Guest m4ndr4k3 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Cross-posted from the UK VFR forum: Hi there, I bought a 2001 model with 21.5K on the clock in August, and have been riding it around quite a bit the last few months. Done a trip to Paris and back and commute with it almost every day. Its my first "big" bike, so theres still a lot being learned, but I love this thing to bits. My only gripe has been the suspension, it shook the live crap out of my intestines. The backend also seemed a little bit "uncertain", for want of a better word", at high speed. The only other full-on road bike Ive ever ridden has been the XJ600 at the school I trained at and we never took those above 60mph. It just doesnt feel right, although Im not sure what right is! Tried increasing the preload, made very little difference. The best way I can describe it is that the backend feels like its squireling very slightly at around 80+mph, it just doesnt feel as planted as the frontend. No problems cornering though, it holds its line like its on rails. After reading quite a bit about this machine online and seeing how many people recommend rebuilding the front and back suspension after 15-20k, I was convinced that this is my problem. I tried increasing the preload, this seemed to help slightly with the high speed "uncertainty". The previous owner is a big lad and had his missus plus baggage on the pillion quite a bit. I weight 70kg after a big meal. This weekend was a bit of a eye-opener, I thought Id try to set the suspension back to factory standards before making a decision on spending money on it. The shock preload was set to within 2 notches from highest (after my initial meddling), I set it back to the 2nd notch from lowest. The dampening was set to 1.5 turns from hardest, I turned it back a .25 turn, so its now 1.25 from hard. Preload on the forks were set to their highest, it now just about shows the 2nd line and I might decrease this further today. I made sure the tires are both the correct pressure. The front is a newish Michelin Road Pilot 2, the back is a Metzeler Sportec M3 with about 3500Mi on it. I also removed the handlebar raisers - bike looks much without them and it gives me much better positioning on the bike, I think! Well its made an absolutely huge difference, the handling is hugely improved, to the point where I cant believe ive been riding this thing like this for so long. It turns quicker, it doesnt nose dive as much under breaking any more and it feels slightly more planted at the back. Its also soaks up bumps in the road, riding in town was previously a tiring ordeal with all the potholes and stuff in the road. I took it for a run on Saturday down the A2 and it does feel much much better, but, the back still gives me this niggling feeling which I know just isnt right. I think my next move will be to get the back wheel checked and balanced, see if this makes any difference. So, am I just putting of the inevitable? Are my suspicions about the back shock needing a rebuild/replacement probably correct, any way of testing it to come to some sort of positive conclusion? Apologies for the rambling post, its my first here, i will post some pics of the beast a little bit later. Thanks for reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted November 22, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted November 22, 2011 Hi m8. The Fi should handle very neutrally and give huge confidence when cornering. If it doesn't then clearly there is something wrong. Sounds like you may have identified the issue, but just in case..... I suspect that after 20k+ miles with a big fella and his Mrs on the back, the rear shock needs replacing. Try Nitron...almost as good as Ohlins and much cheaper to buy and rebuild in another 20k miles. Mixed tyres wont help either. I've just had another Avon Storm 2 Ultra fitted to the front of my Vtec today and the Fi will be receiving one on the rear in <1k. Perhaps a change of tyre will help you too. I'd also suggest bearings need to be checked, front and back. Let us know how you get on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Agree with Skids, check all the normal, mostly free things first. Head bearings should be inspected, lubricated and properly tightened. Swingarm and shock linkage bearings, ditto. Wheel bearings should at least be rolled by hand to see if there is any roughness (front wheel) but the rears are harder to check without disassembly of the hub and axle. And of course, tires/pressures are ctitical. Mismatched tires can work OK sometimes on some bikes, but there's no guarantees. I remove either the entire front end or rear end of my bike and check/clean/tighten/grease all these items every other year, alternating the front/back. This winter, it's the swingarm/shock/rear hub. I'm going to have it powdercoated while it's apart, to match the frame. I already have a spare cush drive hub powdercoated and sitting on the shelf waiting to go on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Hi and welcome! If the rear shock has lost some or all of it's gas charge the rear will feel unsettled and wallow around when cornering. First off how much do you weigh? Everything is based on proper spring rates for your weight to even start with a solid suspension platform. The stock VFR is softly sprung so if your much over 150-160 lbs you are under sprung! A simple, cheap and easy rear shock mod for the 5th gen is a CBR 929(99-00 only) rear shock. It's sprung the same as the VFR so no help it you weight more, but it is filly adjustable w/ comp & rebound damping. All that's needed is a top mount extension. Search Google for the mod, just add VFRD to the end of the search. BR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Gents, thanks very much for your input. Ive checked the bearings, not taken the wheels or the swingarm off but checked for any movement by trying to move the wheel and swingarm sideways, individually. Got the GF round this weekend so wont have much time to do anything, i will take the bike in the week after to have the wheel balance checked and possibly stick a new, matching tyre on the back and check the bearings if possible. If this doesnt have the desired effect, i'll start investigating the CBR shock route, planning a major trip round Europe next summer, so might as well prepare for it properly! Thanks very much, i'll let you know how I get on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monk Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Hi and welcome! If the rear shock has lost some or all of it's gas charge the rear will feel unsettled and wallow around when cornering. First off how much do you weigh? Everything is based on proper spring rates for your weight to even start with a solid suspension platform. The stock VFR is softly sprung so if your much over 150-160 lbs you are under sprung! A simple, cheap and easy rear shock mod for the 5th gen is a CBR 929(99-00 only) rear shock. It's sprung the same as the VFR so no help it you weight more, but it is filly adjustable w/ comp & rebound damping. All that's needed is a top mount extension. Search Google for the mod, just add VFRD to the end of the search. BR He's 155 lbs.(that pisses me off) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Hi and welcome! If the rear shock has lost some or all of it's gas charge the rear will feel unsettled and wallow around when cornering. First off how much do you weigh? Everything is based on proper spring rates for your weight to even start with a solid suspension platform. The stock VFR is softly sprung so if your much over 150-160 lbs you are under sprung! A simple, cheap and easy rear shock mod for the 5th gen is a CBR 929(99-00 only) rear shock. It's sprung the same as the VFR so no help it you weight more, but it is filly adjustable w/ comp & rebound damping. All that's needed is a top mount extension. Search Google for the mod, just add VFRD to the end of the search. BR He's 155 lbs.(that pisses me off) Oh yeah, "I weight 70kg " missed that foreign talk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted November 23, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted November 23, 2011 Hi and welcome! If the rear shock has lost some or all of it's gas charge the rear will feel unsettled and wallow around when cornering. First off how much do you weigh? Everything is based on proper spring rates for your weight to even start with a solid suspension platform. The stock VFR is softly sprung so if your much over 150-160 lbs you are under sprung! A simple, cheap and easy rear shock mod for the 5th gen is a CBR 929(99-00 only) rear shock. It's sprung the same as the VFR so no help it you weight more, but it is filly adjustable w/ comp & rebound damping. All that's needed is a top mount extension. Search Google for the mod, just add VFRD to the end of the search. BR He's 155 lbs.(that pisses me off) Oh yeah, "I weight 70kg " missed that foreign talk! Oi, it's "our" language, you're just destroying borrowing it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monk Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Hi and welcome! If the rear shock has lost some or all of it's gas charge the rear will feel unsettled and wallow around when cornering. First off how much do you weigh? Everything is based on proper spring rates for your weight to even start with a solid suspension platform. The stock VFR is softly sprung so if your much over 150-160 lbs you are under sprung! A simple, cheap and easy rear shock mod for the 5th gen is a CBR 929(99-00 only) rear shock. It's sprung the same as the VFR so no help it you weight more, but it is filly adjustable w/ comp & rebound damping. All that's needed is a top mount extension. Search Google for the mod, just add VFRD to the end of the search. BR He's 155 lbs.(that pisses me off) Oh yeah, "I weight 70kg " missed that foreign talk! Oi, it's "our" language, you're just destroying borrowing it! When I 1st got to England, this girl I went out with straightened me out right off. "This is England, we speak English. You are from America, you speak American". Good thing the OP isn't older, he might have said how many "stone" he weighed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer 2thdr Posted November 23, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted November 23, 2011 I like how the British publication BIKE magazine sticks to "miles" and "mpg" when discussing specs and performance. Just can't get my American brain around kilometers...LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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