Suspension Setup

[sirloveyou]

Hi,

Probably opening a can of worms her as everyone likes there bike set up differently!
I have never adjusted my suspension before maybe the previous owner did, but not happy with the handling,
It feels nervous and slow both at the same time if that is possible
Any tips or anyone found a sweet spot, I like my bike to feel pointy and planted if that helps ...

[Ckennedy]

Firstly check your tyres pressures. Sounds silly but it can make a big difference. Then the best thing you can do is return the settings to standard, I can't remember what they are for. The front but I'm pretty sure the rear is 3rd from the lowest. Someone will be along to confirm. From there its all trial and error. Do you have a spacer on the rear shock? This increases the turn in of the bike going round the corners and a worth wile mod having up to and not above 6mm. Again the thickness is personal preference.

Suspension really is a can of worms. But like I said, return it to standard and work from there

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

[raggydan]

I'll be interested in the replies you get. I think mine needs a bit of tinkering.

[kitsun]

Hi,

Probably opening a can of worms her as everyone likes there bike set up differently!
I have never adjusted my suspension before maybe the previous owner did, but not happy with the handling,
It feels nervous and slow both at the same time if that is possible
Any tips or anyone found a sweet spot, I like my bike to feel pointy and planted if that helps ...

Suspension set up settings for the VTR where the front has 109mm of travel and 124mm at the rear, you aim to achieve the sag with rider at between 20-30% of total travel for each end:-

Front 109mm travel - sag with rider 27-36mm
Rear 124mm travel - sag with rider 31-41mm

If you cannot achieve the required front and rear sag in the above range, you have to change springs.

hope this helps.

kit

[bsabloke]

hi
what tyres are on the bike? how long have they been on the bike? how many miles have the done?
when I first had my bike the front end was very nervous. I was convinced suspension set up was needed. turn in was rubbish & crap in the wet. tyres were old & well worn. Michelin pilot roads fitted. bike totally transformed. turn in sharp & reliable. surefooted in the dry & wet. can hold any line on any corner.

[budd]

there's a lot of info both on here and the US Superhawk forum re suspension, the VTR is renowned for suspect handling, this is largely down to Honda cost cutting (cheap components) and some basic design issues, weak front springs, over stiff rear etc,

All that said the VTR is a very capable road bike and the handling isn’t an issue for many riders in most circumstances, it’s only when you push on a bit does it start to cause problems, the front will bottom out under heavy braking causing the front tyre to skip along the road surface, the rear is over stiff and will bounce off undulations if the pre load is on the higher settings, even on the lowest setting it’s far from perfect.

But worry not this site has all the answers from basic settings to a full front end swop, what you need to do in the first instance is get it back to OE settings, check the tyre pressures and condition of all the suspension components (inc bearings, linkages etc) and finally ensure the tyres are in good shape (all mentioned above) once this is done you need to ride it and assess its performance then decide if any issues persist.
You find that all is now well and there was some underlying issue causing the problems which was rectified doing the basic checks and ensuring everything is tip top, if you’re now happy with the handling then happy days just get on and enjoy the big twin.

If however you still aren’t happy with the way the bike is behaving you need to look at identifying and addressing the issues, a spacer under the rear shock mount speeds steering and aids turn in, changing the pre load can help the bottoming problem but only up to a point, changing the front springs for weight matched linear or progressive springs helps no end (it’s also the perfect opportunity to check/replace as necessary the front fork internals), then there’s replacement rear dampers with a matched spring, front end swops etc etc the skies the limit really should you wish to go beyond a simple spring change.

But first thing’s first ensure the bike is in good order and then decide what you expect from it, there’s a wealth of information available to help you get there.

[bigtwinthing]

Firstly make sure all the linkages are good, the bottom bush is close to the exhaust, mine was a bit tight, greased up it was totally different.
Ive since stripped the whole linkage and fitted a WP Shock and its great. Forks were sorted by Roger on this forum. Great mod and well worth it if your keeping the bike.