Motorcycle susoension setting adjustment?

Question

where can I find how to adjust the suspension settings for my Kawasaki Z1000?
I do NOT just want how to adjust it but what are the best settings for bigger or smaller riders / passenger or no passenger etc

NOT
just how to adjust it

NOT
just recomended setting for average riders

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR!!!
I know HOW to adjust it but I am not the same size as the average rider so I need to know WHAT to set it to NOT HOW TO SET IT... (mostly for the 3rd comment).
WHAT SETTINGS
NOT
HOW TO SET
pretty simple question I think

Answer 1

suspension is a can of worms.......have a look at this site for how it works and what type it is..
http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.carbibles.com/images/radialcalipers.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.carbibles.com/brake_bible.html&h=327&w=500&sz=32&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=IpDPbx4LajaawM:&tbnh=85&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dradial%2Bbrakes%2B%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG

as a general rule.. when your sitting on your bike.. with all the weight you intend to carry(pillions make a difference).. the suspension should compress about 1/3 of the total travel..

but this is only ride hight.. rebound & dampening are adjustable on a lot of bikes.. some have anti dive on the front...

so its a case of wether you like it set stiff or soft & if your racing or touring..

personal preference for me is dampening set hard.. rebound set medium soft & the anti dive turn down as far as it will go(OFF if it will Turn OFF). but I never could get use to the antidive.. (on my bike its brake activated so stops the bike diving when the front brake is on... letting the front brake off half way through a corner when riding hard causes the bike to "sag" at the front.. feels just like your loosing the front end)

Answer 2

Take it to a Road and Track Suspension Tuner.

For about $15 he can do it real fast. The suspension isn't perfect for racing out of the box. Lot's of work to do. But in regards to adjustment for weight and height. You need to be on the bike and measurements of the forks before and after need to be done.

The suspension settings also can be tailored for passengers. Usually by just softening up the entire suspension for the added weight. Turn the forks and rear shock to the left or the S designation.

Answer 3

So you want to know exactly which settings your bike should have, but you don't want to hear how to do it or what those settings should be? WTFO?

You put your weight on it, set the sag according to % of travel front & rear, then start out on suggested damping settings. then you ride it and see what you need to do.

But if you wear full leathers, you will weigh more and those settings won't be right, so you go do it again.

But carrying a passenger puts more weight on the rear, so you do it again.

Putting a tankbag in front of you full of stuff for work, and you shift your body weight back a bit. This also changes things, so go reset your suspension again.

OR YOU COULD QUIT WHINING, go to www.sportrider.com and find out how to adjust your suspension for YOU. There is a formula for setting sag, and starting with suggested damping settings will get you going. Everyone else does the same thing, pal. That's why good suspension tuners make loads of $$$ on a race team.

Answer 4

You are whining like a little baby, everyone is trying to help you with what I believe is very good advice and all you do is b*tch. Read what they are telling you and follow their advice and you will be set. There no magic setting for everyone even if they are the same size since riding style plays a huge role as to how you want your suspension set. I personally like my bike to be set of very tight in the corner, it works for me but I have a friend who is the same height as me but weighs about 5 lbs less than me with the exact same bike except the color and he hates my setup and I think his setup is all wrong.
This is a personal choice thing and all recommended settings are just good starting points.
Another thing to do is to take notes when you are dialing the bike in this way you can go back to where you were at before things got worse as you are trying to get it right. A good setup is one of the best improvements your can make.

Answer 5

Average weight...sofest rear spring setting for lesurely highway riding. Secondary roads with bumps and humps, the middle. Pile a friend on behind you and crank it up to the highest setting. If your bike has adjustable dampening on the shocks with 4 or 5 settings, most likely #2 will be fine for spring settings of 1 or 2. Use the highest dampening setting for loads requiring the highest spring preload, rough roads or very high speeds....ie above the speed limit.

If your front fork isn't adjustable, heavier weight oil can be used to increase the dampening and for heavy loads, remove the fork caps and replace it with a large nut underneith to increase the spring preload.