Fork adjustment / setting

[jalingo]

Hi brothers !!

maybe this topic have been already discussed , but i dont find it with keywords and stuff

i would like to have a some advice on the fork setting

i try to explain the best i can the symptoms , i'm french , so i know to explain it in french !!! lol

i have my 2006 best and 58k miles , the back shock absorber is new

when i ride,exemple and i hit a turn with a bumper , i feel the front wheel is detaching from the ground , but very few ( maybe is my imagination , i'm sure some of you had this feeling before ) like is bumping and get back to normal in short milliseconds

and on mountain roads when i ride and link turns i feel that the front of the bike is strange , like something has some play between 2 peaces ,

if somebody can guide me and give me some advice on what might can be the problem

thank you for your future answers

good weekend to all of you

 

[Donal]

A couple of questions that might help others to help you.

Has the front suspension been serviced since new?

Has the fork oil been changed since new?

What are the current settings on your front suspension?

 

[jalingo]

Hi Donald

i know very good the honest dealer who sold me the bike

i will ask them this afternoon what is been done on the front suspension since day one

they know the previous owner very well

the suspension setting is maybe too smooth , i take a base on when you put the bike straight you push down to feel the bumpers , the bike is going down parallel to the ground , i hope you guys understand what it say

i thought about the oil and suspension services as well , maybe the suspension is start to be tired , who knows !!

 

[Tiger_993]

Jalingo, the following thread was helpful to me when I started looking into suspension settings on my bike: https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/14779-new-suspension-settings/

 

[Donal]

Hi Donald
i know very good the honest dealer who sold me the bike

i will ask them this afternoon what is been done on the front suspension since day one

they know the previous owner very well

the suspension setting is maybe too smooth , i take a base on when you put the bike straight you push down to feel the bumpers , the bike is going down parallel to the ground , i hope you guys understand what it say

i thought about the oil and suspension services as well , maybe the suspension is start to be tired , who knows !!

Do you mean the front AND rear are going down together?

The springs should never get tired, they may be too weak or too strong but should not change, the only things that should change are the settings.

I completely agree with Tiger_993 - that is an excellent starting point.

One other (rather personal) question - how heavy are you?

 

[jalingo]

Thanks Tiger for the link

I'll check right now !

I weight 100 kilo , around 220 pounds

I know that the weight is also playing a role on suspensions

I posted the same questions in French major forums as well

 

[Chiefblueman]

"when i ride,exemple and i hit a turn with a bumper , i feel the front wheel is detaching from the ground , but very few ( maybe is my imagination , i'm sure some of you had this feeling before ) like is bumping and get back to normal in short milliseconds

and on mountain roads when i ride and link turns i feel that the front of the bike is strange , like something has some play between 2 peaces , "

Sounds a bit like loose steering head bearings.

 

[jalingo]

i just noticed the left ( clutch side ) Compression damping force adjusting screw is not turning , look like gripped , i put some WD-40 but nothing changed

i tried to loose the Spring preload adjusting bolt and the Rebound damping force adjusting knob to see if theres less pression to the screw but nothing happen

i think i will surely go for a fork oil change and so then they will check the screw as well , i really don't want to change the full outer tube for just one screw

 

[jalingo]

"when i ride,exemple and i hit a turn with a bumper , i feel the front wheel is detaching from the ground , but very few ( maybe is my imagination , i'm sure some of you had this feeling before ) like is bumping and get back to normal in short milliseconds and on mountain roads when i ride and link turns i feel that the front of the bike is strange , like something has some play between 2 peaces , "

Sounds a bit like loose steering head bearings.

thanks chiefblueman i'll check that also

is it a common problem ? i mean happened before ? is due to what ? maybe not well adjusted front fork

 

[jalingo]

Hi Brothers !!

i have good news for my fork

when i bought the bike the technician at the dealer forgot to check the fork , and they saw it in the system ,

so with a big smile they did to me the best gift

they ordered new springs , spy gaskets , and did a nice fork oil change and checked everything !!

( here in France is sad , NOT A SUPER CUSTOMER SERVICE ,IN GENERAL !! )

and they sais sorry and all the stuffs

i'm happy that at least this dealer is acting the "american way" and not only go for the money and profits and try the client faithfulness

is a triumph and kawasaki dealer , so if in the future i get one of those brands , i'll get the bike from them

thanks guys for your infirmations and tips i'am happy to be part of a forum where everybody put some knowledge about the same bike we all share