And this was a breakthrough moment for me when it came to adjusting suspension today. Ive read countless articles and watched video after video and got lost in settings, taking this from that etc etc....ive gone at it now and again and never made any difference and in most cases, if not all, made it worse.... I watched this video yesterday.... Griff, never met him but heard about him from lots of different sources - all good. One of the things he described was "feel" - crucially for me, he gave a lamens term to what needed to be adjusted if it "felt" a certain way.... My RSV4 has a new rear shock (Ohlins TTX2) - bolted in and not adjusted....mine (at the moment) feels on the whole, soft, soggy and not nice to ride.....one of its worst characteristics is, say for example im going round a left corner at slow speed i have to push the the left hand bar away from me to the point that im almost balancing going around said corner... Watched the video and while ive not grasped the sag thing quite yet but im getting there...but one of the things he said was "the preload, is your ride height" forgetting sag, etc etc i just set the rear half way on the preload. Then i went to the front...did the most basic of settings on the front, set the top screws half way and went out with some spanners, allen keys and 17mm socket....dialled up the rebound damping on the front and rear and its hardened it up.....the best result being the steering at slow speed neutralizing... Its 10 times better than it was before so, looking forward to going out again, and reading up more...
Yep - where i started - but ive still not got mine right but greatly improved...ive read 3 different ways of setting sag and all of them seem to drift at the crucial point of the calcs...
Id just like to add that im so shit at maths anything number related is difficult for me...and i work in IT...
Another thing he said was "always have a thumbs worth of space at the bottom" just in case (on the front)....ive got about twice that so i could, wind off some preload a bit...
Best way is with two people. Almost impossible on your own. Rule of thumb is 40mm front, 20mm rear for road, 30mm front, 15mm rear for track. Works on most bikes except to those with long travel forks. Always with rider on wearing full kit.
So, to get my theoretical 40mm at the front...to get that measurement - this is the way i see it (and probably wrong) - and i might add - what i did today... Extend the forks....take a measurement, from the stanction Let the bike sit...take another measurement again from the stanction Take the first from the second...thats the sag...but i know ive not got it right...as theres a 3rd measurement and thats where i start to wilt... I didnt take any measurements on the rear...just set the preload half way...made a few adjustments while i was out... Digressing and back to the 40mm bit...i dont think ive got that....cant remember what i started out with....i think i was 42mm...but as i say i get confused at the final bit...
Yes to the first bit. That’s full travel. Then get on it, and adjust until it’s 40mm with you on the bike. No need for the second really imho if you can get a rider sag setting. If you do it alone, then yes do what you did, and you want 30mm only travel (no rider) and rider should add 10mm or so if the springs are ok for weight. HTH?
Think so....as im new to this ill have to hit the garage again tomorrow night...where that 40mm measurement coming from?? trying to remember what i did earlier...
It’s one third of travel IIRC, its the difference between the extended fork (your step 1) and you sat on the bike. Note you want this not on any stands, just you on it upright
Check....back on it tomorrow night. Thanks.... stuck a tie wrap on the fork so i can get that size...is that a viable alternative...?
Check out the link I pout on the suspension sticky, it gives a good idea how and where to measure the rear from. Principle the same: pull bike on stand to get full extension, measure point, sit on bike, measure again, adjust to you get 20mm (some like 25mm)
These are fantastic for setting sag to the nearest mm, on your own. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Motool-Slacker-Digital-Sag-Scale/dp/B01N7UQRQW
