Suspension set up

[Boris]

Hi All

I find the stock set up pretty harsh. With no adjustsment on the front coupled with me not being the most confident in corners and roundabouts, I wonder if anyone can suggest any improvements to the suspension set up? The bike along wiht the suspension settings are all stock right now and it feels more confident (planted) when I'm carrying a heavier than usual load in my rucksack. I commute and never carry a pillion and have tyre pressures at the recommended levels.

Any thoughts/comments very welcome!

Cheers

Boris

[Redeemer28]

I have hardened the rebound of the suspencion just for not to have the hard kick back in big road abnormalities when i m driving fast.It s the small screw behind the chain .It has an S to the left and an H to the right.Just a quarter or a half of a turn can do a lot of a difference.Play with it and find out the best for your needs.
Now there is another thing you can do to your suspension.Check the manual about.Its just on the top of our back suspencion and it can be softened or hardened with a special key that you have under your seat.This adjustment fixes the SAG of your suspencion.I really cannot explain what the SAG is in English  ,but if you need less confortable tune up but more stable for a track day for example you can make it harder turning it to the right.There are 7 clicks in it.The factory setting (confortable) is at 2.The 1 is the softer and 7 the harder.If you just put it to 3 or 4 you have a totally new bike when you are inside a turn(more stable),but less confortable in a usual ride.So the adjustment of the suspension is a personal thing.Test it and find out what s the best for you.Becarefull not to put the second adjustment i wrote,to it s limits cause you can damage it.So play around with spots 2 to 6.
I hope my poor English explained you in general terms what you can do!

[Redeemer28]

Here is a photo of my Greek manual that maybe can helps you understand better.The 1rst image is shows the second adjustment i mention above.

[Boris]

Originally Posted by Redeemer28

Here is a photo of my Greek manual that maybe can helps you understand better.The 1rst image is shows the second adjustment i mention above.

Many thanks! I did think about the sag (pre-load) but wondered if turning it to 3 or 4 might make it more twitchy.. I will experiment! Thank you for your reply!

[Shaunomercy]

preload means just that.  it pre loads the suspension.  turning the collar at the top of the shock will make the rear of the bike fractionally harder and higher.  if anything id try reducing to lowest on collar i.e minimum so you get some static sag on the bike when you sit on it. 
turning the compression damping screw at the bottom adjusts how the shock reacts when it compresses.

if your finding it hard and the bikes not feeling glued to the road and kidney punches you on bad roads then ideally you want to go soft so the suspension works.

paul

[gatesy]

If its any help I also found my suspension a little harsh at first but now after 12k Ks it has softened quite a bit and still on standard settings. I tour two up but ride daily solo so have had a chance to see both type of use.

Remember to note standard settings so you can get back to them after trying others.

[RobSherratt]

Cornering at speed on any m/c and "holding the line" depends on correct suspension set-up for the weight of the rider.   If you happen to weigh exactly the same as the Honda CT test rider then you have no need to worry!

Has anyone had their front forks and springs on your CT race tuned?  A race company in Stowmarket did this for my last 3 m/cs, but I might be a special case being a 6 ft 2 in heavyweight :-).  It completely transformed the ride on my ST1300 which used to bounce round corners like a pogo stick, always running out on the line into the gravelly muck.  The cost was between 100 and 200 GBP depending on parts needed (springs, spacers, oil, seals etc).

The rear suspension has never needed new parts for me, just adjustment of preload / static sag within factory adjustment capability. 

[TroggysRevenge]

I found the front end to be about spot-on, but the rear was a bit firm and underdamped to begin with.  It loosened up after a while, but the perfect setup for me now is with the rear spring firmed up two notches, and gave the damper a quarter turn to the right.  I always ride with a top box fitted, and I've found this setup to be good for riding with a pillion and full luggage too.