Thread: Suspension 08 gsxr 1000

i got my suspension setup at the last AFM Infineon Round #2

im interested in how suspension works so i ask the guy "what exactly" did you do, his answer was EVERYTHING... i kinda roll my eyes and paid him $20 bucks. He didnt tell/explained me nothing about the adjustsments other then your front end is alot lighter and you should feel less bumps.... I originally complained that the right side felt stiffer then the left... i can feel the front end twitch on right sweepers.

What scares me is now i have my front preloads backed almost completely out... i mean they are like 3 inches in the air... the ride is alot better at very low parking lot speeds.. but still like shit everywhere else. I asked my buddy on his 954 how bad was the road on 116 by Infineon, he said it was nice and smooth.... well it was fukn bumpy as shit for me on the 1000. :(

I never had the preload out that much on my previous bikes.... i wonder if this setup will work for me... shiet, wtf do i know, i just ride it, and it feels the same shitty way at speed but better at low parking lot speeds... i still think there is major room for improvement though....

so what would terry do?

oh now im toying with the idea i have a bent front rim, i mean the bike had 2700 miles with OEM tires that had like 4 inches of chicken strips on them.... mid 20's african american Ruff Ryder... (yes he had the sticker on the screen)

setup with GP shift.... so either this guy was drag racing in straight lines or he wheelied the shit outta it... but with the vast amount of ununsed tire i lead myself to believe the previous owner couldnt possibly wheelie the bike in a controlled manner.

Im serious, the amount of unused tire was mind boggling for the amount of miles the bike had.....

Do you have any settings recorded prior to the changes?

My first thought is to get back to what you know before.

I am by far no suspenders Guru, especially road bikes. Gimme a Dirt Tracker and

MKP

I agree, when I first started really getting use to my R1, it was stock. The front felt like it was stuttery when hard on the brakes. I thought suspension was was to soft, I went to Thil, meet with Doug and he explained to me exaclt why this was happening. The front was far to hard and rear to soft.

He explained the bike should always settle evenly under had braking as much as possible as well as settle evenly under hard acceleration. Its the combination that is crucial

Nothing like setting up a dirt bike as I am used to. Doug did his magic and wammo, what a difference, no more stutter or skating.

Most recently I always felt the front pushing, I attributed it to worn tires, after putting the BT016;s on it somewhat went away, until I got used to the BT's. Found my front was bottoming. (AM I being more agreesive)

A few cranks down on spring rate and two clicks in on compression cured this and the bike is on rails again (as Long as I lean correctly)

BTW I am faster than some and slower then most

well ok terry is a little bit overwhelmed at the moment, and i will patiently wait for his expertise.

i exaggerated, i dont have 3 inches of preload showing, prolly a good inch, and the preload has 5 or 6 bars showing.... still a major change from stock with only 1 showing... ??

I did not have the previous setup written down, I did ask the guy if the suspension was setup for another rider or if it was in its "stock" setting. All he told me was preload was cranked way up..... again not being to informative :( and that somebody previously did play with preload but it didnt seemed to be setup correctly.

I also informed the guy i will be attending the 3j's trackday and i will be swapping to brand new dunlop Q2 rubber for the day, i asked him if i should have suspension readjusted for new tires... his answer was "no its setup for it now, but come in the afternoon and we will see if it needs anything"......

well im not going to take his advice, i think suspension should be re-worked for brand new rubber, im going to be on a 190/55 rear (yes i do listen Terry) so that raises the rear 5mm's right? Stock and currently on right now is 190/50 rear.

Maybe its all in my head, and i have lead myself to believe the suspension is not in its "optimum range" Maybe a NCSR god can ride the bike and set things straight?

I do own that "suspension for modern sportbikes" book, and will be trying to find the OEM setup somewhere online, and if all else fails i will just use a Sport Bike Motorcycles & Custom Sport Bikes - Sportbike Accessories, Parts & Reviews at Sport Rider setting. :(

On a side note i had a co-worker ride my bike (he has same 07 gsxr 1000) and he said it was a big difference from his bike - Before i had my suspension setup...

wait is the rear raised 10mm from moving to a 190/55 tire?

5mm on both sidewall top and bottom?

this is from Racetech website,

from their calculators, it seems like this bike should be able to be setup decently well for my weight (160lbs no gear)

Rider Weight: 160 lbs.

FRONT FORK SPRINGS
Recommended Fork Spring Rate for Racing: 0.948 kg/mm (use closest available)
Stock Fork Spring Rate: .976 kg/mm (stock)
Available FRSP S3825 Series Springs are:

REAR SHOCK SPRING
Recommended Rear Shock Spring Rate for Racing: 9.87 kg/mm (use closest available)
Stock Shock Spring Rate: 10.1 kg/mm (stock)
Available SESP 60250 Series Springs are:

Ernie,
I don't know if your aware that I can set up your bike and explain everything to you. I have worked on
maybe up to a hundred bikes since I started my little enterprise. I have worked closely with Terry on
many occasions and have even worked on his bike. I also do simple repairs and maintenance like
oil changes, tune up's, chain and sprockets, fork oil service, and tire changes. I have even painted a couple
of things too. Maybe you can give me a call and set something up. Be more than happy to talk with you.
Cheers, Ray!! 537-1772.