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Title: Versys suspension settings and options. Post by: imortlfool on August 19, 2008, 08:40:28 am After putting a few thousand on the Versys, I've found the one thing I don't like ... the rear shock. The whole bike is just awesome riding smooth twisty roads etc. The front end I've gotten to a good place at preload 10 turns out from hard, standard rebound damping.
Where the rear end fails me is going over a raised bump on my commute. These bumps are transmitted directly to the seat and to my sandwich or tacos in the topcase. Lots of people on various forums have mentioned that the Versys is oversprung and underdamped. I'm at one click above minimum preload, and three clicks back from full hard rebound damping. Still feels harsh. This is the spring and compression damping I have issues with (right?) (high-speed?) which is non-adjustable. I notice that the rear end works much better 2-up. 2-up I have it on nearly full preload, full damping; it's still underdamped though (bouncy after a bump). What are my options? - You're totally wrong with the settings, fool, try XYZ! - Buy a new shock (from where?) - Send the shock to suspension camp (where?) over the winter, they will replace the spring and make it do pushups. - Something else? FWIW, I'm 180lbs and 6'1", I like long walks on the beach and shiny things. Title: Re: Versys suspension settings and options. Post by: JamesG on August 19, 2008, 09:46:24 am What you need is compression damping adjustment. The rebound valving on those cheap OEM shocks is only there to prevent packing down at different preload settings.
Have you tried it with preload set to where you have correct sag? If you have it set too loose, with the weak comp damping what you might be feeling is the suspension bottoming out over the bump. If the shock is stiffer, it might damp better. If you are unhappy with the shock, I would just replace it with an AM. Any of the off the shelf Ohlins or Penske shocks will be tons better. And a decent suspension shop should be able to build one for you if you really want it dialed in. Title: Re: Versys suspension settings and options. Post by: gclif on September 28, 2008, 10:19:14 pm Sport Rider Magazine Article, link below, has 'suggested suspension settings'
http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0805_bmw_f800s_kawasaki_versys_suzuki_dl650_v_strom/specifications.html Suggested Suspension Settings Front Spring preload: 7 turns out from full stiff; rebound damping: 1.75 turns from full stiff Rear Spring preload: position 5 of 7; rebound damping: 4 clicks out from full stiff Title: Re: Versys suspension settings and options. Post by: marc11 on September 29, 2008, 08:10:03 am The suggested settings by Sport Rider are the default settings from the OEM, which work perfect for me, but this depends on your weight too. What I noticed was that the rear shock had too much rebound/not enough compression, but when loaded with my top case and side cases on, it was much much better, perfect almost.
For me, since I use the bike only for commuting and always with the cases on with "stuff" in them, the stock shock works well; however there are a number of aftermarket shocks out there, any for a Ninja 650 will bolt right up so long as the spring is for your weight. |