Basic Suspension Setup

Just did initial suspension settings for my R6 myself last night, with the help of Eric and Edwin. 2 new additions to our little group. Eric drives an Audi A1 and Edwin rides a Honda CB400 Spec 1. Eric's A1 and Edwin's CB400 are very much welcomed additions to the group. It is definitely better to travel in a bike convoy with at least some sort of safety car. Edwin's CB400 has a big mounted GIVI rear box, useful for quick response with tool kits or first aid heh. Our convoy of 4 bikes and 1 car will be setting off for Desaru this Sunday. More about that in another post.

This post is about basic suspension setup! Previously, I had my suspension settings done at HKL, it was pretty good but I wanted to learn how to do it myself. Spending SGD$40 every time for minor adjustments is not exactly friendly to my bank account.

There are some basics you need to know before proceeding. You need to know what the following terms mean and how they can affect your bike's handling.

Preload
It means exactly what the name says, this adds load to your front forks or rear shocks without you on the bike. More preload means there is more load on the springs, therefore the springs are pre-compressed more. This makes the springs stiffer. Less preload reduces load on the springs and relaxes the springs. The key objective from adjusting preload is to set your sag.

Sag
Let me use an example for this. To measure my front sag, I hold on to my clip-ons and lift up the front of the bike. Then I get a friend to measure the length of the exposed inner silver part of the forks. Next, I sit on the bike in a full tuck position, with both feet off the ground and a friend supporting the front of the bike so it doesn't fall over. Now I measure the same part of the forks again. The difference between these 2 measurements is my front sag.

To measure the rear sag, you do the same thing. First by lifting up the rear of the bike, rear tyre off the ground then measuring the distance from the rear axle to the tail of the bike. It doesn't matter where exactly, I usually just mark a spot on the the tail of the bike and use the same reference for both measurements. Measure the distance for both with and without you on the bike, the difference of these measurements is your rear sag.

A ballpark gauge for street riding is 35-45mm for front sag and 30-35mm for rear sag. For track, it would be 30-35mm for front sag and 25-30mm for rear sag.

Rebound Damping
This adjusts the speed at which your front forks or rear shocks return to their original position after compressing, meaning after hitting a bump. A stiff rebound setting makes the springs return to the top of the stroke slower But take note, if it does not return to the top fast enough and you hit another bump when it is returning to the top, your suspension compresses again. As you hit more bumps, your suspension will eventually bottom out, not a good feeling. Too little damping does the reverse, your suspension tops out, not good either. A good initial setting is to have the spring return to the top of the stroke in 1 second.

Compression Damping
This setting adjusts the speed at which your springs dive. Increasing compression makes the front forks or rear shocks stiffer and slows down the dive. Decreasing compression does the opposite.

My R6 comes with adjusters for high and low speed compression. High speed compression affects sudden bumps, which are short and fast strokes, whereas low speed compression affects slow strokes, like gradual hard braking.

Now that you're equipped with some basic knowledge about suspensions, I can show you what I did last night. Here are some photos. That's Edwin in the white shirt and me squatting down with Eric's A1 in the background.

Adjusting front preload with a size 12 wrench.

I was actually writing a post on how I set my suspension settings but I figured reading is too confusing and difficult to grasp. Instead, I shall share with you some videos which were helpful in my learning process. Take a look at the following videos, they should give you a better idea of where the settings are on an 2009 Yamaha R6 and how to adjust them.

2009 Yamaha R6 Front Forks Settings

2009 Yamaha R6 Rear Shock Settings

Here are some references for suspension settings on my 2011 Yamaha R6. Take note I weigh 75kg and all adjustments are from full stiff settings. If I write 15 clicks, it means 15 clicks anti-clockwise.

Stock Settings
Front Sag: Did not measure
Front Preload: 2
Front Rebound: 20 clicks
Front Hi Speed Compression: 2 turns
Front Lo Speed Compression: 15 clicks
Rear Sag: Did not measure
Rear Preload: 4
Rear Rebound: 16 clicks
Rear Hi Speed Compression: 3 turns
Rear Lo Speed Compression:16 clicks

The stock settings were pretty okay for me, quite comfortable for an off-the-shelve setting.

Settings by HKL
Front Sag: Did not ask
Front Preload: 2
Front Rebound: 10 clicks
Front Hi Speed Compression: 3 turns
Front Lo Speed Compression: 17 clicks
Rear Sag: Did not ask
Rear Preload: 4
Rear Rebound: 7 clicks
Rear Hi Speed Compression: 3 turns
Rear Lo Speed Compression: 9 clicks

This was actually a good setting but the front forks would suddenly dive when the bike comes to a stop under braking.

Current Settings
Front Sag: 35mm
Front Preload: 1
Front Rebound: 14 clicks
Front Hi Speed Compression: 2 turns
Front Lo Speed Compression: 14 clicks
Rear Sag: 30mm
Rear Preload: 2
Rear Rebound: 12 clicks
Rear Hi Speed Compression: 3 turns
Rear Lo Speed Compression: 15 clicks

Still trying out this current settings, it feels like the bike is a lot more eager to turn. My next step would be to continue refining the settings until I feel that it's perfect.

Suspension setup is a heavy topic and it takes time to get the perfect setup for your riding style and physical attributes. Have patience.

That is all I have for now, will update you guys after my trip to Desaru this Sunday. Ride safe!