So, after 9 years of owning the bike(cbr1000rr 07 HRC), I'm looking into tweaking the suspension a bit. I see on that sportrider.net site, there are a recommended settings for each model and year of bike they've tested. So, my dilemma is, do I start making tweaks to the stock Honda settings and work from there, or go from the sportbike.net settings as my base setting, and customise that to my liking? What if my gradual tweaks of the Honda setup eventually lead me to sportrider.net settings anyway? Have people run those settings and found them to be better? I appreciate that for either option, I need to get sag set correctly, but I mean the comp/rebound settings, and, crucially, their recommendation to run with the fork tubes flush with the triple clamps, as opposed to being 5mm high in honda stock settings. I would like better turn-in, so it seems it might be a good move. Thanks in advance for suggestions. Settings for comparion: Front preload: 7 out (Stock 7 turns in) Front rebound: 1 turn out (Stock 2.25 out) Front Comp damp: 2 turns out (Stock 1.75 turns out) Fork tubes flush with triple clamps (stock: forks 5mm high) Rear preload position 4 (stock: 4) Rear rebound 2 turns out (Stock: 2.25 out) Rear comp damp: 20 clicks out (Stock: 17 out)
I would always start by understanding what its like at stock, do the sag and try, then decide what you need it to do.. when speaking to those that are wizards at this they say every bike is slightly different anyway.. i dialled in exactly the same settings on two bikes same year and same tyres and they rode different. Once you understand what half a turn does by going and riding it whilst making a slight adjustment you learn yourself what the bikes doing rather than just turning some stuff and not understanding what impact your having And its more fun
If you lower the fork tubes so they are flush instead of 5mm through, the turn in will be worse not better, as you are raising the front of the bike
I started with (Honda)stock, 82kg suited and booted, they were pretty much spot on, softened the front preload half a turn that's about it. Did try all sorts but usually made it worse. What Shutty was saying about same bikes, same settings, riding different, is probably dependant on how old the oil and springs could be, a well maintained bike is always gonna feel better than a rat. Mine's going in over the winter for new springs and oil front and back, if I decide to keep it!!! Not going flash, probably go for Hyperpro springs and a decent oil, new seals while they are off. It's a bit of a black art, but good books on suspension are out there, usually found in the Witchcraft section. Seriously check out Dave Moss on Youtube he's a wizard(sorry).
Thanks all, yeah I've been watching endless Dave Moss videos, and it's what got me thinking about tinkering with the suspension. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, though, so I'll keep it stock, and make minor changes from there. As for the sag settings, I'm aiming for 36mm front and 28mm rear sag, for fast-ish mountain road work. Does that sound sensible? Thanks again.
Just an update on this for others: 1) you can message Dave Moss, and he'll send you recommended settings for a small donation (I've not applied those settings yet, but will try them soon). 2) When I got a new chain and sprocket last year, I went for a tooth less on the front sprocket. This brought the rear wheel back a bit, effectively lenthening the distance to the swingarm axle. This worked out as extra leverege, which made my sag rather high at the back, and I had to go up to notch 6 on the rear damper to correct it. The high sag had dropped the rear of the bike, making my turn-in considerably worse. After correcting the sag at the rear, the bike was absolutely transformed. 3) After correcting rear sag, I had to tighten the chain, which I hadn't expected.
