Rear Shock Settings for Road Use

I've been trying hard to get this rear shock to operate correctly and am having no luck. I've got my sag correct at 30mm for my weight 85kgs. I've got the preload at pos 3. My compression setting is set to 13 clicks out from hard and rebound is currently 2 turns out from hard. I find the rear is very firm and my backside is numb after a couple of hours ride (reasonable rough terrain). The bike handles reasonably with these settings. I tried going to 14 clicks on the compression and found that the thing wouldn't hold in corners. No wollowing, but it wanted to use all the road. When I stiffen up the rear it starts to handle better but then I loose any ounce of comfort. Am I flogin a dead horse? I'm not expecting to get a silky smooth ride, but its far from it. I've got the front happening pretty good, but the bike doesn't feel very confidence inspiring. I found that with std settings front and back the bike was near impossible to ride. Have improved the front by uping the preload 4 turns over std, comp set to 1 1/2 turns out from hard, rebound 1 3/4 turns out from hard. I've got Diablo Corsas on, I've dropped the pressure on the rear down to 39psi. I'm wondering if it will make it handle a little better by dropping the presure further. Say 36psi. I'm only riding on the road at the moment. Help anyone?

I'm running the stones and my pressure is set at 33f 34r.

You can and should run those Corsas at 34-36 on the road. By the way, the seat is really hard. Your butt will get used to it. with your weight I am surprised you have not used most of the front preload. Try backing of the rebound two or three clicks that seems stiff. Ernie

Ernie Do you mean the rebound on the rear? I think std is 2 1/2 turns from hard. I've stiffened it up a little to 2 turns out from hard. And yes my but is getting a bit more acustom to the hard seat. I was however being flung from the seat on many occations using the std settings.

Being that we're talking about suspension, what do ya'll recommend i set mine to...i'm 140lbs...any ideas?

Ernie Do you mean the rebound on the rear? I think std is 2 1/2 turns from hard. I've stiffened it up a little to 2 turns out from hard. And yes my but is getting a bit more acustom to the hard seat. I was however being flung from the seat on many occations using the std settings. Ok, getting flung from seat is usually a sign on not enough rebound at the rear shock. If 2 1/2 is standard sounds like you are doing the right thing. Ernie

Thanks ernie. I'll give the tyres a go at lower pressures. Maybe this will improve the road holding ability and increase the comfort level a little. Hazzyy - There are many recommendations on the Forums here. I assume like most you have found the front to be too soft? and the rear too hard? Have you set you sag first?

Why should the Corsas be run at such a low pressure on the street?

Why should the Corsas be run at such a low pressure on the street? Low Pressure? What are you talking about? Manufacturer's recommendations are stricty liablility pressures. If you run 40 psi on the street you have a tiny contact patch. The bike will turn real easily. It will get good tire and gas mileage. It just won't have much traction. Run 34 ( I run 29-30 on the track and 32-34 on the street) and you get a lot more contact area, a lot more tread on the ground, harder steering and a LOT more traction. Ernie

Hey guys, my manual says the recommended preasure for the front is 36 and the rear is 42. I took this with a grain of salt initially. My GSX 1400 which is a much heavier bike recommends 38 in the rear. Same size tyre. BT020. This bike is much lighter (1krr). I don't think that droping the preasures a little would be detrimental. I have noticed that I can spin the rear up in corners with 39psi. Funny enough I couldn't feel it happening but checking the tyres afterwards revealed the wear. Might even help loft that front wheel a little easier. I'm hoping to take the jarring out that I get on poor roads. I don't want to drop too far and compromise the wheels themselves.

I run 33 on the road. No wonder you are getting bounced around.. 42 psi? The manual is bs for liability or two up riding. Of course you can spin it up , the damn tire is so hard and round with that much pressure it probably has a contact patch an inch wide. Ernie

Ernie I droped the preasure down on day one to 39psi. I will try your suggestion and go down to 36psi. See what happens. Maybe then I can keep my compression settings higher.

36/42 as stated in manual are for two-up riding with luggage. Sort of a dumbies equation but if you run solo hard with those preasures, you'll find the bike walking about in the corners both Front and Rear (although Front walks are much scarier). For normal cruising solo/two-up or luggage on back I run 32/36-38 For a knowing hard bash on a mountain road solo I will run 30/34 but I will return the tyres back to my previous settings when I have finished having fun and want to cruise home (toilet/fuel stop after the fun will give your tyres plenty of time to cool down). Did I mention I love this bike. Wanting desperately to put a 180/55 rear on it though. Not sure to do that first then try the Ventura rack or do the rack first. The 190/50 is too sluggish off the centre line for my liking, I like nimble handling. 8)

Blitze I will be trying lower pressures. I'm sure my book gives the higher pressures for both solo and two up. Thats were the pressures were std when I picked up the bike. I agree the rear is a bit over tyred. I felt the same about the GSX1400. Still love the look of a meaty tyre though. What sort of suspension settings are you running? What's you weight if you don't mind me asking? What does the rack look like? I was hesitant to add any thing like that. Takes away the look. Might just have to survive with a back pack.

John1000RR can't remember the exact settings but I tightened up the front end and also the rear, I think it was +2 clicks on the spring from the default of 6. I have it pretty tight cause I was running around everywhere with my Girl Friend on it but now I have her on her own bike I might take the rear spring back to default but keep the other adjustments. The rack you can see a pick here http://www.ventura-bike.com/english/whats_new/latest_fitments/display_picture.asp?fitment_id=786 Looks quite Ok and it really is nicer to ride with than the equivalent weight on your back. With the Aero packs x2 on the back and a tank bag you can really load the bike up for that long trip. Normally just the large Aero bag is enough. When I settle suspension settings down I'll post them. I mainly do road bashing and I'm 190cm tall and about 80Kg ( I think, roughly 13 Stone if that helps imperialists). 8)

Blimey 34-36 :shock: , I'll try that out next time. I tried various pressures a lot higher like 40-42 then 38-40, bike always felt like it was sliding underneath me, guess I know why now :wink:

Settings are as follows 1 click harder on spring for rear (now as I was running 3 and was feeling way to much through the road when solo but with girl and luggage was right, now she rides her own). 1.5 turn harder on both rebound and compression for rear and front. 2 Full turns harder on the fork springs compression as the standard settings floated and dived like a Uboat under fire in the Atlantic.

quick addition to the above. I find the rear shocks spring bloody aweful. Prob why people using Ohlins are so relieved. I think if the spring was replaced with something decent aka progressive you'ld find the rear shock quite decent. Unfortunately I'm not sure you can get the Shock rebuilt with a decent spring but then by the time you respring the unit and revalve it you are probably financially off just tossing the bloody thing. Would be nice to have a few grand so I could set the thing up the way I want. Why did I choose music as a profession ????? :-(

quick addition to the above. I find the rear shocks spring bloody aweful. Prob why people using Ohlins are so relieved. I think if the spring was replaced with something decent aka progressive you'ld find the rear shock quite decent. Unfortunately I'm not sure you can get the Shock rebuilt with a decent spring but then by the time you respring the unit and revalve it you are probably financially off just tossing the bloody thing. Would be nice to have a few grand so I could set the thing up the way I want. Why did I choose music as a profession ????? :-( Spring is a spring is a spring. The rear spring is too heavy for most riders. Progressive springs are shit. Eibach, Race Tech, Traxxion, anything but progressive. Ernie

Ernie I tried running 34 / 36 and it feels a lot better. Bike confidence has increased. I have put another half turn on the front pre-load to get a better sag measurement. I think I will need to increase the rear compression another click. That will make it position twelve from hard. I'm nearly the there.

Same as me 8)

Sorry about the long delay, but the person I e-mailed has been out of the office a lot the last few weeks. I don't feel like it's my place to say who it is so I expect everyone to take it with a grain of salt, but this person is a friend of mine and runs one of the largest AMA privateer teams. I told him that I've always been told by car racing team that I should run manufacturer pressures, but I'd heard of a lot of people running lower pressures. I also said that I run stock suspension settings because I felt that I could use all the stability I could get with street surprises and my less than racy riding level. "As far as pressures, I always run the manufacturers recommended on bikes, too. It won't make mush difference really. And, suspension settings are pretty good usually stock. Won't notice much of the other stuff unless you are on a track and really pushing it. Do you have any front end chatter or stuff like that?"

Oh, and he did run an AMA Superbike factory team for a couple years.

:0 Yes, I run manufacturer's pressure too. If you go to the track and talk to the manufacturer's rep they will tell you run 30/29 on the track and they post it on the board. They will also tell you to run low thirties on the street. As far as your friend and his pressures, no AMA superbike teams are running the pressures on the sidewalls. They get their tires from the factory and the first time they ran those pressures would be the day they lost their sponsorship. Now if you are riding slow on the street it does not matter much what pressure you run or what your suspension settings are, they wont be challenged. Ernie

Oh, as far as "stock suspension settings": If you weigh 140 pounds your suspension settings are going to be different that the guy who weighs 280 pounds. That is why they are adjustable. If you don't know enough to work on suspension, and dont study it, then don't give advice to people who want to make changes. The stock settings are just a mediium point they get set at, if everyone does their job and the dealer remembers. If you have not checked your stock settings you certainly should. Ernie

:lol: No, what you say, and given that you probably have the most experience out there, it's great to have people like you on the board to help out. I've decided I'll go with the Pirelli Dragon Super Corsa 190/55 on the rear end of my machine for the street running the hard compound. Will be interesting to see how it goes but considering I usually take it pretty tame in the wet I don't think I'll have any real dramas with the tyre and will love it in the dry. Looking at a cost of AUS$330.00 and will match it to the Diablo Corsa front I already have. As for suspension, you have to experiment and find what's right for you. No two riders will have the same setup but you can take a persons recommendations as a guide/base-line and start from there. I like my bike firm underneath me so I can feel what it's doing, others might like it more comfortable, personal preference and then there is weight, luggage usually carried or passengers and other things to take into account. Anyway the 1000rr is the bees knees even in stock form so you can't go wrong. I was apprehensive going to a 1000 but not with this thing.

I asked my friend questions about street bikes, so that's what his answers refer to. He wasn't saying they run manufacturer pressures (not sidewall max pressures, which no one is talking about) on the race bikes. And I don't know why you have quotes around "stock suspension settings" as if they don't exist and I'm making them up. Sure, my friend also knows I'm around 180 lbs, so that affected his answer, but the fact of the matter is that more people make their bike slower than faster with what their poor suspension adjustments. Few people can ride these bikes fast enough to run stock suspension to the limit, so why make changes unless they're at the extreme weights you stated. I do know quite a bit about making suspension adjustments, mostly to a car, but quite a bit of that knowledge transfers to bikes. And all of that knowledge comes from two championship winning teams. Regardless, I was offering a different perspective from someone who actually runs a large race team, so don't sit there and tell me to keep my mouth shut.

Blitze I'm probably going to try the Bridgestones next time round. The Pirell's are OK. Especially after lowering the pressures. I've used Bridgestone BT020 & BT010 before and liked them. Very predicatable tyres. I got good wear out of a BT020 on the rear of my GSX1400. Not as soft as the Pirelli Diablo Corsa. I will have to see how many K's I get out of the Corsa, but by the look of it, it wont be many. I agree the CBR1000RR is an awesome street bike, even though other brands claim more of this and that. They look like they are doing OK at the track as well. Anyway its horses for courses. Or is it Horses for Corsas :twisted:

I asked my friend questions about street bikes, so that's what his answers refer to. He wasn't saying they run manufacturer pressures (not sidewall max pressures, which no one is talking about) on the race bikes. And I don't know why you have quotes around "stock suspension settings" as if they don't exist and I'm making them up. Sure, my friend also knows I'm around 180 lbs, so that affected his answer, but the fact of the matter is that more people make their bike slower than faster with what their poor suspension adjustments. Few people can ride these bikes fast enough to run stock suspension to the limit, so why make changes unless they're at the extreme weights you stated. I do know quite a bit about making suspension adjustments, mostly to a car, but quite a bit of that knowledge transfers to bikes. And all of that knowledge comes from two championship winning teams. Regardless, I was offering a different perspective from someone who actually runs a large race team, so don't sit there and tell me to keep my mouth shut. You ought to keep your mouth shut, you don't have any idea what you are talking about. If your friend cares to post and identify himself and qualify, I might listen to him. But so far I am not impressed. \\ Car and bike suspensions are worlds apart. If you have two championship car experiences you don't know shit about bike suspension. I know a half dozen AMA racers, work for a three time AMA superbike champ, and spent ten years racing, and am currently a track instructor. As far as stock suspension, if you had read my post, you would have understood that the bikes are set at a midpoint at the factory and by the dealer IF EVERY ONE DOES THEIR JOB. Often they are delivered with different preload and damping adjustments on the two forks. So so called stock suspension is THE FIRST THING that should be checked. If you don't set sag, particularly with the CBR, you end up with an ill handling pile. If you hop on the bike with "stock" setup, it barely works for a 150 pounder. It is not a car. An inch of ride height front or rear make not much difference in a car, steering angle does not change. On a bike steering angle changes when the front or rear is higher or lower. And that changes how fast the bike turns in and how easy or hard it turns in. I repeat. You don't know what you are talking about.. Get on a car list and help them out. Don't help out here until you know what you are talking about. As far as most guys not going fast enough to tax the suspension: If the bike is set up poorly it rides harshly, turns poorly, and is no fun to ride. I suspect you don't go fast enough to even reach that point. Thanks for the response Ernie

If you're going Bridgestone then you might want to look at the 002's as they are more along the lines of the RehnSports/Dragon Super Corsa's. Just for that 190/55 loving.

Ernie, you've definitely got the grumpy, old man vibe down pat. Good job. And you work part-time for CLASS... No one said you don't know what you're talking about, but it doesn't make you the end-all be-all of bike setup, so relax. My friend doesn't read this board, I do. I asked him some questions about what I found here, and I posted what he told me in case anyone cares. And you're right - I almost never ride fast enough to tax the suspension *on the street*, and street riding is what I was originally replying to with that post. Relax, or have a drink, or something. Just don't be such a dick. No wonder this place turns into a flamewar half the time.

Ahh, thanks! My position as grumpy old fart is secure. Next I will work on the Alzheimer's and farting in inappropriate matters. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Often we are talking about different things and don't realize it. However I maintain that if you are riding two up and towing a trailer with the RR , you definitely need to change the stock suspension. Ernie

Now that we've got that out of the way, I've got a question for you. Maybe it should go in a different spot, but I love threadjacking. I have a friend who recently got back from Jason Pridmore's school at Road America and said it was great. But from what he relayed to me it sounds like it's nothing but body steering, which I have issues with. My next choice was CLASS, but I was wondering if it was the same deal or not.

Well, Reg definitely is a body steering guy. He emphasizes moving your weight on the bike and weighting the inside peg in a corner. It works pretty good. However I imagine Keith Code will have more emphasis on counter steering. Reggie says he does not like the sudden push and stress on a front tire if you only use counter steering. (Plus most of the fast guys out there will say that moving their body around is what they do. If you are at a school, your body position is one of the first things that gets looked at. Of course everyone counter steers, moving the body is just another way to help the bike turn. Ernie

That's what I understood from looking at the CLASS website, so you've reinforced my desire for that school. What I've heard is that Star School claims it's all body steering, and while I truly think that's an ingenious way to trick people into going fast, I don't want to go that route. And everyone I know that's met him says Keith Code is a dick. He may be a great teacher, but last time I checked motorcycling is supposed to be fun.

Well Class is a ton of fun for sure. I went for ten years as a student before I got asked to be a teacher. One of the things about Class is the squid factor is pretty small. Bad riders get tossed or corrected pretty quickly, and you get a lot of track time. \\ Not much I like about Code, based on all I have heard. Never met him though Ernie Edit: PS where are you located?

Milwaukee. Lucky enough to be stuck between two decent tracks, though admittedly I've never been to Blackhawk. Word is that it's pretty fun after last year's repaving. I don't think Code and the CSB school would be as big if someone else would put out some decent instructional books. There's a strange lack of that sorta thing. After some of the things I've seen in the backfield of AMA races (amateur and pro), I've come to think there are squids everywhere. I can never decide what's funnier to watch... Dead slow through the corner Hayabusas, or guys who just have to get their knee down regardless of lean angle. Good form is swell and all, but just getting through the corner fast has its merits.

Ernie & Blitze I went back to the drawing board with my suspension settings. Re-set the sag again. I found that making adjustments to the front made slight alterations to the rear. With my weight of 85kgs I had to go all the way with the front preload (14 turns) to get 35mm and I ended up with pos. 7 on the rear to get 28mm. I put the front comp & rebound dampening back to std. I haven't had a chance to ride it yet. What I think has been happening is I have been using all the travel without knowing and the sus on the rear may have been bottoming out over heavy bumps. I took the rear pre load up 2 from std the other day and found that it didn't react to bumps as harshly. Maybe with the new settings it will get better. I went down the Putty Road Saturday and another guy on a CBR1000RR just road past me :oops: . He looked like he was getting a much smoother ride than I was. I couldn't keep up and he didn't look like he was trying too hard. I got to put this down to my suspension settings. By the way does anyone know what travel the Honda has at the rear axle? Hey Blitze? What were your comp & rebound settings again? What is your rear comp in clicks from hard?

A general rule of thumb I heard once for initial tire pressure settings was 10% below max PSI (10% off of 42 is 38). And, for track use, go 4 more down. From there you play around with your pressures until you find what works best. I think I am running 36/36 right now.

The general rule of thumb for track pressures with modern radial tires is pretty much 30/30. Maybe up or down a pound. For the street whatever floats your boat. run 30 you may end up with bent rims. run 40 you may end up with hemorhoids from the stiff ride. I prefer 33-34 for the street. Long trips will run 36-37 Ernie

I'm at it again. Got my bike so I can ride it pretty hard now, and I guess thats the main thing. I read an article in a local bike mag with a review on the CBR1000RR. I read them all of course. The fellow who was doing the test did it on the roads that I often travel so I was extra interested in this one. His comment on the rear shock was it was too hard with std settings, which I'm all sure we would agree. However, he backed off the compression and rebound to their max. soft settings. I thought this unusual but I thought I would give it a try. When looking at the article I did notice that the guy looked a bit smaller than me anyway. I did the adjustment and noticed that it was much more comfortable and the thing felt much more predictable over rough roads than it had been in the past. I thought I might be on to something. I felt it was a little too soft in the compression side so I increased the compression by 6 clicks. I think I estimated that there is more than 24 clicks on the compression adjuster. This felt a little less vague. I also wound the rebound aduster in 1 turn. Not much difference felt here. But now the bike is feeling a little better. Once I did this I found that the front felt a little harsh. I had it wound in to 14 turns full hard and the rebound and compression were both full soft. I didn't like the way it felt. Too springy and didn't matter what I did with the rebound it didn't make it feel any better. So I wound the spring down to 11 turns and increased the comp and rebound to 2 turns. This felt better for the street. The next thing I noticed was that I was having traction problems on the front going into hard turns. With the front made a little lower I felt that the bike was placing too much effort on the front. I dropped my rear spring down a notch from 7 to 6 and then it all came good. I was able to get into it without the fear of losing the front. The front doesn't dive too much either. The roads around my way are absolutely Crap. So I guess that the softer settings are compensating for all of this. I'm still tweaking the rear settings trying to get it just right. But its still difficult. I was riding over some stuttery bumps and it still felt a little vague, but I like the comfort a lot more. It doesn't wollow but I think I might try increasing the rebound. Any comments?

Hi Guys, Sorry i'm new to this site, i know this has been asked before.. What should the sag on both front and rear be set to on the cbr1000rr.. thanks for any help.. rgs ijn..

John1000RR I am getting to a similar setting, through a totally different way. It has been tough to dial in the "whole" bike after I set the rear spring to 7. I found 6 the most consistant on rougher roads. I'm 6' and 170-175. Last run was getting closer, again. I HATE the brake dive on this bike. It wouldn't be bad on a track, but in the street where you need to grab suddenly, it stinks. So rough roads and heavy dive - not easy to set up. I have a short chart of my last 12 changes. I keep moving up the pre load in front - next run 11 in. And reducing rebound - next run-stock (2 out). Compression is .8 turn harder than stock. Rear is: Spring 7, Rebound is .25 turn harder than stock , Compression 4 clicks harder than stock. (This helps keep the front on the ground leaving the corners. But you lose some slow corner acceleration with less squat.) Since I blew a tire, have a fairing problem, and there has been a lot of traffic, I haven't had enough test time. I promise, three more changes and this baby will be fine. At least for me. ( I hope.)

Clutchslip I've done some more adjustments and found the following to be a little better. I agree that the front still suffers from dive, but I've had live with it. My front is set to: Preload is 13 turns in from soft Compression is 3 1/2 turns out Rebound is 1 3/4 turns out Rear is Preload is pos 6 Compression is 6 clicks in from full soft Rebound is 1 turn in from full soft I seem to get about a lot faster on these settings. Without getting my kidneys bashed. It is a little on the soft side, but I get the comfort without lose of stability.