My Eighth Gen Setup By Dave Moss

Just thought I'd share how dave has set my bike up for me.
Dave has been in nz running clinics and I was chuffed when he used my bike to show basic suspension setup during his appearance at a club gathering.
My bike was stock settings as per manual at the front --- fourth line showing for preload and 1 turn from hard rebound so the punch and reference marks match.
When he bounced the front, all gathered could see the return action was real slow. After a couple of tries, he set the rebound at plus half turn softer. Now the action was even down and up and resettling just once. No oscillation.

At the back, the true lack of balance showed when he bounced the shock -- it went bounced up and down a few times. My preload setting was at the stock setting, seven clicks from full soft. But the previous rider had slacked off the rebound a fair bit I realize now. ( don't know how much as I assumed it was stock because I saw that the punch marks aligned when I got the bike.)

Out with the screwdriver and Dave finally settled on what I found to be 1-1/2 turns out from maximum hard on the shock rebound screw. Setting as per manual is 3/4 turn out from maximum hard.

On bouncing the bike from the middle to check if the front and back was working in unison, he decided the rear preload at seven was too high and softened it to four clicks from softest setting.

As time was short, he did not measure sag with me on board, but I am about 65kg geared up and he reckoned it would be all good.

Just those simple tweaks has transformed the bike for me. It feels tauter and more stable whether on the straight or in the turns, particularly smoothening out the long sweepers. My grip on the bars has relaxed considerably as the bike is so much easier to control and my wrists don't feel the strain as much in comparison to the before settings.

It also felt like the transmission was slicker with gears snicking into place up and down smoothly. Felt like the engine had a bit more punch to it but Dave explained that as "being able to get on the power a bit more quickly as the bike was more stable!"

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thanks for the write up. slighty more stocky at 86kg, just wondering how that set up would work at my weight?

I ain't no expert and as you rightly point out, every rider is different, weight wise and riding style wise. But what I gather the key point is get the front and rear suspension working together. That's the first step. Second point I took from the demo is that the stock settings for the rebound front and back are too hard and or do not match the springs to work together as one.

Dave encouraged us to work to get this set right. But when the limits of the stock suspension have been found and the ideal can't be found for a particular rider, then look to spring rates and revalving.

To try and answer your question re your weight, with stock suspension, My wife often pillions and I asked Dave what changes be needed from solo riding. He said jack up the rear preload (he said to the max, I tried it with just two lines showing) and plus half turn harder for the rebound. Plus 2 or more psi in rear tyre and front tyre. No changes to front preload and rebound.

I tried his recommendations and it worked as well as when riding solo. I guess in a roundabout way, I am saying there is enough adjustment in the stock suspension for your weight. I suggest you try the fork setup as I posted earlier as well as the rebound setting for shock, but set shock preload five clicks in from full soft.

To explain why he set the shock preload from seven clicks to four: when he found an imbalance in the action between front and rear, he immediately went to the back of the bike and tried lift it. It lifted all right. There was no give at the top of the shock stroke. He said a dead space was absent. Once he dialed the preload softer, all could see there was "give" before the shock stroke topped out. That, I think is static sag.

Nice write up. What I will say that it's more important to get the sag correct first then work on the damping That is both static sag and rider sag. Get them done first then alter the damping.

Nice write up. What I will say that it's more important to get the sag correct first then work on the damping That is both static sag and rider sag. Get them done first then alter the damping.

Searching the net for answers on suspension set up, I know, is quite a task sifting for the nuggets. Sometimes it sounds like voodoo or gets so technical with spring rates and revalving and rebound damping and then throw in compression damping. I posted my experience with Dave so as to assist those who like me are A bit stumped and sometimes don't have friends to help go through the static sag, rider sag measuring steps. In my case, I don't have the physique to even bounce the front suspension to the degree that it will tell me something. Let alone the back. I have watched suspension setup videos on YouTube including dave's and know what they are getting at. But in real life, how slow the front recovered from being bounced at stock settings was a surprise for all at the club meet. Same with the back bouncing up and down.
I left the settings as I found them when I bought the bike because the tyre wear front and back showed even wear side to side after 2000 plus km -- no sign of anything that a bad setup would produce. The leading and trailing edges of the treads were even, even though it had been raced (tyre wear was edge to edge front and back and there were still little marbles of rubber clinging to the edges).
The rear preload had been cranked up to just four lines showing but I softened it to the stock seven turns and was riding it happily that way.
But what I have got after it was tweaked makes the bike better behaved. I hope what I posted will be taken as a starting point from which to begin tuning the suspension with rather than rely on the stock suggested settings. It is so much better. Also it is a pointer that there is potential in the eighth gen's vfr's stock suspension to make it perform acceptably within reason from new.

this is my preferred  Moss setting :

[image: mini_148080katemoss4new.jpg]

Been having a play about with the suspension this morning. Any thoughts on what the front sag should be? On stock setting around 50mm with preload showing just one ring now 40mm. Some websites stating it should be 25 - 30mm while others 45 - 50mm. Would take it for test ride but live near two salt mines and roads are like salt city at the moment.

this is my preferred  Moss setting :
[image: mini_148080katemoss4new.jpg]

Charming. Looks like a good ride!

Been having a play about with the suspension this morning. Any thoughts on what the front sag should be? On stock setting around 50mm with preload showing just one ring now 40mm. Some websites stating it should be 25 - 30mm while others 45 - 50mm. Would take it for test ride but live near two salt mines and roads are like salt city at the moment.

Ohlins manual says front 30-40 with rider on board, rear 25-35 mm rider sag. It also says front and rear action must match for safety and stability. Dave has a simple on road test. Use only compression/engine braking going into a corner to see if the front dives. It it does than up the preload as required.

Read Keith codes suspension set up. Think I have posted it up on here somewhere. As in Keith code of twist of the wrist fame.

Spring rates and valveing are an art themselves I would say best left to those in the know. But even to get a basic set up will take 20 mins. You can do it yourself, it's is fiddly but all, that is needed is a ty wrap, tape. That will get you a basic set up.


Like I said your write up was good.