Preload settings... yet again.

Sorry, I know its an age old topic, but I would appreciate a quick nudge in the right direction for now, as I haven't got the chance to go through measuring the lag at the mo.

Basically, if possible, i'd like to know if its possible to get a good starting position based purely on my weight and bike ....

Bike is set up to standard settings at mo (including tyre pressures etc).....

Bike - SV650S SK4
Me - 5'8 & 12 stone without gear
Ride - 30 miles round trip commute, mostly town work but one stretch of 60mph dual carrageway ..

So, I'm guessing wind a little preload on at both ends ??

Thanks .....

Get the service manual and set it as per it came out of the garage, then go from that point.

[rictus01]

if you've standard springs fitted, max on the front, one click off max on the rear.

Oh and it's "sag" you need to set, not lag (unless you want to be late that is... ).

Cheers Mark.

Thanks Rictus ..... kinda what I was thinking ...

Was just concerned that on standard settings, it seems kinda harsh over the bumps, and didn't want to make it worse ..... but I suppose pre-loading actually gives the suspension MORE to work with ??

Oh yeah - Sag !! oopppss !!

[rictus01]

actually it doesn't, just moves the range a bit, but mainly the standard springs are rated for someone about 9-10 stone max, so I'd be looking at saving £80 or so and changing them at some point.

Cheers Mark.

I set up my sag last wekend. When I first measured it, I had 50mm sag on the front and 35mm sag on the back. About 30mm sag at both ends is recommended for the road. After screw the preload adjusters on the forks fully in, the front sag was 35mm. That gave me 35mm at both ends so I tried it out at that. The bike was awful/harsh on normal bumpy roads so I gradually reduced the front preload until it felt ok, which was back to where it had originally been. The moral is, dont get hung up on sag. Set it so the bike feels good to ride.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by LK-SV

Thanks Rictus ..... kinda what I was thinking ...

Was just concerned that on standard settings, it seems kinda harsh over the bumps, and didn't want to make it worse ..... but I suppose pre-loading actually gives the suspension MORE to work with ??

Oh yeah - Sag !! oopppss !!

It moves the starting point, so more preload will give you more travel to use up before bottoming.

It could also be the stock lack of damping feeling harsh

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by madness

I set up my sag last wekend. When I first measured it, I had 50mm sag on the front and 35mm sag on the back. About 30mm sag at both ends is recommended for the road. After screw the preload adjusters on the forks fully in, the front sag was 35mm. That gave me 35mm at both ends so I tried it out at that. The bike was awful/harsh on normal bumpy roads so I gradually reduced the front preload until it felt ok, which was back to where it had originally been. The moral is, dont get hung up on sag. Set it so the bike feels good to ride.

Errr no, you are probably used to the saggy soggy front end and have got used to riding it like that. Having it set right may have felt harsh, but as the springs are the same it should be sprung the same. It feels different and that is what you didn't like. With 55mm sag on the front, you must be bottoming out the forks on bumps and / or braking?

[yorkie_chris]

That would probably be because there is no damping!

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

That would probably be because there is no damping!

So, let me get this straight (sorry)

Altering the preload should affect the ride quality .... only the associated ride due to ride heights ??