I went for a blast yesterday and the forks are doing my head in. They feel harsh on the twisty roads i prefer to ride, which usually tend to be rough and uneven. I know the bike would be capable of more on these roads and feel like its being held back by the poor fork set up. Theres also almost total lack of adjustment available, just rebound. I need someone who knows how to sort this out here in the UK. I really hope someone can help. Thanks
you could try nick at pro racing in northamptonshire or andy (brokenlegs) at dave clarke racing based in bolton
Have you got the rear sag set right? If you have too much rear sag you won't be loading the front end enough.
All settings are at standard but the forks are dropped 5mm, 1 ring down from top. It feels alright on low speed compression but too harsh, really hard hitting on the high speed compression on rough roads, like the front is chattering. Its either too hard on high frequency bumps or always running at the bottom end of its travel. I checked it today and from the line of dirt i have about 3 and a half to 4 inches of travel left. I weigh 12 stone (168 pounds) kitted up.
You're a light guy, I would start by backing the compression right off, all the way, then the rebound right off too. Too much compression will make the front end harsh, too much rebound will have the same effect as the forks won't have time to return before hitting the next bump in the road. Ride it then and see how it feels before you go throwing money at a suspension guru, if it feels better then have a play with the adjusters making one adjustment at a time then ride again, you'll get the feel whether you made a good or bad adjustment. It takes time and you may need softer springs but you should be able to get it better without. What tyres and pressure are you running? I used to run 23 to 25 psi on my Husaberg supermoto, much less that your average road bike.
Where are you located? I can recommend http://www.hmracing.co.uk/chassis-suspension/ or http://www.stevejordanmotorcycles.co.uk/suspension.asp both are in the South but you can always send your suspension too them. HMracing are 610 specialists give them a call.
Im not far north of Newcastle, the blast i mentioned that went for was along the Rothbury road. Rear free sag is 20mm Im running Goldspeed Street Sport Ultra's at 24psi on both. I cant sort the forks out myself because the only adjustment available is rebound, which is a bit pathetic TBH. Thanks for the links and help so far
