FjGgq1z9zbo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjGgq1z9zbo[/video]




As for the OP's original question consider this. 20 liters of fuel is about 32lbs. So do you re-adjust everything based on how much fuel you have? ;)
 
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