I am a n00b, why do I feel way more confident with a super soft suspension set up?

[arsenalrocks]

I have only been to a few track days, but when I set my suspension to hard (stiff spring, pre-load etc, dampers probably not set up correctly) , I almost felt like I have no grip, the bike jerks during hard braking, and I did not feel comfortable at all in leaning. Then I set my suspension to super soft, everyting maxed out to soft, right away I found tons of grip, the difference is night and day.Why is that? and what should the supsension setup be for a beginner. Are there any good websites/books that I can read up on this topic? Keith Code's book does not talk about suspension setup much at all. please advice.

 

[mobius]

as your riding skills evolve, so will your suspension requirements. a stiff track setup will not feel good at lower speeds. gradually increase the stiffness as your speed goes up. but there are also many variables, such as what sort of equipment you use, rider preference, tires, track...etc

 

[TwistedKestrel]

Talk to someone that's doing suspension at the track. Just cranking the preload is a recipe for a bad day - setting sag for the track and the street are different, but you still need to be doing some measuring.

 

[reciprocity]

Suspension is not supposed to be "STIFF"

The idea behind suspension is to have it as compliant as possible, but firm enough to resist bottoming.

2(Skilled) riders, that can run the same lap times in race conditions make have VERY different suspension configurations based on their riding styles.

A rider that is smooth with their braking and throttle inputs can run a more soft configuration as the bike will not be as likely to bottom under braking and squat under acceleration as a rider who is more aggressive with their inputs.

 

[murf]

What bike and how heavy are you. If you are very light then u don't want max stiffness.
Ofcourse alot of it is personal preference, team mates on pro teams riding identical bikes can have drastically different suspension setups.
And how did u know you had less grip? Did you slide?

 

[reciprocity]

Buy, Sportbike Suspension Tuning by Andrew Trevitt.

one of the best references available on Suspension setup, the Author is from Ontario, he grew up racing at Shannonville.

He was the Senior Editor of SportRider Magazine.

 

[ShiftyEh]

Buy, Sportbike Suspension Tuning by Andrew Trevitt.

one of the best references available on Suspension setup, the Author is from Ontario, he grew up racing at Shannonville.

He was the Senior Editor of SportRider Magazine.

+1 Good book, had to read it a couple times to fully understand the concepts.

 

[arsenalrocks]

wow thanks, I will take a look. Still reading Keith Code's book, it may only be 100 plus pages but each page is filled with so much technical content.

Buy, Sportbike Suspension Tuning by Andrew Trevitt. one of the best references available on Suspension setup, the Author is from Ontario, he grew up racing at Shannonville. He was the Senior Editor of SportRider Magazine.

 

[arsenalrocks]

R6, about 170lbs. when I first set my suspension to max stiff I was almost scared to turn the bike, no feedback and felt no grip. the bike even 'jerks' when I roll off the throttle.

What bike and how heavy are you. If you are very light then u don't want max stiffness. Ofcourse alot of it is personal preference, team mates on pro teams riding identical bikes can have drastically different suspension setups. And how did u know you had less grip? Did you slide?

 

[arsenalrocks]

I live in Toronto, on the street I turn everything to max soft. You know how bad the roads here are

Talk to someone that's doing suspension at the track. Just cranking the preload is a recipe for a bad day - setting sag for the track and the street are different, but you still need to be doing some measuring.

 

[Brian P]

Race Tech's "suspension bible" has a lot in it about the compromise between grip and feel, too. A stiff setup gives good feedback but less grip (because rather than absorbing the bumps, it's transmitting them into the chassis and causing the tires to momentarily leave contact with the ground in some cases), a compliant setup gives better grip (by letting the tires follow the road) but less feedback. It is certainly possible to go too far in either direction, but there is a plausible range of set-up for everything, and it's rider preference within that.

 

[bobparry]

Race Tech's "suspension bible" has a lot in it about the compromise between grip and feel, too. A stiff setup gives good feedback but less grip (because rather than absorbing the bumps, it's transmitting them into the chassis and causing the tires to momentarily leave contact with the ground in some cases), a compliant setup gives better grip (by letting the tires follow the road) but less feedback. It is certainly possible to go too far in either direction, but there is a plausible range of set-up for everything, and it's rider preference within that.

+1 on this posting from Brian. He explained it as I understand it too. The book is a great reference tool you will come back to time after time.

"Suspension for Mortals" by Max McAllister is a thin little booklet but worth the additional input. Read whatever you can get from the pros (not a forum). Advise is usually worth what you pay for it.