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Stability inquiry: 2015-17 (FJ09) vs 2019 (Tracer 900)


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On 6/28/2019 at 12:05 PM, norcal616 said:

Try these settings...I'm 180# suited up...the settings are near bottom of page... My forks are raised approx 12mm

 

I'm about to do my adjustments tomorrow and will start at raising the forks by 5mm first. With your setup, are there any major changes in how the riding position feels and ground clearance? I'm worried that by raising the fork, you'll have a too aggressive riding position and sacrifice ground clearance. Or am I just over thinking the 5mm difference from stock.

Obviously, I'll also adjust the pre-load and rebound after that for both front and back. :)

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24 minutes ago, ozn3 said:

I'm about to do my adjustments tomorrow and will start at raising the forks by 5mm first. With your setup, are there any major changes in how the riding position feels and ground clearance? I'm worried that by raising the fork, you'll have a too aggressive riding position and sacrifice ground clearance. Or am I just over thinking the 5mm difference from stock.

Obviously, I'll also adjust the pre-load and rebound after that for both front and back. :)

Riding(ergos) position is still the same..  the reason "we" find that it helps to raise the forks approx 10mm is to add some triple digit speed stability, I found 15mm to be too much... this little motor got power to lift the front wheel a few inches quick shifting into 6th gear at 10k RPMs...

In all honesty I really the the OEM tires, so my suspension settings will change again very shortly.... and I cannot really say these settings will help you as I know from experience your RPM ranges you ride in really effect how the suspension feels... I typically keep the RPMs above 4.5k , such as riding in a 0-35mph zone in 2nd gear vs 4th gear(?).. 

 

 

2012 wr250f - C-class 30+ age group
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Quick update for those who are following on the setup on my 2019 Tracer 900 (non-GT):

  1. Fork raised about 5mm from the clamp
  2. Front Preload maxed out (stiffest) - Gives about 46mm of sag (approx 33% of travel)
  3. Rebound 4 clicks towards soft from the hardest position
  4. Rear shock 2nd to the hardest preload setting (forgot the sag number that the mechanic told me)
  5. Rear rebound, 1/2 turn towards soft from the hardest position

Everything in the front and rear suspension is bone stock. I'm about 78kg and approx 81-82kg with gear. Bike feels more responsive and planted, there's still a bit of shimmy on the front when I accelerate hard but nothing too scary. Have only ridden a couple of kms with the bike and mostly through traffic. Will update once I take it out on a long ride with twisties and more highways.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

2017 FJ here.

Originally I had some stability issues. At the 1st service (ca. 600 miles) they adjusted the suspension. 

Now it is almost gone.

 

Then, back in July, I took a 2018 Tracer for a spin (back in Europe). What a different machine! No stability issues. I rode it at 200+ km/h on an autobahn. No problems at all. And the suspension was set to quite soft (I guess - I am heavy - 195 lbs - European riders are lighter, I guess, so the suspension was set to their average weight). 

 

Sincerely considering an upgrade to 2019/20 Tracer (non-GT) after one more year.

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2 minutes ago, tidji said:

Sincerely considering an upgrade to 2019/20 Tracer (non-GT) after one more year.

Innocent question - why non-GT?

Riding a fully-farkled 2019 MT-09 Tracer 900 GT from my bayside home in South East Queensland, Australia.   

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Tracer GT.  I've set the sag and am still playing with the rebound, that said, I've had my Tracer GT up to the governed limit of 120mph many times with zero stability problems.

Edited by roadwarrior
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I am a tall and heavy guy as well. 6'4" and 240lbs. I raised my forks 15mm ( a little at a time) which helped a lot, while leaving my spring preloads at same settings (12-14mm front and setting 4 at rear). I also found that softer the suspension settings (rear and front preload), the higher the speed is that I can ride before bike becomes unstable (handlebar shakes). Once my forks had been raised 15mm and I left them there, I started increasing front preload 2mm at a time with test rides in between. Instability became progressively worse as I increased preload. At back I set it to 5 which also aggravated things and now ride with setting 3. As mentioned in an earlier post, putting tires on which has a much more aggressive tread pattern than stock (dual sport), it reduced the speed at which the bike would become unstable by 20-40 mph depending on road surface conditions. All I could figure was that the courser tread pattern is more susceptible to rough surfaces (old pavement with cracks and ruts), which also aggravates stability issue and lowers the speed that it would set in on. Strong, gusty crosswinds don't help either, nor does handguards, especially in traffic between other vehicles.

Edited by fj09viking
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On 8/6/2019 at 11:02 PM, fj09viking said:

I am a tall and heavy guy as well. 6'4" and 240lbs. I raised my forks 15mm ( a little at a time) which helped a lot, while leaving my spring preloads at same settings (12-14mm front and setting 4 at rear). I also found that softer the suspension settings (rear and front preload), the higher the speed is that I can ride before bike becomes unstable (handlebar shakes). Once my forks had been raised 15mm and I left them there, I started increasing front preload 2mm at a time with test rides in between. Instability became progressively worse as I increased preload. At back I set it to 5 which also aggravated things and now ride with setting 3. As mentioned in an earlier post, putting tires on which has a much more aggressive tread pattern than stock (dual sport), it reduced the speed at which the bike would become unstable by 20-40 mph depending on road surface conditions. All I could figure was that the courser tread pattern is more susceptible to rough surfaces (old pavement with cracks and ruts), which also aggravates stability issue and lowers the speed that it would set in on. Strong, gusty crosswinds don't help either, nor does handguards, especially in traffic between other vehicles.

hmmm quite the opposite solution from what I've read from other riders. For me, I've maxed out the preload at the front and 2nd to the hardest at the rear. Raised the front by 5mm.

Bike turns in more quick and feels more planted. I suppose it's really different for everyone.

I'm still using stock tires too.

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3 minutes ago, ozn3 said:

 

Bike turns in more quick and feels more planted. I suppose it's really different for everyone.

I'm still using stock tires too.

The bike definitely felt more planted with increased preload front and back, but as mentioned, the firmer I set it, the lower the speed at which handlebar shakes was introduced, especially during hard acceleration in 3rd and 4th gear. I do not doubt what you are saying, as even the tires and smoothness of the pavement has proven to make a big difference in my case, as has strong, gusty crosswinds. I also figured that if softening the front was reducing the shimmy tendency, increasing preload at the rear might help, but it also had the opposite effect. So my theory for a while was that the bike having an inherently light front end, amplified during acceleration or strong headwind, and as a result the front wheel is susceptible to sideways forces caused by uneven road surface and strong crosswinds etc. However, the further I sit up and back in my seat, the higher the speed at which the shimmy will be introduced, so my original theory does not necessarily hold water, or is at least leaking.  So aerodynamics probably has a lot to do with this as well, in addition to suspension, tires, rider size and weight etc, as riding in gusty winds turbulence behind other vehicles causes shimmy to rear its ugly head at a much lower speed than if I am by myself in calm winds and no traffic.

With my current set up the bike is perfectly stable up until 110-115mph in normal conditions. I rarely go faster than that anyway, and ok with it (my tires are only speed rated to 130mph). If I went to touring or street tires I am guessing that the before mentioned speeds would increase a fair bit.

 

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