Playing with suspension...

[Yoko]

I been thinking about playing with the suspension settings on my ZX6R. At the moment I find its too hard and throws me all over the place. It's never really used on track so doesnt need to be super hard.

Without going in to too much detail about the physics of it where do I start?

I have adjustments at the top and bottom of the forks by way if little screw thingys and the rear suspension can adjust the pre-load by way of big nut above sprint and there is also a little screw thingy on the cylinder thing attached to the top of the rear shock.

Please bear in mind I'm an idiot when it comes to suspension though I'm quite mechanically minded!

Yes I'm aware it would probably be better to get it set up at a garage but I want to play and learn something!

Cheers!
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Sheep Shagger

[Irezumi aka Reuben]

I suggest you learn what the basics of preload, rebound and compression mean.

Seatch google and find out what they each effect and how it would change the way your bike handles, then experiment.
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Pictorgraphicalfantastical

[TUG]

as stated before, maybe change the fluid in your forks, makes a hell of a difference, then get a suspension specialist to suggest you some fork springs and shock options, or play with your current setup's settings like stated before.
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Haz ER-5, innit!

[Yoko]

Oh I understand that:

Rebound: Is how fast the spring returns to normal
Compression: How fast the spring compresses.

and well pre-load is quite easy to work out lol

I'm just not sure how that translates to making adjustments.

I mean if I want it to be softer do I just unload the spring a bit?

What effect will making the compression softer but the rebound harder have?

So If I want it softer I guess I turn the preload down a but so there is less 'boing' in the spring turn the compression down a little so it absorbs the bump a little faster and turn the rebound down a bit so it does returns a bit slower...
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Sheep Shagger

[Davo]

I'd be tempted to take it to a shop and bug the guy doing it to try and explain why & how.

That's what I did when I got the R6 setup back at Silverstone.

[Irezumi aka Reuben]

No offence meant Yoko, and I am the same in this regard, but you do not understand what I would consider the 'basics' of suspension. You can give brief descriptions as can I.

I would personally want to read up a great deal more should I be messing around with suspension settings.
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Pictorgraphicalfantastical

[G]

As Davo says, I'd be tempted to splash out and pay someone to do it, if you can. There are a few half decent guides out there that you can google that will probably be better than what most people on here can explain.

I generally pay someone for my race bikes, though have got to the point where if there's obvious problems I can generally fix them.

Setting the static sag is a good start and easy to do. (Google for it, I always get the front and back measurements mixed up .)

Note that for track as well as road riding you generally want the suspension to be as /soft/ as possible without bottoming out. However for track, this is still generally quite stiff.

A good way of measuring this is to put a cable tie over a front fork stanchion. Slide it up against the seal, then as you ride it will get pushed down. If it only ever goes half way down even with heavy braking, etc; then you know you're not using the full range of travel.

Note that while compression damping can be tweaked to change how soft or hard a fork feels, in the end if it's too far out, you'll need to get new springs. Made a decent difference putting heavier springs in my 675.

[Yoko]

Well I suspect the fork oil most definitely needs doing since its not been looked at for 35k Not sure how much it's going to cost thought.

I'm probably looking at a 'quick fix' at the moment but realistically with suspension there isnt such thing as quick!!

I expect if I get it setup correctly it will give me a bit more confidence and the main thing that puts off leaning the bike more than I already do is because its so twitchy on anything less smooth than glass!

Cheers folks
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Sheep Shagger

[G]

First thing, around a corner are you holding the throttle open a bit so that you're accelerating slightly? This is to give the '40/60' weight distribution relative to the size of the tyres.
This can make the bike remarkably smoother, especially when the suspension is off a bit. Might be worth playing with trying a bit more power if you think you're already doing it.

It's cost me around £70 to get new springs put in when I've taken the forks off myself, this would generally involve a service - so new oil and seals, as well as setting it up to your weight. However, the price of new springs is ontop of that.
(Note, I'd generally do this myself, but a couple of times there's been various reasons I haven't had the time/inclination.)