Recommended Suspension Settings | 220lb rider

[betoney]

@StealthAu - Very comprehensive and easy to understand guide.  Thank you!👍

[Bahadir]

many thanks all for your supportive information

I also own 900 GT since 2 months. Although I have not troubles during sharp cornerings from the stability and ability point of view, I have problem with the scratching pegs and center stand which makes me afraid from more lean angles when needed. I'm 90 kg/around 200 pounds. I have just configured the front and rear preloads by myself, the latest sag values are around 45mm front and 42mm rear and I hope that this will sufficiently increase the ground clearance. The stock sag values were around 50 mm and a bit more. Also I slightly increased the ribound and compression following by the increased preload. Do you think that I am focusing to the right place for the fixing scratching issues, what could be the minimum sag values for 900GT (consider that free sufficient sag still there). If 1/3 ratio is valid for street then 45-40 mm is the minimum for tracer where max travel around 140 mm. should I really remove the center stand and remove the peg rubbing sticks? Any advise?

Many thanks in advance.   

[Wintersdark]

You can trim the rubber bumpers on the centerstand so it sits higher.  You *can* fully remove it (and generally should if you're tracking your bike and looking for the best possible times, but... why a Tracer if that's your goal?) but you'd probably be better off working on body positioning to reduce lean angle.  I mean, I ride dumb fast on the streets, but even so I haven't needed to remove mine.  

There's no point in removing the peg feelers, though, they just communicate lean angle to you but don't endanger you because the pegs just lift and fold back.  

 

[Motocheck]

On 6/25/2020 at 10:20 PM, piotrek said:

I had a shock made for me in the UK (Nitron) and had it delivered, all in around ~$840CAD. That same shock would have cost me nearly $150-$200CAD more had I gone to their USA authorized shop/reseller Fast Bike Industries. Going overseas not always more expensive.

Another option is looking for a local suspension shop and getting them to upgrade your existing hardware. Accelerated Technologies in Ontario has a great reputation for suspension work. We had a member on here who had them upgrade OE shock on an earlier FJ (link to thread). There has to be a shop out your way somewhere, or give AT a call and see what they quote you. $1,300CAD for a shock sounds expensive for what you're looking to fix on your bike, but yeah... if you want a fully adjustable unit with a remote... it will probably get you up there.

Anyway... just some thoughts to help you take a hammer to that piggy bank.

In the past AT upgraded my couple race & street bikes, so I thought I would give them a quick call. Today I spoke with John at Accelerated Technologies and got rough estimation. He tried his best to explain me and I will post as much as I remembered 😊

Remember all prices are in CAD.

Shock (Hyperpro or Ohlins) - $800 (manual preload adjuster, rebound only) or upgrade to $1200 (manual preload, piggy reservoir, compression & rebound) add $300 extra for hydraulic preload adjuster with any shock. For forks two options: replace internal with Ohlins or K-Tech cartridges $1500-$1600 or change spring & gold valving this will bring down the cost to $800 - $1000 range. Labor & taxes are extra. This is estimation and price would go up little bit, aftermarket suspension isn't cheap.

I am 210lb and max out on preload without additional luggage/weight or side cases. Here is my suspension setup:

Front: Rebound 4 clicks out, Compression 14 clicks out, preload - max.

Bike in air = 150mm, Bike on ground = 118mm, Rider on bike = 104mm (150-104=46mm SAG).

Rear: Rebound 5 clicks out, preload - max.

Bike in air = 574mm, Bike on ground = 566mm, Rider on bike = 532mm (574-532=42mm SAG).

 

[Bahadir]

2 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

You can trim the rubber bumpers on the centerstand so it sits higher.  You *can* fully remove it (and generally should if you're tracking your bike and looking for the best possible times, but... why a Tracer if that's your goal?) but you'd probably be better off working on body positioning to reduce lean angle.  I mean, I ride dumb fast on the streets, but even so I haven't needed to remove mine.  

There's no point in removing the peg feelers, though, they just communicate lean angle to you but don't endanger you because the pegs just lift and fold back.  

 

good advises thanks, also working on body positioning :) actually I am not looking for perfect timing just would like to lean as possible as I can when it is needed. The curves are a bit strange here and they are unexpectedly getting sharper etc. so those problems for me a bit safety issue to be fixed. I asked the dealer about trimming the bumpers but they told me that then it might close to the chain, do you think that it is possible. both suspension setting and a bit trimming would be sufficient I guess

 

[piotrek]

7 hours ago, Motocheck said:

...change spring & gold valving this will bring down the cost to $800 - $1000 range. Labor & taxes are extra...

Can't speak for anything else on your list... but this right there is expensive for what you're getting. Gold Valve kit is $200CAD (FortNine) and springs $150CAD (Stoltec). I would get some more clarity on at least this particular option.

Maybe remove the forks and bring them in... save $$ and they will appreciate not having to find a spot in their shop for your machine.

Edited July 21, 2020 by piotrek

[StealthAu]

On 7/20/2020 at 7:27 PM, Bahadir said:

many thanks all for your supportive information

I also own 900 GT since 2 months. Although I have not troubles during sharp cornerings from the stability and ability point of view, I have problem with the scratching pegs and center stand which makes me afraid from more lean angles when needed. I'm 90 kg/around 200 pounds. I have just configured the front and rear preloads by myself, the latest sag values are around 45mm front and 42mm rear and I hope that this will sufficiently increase the ground clearance. The stock sag values were around 50 mm and a bit more. Also I slightly increased the ribound and compression following by the increased preload. Do you think that I am focusing to the right place for the fixing scratching issues, what could be the minimum sag values for 900GT (consider that free sufficient sag still there). If 1/3 ratio is valid for street then 45-40 mm is the minimum for tracer where max travel around 140 mm. should I really remove the center stand and remove the peg rubbing sticks? Any advise?

Many thanks in advance.   

Get new springs. Even if you can get the bike into the right sag range, it doesn't mean it is sprung right for you. 

 

 

 

[Wintersdark]

On 7/20/2020 at 1:02 PM, Bahadir said:

good advises thanks, also working on body positioning :) actually I am not looking for perfect timing just would like to lean as possible as I can when it is needed. The curves are a bit strange here and they are unexpectedly getting sharper etc. so those problems for me a bit safety issue to be fixed. I asked the dealer about trimming the bumpers but they told me that then it might close to the chain, do you think that it is possible. both suspension setting and a bit trimming would be sufficient I guess

 

Nah, it's not close to the chain.  But yeah, the bike will do a ~51 degree lean stock, while that's clearly not motoGP it's enough for some really gnarly cornering.  The likelyhood that the bike's max lean angle is the limiting factor on cornering speed for street riding is extremely low (unless you're a really, fantastically good rider), and if you're scraping hard parts it's almost certainly because of poor body positioning.   Particularly if safety at speed is the goal, body position is more important - you want to keep the bike as upright as possible while cornering because that directly impacts how well the suspension works.  Keep in mind, at 45 degrees lean, you've effectively lost half your suspension.  On a track this isn't nearly as much of an issue, but on the street - unless you live somewhere that has way, way better roads than anywhere I've been - it's pretty critical.  Also, of course, the less you need to lean the bike, the more "oh shit" room you have for corners that get tighter than expected as it's much easier to adjust lean angle mid corner than it is to adjust body position mid corner.

If you're covering poor body positioning with increased max lean angle, you're not safer, you're putting yourself in a more dangerous position.   

To be honest - in 25 years of riding, so many groups, friends, etc I've ridden with, I've literally never met anyone who's cornering ability was limited by their bike's max lean angle (on a sport/sport touring bike with 45+ degrees of max lean).  Of course, those people are out there, and there's some here that I'm pretty sure fit that bill, but... Yeah, most of us just aren't that good.  And if you're not that good (like your's truly) working on the skills is much better than modding the bike to push it over further.

[Bahadir]

7 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

Nah, it's not close to the chain.  But yeah, the bike will do a ~51 degree lean stock, while that's clearly not motoGP it's enough for some really gnarly cornering.  The likelyhood that the bike's max lean angle is the limiting factor on cornering speed for street riding is extremely low (unless you're a really, fantastically good rider), and if you're scraping hard parts it's almost certainly because of poor body positioning.   Particularly if safety at speed is the goal, body position is more important - you want to keep the bike as upright as possible while cornering because that directly impacts how well the suspension works.  Keep in mind, at 45 degrees lean, you've effectively lost half your suspension.  On a track this isn't nearly as much of an issue, but on the street - unless you live somewhere that has way, way better roads than anywhere I've been - it's pretty critical.  Also, of course, the less you need to lean the bike, the more "oh shit" room you have for corners that get tighter than expected as it's much easier to adjust lean angle mid corner than it is to adjust body position mid corner.

If you're covering poor body positioning with increased max lean angle, you're not safer, you're putting yourself in a more dangerous position.   

To be honest - in 25 years of riding, so many groups, friends, etc I've ridden with, I've literally never met anyone who's cornering ability was limited by their bike's max lean angle (on a sport/sport touring bike with 45+ degrees of max lean).  Of course, those people are out there, and there's some here that I'm pretty sure fit that bill, but... Yeah, most of us just aren't that good.  And if you're not that good (like your's truly) working on the skills is much better than modding the bike to push it over further.

Wintersdark these will help me a lot thanks again

It seems my new preload/sag figures fairly fixed my problem. I could not scratch them so far. And it feels better 

But I will definetely work hard on body positioning

"the more "oh shit" room you have for corners that get tighter than expected" I like that   this was I exactyl what I've meant

Cheers

[WKE002]

Need some advice here, per pic with sharpie, ride a few round and reset, hard bump, hard braking, am getting 25mm, is that ok or need to adjust to enable hard braking to reach 10-15mm before bottoms out.

[BBB]

On 7/22/2020 at 6:11 AM, Bahadir said:

“the more "oh shit" room you have for corners that get tighter than expected" I like that   this was I exactyl what I've meant

Cheers

You really should be riding so that you can brake safely in the distance you can see. That means getting your speed under control before the corner so your lean angles are within your capabilities. There should never be a corner that “unexpectedly tightens” and forces you to react.

One way to do this is to come to the left edge of your lane for right hand corners, so you can see further, and the right edge of your lane for left hand corners. If the distance you can see is short you should be at low speed and as that viewing distance increases, you can increase your speed. The other factor is to be in a low gear so you can adjust your speed easily with throttle. It’s a common problem for riders to keep too high a gear (and speed) into corners and have to brake instead of the better technique of being under mild acceleration. 

I’m all for leaning the bike over when I can see through the bend, but if you hit a bump mid-corner that you haven’t seen, or have to lean further because you misread the radius, or simply encounter an obstacle you haven’t seen then you have very little safety reserve when banked over hard.

[BBB]

2 hours ago, WKE002 said:

Need some advice here, per pic with sharpie, ride a few round and reset, hard bump, hard braking, am getting 25mm, is that ok or need to adjust to enable hard braking to reach 10-15mm before bottoms out.

That’s fine. Your not compressing your forks much and have lots of reserve. (You could almost say you’re not trying hard enough 😉)

You could even try winding off some preload.

[betoney]

6 hours ago, BBB said:

You really should be riding so that you can brake safely in the distance you can see. That means getting your speed under control before the corner so your lean angles are within your capabilities. There should never be a corner that “unexpectedly tightens” and forces you to react.

One way to do this is to come to the left edge of your lane for right hand corners, so you can see further, and the right edge of your lane for left hand corners. If the distance you can see is short you should be at low speed and as that viewing distance increases, you can increase your speed. The other factor is to be in a low gear so you can adjust your speed easily with throttle. It’s a common problem for riders to keep too high a gear (and speed) into corners and have to brake instead of the better technique of being under mild acceleration. 

I’m all for leaning the bike over when I can see through the bend, but if you hit a bump mid-corner that you haven’t seen, or have to lean further because you misread the radius, or simply encounter an obstacle you haven’t seen then you have very little safety reserve when banked over hard.

@BBB - Very well stated.  Every rider should watch "The Vanishing Point" as it continuously changes while entering and riding through corners.  Some corners you can fully see through while others you cant, you can gauge your speed by whether the Vanishing Point is moving toward or away from you.

 

[PhotoAl]

Good info in this thread.  Have had my 2020 Tracer GT for about a month but most of my miles have been riding it back from where I bought it.  Last couple of weeks have been reading and looking at the suspension settings.  I'm not a big person but 175 without gear.  Everyone talked about how soft he GT was and my experience is not that.  I did dial up the rear preload to 20 out of 24 clicks as I was fully loaded - me plus gear plus 80+ pounds of stuff in sidecases and a duffle on the rear seat.  Dialed a preload back to stock, watched Dave Moss videos and read stuff.  Dropped triple clamps 7mm.  Seemed better, changed to Pilot Power 5 front and Road 5 rear (which I had).  Getting better but not right front felt stiff.  Today backed a half turn off of front preload and softened compression and rebound 1 click.  I can now bounce the front.  Ride is much better, compliance over bumps better and the front is much more confidence inspiring but had a little tendency to run wide.  Still have more checking and adjusting to do but headed in the right direction.  Bike doesn't take a line and stay there but is easily controlled.  Handles bumps better.  From best I can tell seems like the fork bottom is higher than one of the photos indicates. Later tonight will put it on center stand and check sag and fort distance to bottom.  I like to have a bit of fun in the corners on a winding road but also do long trips with a fair amount of gear.  Also enjoy spirited rides when loaded so need to have good handling when loaded.  Will have to make some compromises but priority is good handling when loaded.  

Plans include changing out front brake pads for HH (has nothing to do with handling); check and set sag; continue to work on preload compression and rebound settings; change fork oil and air gap; replace rear shock and finally work on front forks.  Currently thinking the front shocks are good enough that I may not replace the cartridges but go with something like gold emulators.  I've looked at some spring rate calculators and for me it appears the stock springs are OK but may be just a little on the weak side.  IMO the front in particular does OK on bigger motions but the tiny movements seem to be a bit harsher.  Thinking more premium shock and struts will be a little more refined and compliant for small movements - your walled will also be more refined and compliant (thinner).  

Previous bikes included a BMW F800GT (good suspension but not adjustable other than rear preload), Kawasaki ZX6R 636 and CBR600RR.  The ZX6R and CBR had great suspensions which worked very well for me in the stock configuration - I don't do track days.

Tracer GT put a big smile on my face every time I ride it!  from the sound of the triple to the acceleration and vigor the bike has.  Suspension is not perfect but not that bad and as I get mine more sorted it is a great bike.

[Ddog gt]

You should measure from the bottom of the fork tube not the bottom of the fork seal.  Do this with the wheel off the ground. I got a total length of 150 mm so 137 mm down or 13 mm up for the mark.