Triumphrat

HiVel · 03-15-2006

My bike is set up as advised by a major mc mag and I am not very happy-it is unduly harsh over ripples and sharp bumps especially åt speed. I weigh 250 and my son goes about 210-we share the bike at times and he mentioned after a spirited mountain bumpy road run how it hammered him, unlike my Bonnie, which seems to have better bump capability. Do these newer S 3's not have enough spring? I can tweak all the dials for rebound and compression but it seems to be bottoming or just hitting real hard
on the bumps. No control problems or wobbles and it does handle real good! It just seems to hit too darn hard. What companies are into the suspensions on '05+ S-3's? Any body got any tricks or suggestions? I have heard Works is good and Race tech too.
I do not want to spend a fortune but I want to improve the capability of this great bike.

Martin_R · 03-15-2006

I think the stock suspension is very good for a bike in this price range and I would fiddle with the adjusters a bit more before resorting to more expencive alternatives.

Also, in my opinion you can't have it both ways: soft as a couch and sporty handling at the same time. You have to pick one and tune the suspension to suit your preference.

In my opinion the manual recommended "normal" setting is way too soft and the "firm" is pretty much spot on for the roads around here.

gr8shandini · 03-15-2006

I agree. I'm about 215 and, if anything, the stock settings are a little too soft. Especially in the front. No need to invest in new hardware.

From what you're saying, either your pre-load or compression damping are set too high. Check out the Foxx shocks website for a great article on how to set up a bike.

SteveLarson · 03-15-2006

I thought I might suggest you follow the Hyperpro thread which is a few above this one at the moment, I think you will find some of your answers there at a very good price alternative to replacing rear shocks or spending lot's of money on re-worked forks...

Steve

kuhlka · 03-15-2006

screw in the preload until the bike settles only about a 1/4in to 1/2in when you sit on it, then play with your compression damping until you've got it good for the roads you're on. From what you're saying, its probably like the roads out here where you're going over consistent bumps in the road from semis and *****. I like a little softer compression with stiffer rebound. I'm around 210lbs.

In the end, it doesn't matter what the magazines say you should be set at because our roads aren't the same as the test tracks and ***** they do their reviews on. You've just got to tweak and play with your settings until you're 'dialed in'.

left360 · 03-15-2006

A tie wrap on a fork leg will tell you how close you get the forks to bottoming. An accurate tire pressure gage is not a bad place to start either.

crashmasterd · 03-15-2006

Quote:

On 2006-03-14 22:20, HiVel wrote:
...unlike my Bonnie, which seems to have better bump capability. Do these newer S 3's not have enough spring?

You really can't compare these two bikes as they are on different planets as far as suspension goes. Your S3 has plenty of spring, but it will never smooth out the bumps like a Bonnie. The Bonneville is very softly sprung (long, gentle springs) specifically to iron out those bumps. The Speed Triple is sprung very hard (short stiff springs) in order to keep the tires in contact with the pavement. This makes the ride seem harsh on rough roads. It's normal, and necessary for a tight cornering good handling bike.

Get your settings dialed in correctly and you'll be happier. Some magazine's "best setup" is a very poor place to start. You must dial suspension in on a specific bike for a specific weight person. I recommend Sportbike Perfomance Handbook by Kevin Cameron. Tons of good information on bikes in general, and a really good introduction on how to set up your suspension for you.

brettmess24 · 03-15-2006

Quote:

On 2006-03-15 17:23, crashmasterd wrote:

Quote:

On 2006-03-14 22:20, HiVel wrote:
...unlike my Bonnie, which seems to have better bump capability. Do these newer S 3's not have enough spring?

You really can't compare these two bikes as they are on different planets as far as suspension goes. Your S3 has plenty of spring, but it will never smooth out the bumps like a Bonnie. The Bonneville is very softly sprung (long, gentle springs) specifically to iron out those bumps. The Speed Triple is sprung very hard (short stiff springs) in order to keep the tires in contact with the pavement. This makes the ride seem harsh on rough roads. It's normal, and necessary for a tight cornering good handling bike.

Get your settings dialed in correctly and you'll be happier. Some magazine's "best setup" is a very poor place to start. You must dial suspension in on a specific bike for a specific weight person. I recommend Sportbike Perfomance Handbook by Kevin Cameron. Tons of good information on bikes in general, and a really good introduction on how to set up your suspension for you.

I agree! On my duc I have an ohlins R/T forks and Penske rear shock and she will jar your teeth loose on a ruff road but once you get to the tight and twisty bits (when your susp. really counts) there smooth as butter.

This is what I did to my triple and I weight 200 lbs with gear.

Front rebound 1 turn out
Front Comp. 1 turn out
Preload 14.5 mm of fork showing above the triple clamp

Rear
stock rebound and compression but two turns on the preload gave me sag at 35mm The stock setting had me at about 55-60mm of sag way to much.

Now it is ALOT better and wants to really fall into a turn but I would like a penske and a new kit for the front.

However get two friends and set the sag or if you have a good stand (pitbull) get a ball park for your rear sag and drop the front little by little ride and adjust little by little. All in all the susp. is pretty good IMO

[ This message was edited by: brettmess24 on 2006-03-15 18:30 ]

Martin_R · 03-16-2006

Quote:

On 2006-03-15 18:26, brettmess24 wrote:
This is what I did to my triple and I weight 200 lbs with gear.

Front rebound 1 turn out
Front Comp. 1 turn out
Preload 14.5 mm of fork showing above the triple clamp

Rear
stock rebound and compression but two turns on the preload gave me sag at 35mm The stock setting had me at about 55-60mm of sag way to much.

How many threads do you have showing above the rear preload locknut?

I weight roughly the same as you and I am looking to finetune the rear preload a bit before actually taking the time to measure it properly.

Curmudgeon · 03-16-2006

I've been twiddling my stock suspension and working with Aftershocks, a motorcycle suspension shop in Palo Alto, CA. I've concluded that, for my 175 pounds (with gear), the spring rates are just fine, but the high-speed compression damping is excessive at both ends. I believe that's why these bikes are unnecessarily harsh over bumps. I've ordered a Penske shock and will have my forks revalved. I'll report here with the results in a few weeks.