Front suspension

Hi Grisoies, could some one explain to me how to adjust the front forks from hard to soft and visa versa please.ive never had adjustable forks before on a road bike.

WAKEY.

Moved to GRiSOlogy from the Who you is? section.

You can download owners' manuals and workshop manuals down in the GRiSO Ex Libris section. The instructions for adjusting your suspension can be found there.

correct me if I'm wrong but.....
Don't the front forks need to get worked on by a suspension shop to get the adjustability to work?
I didn't feel much change in mine when I tried setting them.

DM

Nope - the three adjustments you can make can be used to get a good setup for most. *But* a shop has a lot of experience, and can redo the valving / shim stack to get it really customized.

The way I look at it is a cube, with the 3 axes being preload, compression damping and rebound damping. Ideally you want the base setup to be a point at the center of the cube - then the adjustments move the point to what's best for you and the conditions. If the base starts out too near an side, there is a chance you can never dial it right to what you want. (I've ignored the fact that changing the oil wt would be a 4th dimension, which Heinlein would appreciate, but suspension is complicated enough for me with 3 adjustments )

That said, for most folks the stock internals are fine and an adjustment can be found "in the cube" to make you happy. It's all pretty subjective since it's what's *you* are looking for and maybe you like things set up for more "sporting" riding where another person wants a softer / "touring" type setup, and it's the conditions you ride in.

It really comes down to trying a change, seeing if you like, repeat. A suspension shop with their experience (or a friend who is really good with suspension) might just get you there faster, or get you to the 100% mark if the internals need do changing.

It's also important to note that a lot depends on external conditions: just the rider or rider + passenger? luggage? smooth roads or bumpy? etc. etc. For the street I'm a set it and forget it person, with an occasional change to preload on the back if I'll be doing 2-up riding.

Year thanks for all that mate, but you really mist my point, i ment how to adjust the suspension, as in what do i do, is the screw on top the only thing i have to turn or is the a lock nut, the manual doesn't tell very much.

Wakey

Sorry, was responding to DungeonMaster's Q re: suspension shop.

For the front forks you've got:
 at the top:
   Preload adjustment by turning the nut (blue arrow) and counting the lines showing between the nut and the red anodized fork cap.
   Rebound Compression adj. by turning the small screw (red arrow) and counting turns

 at the bottom:
   Compression Damping adj. by turning the small screw (red arrow) and counting turns

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]  [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Turning clockwise = higher preload / more damping / stiffer
Turning counter-clockwise = less / softer

I'd first record what they are set to now (and to make sure they're the same left/right) - they *should* be set to the factory spec but you never know.

According to the svc manual they are:
 Preload: 4-5 lines showing
 Compression: 1 turn from fully closed (fully closed = all the way clockwise)
 Rebound: 1 1/2 turns from fully closed (fully closed = all the way clockwise)

The service manual also lists "Sports" settings but as they state (ALL CAPS!) that they must only be used for competition and it is forbidden to use on public roads, make sure the police don't pull you over!

They are:
 Compression: 1/2 to 1 turn from fully closed
 Rebound: 1/2 to 1 turn from fully closed

Just did a quick search and this thread also lists some values from members here that they like: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]