Vfr suspension

Discussion in 'New Riders' started by Mother-ship, Jul 16, 2012.

  1. Mother-ship

    Mother-ship New Member

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    Hi all,
    Not sure if I m posting this in the right place, new to forums, new to the vfr.

    I only been riding a few months and have 2001 vfr 800fi 44,000 k which I love to bits, the issue I have is last weekend I had a pillion on and the bike handled like a dream ! It cornered with ease and felt really stable. When I ride alone the bike feels skittish (if that's the right word) and very reluctant to corner, at times it's a horrible feeling ! Front forks are set to 2 lines showing and are in good condition with no oil leak, same for rear, tyre pressures are 36 front 42 rear. I am guessing I need to make some suspension adjustments maybe ???

    Hoping some of you vfr experts can shed a little light on this for me !

    Many thanks in advance

    Steve
     
  2. skimad4x4

    skimad4x4 "Official" VFRWorld Greeter

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    Hi Steve - Welcome to the forum.

    There are loads of other 5th Gen owners on here so you have come to the right place. However before others tell you off - its worth suggesting you post up a picture of your VFR ASAP - indeed expect merciless hounding until you do!

    It's also worth updating your forum profile to include your rough location and the year/model of VFR you own - so it appears automatically with every post you make - assuming you don't own a fleet of different VFRs!

    As for setting up the suspension SAG/preload - start by reading the owners manual (the book that is probably under the seat). Inherently most dealerships simply send the bike out the door with the standard setting described in the Honda manual. If you are average then great, but adding a pillion makes things very different - it sounds like the bike was set up for pillion riding by the previous owner, and you now need to work out what needs changing to make it just as good for solo riding.

    Your bikes handling is hugely affected by the overall weight of bike/rider/pillion/load, and just as importantly where that weight is. I suspect the average Japanese rider may be fairly light compared with many UK VFR riders, so if you are heavier or a lot taller than the average Japanese rider, then tweeking the suspension away from the stock settings may been needed to get the bike to perform best.

    More weight low down will tend to aid stability, whilst weight higher up will make the bike easier to manouver. Handling characteristics can also be significantly altered if the bike has been lowered. There was a recent thread about setting up your SAG and pre-load suspension tweeks which may be worth tracking down - although the best advice given was to try and find a suspension specialist. Contact any nearby circuit which does track-days as most have a tame expert on hand who will be well worth the expense. An important tip is to note carefully what and how much you change things from where they are now. Ideally only make adjustments in multiples of 1 full rotation/ring adjustment at a time. Then test ride and assess whether its better or worse and then repeat until you find the right settings.

    It sounds like you already have the pillion settings nicely dialed in, so its well worthing noting down what you need to change to adjust it for solo use. Once you have that formula written down, you can quickly switch between the two as needed - without having to go through another protracted trial and error session.


    Good luck and let us know how you get on.


    Skimad4x4
    Proud Member - 6th Gen Militia # 218 - European 1st Division
     
  3. Mother-ship

    Mother-ship New Member

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    Hi Skimad4x4,

    Thanks for the info, and thanks for the advise on my profile !!

    I am thinking that the rear suspension is too hard when I ride solo but when I have the extra weight on it becomes softer ??? I will have a little play if it ever stops raining !!!!!

    Thanks

    Steve
     
  4. CRFan1

    CRFan1 New Member

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    I am in the same boat with my 2000 VFR.....with Preload set (I am at 2.5 notches in front and the 4th stiffest in rear (Rebound half turn out) the bikes rides great on everything but sharp bumps. Why there is no compression adjustment front and rear boggles me, lol. I run 37 rear and 35 front on my Pirelli Angels.....

    Daugherty Motorsports will be getting a call come winter :tongue:
     
  5. taylor65

    taylor65 New Member

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    I think you have it figured out already. If I were you I would set your shock to its softest preload and the forks to the stiffest and see how it feels. I would also check to see if the previous owner might have raised the rear ride height by placing a washer on top of the shock mount that attaches to the frame under the gas tank and if your forks have been raised up in the triple clamp to quicken the steering. But I would stick with only adjusting the preload for now. Hope it helps
     
  6. vfrcapn

    vfrcapn Member

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    This. If it's handling nicely with a pillion dropping the rear then without a pillion the rear is up too much (or front too low) creating some handling issues. Check the preload on the rear shock, the upper ring. Is it set all the way to the max setting? And, have the forks been raised in the triple clamps, have picture maybe of the top of the forks? What's you're approximate weight? The bike may have been set up previously for a 250lb (18 stone) person and if you're 150lb (11 stone) it may be the issue.
     
  7. Mother-ship

    Mother-ship New Member

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    Hi all.

    I think I may have found the problem, the rear shock rebound was set to the stiffest position (fully clockwise). I have backed the screw out one and a half turns to stadard, rear spring on 2nd notch from sofest and 2 rings showing on front forks and 2 new tyres (michelin road pilot 2) and it now seems to be much better when riding solo. I weight 13.5 stone (188lbs ish) would these settings seem about right for my weight ???

    Many Thanks
     
  8. 01VFRNorth

    01VFRNorth New Member

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    Hey peeps

    I have a 2001 vfffr. And i have just recently noticed a slight knock/slack in the front suspension. initially I thought it was the head bearing.. but upon further feeling and getting from bike mechanics to look at it they both said that the knock I am feeling is located in the front right shock.

    When i pull in the front break and push down/rock the bike front to back when it dips you can feel a mechanical knock like.. something in the shocks. to be noted the front suspension doesn't stick, sag or anything like that.. it's just the mechanical crunch/knock when it's compressed.

    Any ideas as to what that may be????
    Any help is greatly appreciated :)
     
  9. Terry Smith

    Terry Smith Member

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    There's a number of parts that could wear (aside from the steering head bearing or the wheel bearing which are easily checked).

    If it is in the fork then I would suggest the bushings in the fork might need replacement. If you lift the front of the bike and pull the wheel out, try and wiggle the lower fork leg back and forth. There shouldn't be any significant play. Replacing the bushings requires pulling the fork seal, and while you are doing that you should also do the left leg, and flush and drain the forks and fit fresh oil. The bushings are a replaceable wear item.

    I'd doubt that there is anything in the damper/rod that would cause a clonk, if the damper had self-disassembled you'd know about it!

    One other area that could be loose is the connection between the fork cap and the damper rod. With the bike on the centrestand plus support under the headers, you can unscrew the fork cap (you'll need to hold it against the spring tension as you unscrew). The fork cap is screwed into the damper rod, and the assembly is secured with a locknut. Just verify the locknut is tight.

    Are you sure that the clonk isn't coming from a little movement in the LHS caliper as it rotates onto the secondary master cylinder?
     
  10. 01VFRNorth

    01VFRNorth New Member

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    Cadbury64

    I have tugged at the forks while I had a friend put weight on the tail to lift the front. I could only feel what I described in the throttle side fork.. I will be taking both forks off once the temperatures get a little warmer, replace the fluid and take the defective one apart to see exactly what's wrong. I will keep you posted, thank you for help.


    Mat
     
  11. OZ VFR

    OZ VFR Member

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    If the front springs are standard, and you weigh 13.5 stone, then you will need to either replace them to suit your weight, or at least wind the preload to full.
    The standard springs are only good for someone weighing less then 8 stone, if you check your sag it will tell you if the springs are standard.
    You will never get 40mm sag with you on the bike even at full preload with the standard set up.
    The rear with your weight should also be given a bit more preload, maybe 3rd or 4th setting.
    Get someone to help you hold the bike while you push down hard on the rear seat.
    Keep winding the rebound adjuster from fully open, check every quarter turn.
    Once it starts rebound a bit slower then it went down, count the turns and that will be your starting point.
    Quarter turn either way should be about right, but this is depending on the rear shock being in good condition.
    The original gear was very crappy to start with, let alone with age and use.
    Most people in the know have replaced all the suspension on the 5th gens, and it really transforms the bike.
     
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