Twiddled with my knobs, suspension knobs that is.

[captainscarlet]

Well for the first time in three years of Tracer ownership I've actually made some adjustments to the suspension.  I bought the bike new and at the time ensured that the suspension was set at the factory settings, as per the handbook.  My rationale for not doing anything at the time was that weight wise (85kg in kit) and riding style wise I am Mr Average i.e. the bike is built just for me. 
 
Anyway today I decided to finally check my rider sag with a view to adjusting, if necessary, to front and rear rider sag values of 40mm which is 30% of suspension travel.  This is what I found with the factory settings:
 
Front
Forks fully extended = 142mm
Rider onboard = 87mm
Sag = 55mm
 
Rear
Shock fully extended = 500mm
Rider onboard = 473mm
Sag = 27mm
 
I attacked the front forks first and started increasing the preload in increments and frankly very little happened.  In the end I was at max preload to give me a measurement of 99mm with rider onboard and a value for sag of 43mm.  Almost the 40mm I was aiming for.
 
At the rear I wound the preload back to the softest setting of 1 which gave me 467mm with rider onboard and a value for sag of 33mm.  Ballpark for a road bike but not 40mm.
 
So I am maxed and minned out at each end of the bike.  Did a rudimentary rebound test in the garage and forks and shocks returned to starting position in one clean movement without bounce.  I have therefore left the rebound settings as per the handbook at this stage.
 
CS 

[koth442]

Sounds like you're off to a good start. Are you going to get stiffer springs or just "deal" with it?

[captainscarlet]

Sounds like you're off to a good start. Are you going to get stiffer springs or just "deal" with it?

I think at this stage I'll probably just deal with it.  I'm happy with my bike, as I said I'm Mr Average, so at the moment I don't know any better.  Despite living in Sweden I've never tried the forbidden fruit that is Öhlins.  Despite being in the country of manufacture the prices of their stuff are just as ridiculous here as elsewhere in the world. 
I did a quick trawl of the one or two other suspension threads ( ) and actually found quite a few other members who have ended up at the same settings as me for similar values of rider sag.  At least in that sense I know my bike is "normal".
 
CS

[koth442]

Correct, your bike sounds entirely normal.

[redfjniner]

Well for the first time in three years of Tracer ownership I've actually made some adjustments to the suspension.  I bought the bike new and at the time ensured that the suspension was set at the factory settings, as per the handbook.  My rationale for not doing anything at the time was that weight wise (85kg in kit) and riding style wise I am Mr Average i.e. the bike is built just for me.   
Anyway today I decided to finally check my rider sag with a view to adjusting, if necessary, to front and rear rider sag values of 40mm which is 30% of suspension travel.  This is what I found with the factory settings:
 
Front
Forks fully extended = 142mm
Rider onboard = 87mm
Sag = 55mm
 
Rear
Shock fully extended = 500mm
Rider onboard = 473mm
Sag = 27mm
 
I attacked the front forks first and started increasing the preload in increments and frankly very little happened.  In the end I was at max preload to give me a measurement of 99mm with rider onboard and a value for sag of 43mm.  Almost the 40mm I was aiming for.
 
At the rear I wound the preload back to the softest setting of 1 which gave me 467mm with rider onboard and a value for sag of 33mm.  Ballpark for a road bike but not 40mm.
 
So I am maxed and minned out at each end of the bike.  Did a rudimentary rebound test in the garage and forks and shocks returned to starting position in one clean movement without bounce.  I have therefore left the rebound settings as per the handbook at this stage.
 
CS 

So, how does it ride and preform in the corners?

[captainscarlet]

So, how does it ride and preform in the corners? 

Difficult to tell really.  I'm simply not good enough to tell the difference.  I rode my normal route to work this morning, a combination of fast smooth A-roads and twisty bumpy B-roads.  What I will say is that the front end did feel more stable.  There was less dive when going off-throttle or braking.  The back end felt more compliant.  At first I wanted to say wallowy but part way through the ride I changed my mind and settled on compliant. 
Of course all this could be in my head.  The thing is I know what changes I've made and therefore have some idea what should be happening.  Anyway I think overall there may be some improvement.  We'll see what the final verdict is as I put on some more miles with the new settings.
 
CS

[justplainbill]

Over the years, I have invested time and money into suspension mods; usually with modest benefits. Probably because I am mostly a modest (average) rider. I have come to believe that most suspension modifications are meant for higher than average level riding and might even be detrimental to average riders (at least in terms of comfort). Since there are times when I "crank up the volume" and hit those corners like I mean it, I do agree that suspension mods can improve performance and even safety during spirited riding. However, most recently I have taken to ignoring settings recommended by experts and set pre-load and damping so I can ride over irregular road surfaces and not feel like my hands and butt are being hammered. Since only a small percentage of the roads I ride are "twisty" and 100% of the roads have pot holes and expansion joints, what I give up in the corners (at average speeds) is well worth what I gain in comfort on the rest of the ride.
 
That said, I look forward to the time when dynamic/semi active electronic suspension (as a friend riding a Ducati MultiStrada has now) is available on more motorcycles.
 

[phpaul]

Over the years, I have invested time and money into suspension mods; usually with modest benefits. Probably because I am mostly a modest (average) rider. I have come to believe that most suspension modifications are meant for higher than average level riding and might even be detrimental to average riders (at least in terms of comfort). Since there are times when I "crank up the volume" and hit those corners like I mean it, I do agree that suspension mods can improve performance and even safety during spirited riding. However, most recently I have taken to ignoring settings recommended by experts and set pre-load and damping so I can ride over irregular road surfaces and not feel like my hands and butt are being hammered. Since only a small percentage of the roads I ride are "twisty" and 100% of the roads have pot holes and expansion joints, what I give up in the corners (at average speeds) is well worth what I gain in comfort on the rest of the ride. 
That said, I look forward to the time when dynamic/semi active electronic suspension (as a friend riding a Ducati MultiStrada has now) is available on more motorcycles.

I think that's an accurate assessment.  It certainly fits my situation well.  I notice the mods in two situations: 
1.  I'm in the habit of climbing aboard while the bike is on the center stand and rolling it off from there.  Used to be there was a distinct "clunk" when it rolled off the stand.  That's gone and I can feel the front springs doing their thing.
 
2.  I "crank up the volume" as you say at least once or twice most times I ride.  The bike is much more predictable and stable in the corners and turns in much better.
 
Over all, money well spent but frankly for the average, primarily touring-oriented rider, you REALLY have to pay attention to detect the differences.  Joe Average or a new rider that shells out a couple of grand and expects some sort of epiphany may find themself wondering why they spent the money.
 
As always, JMHO, YMMV.

[betoney]

Over the years, I have invested time and money into suspension mods; usually with modest benefits. Probably because I am mostly a modest (average) rider. I have come to believe that most suspension modifications are meant for higher than average level riding and might even be detrimental to average riders (at least in terms of comfort). 

If you had your suspension upgraded and it is harsh (compromising comfort) I can’t help but think you have your compression damping set too high or the internal valving was too restrictive. 
Upgraded suspension isn’t just for track day type riding, thousands of touring bikes have theirs set up for comfort. 
I don’t set it and forget it, if I am going on a road trip I might relax the settings a bit, then if I am going to hit the canyons or twisties, I will tighten them up again.