MajBach
Well-known member
I see that at least one of my most recent topics got moved to the "Never-ending Pointless..."forum. I'm sorry, I've tried countless times with this forum software and concluded the search functionality of this software absolutely stinks. No offence to the Mods. so, if I do not get the results on the second try, I start a new thread. Besides, some of the reoccurring topics grow so large, that people with real answers avoid them altogether.
i also wanted to add how unbelievably helpful this site has been. I had no idea there were this many FJR owners to begin with but because it seems people with taste and or brains seem to own them, the response for inquiries like the ones I have made here previously have been outstanding! Thanks all.
On to my post.
I did read most of the thread on adjusting the suspension settings. Printed out several of the recommendation made and finally made some adjustments before a long ride today. I was not expecting much of a difference, especially after I learned that my setting were already slight 'hard' of the stick settings.
But WOW! unbelievable the difference! BTW, I am about 250 easily with all my riding gear and my luggage and saddle bags easily add another 150 if not 200. For all intents and purposes, a heavy guy with a heavy passenger.
I felt the need to adjust the suspension though because I noticed a tremendous amount of front fork dip during braking. Just lightly tapping the brakes at city speeds made the bike 'dance' and also seemed to contribute to some rather off-balance looking type stops. Changing my suspension to 8-8-2 in the front and hard - 8 in the back changed this substantially but not entirely. Mind you, the hopping type stops were evident when I wasnt carrying an cargo. Today, I added the 200 lbs to the rear after stiffening the forks and I still observed a desirable difference.
In straight line riding, the bike felt like it was on rails and and even seemed to take the bumps better.
However, a few questions were raised during the adjustment that I'd like some answers to:
1 The compression setting on the lower part of the forks...is the adjustment the same each side or is it mirrored? In other words, does rotating the screw clockwise have the same effect both sides? I interpreted from the manual that it did.
2 The dial adjustment on my rear spring had 50 clicks on it! The manual states something like 25? And, once it stops clicking, it can still be turned without clicking. Is this normal?
3 Finally, that same dial..the manual states that when turning it counterclockwise (from the perspective if you were lying on your back under the bike), the suspension gets stiffer. But, it appears that when you turn that dial counterclockwise, you are in fact relieving tension on the spring. Turning the dial clockwise pushes the cup that holds the spring up (at least it appears this way because I can see a clear spot appear on the steel shaft as the spring compresses), thereby making the suspension stiffer. NO? Does this make sense to anyone?
Thanks again to all!
i also wanted to add how unbelievably helpful this site has been. I had no idea there were this many FJR owners to begin with but because it seems people with taste and or brains seem to own them, the response for inquiries like the ones I have made here previously have been outstanding! Thanks all.
On to my post.
I did read most of the thread on adjusting the suspension settings. Printed out several of the recommendation made and finally made some adjustments before a long ride today. I was not expecting much of a difference, especially after I learned that my setting were already slight 'hard' of the stick settings.
But WOW! unbelievable the difference! BTW, I am about 250 easily with all my riding gear and my luggage and saddle bags easily add another 150 if not 200. For all intents and purposes, a heavy guy with a heavy passenger.
I felt the need to adjust the suspension though because I noticed a tremendous amount of front fork dip during braking. Just lightly tapping the brakes at city speeds made the bike 'dance' and also seemed to contribute to some rather off-balance looking type stops. Changing my suspension to 8-8-2 in the front and hard - 8 in the back changed this substantially but not entirely. Mind you, the hopping type stops were evident when I wasnt carrying an cargo. Today, I added the 200 lbs to the rear after stiffening the forks and I still observed a desirable difference.
In straight line riding, the bike felt like it was on rails and and even seemed to take the bumps better.
However, a few questions were raised during the adjustment that I'd like some answers to:
1 The compression setting on the lower part of the forks...is the adjustment the same each side or is it mirrored? In other words, does rotating the screw clockwise have the same effect both sides? I interpreted from the manual that it did.
2 The dial adjustment on my rear spring had 50 clicks on it! The manual states something like 25? And, once it stops clicking, it can still be turned without clicking. Is this normal?
3 Finally, that same dial..the manual states that when turning it counterclockwise (from the perspective if you were lying on your back under the bike), the suspension gets stiffer. But, it appears that when you turn that dial counterclockwise, you are in fact relieving tension on the spring. Turning the dial clockwise pushes the cup that holds the spring up (at least it appears this way because I can see a clear spot appear on the steel shaft as the spring compresses), thereby making the suspension stiffer. NO? Does this make sense to anyone?
Thanks again to all!
