Shock stiffness effect on handling in the wet

[ToGGoT]

Long story short, went out last night, had to come back in the rain (Dont usually ride when its that wet). Handling was crap, steering was a bit sketchy (Esp on roundabouts), and managed an impressive powerslide away from a junction with minimal throttle/clutch.

Rear damper was set to 3rd of 4 stiffness positions (I'd been out for a hoon with my touring kit on to see how she behaved a few days ago). Likely to have that much of a negative impact, or is it just my inexperience in the wet?

ToGGoT
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2005 BMW R1150R

[MarJay]

Yes it makes a difference, however you can't change the 'stiffness' of the shock. You can only change the compression and rebound damping and the spring preload.

Most people don't seem to realise that harder settings do not automatically mean better; I had an issue on my Daytona 955i that the spring rate was too great for my weight and it span the rear up in the wet on some corners and roundabouts.

You need some give in the suspension... otherwise there would be no need for suspension.
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[ToGGoT]

I figured that would probably be the case - my fault for not changing it back!

Yeah, sorry for the lack in terminology. I cant actually adjust preload on my Monoshock, so i assume its damping. Will turn it down when i get home, and have another go!

ToGGoT
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2005 BMW R1150R

[Kickstart]

Hi

Unusual to be able to adjust damping and not preload. However around the time the GPX was new Kawasaki had some attempts to play with air assisted shocks.

Rule of thumb, the harder the suspension the less grip you have (most noticeable in the wet). However softer suspension will likely upset the handling more.

All the best

Keith
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[mistergixer]

Perhaps a silly question, but have you checked your tyre pressures?
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[ToGGoT]

The tyres were fine when i check them this morning, and they've got loads of tread.

I was very tempted to get one of these: Linky

But to be honest, its quite a lot of cost, when i only aim to have the bike 18 months or so.

ToGGoT
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2005 BMW R1150R

[G]

Handling shouldn't really be affected per-sae, however, grip will be considerably worse - it might be worth considering if this would then have made you tense up a bit, which would have made the handling worse.

Softer suspension will give better grip, providing it's properly damped and not bottoming out.

Incidentally I've got/seen a few bikes with rebound (and compression in the case of the WP-suspended dirt bikes) but no pre-load adjustment.

[The Tot]

For hagon shocks. They're well made for the price point. Being an idiot, i fitted it to my bike, then sold it after a month 2 months of fitting it! If ur suspension is poor as standard, a simple hagon shock will reduce any parameters and variables; it's got preload and rebound/compression damping as one adjustment. Give it a go.
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