Suspension What can i do.....

[Guest BOF Sparkz]

Ok guys how do you have your suspension setup on your x11's and or what mods have you done to them.

The reason i'm asking is i cant seem to ride the bike as fast round corners as my other bikes i've had without feeling like the thing is going to have me off.

A little history and how i generally test my bikes.

First bike Kawasaki GPZ 900R A1 a real old nail held together with bits of tape string etc 1984

Second Honda CBR100FP 1993 nice bike well looked after .

Suzuki SV 1000s issued by my insurance after a blue rincer pulled out and took me off the cbr1000.

Then i got the X11 something I have always wanted.

Generally when i get a different bike i like to take it down the Henley Road between Redditch and Henley. The road has fast corners slow corners bumps dips cambers etc etc and is a good test of a bikes suspension and handling.

There are 2 corners on this road fast right handers that on the first three bikes if yop get it right you can do 110 round thats pushing it and you gotta have your wits about you.

I'm finding though with the X11 that i hit 90 on these bends and i'm holding on for dear life the front just wants to wander to the outside it feels harsh and bumpy asnd just getting no feel from it at all.There is no way i feel i could get 110 out of it round these corners as it is.

ok i went to The oddballs Rally in WEM a couple of weeks ago , i had my rear suspension set to the second notch. i had a tent sleeping bag clothes etc and about 24 cans of beer in my rack. The bike felt awesome ( it was on rails ) just how i was expecting it to feel when i bought it.

So back to henlely road, i dropped my suspension to the first notch on rear. The bike felt better but still not right, so back to the beer i put 10 cans of bear in my rack, did the henley road again and the bike was awesome again did corners about 105 was still holding on for dear life but the bike felt stable and not out of control.

I want it to be like this but without the beer ;-).

It seems to me the bikes heavy on the front and just needs a little weight put to the rear but with no adjustment on these things i'm not sure what to do.

Could i lift the front a bit by lowering the forks through a touch. one thing i have noticed is if stand on the pegs bounce the bike and make it so the front and rear suspension bounce the same that the rear damping is a lot slower than the front.

I have serviced the front suspension just in case and has made little differmnce..

Your ideas on a postcard to ............

[plastic_orange 214]

My X11 is set up as it came at the front, with the rear on 3rd hardest, and I don't have a handling problem. It does however feel quite firm all round, and compared to my mate Bob's old X11 seems a lot tighter overall. I have no idea if any work has been done to my bike prior to me getting it, but it just feels planted.

I also run Bridgestones (presently 020 front 021 rear) which may compliment the handling better than some others, and I weigh just over 13 stones in case that makes a difference.

Perhaps try another X11 to see if there is any difference - you are obviously too far from me to give mine a go, but the offer is there.

Pete

[fast_eddy 712]

Aye, I have my shock on no.3 too... and as Pete says tyres are the only other adjustable.

I found that I preferred a few extra PSI in the front with some brands of tyre too... eg. 39 instead of the 36, have an experiment with different pressure in it?

Good luck...

[Guest standish honda]

Have a look at the threads regarding spacing the rear shock,generally opinion is that this improves turn in, mine is spaced off at 5mm i did this not long after i got the bike so cant remember how it performs as standard, this doesnt cause a problem with high speed stability either. I find it a heavy bike to haul, and does sometimes take some force to get it through a corner, I also use counter steering to good effect. I ride with my rear shock on fourth setting (14.5 stones, 5ft 11").

[Guest BOF Sparkz]

cheers guys .

believe me after my old cbr1000f this bikes feels like i'm riding a 125 regards to weight and cornering speed so i have no problem with that.

and i'd probably want the rear lower rather than higher and take some of the weight off the front ok it would turn a bit slower but i can ride round that.

It feels to me that its a damping problem more than a spring one. As i said earlier the rear damping is a lot slower than the front. So if i bounce the bike on the pegs they both drop at the same speed but the front is back way before the rear.

Now should i get a rear shock with damping adjustment and adjust it so it ia as slow as the front. Or change the fork oil in the front and make it as quick as the rear. while we on the sublject what rear shocks fit, does a Fireblade one fit, as i know a friend that may have one knocking about .

The trouble is some of this could just be in my head being a new bike and i'll just learn to ride ride roundthe problem. My gpz and cbr where rock solid on the front end i always new that if anything was gonna go it was gonna be the rear and thats what i liked about them. but this bike i have no confidence in the front at all at the moment except when theres no weight on the front. maybe i should just drink the beer and replace it with sand ;-)

oh ye i'm 13 stone too, i think the guy who had it before me was 20 plus stone as he had the suspension set to its hardest it was unridable for me..

[x11r 386]

I just fitted 021 bridgestones and the front feels planted , I had 014's before and the front felt like it wanted to wash out all the time , so it may be tyres

[Guest BOF Sparkz]

Ok i may know of someone with a set of 020's in there garage that they hated for some reason.

Personally i love Dunlop 208's which is what i have on and they have been great on my other bikes but i will try anything. Although the 208's have quite a sharp profile to them (helped my lardy arse cbr to turn in quicker) which may not be helping the situation.

[Guest standish honda]

I currently have 020s front and rear, not really any thing to compare them with, other option is to change the oil in the forks to a heavier weight, relatively cheap fix and will firm it up, might be good to check the correct volume is in the stantions to start with as too little would ruin your front end damping and give a bouncy castle ride. The rear shock off the blade doesnt sound such a good idea, i know where you are coming from but the bikes are different beasts