Suspension Sags

[Rasher]

Had a quick measure of the Sag on the Tenere yesterday.

If you take the stock setting for pre-load to be "2" as it is two lines down, I measured this position through to "4" - two lines stiffer.

So far I have found it is much better steering with an extra line of pre-load wound on, and still rides bumps OK, it also helps ut the ground clearance significantly.

The spring is not particularly hard and for two-up is probably a bit undersprung so I will be buying a Wilburs with stiffer spring before any long two-u tours.


Below is the sag as me and my mate measured them:-

Setting 2 (std)

Static Sag = 33mm
Rider Sag = 65mm

Setting 3

Static Sag = 29mm
Rider Sag = 58mm

Setting 4

Static Sag = 25mm
Rider Sag = 53mm

I also checked clearance under the wheel which is over 25mm, which means it is easy enough to add 10mm of ride height (using a shock with ride-height adjustment) and still be able to use the centre stand easily.

It looks as if 1mm on the shock height = about 2mm on the ride height so just adding 3-5mm to shock length should be about right, but I will seek the advice of MCT when getting the shock fitted.

I also had a quick look at the front and measured 33mm static sag and 40mm rider sag on stock settings, a cable tie on the fork leg also reveals I have loads of travel left under my normal riding conditions solo - will see what happens two-up next time we go out together.

 

[JonnyCinco]

You are speaking of static (pre-load) sag. not with rider, correct?

 

[Rasher]

You are speaking of static (pre-load) sag. not with rider, correct?

Both:-

Static Sag = Sag under weight of bike
Rider Sag = Sag with rider (me) sat on bike

 

[TierHawg]

What is your riding weight in pounds?

 

[Koinz]

Had a quick measure of the Sag on the Tenere yesterday.

If you take the stock setting for pre-load to be "2" as it is two lines down, I measured this position through to "4" - two lines stiffer.

So far I have found it is much better steering with an extra line of pre-load wound on, and still rides bumps OK, it also helps ut the ground clearance significantly.

The spring is not particularly hard and for two-up is probably a bit undersprung so I will be buying a Wilburs with stiffer spring before any long two-u tours.


Below is the sag as me and my mate measured them:-

Setting 2 (std)

Static Sag = 33mm
Rider Sag = 65mm

Setting 3

Static Sag = 29mm
Rider Sag = 58mm

Setting 4

Static Sag = 25mm
Rider Sag = 53mm

I also checked clearance under the wheel which is over 25mm, which means it is easy enough to add 10mm of ride height (using a shock with ride-height adjustment) and still be able to use the centre stand easily.

It looks as if 1mm on the shock height = about 2mm on the ride height so just adding 3-5mm to shock length should be about right, but I will seek the advice of MCT when getting the shock fitted.

I also had a quick look at the front and measured 33mm static sag and 40mm rider sag on stock settings, a cable tie on the fork leg also reveals I have loads of travel left under my normal riding conditions solo - will see what happens two-up next time we go out together.

So I guess the moral of this story is to crank up the preload? 8)

 

[Rasher]

What is your riding weight in pounds?

About 175, or 80-ish in new money.

Not all that sure exactly what these figures mean on these types of bikes, on a sportsbike they would be awful :exclaim: if the theory is the same with about 25% - 30% travel being used with rider onboard then the spring is about in the ballpark, maybe just a shade soft.

I think WIlburs recomended about 30mm static (no rider) sag for adventure type bikes in the instructions that came with the GS shocks I bought.

The front looks quite well sprung (I think) with the sag numbers about what I would expect on a well setup sportsbike, but with all the extra travel it may even be a little oversprung :question: Not that I would want to soften it up much as I like the way it does not dive badly under braking.


I will let MCT make sense of these numbers and follow their recomendations when I get around to ordering the new shock.


For now cranking up the preload 1-2 "notches" works well for me giving a nicer feel to the steering and improving ground clearance.

 

[Firefight911]

It would serve you well to look up both my extensive posts and AC's extensive posts concerning the findings, changes, updates, and more findings related to all things Super Tenere suspension. I don't think I am off by saying that between the two of us and several others most all the suspension information has been made available.

::008:: ::008::

 

[Firefight911]

AC's profile

http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?action=profile;u=1579

My profile

http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?action=profile;u=566

Just click on our posts and topics for suspension information o'plenty!

::015::

 

[avc8130]

AC's profile

http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?action=profile;u=1579

My profile

http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?action=profile;u=566

Just click on our posts and topics for suspension information o'plenty!

::015::

Oh sure, send him my way...THANKS 8) LOL

"The best you know, is the best you've ridden.".

ac

 

[adkbeemer]

Oh sure, send him my way...THANKS 8) LOL

"The best you know, is the best you've ridden.".

ac

Guys, guys, enough already! In every thread on s10 suspension here and on adv you guys basically crap on the stock suspension and say "upgrade", effectively shutting down the back and forth on the stock setup. Your'e right that the "best you know is the best you've ridden", but not every s10 rider can afford to upgrade the suspension out of the gate. I have had wilbers and ohilins on bmws in the past and yes, they are the bees knees...with that said, they are expensive, especially when you just "paid" for the stock bouncers (and all of the other farkels) on your new bike.

You might say instead, "the best you know is how much you can afford". There is always something better... ,

In my case at 182 pounds, HT teton side cases and some other farkels the stock suspension seems just fine. Turns in nicely, holds a line well in chop, even in high speed sweepers. Front end dive is acceptable. It also works two up even better IMHO. Yes, the ride is harsh off road, but cranked up a little, acceptable. With only 3K on the bike I continue to refine the settings as the suspension softens up a bit.

Will I upgrade? Yes, but the cheap scott in me says run the stockers out first and be willing to accept certain limitations on "perfection" for the first 10k or so.

Honestly, I don't like the stock tires...but that's for another thread. K60s are in my future shortly.

Next time, may I respectfully suggest to let the discussion evolve towards solutions with the existing setup. There are wonderful threads here and on ADV that go into great detail on how to set up our suspensions. I think a lot of people give up on the stock suspension because they don't understand the basics. We already know there is always something better!

My .02

 

[avc8130]

Glad you're happy.

Clearly, setting up the stock suspension to its "best" for your riding is going to be better than NOT setting it up for your riding.

To claim $$$ as an excuse around here is amazing. Guys on this forum drop $500 on seat mods, $600 of extra lights, $200 on crash bars, etc etc etc. All of those were "paid for" when the bike was bought from Yamaha too.

At 180, I think you COULD make the stock suspension "work" for you. A ~$90 set of straight rate fork springs would probably be an awesome, CHEAP, upgrade for you.

Still maintains: The best you know on the S10 is, still, the best you've ridden.

ac

 

[jajpko]

Glad you're happy.

Clearly, setting up the stock suspension to its "best" for your riding is going to be better than NOT setting it up for your riding.

To claim $$$ as an excuse around here is amazing. Guys on this forum drop $500 on seat mods, $600 of extra lights, $200 on crash bars, etc etc etc. All of those were "paid for" when the bike was bought from Yamaha too.

At 180, I think you COULD make the stock suspension "work" for you. A ~$90 set of straight rate fork springs would probably be an awesome, CHEAP, upgrade for you.

Still maintains: The best you know on the S10 is, still, the best you've ridden.

ac

What brand and rate would you recommend for a 175-180lb and where to purchase?

 

[avc8130]

What brand and rate would you recommend for a 175-180lb and where to purchase?

That will depend on EXACTLY how you ride your bike. Are you a street rider? A guy that jumps off 6' ledges? Be honest.

ac

 

[jajpko]

That will depend on EXACTLY how you ride your bike. Are you a street rider? A guy that jumps off 6' ledges? Be honest.

ac

99% street with a little dirt. No jumps and no 6' drops.. ::025::

 

[dcstrom]

I'm hoping to answer a few suspension questions this weekend. I'm doing a dummy run with the bike fully loaded for the RTW trip. Tomorrow I will pack with everything I think I'm taking, then eliminate a few things once I see what fits and what doesn't.

At that point bike and rider should be around the typical travel weight, and will get some friends to help set up sag. After setting sag and riding fully loaded for a day, I should have a fair idea whether I need to upgrade suspension or not. I've been resisting the idea because there are so many other things I need to spend money on - we'll see.

Trevor

 

[avc8130]

99% street with a little dirt. No jumps and no 6' drops.. ::025::

Well, I am 250lbs and I ride 80% street and 20% graded dirt roads. I am very happy with my .95s up front.

At your weight, on the street, I would think .85s-.90s would probably be decent for you. I tend to suggest softer springs over firmer springs as the ride will generally be better. The great part of the aftermarket springs is that they are straight rate. This means you don't get a harh feeling when the suspension travel transitions from the soft initial rate to the firm 2nd rate of the stock springs.

ac

 

[Rasher]

Guys, guys, enough already! In every thread on s10 suspension here and on adv you guys basically crap on the stock suspension and say "upgrade", effectively shutting down the back and forth on the stock setup.

Setups, stock or otherwise tend to get differing opinions, mine is the bike "feels" better (to me) with a good amount of extra pre-load on the rear, others may disagree - I say experiment and see for yourself to anyone, so many guys never touch it in the (crazy) belief the factory know best.

The rear is not complex with just two adjusters, the pre-load will affect steering, ground clearance and how hard the bike feels, wind it up and down and go ride.

The rebound damping is probably best left at the minimum you can get away with without the bike wallowing, but again not hard to click in and out and feel for yourself.

For me I would like the bike higher at the back, achieving this purely through winding pre-load to max gives a slightly harsh ride so I will get a shock with ride height adjustment purely to get the steering (and ground clearance) I want without reducing the sag too far. Also as a regular two-up rider the spring is definately a bit soft, if I only ever rode solo I could probably live with the compromise between steering and suppleness by running about 1.5 lines extra rear pre-load, but two-up plus luggage will squash the OE shock flat and probably overwhelm the damping quite quickly.

Not got around to doing much with front yet, will see what MCT recommend with regard to springs, and in the shorter term I may play with the adjusters and see if I can get a better feel, but to be honest I have so far found the front feels quite nice on the OE setup, maybe a bit more dive than I would prefer, but once in the corner it feels fine.

 

[tomatocity]

Well, I am 250lbs and I ride 80% street and 20% graded dirt roads. I am very happy with my .95s up front.

At your weight, on the street, I would think .85s-.90s would probably be decent for you. I tend to suggest softer springs over firmer springs as the ride will generally be better. The great part of the aftermarket springs is that they are straight rate. This means you don't get a harh feeling when the suspension travel transitions from the soft initial rate to the firm 2nd rate of the stock springs.

ac

AC, the initial dive is what bothers me the most, especially at slow speeds. What fork spring do you suggest for a 220 pounder 6' tall 32" inseam? Where to buy the fork spring? Thanks.

 

[avc8130]

AC, the initial dive is what bothers me the most, especially at slow speeds. What fork spring do you suggest for a 220 pounder 6' tall 32" inseam? Where to buy the fork spring? Thanks.

There is more to spring selections than just your weight. Describe your riding.

ac

 

[tomatocity]

There is more to spring selections than just your weight. Describe your riding.

ac

Off-road: No heavy duty off-road. Off-road I slow down when it gets technical. Beginning to like hardpack gravel. The K60 is going to help my confidence in everything off-road.

KLR: Prefer a Continental TrailAttack. Very predictable.

Road: No reason to speed when it is straight and boring. Love twisties and will push them if the road is clean. Up and down twisties are even more fun. Have never scrubbed the chicken strips off any tire.