Sag Settings

[Coyote]

I'm new to anything about suspensions and just attended a basic suspension class. According to the instructor the front suspension should be set at at 1/3 the total fork travel, which would be 45mm on the FJR. Rear suspension should be set at 25% which I can't figure, because the FJR shop manual only has shock travel (60mm) and doesn't list total travel at the axle (where I would measure it). Compounding the problem, I can't see that there is any way to adjust on a stock FJR.

I've been following the Wilbers sag thread and noticed that the front sag numbers there are generally less than 45mm. Can anyone shed light more light on this subject? Where do these numbers come from? Do I have to upgrade my rear shock in order to set the sag?

Finally, for those who are going to beat me up for resurrecting an old thread, go ahead. :angry: I did a search on several sights and came up with nothing.

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Coyote, 1.25" static sag for the front forks (with you astride the bike in riding gear) is a pretty good starting point, but good luck achieving that, especially if your bike has some miles on it. The stock springs are notoriously weak and only get worse with age and mileage. Better springs (ie: those from Traxxion Dynamics) would be an improvement, but then your stock damping may not be able to keep up with the new springs, necesitating re-valving the forks. If you want to make them right, be prepared to spend 600-800 bucks. If you want to do the best you can with what you've got, start cranking up the preload, get your static sag set, and start adding more damping via the adjusters in both directions. You'll almost certainly notice a significant improvement. Whether or not it's enough depends on your desire/expectations.

As far as the rear shock, there's not alot you can do with the stocker. It pretty much is what it is. The little (hard/soft) lever let's you choose between two different spring rates...neither of which are really adequate for proper setup. I rode with mine in the hard position all the time and still wished for more preload. You also have rebound damping adjustment on the rear shock...also woefully inadequate...hence the popularity of the Wilber's shock group buy.

FWIW, I have a brand new (never installed) Wilber's shock for sale (for personal reasons) for less than what the group buy price was on the shock. If you're at all interested, you can PM me with a phone # I can reach you at and I'll give you a call.

Hope this helps.

 

[radman]

Hahaha!! Sweet slippin in of the ad Dave, I love watchin' a pro do his thing............

j/k

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Hahaha!!  Sweet slippin in of the ad Dave, I love watchin' a pro do his thing............

Hey man, the only thing better than helpin' a brutha out, is when it helps you too. If the man wants to improve his suspension, here's a GOLDEN opportunity. Hard to beat cheaper than the group buy price. Doncha think?

Oh, and sorry about your header issue Rad...defacation occurs.

 

[Coyote]

Thanks Dangerous. That answers my question about adjusting the rear shock but I am still curious about the full travel length at the rear axle.

1.25" is .5" stiffer than instructor from that class recommends. That sound like a significant difference. His presentation was pretty convincing, but I'm always reluctant to blindly follow advice about something I know nothing about. Because of that, I haven't even touched the factory settings and don't have any complaints about handling. After a day of being wowed by the handling of Keith Codes 636s, I wondered if I might be missing out by not making some changes my FJR.

Thanks for the offer on the Wilbers. Let me give it some thought. I'n bad about buying **** and never installing it. I have a couple of year old farkles waiting in the garage. I haven't followed the group buys very closely, but aren't those Wilbers custom fit for rider-rider/passenger weights?

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Thanks Dangerous. That answers my question about adjusting the rear shock but I am still curious about the full travel length at the rear axle.
1.25" is .5" stiffer than instructor from that class recommends. That sound like a significant difference. His presentation was pretty convincing, but I'm always reluctant to blindly follow advice about something I know nothing about. Because of that, I haven't even touched the factory settings and don't have any complaints about handling. After a day of being wowed by the handling of Keith Codes 636s, I wondered if I might be missing out by not making some changes my FJR.

Thanks for the offer on the Wilbers. Let me give it some thought. I'n bad about buying **** and never installing it. I have a couple of year old farkles waiting in the garage. I haven't followed the group buys very closely, but aren't those Wilbers custom fit for rider-rider/passenger weights?

1.25" sag would be more of a "racer's" setup (sorry, that's what comes to mind first for me). I'm a little surprised that your instructor would give you 1.75" sag as a starting point. That would yield a fairly "plush" street setup. Somewhere in between would be an excellent starting point from which you could adjust to suit your taste/skill. A big misconception is that there's a perfect setup number for all bikes, all riders, all conditions. Two identically weighted riders of similar skills may use very different suspension setups to suit their own riding style. Any numbers you get anywhere are basic starting points to get you in the ballpark. Unfortunately, you may find as I did that the stock suspension components simply aren't capable of even getting into that ballpark. The closer you get to that ballpark the better it will feel. As I said, you'll almost certainly notice a difference by doing what you can with the adjustment available. How close you get is yet to be seen, and if it's enough is up to you and your wallet. I suspect if you actually measure your front sag, try to adjust it (even to your 1.75" number) and remeasure, you'll be sorely disappointed. Put a zip-tie around your front fork leg, get out a 6" ruler and a 17mm wrench, and get a helper. It really doesn't take long.

Yes, the shocks are custom built for a given rider weight and riding style. If you're much over 200 lbs and carry a passenger often, this shock won't likely work for you. If you're under 200 lbs and almost never carry a passenger (or carry a light passenger often...I'm only 165, but the wife outweighs me), this shock would probably work well for you. I've got it listed in the forum classifieds and the specs are pretty well spelled out. You can see the ad here.

 

[Dangerous Dave]

BTW, just curious about which farkles you haven't installed yet. So what are they?

 

[Coyote]

Electrical gadgets. Distribution and such. This is holding me up from buying a GPS and radar detector. By the time I get around to it, GPS units will probably be powered by nuclear fuel cells.