Hi guys,
just wanted some input about the effect of suspension on tyre wear. My 03 1K(completely stock set-up) went through the first 012 in 3500kms. the middle of the tyre was just 'ripping' away & peeling back.
I thought it was the coarse back roads causing it.
I went to a track day to finish the tyre off & when i started getting faster the back started playing up, kinda weaving/bouncing/squirming really unsettling. I pulled in thinking the tyre was stuffed/flat etc. but it seemed ok just hot. I tootled round for the rest of the session & took it home rather than push my luck. i got a new tyre yesterday & the guy told me that it was my suspension which caused this not my tyre & would've been worse the hotter the shock got!(true?) then he mentioned he could sell me a shock to fix all my problems. I weigh 210lbs w/out gear. apparently the stock shock is for 165lb riders?? I can't afford a new shock yet. sorry for all the questions, any thoughts?

no takers? never mind, thanks anyway.
i found a link to a cheaper shock option. they rebuild your stock shock. sounds ok to me, especially compared to the cost of an aftermarket one.

http://www.roadracinghelp.com/RPS-Product%20Offerings/Shock%20Upgrades/SU.htm

i highly doubt you need a new shock to fix the problem, he was just trying to sell you...

But i did hear about suspension affecting tire wear...im interested in this too, and im pretty sure suspension is the cause of it. Just yesterday i went to palomar (local mtn) and it was the first ride with my new suspension setup, and my tire was gumming up good, which doesn't usually happen in the twisties. It could of been my confidence in ripping through the turns, or just the different setup.

Guess we'll wait for someone to chime in.

Go to Traxxions website. They have a video/book (not sure which is better) that you can buy that breaks down how your suspension should feel and what may be causing your poor tire wear.

Yes the suspension has a lot to do with tire wear. I was spinning the rear on corner exits on a very very regular basis. I backed off on shock rebound dampening two clicks with massive improvement. Dont kill your next tire too set up your suspension. Go to sportrider.com for some help. I actualy think the 03 rear shock is more set up for a 300 pound man. I have trouble getting 25mm of sag out of it.

well thanks for the replies guys. looks like i have some reading to do. I'll let you know how i get on. what smokin joe was saying ties in with another thread where they were dicussing the 03 gsxr1000 rear being 'packed down' with too much rebound.

OK did some reading & decided to back off the rebound damping 2 clicks.(turned the thing at the bottom of the shock anticlockwise(hope it was the right way).
now it is more springy/bouncy, over-reacting to bumps which previously it'd wouldn't get too fussed about. i think i'll put a click of rebound back in & test again.
in fact i think i'll start a notebook & record all the changes i make & my impression of how it effected the ride including tyre wear patterns. to be honest I actually liked the way the bike handled on the road except for the slower turnin which i shimmed the rear 3mm at the shock to help(10mm was TOO MUCH & made it a bit too flighty for me).
it's gonna be hard to gauge tyre wear at the same time as fiddling the settings but we'll see how it goes.

hey bro I would appreciate if you keep posting. I am the same weight and just haven't had the time to spend on suspension

If your weight is too much for the suspension, then its the spring(s) that needs changing, not the shock.

I should have said replacing not changing - that was potentially confusing.

Obviously changes to rebound and compression may also be necessary.

Couldn't help joining this thread, as I've spent so much time fettling with my suspension, even after spending quite a bit of $$ on them. I too have encountered problems with tire performance/wear rates and played around with shock/fork settings until I found an acceptable compromise. Now, I may not be absolutely right about this, but I found that incorrect tire pressures (aligned with track surface temperature), were one of the causes of accelerated tire wear. I think you owe it to yourself to try different pressure settings on your next track outing, within a couple of psi of what you were using originally.

The stock 1000 shock has a spring rate of 450lbs I thought? If that's the case then you are pretty close to the right spring for aggressive riding. I am also 210 w/out gear and I had my shock redone by a professional with mucho experience. He didn't change the spring because it was very close to the correct rate already. Once he did revalve it the back end feels much better. Bumps, what bumps? I didn't feel anything http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Not completely, but the bike doesn't move when I go over bumps on the track after the rework.

The shock is a 03 1k piece, the bike is a 01 750 http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

Tire pressure is HUGE!!!! Next time you are at the track try and find a tire rep. They can guide you to the right pressure. Usuaully it's around 28 front, 30 rear.

http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

Last time I had trouble with rear tire spin it was due to too much compression damping. Basically when going through turns it would compress and would slide and spin. It would do this even on the meaty part of the tire (ie not leaned over very far). Backed off on the compression and it solved the problem. You pretty much want your rebound set high enough that the rear doesn't push out coming out of a turn. If you're going to re-do the shock get the forks done as well. You really need the front and rear suspension to "match". At 210 lbs there isn't a stock sportbike made with the correct suspension. The springs are WAAY too soft. Valves could use improvement over stock too but if you're just riding the street then they are adequate, unless you're riding the street like a track.

ZukiRider said:
Tire pressure is HUGE!!!! Next time you are at the track try and find a tire rep. They can guide you to the right pressure. Usuaully it's around 28 front, 30 rear.

http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif



Hmmmm, I think you may have made a Typo here..? Normally, it's the Front tire that has more air than the rear...I know for Pirelli, and Meztler Dot race tires, it's 31 frt. and 29 rear...of course, the abrasiveness of the track, and air temps/ track temps...play a part in what you run as far as air pressure goes... http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Hammer 4 said:Normally, it's the Front tire that has more air than the rear...I know for Pirelli, and Meztler Dot race tires, it's 31 frt. and 29 rear...of course, the abrasiveness of the track, and air temps/ track temps...play a part in what you run as far as air pressure goes... http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif



daytona is the only place i've seen where the rear has more than the front (ie--32fr, 36 rear)

I weigh about 140 lbs and when i get on my 600 it barely even knows i'm on it. I was riding with my friend the other day and we were both following another friend and she told me that my head light anoys the hell out of her cause its bouncing up and down over every lilttle bump. She said the other guys wasn't.

My question is what settings should i look to change first. Rebound or dampening? Also do you need to adjust both at the same time?

I have never messed with my suspension so it should be at stock everything. I'm going to set it back to suzuki specs before i mess with anything.

Thanks,
Mike

im 180lbs and have found that the front springs are to soft for my weight,changing the pre-load does nothing to the sag measurement....on the rear however i found a setting that i liked....stock preload....comp 1 turn out from full and rebound 1.5 turns out from full.....handled beautifully but absolutely lunched pirelli diablo rears set anywhwere between 32 and 35 psi.

Its supposed to bounce. It is so cages see you. Suspension is a very tricky thing to setup correctly if you've never done it before. Factory settings are fine for the street anyway, so I think that is what you should go with....

D