rear suspension

[Swim41]

Would anyone care to enlighten me as to how the rear suggestion settings affect the cornering of a bike?

Bike in question is an XJ600N, fitted with a basic adjustable rear shock. I do a lot of weekends away with the bike loaded up so ususally have the shock set pretty firm to counteract the extra weight, but recently I've been playing around with it. On the softer settings although the ride seems a little smoother, cornering at speed feels a lot less predictable and not very confidence inspiring.

Is this in my imagination or will adjusting the (no doubt) original shock on a 12 year old commuter bike make much odds to the cornering - and if so, how? Does firmer suspension equal tighter handling?

cheers
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Yamaha XJ600N

[MarJay]

[Smooth]

In simple terms:

Set the sag to the correct amount

If you've got a combined compression/rebound adjuste, gradually increase damping and the back end will feel less wallowy. Increase until the back end feels too harsh and then back it off a bit.

It will take some trial and error, but it is worth it.

When I got my bike 'dialled-in' the handling was vastly better than beforehand. It amazes me how many people don't even consider setting up their suspension correctly.
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TDM850

[Kickstart]

Hi

The harder the suspension the less it can follow bumps in the road and the less grip you will have. The softer the suspension the harder time the damping will have and the more the bike will wallow, and with conventional bikes the more the steering geometry will be badly affected by forces on the suspension.

Somewhere between the 2 ends will be right for you.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Swim41]

Thanks. From what I've tried so far, setting for around 2/3 stiffness seems to be the best balance for faster riding. I'll do some experimenting and see what happens.

cheers

Ben
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Yamaha XJ600N