Wanted to fix the squat issue on my bike (848 corse se, see avatar) so stiffened the shock compression 2 clicks not expecting much difference. It was 6, now 4 from full. It worked, much better than expected. Bike now handles superbly from mid corner to exit, can get on the gas hard with no running wide. Problem is it feels very stiff and wooden now (front included) and a bit 'floaty' rather than planted, corner entry is a bit scary on tight bends. Yet in general it turns better than it ever has and drive is awesome! Anyway given how it feels I cant imagine the high comp damping is ideal, so would that suggest I need a stiffer spring? Bike has ohlins shock with 1098 ride height adjuster, rear is raised about 8mm from stock. Forks are standard.
Sounds like you have a lightweight spring, and have over-compensated on the other adjustments for it. Although, if you dial all the sweat out it will feel skittish, it needs to dig in to grip
Did you just call me a fatty? I can't remember what the sag is ATM, but if its in the right range could I still go stiffer? Or is something else awry, chain angle, wheelbase etc?
Well you have raised the rear quite a bit, 8mm is a lot by the time you get to seat height, and if your chain is also close to 6 0'clock (maybe bigger rear sprocket) again raised it a bit more. So the geometry is quite different from standard, likely easier to get into a corner but twitchy on fast straights. Check out Dave Moss videos on youtube, worth an hour or two looking through and watching the right ones (there are loads!) I'm pretty sure he has one describing squat and the impact of suspension on running wide etc
Looks like he's got an app now. I've got the Trevitt book too but answers to very specific questions are difficult to extract.
You need to see if you can set the correct sag for you with the rear spring in its correct range (fitted height is correct). If you can then your spring is most likely fine. Maybe a rebound damping issue or you may just need your suspension servicing, in which case you may as well pay them to help you set the correct base settings for you. If you are really ragging the hell out of it in the corners then you 'may' need a one-step heavier spring but you should be able to dial it out with damping settings, which may need to be revalved for you. All this is assuming the bike is screwed together properly ie nothing is loose.
Think I've been running the rear comp too low and front rebound too high. When I checked the manual the stock settings are 2 and 12 (shock, forks) mine are now 4, 8. Might explain the wooden front feel and explains why the rear feels much better. But the bike also has 8mm of ride height added so not sure how that alters things.
I sat through a very revealing 2 hour presentation on suspension adjustment given by PDQ last night. Real anorak stuff delivered in a style that numpties could understand. Confirmed what has been said on here many times, no matter what the make, original equipment bought in is made to a budget. Might look nice and shiny on the outside but is likely to have cheap internals. Bottom line, in the first instance you are far better off spending your money on getting your OE suspension rebuilt with quality parts and spring to suit your build and riding requirements than you are hunting HP on the dyno. If the bike behaves, you should be quicker with the performance you've already got. Also had a lot of praise for the Nitron approach to doing business as well as their quality. Andy
Yeah, I've read about the difference between ohlins proper race kit vs oem stuff they supply. If...or rather when I go for a full rebuild it'll be just that using maxton/nitron internals. My mate had his forks rebuild at REPS and hasn't touched them since, I really struggle to match his corner entry speed.
Sh1te! I only have ~14mm of rear sag. Shows how bad my memory is! Im probably remembering the rc8 settings not the 848, I thought it was 30mm.
Rider. (Free sag - ((rider sag1+rider sag2)/2) = 14mm Took out all preload which is actually 5mm of preload bc the lock ring fouls the expansion chamber part) and got 38mm Added 3mm preload for a total of 8mm and now have 27.5mm sag. So preload doesn't sum linearly to sag? Since I added 3mm preload but lost 10.5mm of sag? (My son was measuring so can't be 100% sure of accuracy!)
Ha sons, can't trust em Good start, for track: Rear Static 10-15mm Rear rider 20-25mm Front static 20-30 Front rider 30-40 Road essentially 10mm more or so all round The 848 is renowned for a very heavy spring. But the amount of ride height at the rear you have added is a lot, may be worth lifting the front a tad too and see if that helps.
Thanks bradders. I'll have to get a more accurate measurement of the added ride height, it's next to impossible to measure with a tape. I can't remember what the old measurement was using an easy reference point, so I'm having to measure the total length of the dog bone centres. I *think* it's +8mm more but might be 5mm. Is there a simpler way to measure? I'm also at ~19mm of forks showing (or 4 lines). So it's arse up AND head down. But i think the geometry feels great as I was originally hunting for better turn in which that certainly provides.
My mate has exactly that st up too. Kyle racing in the states advocates a full lift, raising the cog to make the bike easier to 'flop'. If you have a headstock stand and fancy playing around a bit, leave rear and lift front to one ring showing and try for the difference. Kyle sells fork extenders, so that's how much he lifts the front. I'll see if I can find the article
Kyle Racing Forums Dan Kyle is the guy. This is the forum I think he runs. May be worth half an hour wandering around
