Dave Moss Tuning

[maximo]

I have stock suspension on my FJ-09, and while I know it’s crap, I’m not invested enough in this bike to upgrade to a decent system. That being said, the suspension on the bike has been off since I got it. I’ve tweaked it, but with limited knowledge I’ve managed to just make it worse. So this past weekend I rode to Thunderhill where Dave Moss was set up for track day. I had him tune the suspension for me and my riding style, and holy moly! What a huge improvement! I didn’t realize just how badly tuned it was. I’ve only done a 10 mile section of twisties since the tune, so I don’t have a good gauge yet of how settled I’ll get into the bike, but hopefully this will help me make better friends with the bike.

[Bernard]

I've been watching loads of his videos lately. Super tempted to do a remote session with him to get some ideas. Really cool you got out to meet him in person and I'm certain even a 15-30 minutes session with the guy could give some folks a wealth of information. 👍

[maximo]

39 minutes ago, Bernard said:

I've been watching loads of his videos lately. Super tempted to do a remote session with him to get some ideas. Really cool you got out to meet him in person and I'm certain even a 15-30 minutes session with the guy could give some folks a wealth of information. 👍

Yeah, I would certainly recommend doing a remote session if you can’t see him in person. He’s just a wealth of knowledge.

He's super personable too. 

[knyte]

That's awesome, I've also been eyeballing Dave Moss for a while.

I'm curious as to what he had you do, and your body type and such?

[duckie]

So, what he adjust?

[maximo]

45 minutes ago, knyte said:

That's awesome, I've also been eyeballing Dave Moss for a while.

I'm curious as to what he had you do, and your body type and such?

He started by asking me a few questions as he did CPR on the bike (pushed down repeatedly on the tank and seat) and then put it up up on the chocks. Then I sat on it in riding position and he took measurements, then I got off and he took more measurements.  Then he did some adjustments, had me sit on it, and tweaked a couple more adjustments. He had me go out for a 30 minute test ride.  I came back and answered his questions. He tweaked it some more and sent me out for another 30 minutes. I came back and he asked more questions, did more CPR, and adjusted again. He also put in 3 psi on the front tire (I had it set at 34 cold, he said it wasn’t enough for these settings), and sent me on my way.

 

Total time was about 1.5 hrs, but of that, maybe 10-15 minutes were face to face/direct interaction. He works very fast; clearly knows what he’s doing.

[maximo]

12 minutes ago, duckie said:

So, what he adjust?

Shocks, both forks, tire pressure. 

[duckie]

I should have been more specific, my bad.

So, what was the sag set at? How many rings are showing on the preload adjusters?

How many clicks out from full in are the dampening adjusters?

Im curious, wondering how close he sets up a tracer to how mine is set up.  

 

[duckie]

Also, notice how tire pressure was a consideration in the overall setup. 

This makes me wonder if what tire on the front is a consideration also. Not tires have the same type sidewall characteristics.

I run 36psi in the front which is a road 5. Rear 40- 41 psi. Theses are cold. Those settings will increase as the tire warms up. If its gonna be hot day, lll set them a couple psi lower cold.

 

[maximo]

1 hour ago, duckie said:

I should have been more specific, my bad.

So, what was the sag set at? How many rings are showing on the preload adjusters?

How many clicks out from full in are the dampening adjusters?

Im curious, wondering how close he sets up a tracer to how mine is set up.  

 

We didn't talk about specific settings, clicks, turns, etc. I just stood back and let him do his thing. I'll take pix and post them later. 

[maximo]

38 minutes ago, duckie said:

Also, notice how tire pressure was a consideration in the overall setup. 

This makes me wonder if what tire on the front is a consideration also. Not tires have the same type sidewall characteristics.

I run 36psi in the front which is a road 5. Rear 40- 41 psi. Theses are cold. Those settings will increase as the tire warms up. If its gonna be hot day, lll set them a couple psi lower cold.

 

Spot on, his psi recommendation was for this specific tire and set up, my weight, and riding preference. He was very clear to say "This tyre (bc he speaks in British English), with these settings, need 3 more PSI..."  The settings are tilted towards comfort, so he wanted to avoid corner-induced wallowing if I pushed harder on a curve than the settings consider.  FWIW, they're PR5 and it was set at cold 34, and fully geared I weigh in at 175. 

[nhchris]

What did he charge for his time and in person service?

Edited March 30, 2022 by nhchris

[maximo]

37 minutes ago, nhchris said:

What did he charge for his time and in person service?

$60 total. The biggest bargain ever. 

[maximo]

9 hours ago, maximo said:

We didn't talk about specific settings, clicks, turns, etc. I just stood back and let him do his thing. I'll take pix and post them later. 

Here's how they ended up.

Also, earlier I said I had PR5 - my mistake, that's on my touring bike. The FJ has S21. 

[koth442]

Dave is a great guy. Used to talk with him frequently when I lived in the area. I've had him work on my bikes too. Always a great improvement! 

He's fast as hell on the track too. He was on a 400 (maybe a 450 cripple triple?) and I thought I was doing well keeping up on my SV650. Turns out it was his warm-up lap. 2nd lap in he was gone.