Motorcycle Suspension: - A Troubleshooting Guide

Trouble Shooting Suspension Problems.

Adjustment locations: Forks

Rebound adjustment (if applicable) is located near the top of the fork. Compression adjustment (if applicable) is located near the bottom of the fork. Spring preload adjustment (if applicable) is generally hex style and located at the top of the fork.

Lack of Rebound

Symptoms:

? Forks are plush, but increasing speed causes loss of control and traction

? The motorcycle wallows and tends to run wide exiting the turn causing fading traction and loss of control.

? When taking a corner a speed, you experience front-end chatter, loss of traction and control.

? Aggressive input at speed lessons control and chassis attitude suffers.

? Front end fails to recover after aggressive input over bumpy surfaces.

Solution: Insufficient rebound. Increase rebound "gradually" until control and traction are optimized and chatter is gone.

Too Much Rebound

Symptoms:

? Front end feels locked up resulting in harsh ride.

? Suspension tucks in and fails to return, giving a harsh ride. Typically after the first bump, the bike will skip over subsequent bumps and want to tuck the front.

? With acceleration, the front end will tank slap or shake violently due to lack of front wheel tire contact.

Solution: Too much rebound. Decrease rebound "gradually" until control and traction are optimized.

Lack of Compression

Symptoms:

? Front-end dives severely, sometimes bottoming out over heavy bumps or during aggressive breaking.

? Front feels soft or vague similar to lack of rebound.

? When bottoming, a clunk is heard. This is due to reaching the bottom of fork travel.

Solution: Insufficient compression. Increase "gradually" until control and traction are optimized.

Too Much Compression

Symptom:

? Front end rides high through the corners, causing the bike to steer wide. It should maintain the pre-determined sag, which will allow the steering geometry to remain constant.

Solution: Decrease compression "gradually" until bike neither bottoms nor rides high.

Symptom:

? Front end chatters or shakes entering turns. This is due to incorrect oil height and/or too much low speed compression damping.

Solution: First, verify that oil height is correct. If correct, then decrease compression "gradually" until chattering and shaking ceases.

Symptom:

? Bumps and ripples are felt directly in the triple clamps and through the chassis. This causes the front wheel to bounce over bumps.

Solution: Decrease compression "gradually" until control is regained.

Symptom:

? Ride is generally hard, and gets even harder when braking or entering turns.

Solution: Decrease compression "gradually" until control is regained.

Adjustment Locations: Rear Shock

Rebound adjustment (if applicable) is located at the bottom of the shock. Compression adjustment (if applicable) is located on the reservoir. Spring prelude is located at the top of the shock.

Shock: Lack of Rebound

Symptoms:

? The ride will feel soft or vague and as speed increases, the rear end will want to wallow and/or weave over bumpy surfaces and traction suffers.

? Loss of traction will cause rear end to pogo or chatter due to shock returning too fast on exiting a corner.

Solution: Insufficient rebound - Increase rebound until wallowing and weaving disappears and control and traction are optimized.

Shock: Too Much Rebound

Symptoms:

? Ride is harsh, suspension control is limited and traction is lost.

? Rear end will pack in, forcing the bike wide in corners, due to rear squat. It will slow steering because front end is riding high.

? When rear end packs in, tires generally will overheat and will skip over bumps.

? When chopping throttle, rear end will tend to skip or hop on entries.

Solution: Too much rebound. Decrease rebound "gradually" until harsh ride is gone and traction is regained. Decrease rebound to keep rear end from packing.

Shock: Lack of Compression

Symptoms:

? The bike will not turn in entering a turn.

? With bottoming, control and traction are lost.

? With excessive rear end squat, when accelerating out of corners, the bike will tend to steer wide.

Solution: Insufficient compression. Increase compression "gradually until traction and control is optimized and/or excessive rear end squat is gone.

Shock: Too Much Compression

Symptoms:

? Ride is harsh, but not as bad as too much rebound. As speed increases, so does harshness.

? There is very little rear end squat. This will cause loss of traction/sliding. Tire will overheat.

? Rear end will want to kick when going over medium to large bumps.

Solution: Decrease compression until harshness is gone. Decrease compression until sliding stops and traction is regained.

Mark Thompson has spent the past 20 years racing motorcycles and managing Race teams and riders. He now runs the Trackbikes Website along with a number on Internet Ventures

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


How to Remove Your Mk2 Mini Moto Engine

Many mini moto modifications will require you to remove the... Read More

Yamaha Motorcycles - Creativity and Spirit of Challenge

"If you are going to do something, be the best"... Read More

The Buzz is All About Mini-Motorcycles

Pocket bikes are miniature motorcycles -- powered, for the most... Read More

Motorcycle Tires - Why Should You Care?

One of the most important parts of any vehicle is... Read More

People Are Crazy... and Everyone Is A Racer

?And everyone is a racer. If you doubt that, you've... Read More

Ride Hard - Hydrate Harder

This summer is showing all of the signs of being... Read More

Motorcycle Helmets - Mind Your Head!

To most riders, motorcycle helmets do not fit into their... Read More

Suzuki Motorcycles - From Fine Loom Manufacturers to Major Motorcycle Company

Started in a small warehouse by Michio Suzuki back in... Read More

Mini Moto Tips

These are some quick adjustments and tips for the B1... Read More

Motorcycle Parts - OEM or Aftermarket ?

This is always a difficult one to answer when shopping... Read More

Motorcycle Protective Clothing That Works!

There is some great looking motorcycle clothing on the market... Read More

Ghost Minimoto Moto GP Reps ? What Are They?

What are Mini moto's? A Minimoto is a miniature version... Read More

5 Steps To A Better Motorcycle Loan With A Better Credit Score

It is common knowledge that motorcycle lenders base high importance... Read More

A Convenient Way to Slash Your Gas Bill

"With oil prices spiraling higher almost every day, people are... Read More

0 to 60 in 4.5 Seconds

Speeding is illegal, yet we sell racing motorcycles and cars... Read More

Trackdays - Get the Maximum Enjoyment from Your Time on the Track

Many motorcyclists want to take their bikes onto the track... Read More

Kawasaki Motorcycles - Independent in Thoughts and Actions

The story of Kawasaki Company goes back to 1924, at... Read More

Save Money on Used Motorcycle Parts

For every motorcycle enthusiast, it is indeed very taxing to... Read More

How Do You Make Your Harley Davidson Look And Feel Like An Extension Of Yourself!

How do you make your Harley Davidson look and feel... Read More

Mini Moto Mayhem

Mini Motos have been around in the UK for around... Read More

Common Mistakes Motorcycle Buyers Make When Looking For a Motorcycle Loan

Whether interest rates are high or low or it's the... Read More

Online Shopping for Motorcycle Accessories

When shopping for a certain item and material, the way... Read More

Women and Motorcycles? You Bet!

To really understand the women and her ride, one needs... Read More

It?s One Thing for People to Buy Your Product or Service, but It?s Another for Them to Tattoo Your

William Harley and Arthur Davidson, both in their early twenties,... Read More

Liquid Cooled Minimotos (PocketBikes), How Fast Are They and Are They Affordable?

As the latest craze of Minimoto Madness continues in the... Read More

Minimoto Dirt Bikes, Miniture Motards - The Next Step Up from Battery Powered Toys

As your child grows out of their little bicycle and... Read More

Frame Slider Design and Selection

Call them crash protectors, crash bobbins, fairing protectors or frame... Read More

Motorcycle Suspension Setup: Getting to Grips with a Black Art

Suspension Set-up: The basicsWhether you are a road rider or... Read More

A Great Motorcycle Ride in Mexico: Queretaro

A beautiful ride across cities and places named World Heritage... Read More

Motorcycle Suspension: - A Troubleshooting Guide

Trouble Shooting Suspension Problems.Adjustment locations: ForksRebound adjustment (if applicable) is... Read More

Workings of a Motorcycle Muffler Suspension

Motorcycles are becoming more popular because of its convenience and... Read More

The Motorcycle Helmet You Want May Not Be As Safe As You Think!

Choosing the right Motorcycle helmet can make a difference?.?.literally between... Read More

Do You Need a Part for Your Harley Davidson Motorcycle?

Need a Harley Davidson Part for your ride?Where do you... Read More