Bouncy suspension - 165 lb rider

[Guest vfrsteve]

Hello All, Sorry if this has been covered.

Im new and just hit the 800 mile mark on my new 2010 VFR1200F. Im 165 lbs and the suspension seems really bouncy and uneven over semi rough freeway surfaces. Im not good at describing what is happening but seem front to back motion seem to rock. Does anyone have any suggestions on settings front and rear. Im not ready to replace the shock.

[2thdr]

See post #6 in this thread. The first thing you should do is get the static sag set correctly for your weight with all your gear on. You will need a helper.

http://www.vfrdiscus...__+setting +sag

Also if you have access to Twist of the Wrist II by Keith Code, there is a DVD with the book that shows how to set sag.

[Tamworth]

What you really want to do is increase rebound dampening slightly, your owners manual will show you the locations of the screws. start with one click on the forks and 1/8th turn on the rear shock at a time. Proper sag can not be achieved on the 1200 forks without adding internal spacers so don't worry about sag.

[2thdr]

Sorry for the bad info...was just going by 6th gen. Why couldn't you get proper sag set with a 165 lb. rider?

[Guest]

Im not clearly describing what is happening I guess. It is more like pogoing. Is that controlled by the damping. Iv played with the knob but seems the front and rear are not working together. Never had these on my other sport bikes or FJR

[Tamworth]

Im not clearly describing what is happening I guess. It is more like pogoing. Is that controlled by the damping. Iv played with the knob but seems the front and rear are not working together. Never had these on my other sport bikes or FJR

The "knob" is not rebound dampening, rebound adjustment is done with a flat screwdriver. Check your manual for the proper location of the screws. Adjust as I mentioned in my previous post.

[VFR Capt.Bob]

Yes. Pogoing or wallowing implies the springs are overpowering the damping. Slow it down by increasing rebound damping. Set it at the factory recommended setting as a base setting and adjust from there.

[Guest]

VFRsteve

Your weight is more conducive to this bike's stock suspension than some of the heavier guys.

The video link above is really worth the view.

Here's a link to the SportRider suspension guide as well as trouble symptoms and the most likely place to remedy.

http://www.sportrider.com/suspension_settings/suspension_setup/146_0402_suspension_setup_guide/

• 
  LACK OF REBOUND DAMPING (FORK)
• The fork offers a supremely plush ride, especially when riding straight up. When the pace picks up, however, the feeling of control is lost. The fork feels mushy, and traction "feel" is poor.
  
• After hitting bumps at speed, the front tire tends to chatter or bounce.
  
• When flicking the bike into a corner at speed, the front tire begins to chatter and lose traction. This translates into an unstable feel at the clip-ons.
  
• As speed increases and steering inputs become more aggressive, a lack of control begins to appear. Chassis attitude and pitch become a real problem, with the front end refusing to stabilize after the bike is countersteered hard into a turn.
  

• 
  TOO MUCH REBOUND DAMPING (FORK)
• The ride is quite harsh--just the opposite of the plush feel of too little rebound. Rough pavement makes the fork feel as if it's locking up with stiction and harshness.
  
• Under hard acceleration exiting bumpy corners, the front end feels like it wants to "wiggle" or "tankslap." The tire feels as if it isn't staying in contact with the pavement when on the gas.
  
• The harsh, unforgiving ride makes the bike hard to control when riding through dips and rolling bumps at speed. The suspension's reluctance to maintain tire traction through these sections erodes rider confidence.
  

• 
  LACK OF COMPRESSION DAMPING (FORK)
• Front end dive while on the brakes becomes excessive.
  
• The rear end of the motorcycle wants to "come around" when using the front brakes aggressively.
  
• The front suspension "bottoms out" with a solid hit under heavy braking and after hitting bumps.
  
• The front end has a mushy and semi-vague feeling--similar to lack of rebound damping.
  

• 
  TOO MUCH COMPRESSION DAMPING (FORK)
• The ride is overly harsh, especially at the point when bumps and ripples are contacted by the front wheel.
  
• Bumps and ripples are felt directly; the initial "hit" is routed through the chassis instantly, with big bumps bouncing the tire off the pavement.
  
• The bike's ride height is effected negatively--the front end winds up riding too high in the corners.
  
• Brake dive is reduced drastically, though the chassis is upset significantly by bumps encountered during braking.
  

• 
  LACK OF REBOUND DAMPING (REAR SHOCK)
• The ride is plush at cruising speeds, but as the pace increases, the chassis begins to wallow and weave through bumpy corners.
  
• This causes poor traction over bumps under hard acceleration; the rear tire starts to chatter due to a lack of wheel control.
  
• There is excessive chassis pitch through large bumps and dips at speed and the rear end rebounds too quickly, upsetting the chassis with a pogo-stick action.
  

• 
  TOO MUCH REBOUND DAMPING (REAR SHOCK)
• This creates an uneven ride. The rear suspension compliance is poor and the "feel" is vague.
  
• Traction is poor over bumps during hard acceleration (due to lack of suspension compliance).
  
• The bike wants to run wide in corners since the rear end is "packing down"; this forces a nose-high chassis attitude, which slows down steering.
  
• The rear end wants to hop and skip when the throttle is chopped during aggressive corner entries.
  

• 
  LACK OF COMPRESSION DAMPING (REAR SHOCK)
• There is too much rear end "squat" under acceleration; the bike wants to steer wide exiting corners (since the chassis is riding rear low/nose high).
  
• Hitting bumps at speed causes the rear to bottom out, which upsets the chassis.
  
• The chassis attitude is affected too much by large dips and G-outs.
  
• Steering and control become difficult due to excessive suspension movement.
  

• 
  TOO MUCH COMPRESSION DAMPING (REAR SHOCK)
• The ride is harsh, though not quite as bad as too much rebound; the faster you go, the worse it gets, however.
  
• Harshness hurts rear tire traction over bumps, especially during deceleration. There's little rear end "squat" under acceleration.
  
• Medium to large bumps are felt directly through the chassis; when hit at speed, the rear end kicks up.
  

Cheers and good luck.

(Suspension is highly personal to size, weight carried, riding style, tires, and roads but we should likely start some threads for suggestions at various weight classes to give others a place to start other than the owner's manual (which I've read, perhaps in here, is based upon 5'8" and 155lbs...)

[keepergale]

VFRsteve

Your weight is more conducive to this bike's stock suspension than some of the heavier guys.

The video link above is really worth the view.

Here's a link to the SportRider suspension guide as well as trouble symptoms and the most likely place to remedy.

http://www.sportride...on_setup_guide/

• 
  LACK OF REBOUND DAMPING (FORK)
• The fork offers a supremely plush ride, especially when riding straight up. When the pace picks up, however, the feeling of control is lost. The fork feels mushy, and traction "feel" is poor.
  
• After hitting bumps at speed, the front tire tends to chatter or bounce.
  
• When flicking the bike into a corner at speed, the front tire begins to chatter and lose traction. This translates into an unstable feel at the clip-ons.
  
• As speed increases and steering inputs become more aggressive, a lack of control begins to appear. Chassis attitude and pitch become a real problem, with the front end refusing to stabilize after the bike is countersteered hard into a turn.
  

• 
  TOO MUCH REBOUND DAMPING (FORK)
• The ride is quite harsh--just the opposite of the plush feel of too little rebound. Rough pavement makes the fork feel as if it's locking up with stiction and harshness.
  
• Under hard acceleration exiting bumpy corners, the front end feels like it wants to "wiggle" or "tankslap." The tire feels as if it isn't staying in contact with the pavement when on the gas.
  
• The harsh, unforgiving ride makes the bike hard to control when riding through dips and rolling bumps at speed. The suspension's reluctance to maintain tire traction through these sections erodes rider confidence.
  

• 
  LACK OF COMPRESSION DAMPING (FORK)
• Front end dive while on the brakes becomes excessive.
  
• The rear end of the motorcycle wants to "come around" when using the front brakes aggressively.
  
• The front suspension "bottoms out" with a solid hit under heavy braking and after hitting bumps.
  
• The front end has a mushy and semi-vague feeling--similar to lack of rebound damping.
  

• 
  TOO MUCH COMPRESSION DAMPING (FORK)
• The ride is overly harsh, especially at the point when bumps and ripples are contacted by the front wheel.
  
• Bumps and ripples are felt directly; the initial "hit" is routed through the chassis instantly, with big bumps bouncing the tire off the pavement.
  
• The bike's ride height is effected negatively--the front end winds up riding too high in the corners.
  
• Brake dive is reduced drastically, though the chassis is upset significantly by bumps encountered during braking.
  

• 
  LACK OF REBOUND DAMPING (REAR SHOCK)
• The ride is plush at cruising speeds, but as the pace increases, the chassis begins to wallow and weave through bumpy corners.
  
• This causes poor traction over bumps under hard acceleration; the rear tire starts to chatter due to a lack of wheel control.
  
• There is excessive chassis pitch through large bumps and dips at speed and the rear end rebounds too quickly, upsetting the chassis with a pogo-stick action.
  

• 
  TOO MUCH REBOUND DAMPING (REAR SHOCK)
• This creates an uneven ride. The rear suspension compliance is poor and the "feel" is vague.
  
• Traction is poor over bumps during hard acceleration (due to lack of suspension compliance).
  
• The bike wants to run wide in corners since the rear end is "packing down"; this forces a nose-high chassis attitude, which slows down steering.
  
• The rear end wants to hop and skip when the throttle is chopped during aggressive corner entries.
  

• 
  LACK OF COMPRESSION DAMPING (REAR SHOCK)
• There is too much rear end "squat" under acceleration; the bike wants to steer wide exiting corners (since the chassis is riding rear low/nose high).
  
• Hitting bumps at speed causes the rear to bottom out, which upsets the chassis.
  
• The chassis attitude is affected too much by large dips and G-outs.
  
• Steering and control become difficult due to excessive suspension movement.
  

• 
  TOO MUCH COMPRESSION DAMPING (REAR SHOCK)
• The ride is harsh, though not quite as bad as too much rebound; the faster you go, the worse it gets, however.
  
• Harshness hurts rear tire traction over bumps, especially during deceleration. There's little rear end "squat" under acceleration.
  
• Medium to large bumps are felt directly through the chassis; when hit at speed, the rear end kicks up.
  

Cheers and good luck.

(Suspension is highly personal to size, weight carried, riding style, tires, and roads but we should likely start some threads for suggestions at various weight classes to give others a place to start other than the owner's manual (which I've read, perhaps in here, is based upon 5'8" and 155lbs...)

Good post. So how do I remedy too much compression damping? Front in particular.

[HispanicSlammer]

Good post. So how do I remedy too much compression damping? Front in particular.

Lighter wieght oil, and add more rebound damp afterward to counteract lighter oil

[keepergale]

Thanks HS exactly what I was looking for.