Triumphrat

raggedraider · 10-23-2008, 07:07 PM

k
i have been having a blast beating the dirt out of my t-595
i finaly messed with the susspention ( everything set to soft )- ie screws at top and bottom of the forks -( about 1/4 turn from center ( sticker )) , and the rear set to soft

i think the bike feels great , but could feel better , i havent set sag ( in the rear ) , the front is where it was ( is that an adjustment for front sag?)

but

the bike "chatters" when im on the brakes hard ( like "on the cusp" of skidding ) ( the rear is hopping )
it does it on a hard down shift and alot of front brakes as well

im gonna guess and say i have 2 inch of sag in the rear
and the front MAY have touched the fender once or twice

there is no slop in any part of the rear susspention ( yet )

how far can i turn the screws ?
how do i adjust the front "spring tention" or fork height?
if i unscrew my belly button will my ass fall off?

thanx

DEcosse · 10-23-2008, 07:52 PM

You set the sag by adjusting the spring preload

First you need to get each end clear of the ground (not necessarily both at the same time) to measure your completely unloaded position. Completely unloaded does not mean just with you not on it - the bikes own weight is already compressing the suspension somewhat. You need to have the wheel completely free of the ground in order to get the unloaded weight (you cannot lift the rear by the axle or any point on the swing arm, nor the front by a lift that goes under the fork legs)

With the suspension unloaded, pick any two convenient points to measure between, one a fixed point, the other on the 'moving' part.
(say bottom of the forks to the lower triple clamp for the front & say the top of swing-arm at the axle to vertically above it on the subframe somewhere - these are completely arbitrary as long as they are representive of the axle position to a fixed location somewhat vertically above it and you use the same references for each measurement)

Once you get your unloaded measurements you need to find the loaded numbers. You want to be in normal riding gear so you get true representation of your weight. Bike of course will now be completely on the ground.
While sitting on the bike, have a helper make measurements in the exact same locations.
The difference between the two is called 'sag'

For front you will want something like 30-35mm difference; for the rear you want about 25-30mm. If you have more than you will want to increase your pre-load; less, if back it off.

Here's a good set-up guide for you.

I'm not sure exactly what you are describing, but the front can 'chatter' under hard braking if your steering head bearings are improperly adjusted or shot.

raggedraider · 10-24-2008, 06:30 AM

the chatter i was talking about is the back , after the weight is tossed onto the front

it seems as if i have to find a "sweet spot" to get it to happen
but it happens.

Hinckley · 10-24-2008, 08:34 AM

If I am understanding correctly, you are saying that when riding your bike aggressively, hard on the brakes or after downshifting, such as leading up to a corner, the rear tire has a shudder until you let off the brakes or get on the power.

Now, let me preface this with I'm no suspension guru. I'm sure someone can explain this better than I am going to attempt here.

If the above is what you are referring to, you will experience some of this when the rear tire is at it's limit of traction. What is happening is that the front suspension is fully loaded changing the geometry of the suspension and the weight distribution causing the rear of the bike to become light and the rear tire to skip along the surface of the pavement as it looses traction. I'm sure some of this can be dialed out with the adjustment of the suspension, but when the rear tire is at it's limit, it will begin to hop.

Preload is the first adjustment you should do before messing with the remaining adjustments on your suspenders. Do this just as DEcosse has described. Once this is done then make your adjustments one at a time and in small increments, documenting the results of each setting. If it is not handled in this manner you can make a mess for yourself in a hurry.

raggedraider · 10-24-2008, 05:40 PM

yea the link i got from DEcosse is great it answers alot of questions

with the exception of " how far can i turn the screws ?"

but i got to follow the routine , and write down what i do .

i get the impression that the screws on the top / bottom of the fork s only have about a half turn range of adjustment

i concerned about keeping the screws "even" on the forks , maybe count "turns in / out" from bottoming out ( like carb screws )

it looks like spring loading has small lines i could follow

thanx alot
stay tuned for my next post - " help i high sided my t-595"
note to self: hang on to the bars to control excessive altitude - guess how i lerned that.