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Frustrated with suspension

3K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  nakedinseattle 
#1 ·
Well this is probably more of a vent than anything, but any help or tips are welcome. The bike is a 2010 zx10 with 100% stock suspension, tires are Bridgestone bt003rs front and rear.

My main complaint right now is traction. I cant even wheelie the bike in 1st or 2nd gear as i just haze the back tire. I am also afraid to lean it over as it feels like mainly the rear tire is on ice. The front feels pretty planted with good feel, and the bike does turn in nicely. I am no suspension guru, although I have always set up my bikes myself, never perfect im sure, but I know just enough to be dangerous lol. Right now though I have come to the point of over thinking things, and could use some good pointers to make good adjustments. Here is how the bike is setup currently:

Rider weight with gear 205 lbs
Front forks are set flush with top of triple, rear shock is unshimmed.
Set sag on bike fully geared with 2/3 tank of fuel at 25mm front and rear.
Front rebound set at 5 clicks from full hard
Front damping set at 5 clicks from full hard
Rear rebound is set 1 turn out from full hard
Rear high speed damping set 1 turn out from full hard
Rear low speed damping set 1 turn out from full hard.

I have of course played with tire pressures as well. This has all been done on the street for what i consider aggressive riding with track days coming soon. Tires right now are set at 38 rear 36 front, which seems to be about as good as it gets with current riding temps in the mid 60's.

If anyone has thoughts feel free to chime in, or if anyone knows a good suspension guy in my area, im all ears. Thanks for reading and any help.
 
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#3 ·
Pressure readings and adjustments were made hot. Although with the cooler temps and street riding, they are only about 1-2 psi above cold readings. I have tried running them lower, but they seem to get greasier as I lower the pressures. Again bear in mind these are street readings, not track.
 
#4 ·
Sounds like your setup is too stiff. Just had an Ohlins rep do my Gen 1 and Holy S*&T what a difference it made. I had my setup way to stiff, after he was done was a totally different bike was fast before, now it's confidence inspiring soaking up the bumps which makes me even faster(atleast it feels like it LOL).
 
#5 ·
You should get one of those 1st Gen ZX10Rs you can mess with the suspension,tires, stretch them a little whatever you want and they still come up... real Monsters they are :lol:


Hope you get er figured out though. :wink:

bloo
 
#6 ·
Thanks Boomer, I have actually slowly been increasing the settings a tiny bit at a time as it just felt really mushy before. My first gen I had set pretty stiff and it was perfect for me, but again that was a different bike.

Lol Bloo, I just cant go back I tell ya. Maybe I just got a factory freak and it has too much power, now that I could live with.
 
#7 ·
Thanks Boomer, I have actually slowly been increasing the settings a tiny bit at a time as it just felt really mushy before. My first gen I had set pretty stiff and it was perfect for me, but again that was a different bike.

Lol Bloo, I just cant go back I tell ya. Maybe I just got a factory freak and it has too much power, now that I could live with.
Or maybe you had a lemon in the 1st place and us others have Factory Freaks that we can't live without :idea::lol: :eek:ccasion1


bloo
 
#10 ·
I have the same bike ( 09 ) and took it to the track last month . I found the rear spring is too weak for me and i am 185 without my suit . I ordered a replacement from racetech and expecting it this week just in time for my next track day .

But i didn't have any kind of traction problems . I am running an the old Michelin power race . Incredible traction and the tire is almost toast .
I lower the front and the forks are sticking out 6mm ( around .can't remember right now ) and shimmed the rear around 8 mm .
It was my first track day with this bike and i was i little scared because i was used to my zx6r and was worried about the rear end coming around on me but not a problem . I am at the bottom of advanced riders /amature CCS
Another nice piece of information > i spoke to several AMA racers at the last AMA race at homestead/ Miami and they assured me that the only big problem with our bike (08-10) was the rear spring is too weak .
 
#11 ·
Thanks for the input Performance. I am not really 100% sure what I wanted to try next to resolve the issues, but shimming was on my list. Its a really weird problem to me because the bike does feel fine otherwise. Its almost like the tires just dont grip real well, but these are supposed to be good tires. I had a lot of issues with the stock tires, once i switched them out it had dramaticlly improved, and then stiffening the suspension helped even a bit more. It just is not what I want it to be at yet.

I guess it just bothers me yet. I never had these issues with my gen1 and it was completely stock suspension, I just assumed this bike would be better. This really is the first bike I have owned where I just dont feel comfortable really throwing it into a corner. I think I will try some shimming and maybe lower the front a tad and see what kind of different feel it gives me. Worst case scenario it can always go back.

On a side note since you posted, it really makes me miss FL. If I were there I would just see Casey, Sean, or some of the FTD guys (too many to list) to help me out.
 
#12 ·
i had two 05's and the rear shock turned to jelly once hot .

listen if you want to but i have a lot of experience and don't write unless i am sure . this 09 was transformed into a much better handling bike with a few changes . I hated this bike until i changed the height at both ends. Shim the rear and drop the front . I went overboard shimming the rear and dropped it more than recommended in front and the bike is incredible it could only get better once dialed in .
Yesterday i tighten the front steering stem bearing . I was getting a small knock at the front for a while now and thought it was the brakes , that helped stability
 
#15 ·
I would for sure be interested in your opinion on that one, especially since I am about 20lbs heavier than you. I am not in a position right now to drop a grand on a rear shock, but a couple bills for a proper rear spring i could manage.
 
#16 ·
for a cheap easy fix, throw on some dunlop q2's. way better than those slickstones you got on there. best way to test n tuneyour suspension, make single click adjustments, go ride it, better or worse? and keep moving it around until you're happy.

if you need diy help, http://www.gostar-racing.com/information/motorcycle_suspension_set-up.htm

find if there are any motorcycle suspension guys local, if you have track day org's, they should know of one, usually its 40 bucks to have your sag/rebound set properly which will pretty much make it perfect
 
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