[GeoffB]

Hi,
the photo below shows the amount of travel I'm getting out of my Showa forks on an '03 Monster 1000 in city riding. I've tried to ride over the bumps and to do some hard stops. I'm not sure where the bottom of the travel is, but I think I'm some way off it and I am planning to back off the preload a bit.

Any opinions?

 

[GeoffB]

You should be using more of your travel than that. Have you had the bike set-up for your weight/riding style? It might be worth the time.

I'm in the process of setting up the suspension, hence the zip-tie. I've got the Sachs suspension unit on the back, and I'm starting to think it may be a little sick. The wheezing noises on rebound being one symptom.

I'll back off the front preload one notch at a time until I get the zip-tie to sit a bit lower. Thanks for the feedback.

Anyone got any measurements for the front fork travel?

 

[GeoffB]

That fork looks partly disassembled (correct?) I think effective travel is limited by an oil stop rather than the hard metal stop; nonetheless, it would be quite close to what you show there, which is a long way down from where mine is.

Thanks for the pic.

 

[GeoffB]

i got another question, if u adjust the rebound damping, do u have to adjust the compression damping as well ?

thanks
Mo

As I understand, all three settings (preload, rebound, and compression) need to be balanced. If you had a balanced setup and then increased preload, you should back off compression and increase rebound.

I'm no suspension expert, so don't take anything I say as prescriptive. Here's a question for those that are more expert:

Lets say you had the preload right for static setup. If you increase rebound damping, might you need to increase compression damping to 'slow' the fork down and reduce the possibility of packing-down? Conversely, if you decrease reound, should you decrease compression to produce a 'faster' fork and avoid topping out?

I'm trying to tune out an unpleasant 'weave' in fast corners, hence my interest in suspension. I'm struggling a bit at the moment. Increase the rebound in the rear and the weave reduces but I get some packing. I've got the Sachs rear shock with preload and rebound adjustment, and Showa front forks with preload only.