Set-Up

[lamin]

Gents, first job for a number of you chaps, having purchased the GTR, is to 'Set Up' the suspension. Now i've never, ever touched the suspension on any bike i've ever owned, always looks far too complicated for my simple mind. Now the question is , what exactly am i missing out on. A solo blast across Snowdonia or a 2-up fully loaded tour around Europe, are you all enjoying an even better experience than i am, or is it a case of if it aint broke...
        How different is the ride when the suspension is adjusted, i honestly just get on the bike and ride, with never a thought on how it could be improved. xx

[Kwikasfuki]

To be honest, I rode with the stock setting for a long time quite happily. Getting the suspension adjusted does make a big difference though. I remember when I got mine adjusted it felt like a different bike.

There's a lot of guides on the net on how to do it. A long as you make a note of your current settings, it's always easy to go back to the stock configuration.

[Lonewolf]

Lamin, I've got to admit I have never altered the suspension settings on any bike I have owned. I used to have a Honda CB1300s and the previous owner had fitted different springs and tweaked with bits and I never got on with that bike at all.

If you are happy with things as they are, my advice would be leave well alone.

[routemaster]

Hi

If you are riding solo than I would suggest you leave the suspension "as is" for a while to see how it feels and how you get on with it. I did adjust the rear suspension rebound damping by 1/4 of a turn to "soften" it as I felt I was being bounced around a bit too much. The rebound adjuster is the small screw/valve at the bottom of the suspension unit.

If/when you ride the bike with luggage than I would suggest you increase the rear suspension pre-load by turning it towards "H". By how much is more by trail and error although there are some technical guides available on the net for setting the suspension up correctly. I tend to turn mine up by about 4 clicks

I haven't as yet touched the front suspension as that seems t be ok.

I will probably take mine to a suspension specialist to set it up correctly for me, there is one Bristol that charges around £30

Steve

[mecki]

I actually changed my rear suspension on the first ride-out. Like Routemaster it felt like I was bouncing around to much, so I just turned the Preload adjustment counter clockwise a bit and it felt a lot better. That part was easy. I still don't really understand what spring preload and rebound damping force means and  how it effects the road handling.

[nogoslow]

Suspension settings are a very personal thing, depending on weight riding style etc. If your unsure what your doing i would advise getting some help. However if you do feel the suspension needs changing the attached document(bad copy i know)should give you an idea of what you need to change based on how the bike feels. always note your current settings before you start, only change 1 setting at a time and ride the same piece of road in the same way each time you make a change to get a direct comparison.

[fatharry]

Handy chart NGS...very helpful

Can only concur with what you have said...suspension set up has a load of rider variables...what works for me, what won't work for you  ;D

[lamin]

Norman, that's what i'm on about, 'Felt like a different bike' I get the risers, screens, seats and even the front mudgard extenda, but the suspension is like trying to understand Kenny Dalgleish, a complete mystery, ( i'm an Evertonian, nil satis desporundium, nothing but the best) xx

[Kevin]

I wasn't happy at all with the suspension on our first GTR so I took it to MCT in Stowmarket who transformed it. The difference was so noticeable SWMBO suggested we take the Hayabusa there and all our bikes have now made the round trip apart from the GS which has ESA and the current GTR.

The current GTR hasn't been yet as I'm going to replace the shock but other things have had first call on the money so far.

Kevin

[Andy]

Only tool required is a socket for front pre-load (pushes down on front spring & raises ride hight) front re-bound you can click by hand and rear requires a small straight screw driver.

Bike is set up for a 150lb rider from factory (no such person?) and is far to "bouncy" & low for normal middle aged fatties & (slim) pillions :-)

http://www.gtr1400.co.uk/forums/index.php?action=dlattach%3Btopic%3D485.0%3Battach%3D379