Otto Man

That's what mine does. I had a friend of mine whos within 10 pounds of me. He sat on it and the suspension hardly moved at all. Oh well, I got all winter to round off the rough edges. :-D

Hawkrider

The rear shock is oversprung for most anyone....even my fat 225# ***.

shayne

That is interesting you say that Greg, as my local Racetech guy told me that the spring is good for a 85-90kg rider (187-198 pounds I think) and when I set up my sag etc, I was able to set properly for my 85KG. I had the valving done of course, and springs for the front, but not the rear spring.

I did the preload properly too, with static sag, and my weight etc, and it was within range. I have a 98 model.

Hawkrider

Ahh, I think I may know the problem here then. Maybe the preload on the stock spring is too high. That would explain the reason nobody can get good sag numbers with the stock shock. Anyway I went to RT website. You're right, they claim the stock spring is good for 187#.

shayne

Hmmmmmmm......... my changed valving wouldn't effect the preload though would it? (thinking,,,thinking...) I don't see how it could. My spring could be a bit saggy though compared to a new one due to its mileage (77000 KM 48000 miles approx)

I was careful to do my preload properly, and it came up within spec. I don't have the numbers handy, but I did some mathematics to get the right figures before I set it up. So I would have thought that if your weight was 85-90kg you would be able to get it pretty close.

Here is the article I wrote a while ago for the Australian VTR forum I am a member of (ozfirestorm.com.au). Let me know if you disagree with any of this:

G'day everyone, I shall try and keep this as brief as possible, as suspension has been done to death already.

I have done some research to see if all the speculation about VTR suspension has any merit. I have also used a test bike (Blazes' standard 2004 model - my suspension has full Race Tech internals) to check some data and come up with some findings of my own.

No-one reading this will have suspension that suits them if it is stock, as the springs are unbalanced from front to rear by a large margin. This covers all models, not just older ones.

The front springs will be ok for your 13 year old sister. Provided she hasn't had lunch yet. They are that light. You would need to be less than 70kg to be close I think. The rear spring will be ok if you are around 75 - 90 maybe. Obviously we cannot be both, so springs are no good.

Doing some static & laden sag tests with Blaze who is 85kg, we found that the rear spring was fine, and the front we could not get within cooee. We wound the front preload in fully, and I don't mean to the last ring, I mean until it bottomed out, and it was still out of range. Not even close.

So front springs will need to be replaced for most of us, and if you are a lightweight, then the rear will be too stiff, so you lose both ways. See your friendly suspension guru for further assistance.

When my forks and shock were done the result was new springs in the front and standard spring for the rear. I weigh 82kg, so this backs up my experiments I think.

Everyone knows the valving is no good. Get it fixed too when you next get the suspension serviced.

OK, assuming you now have that all done and are approaching suspension nirvana, all that is left to do is set up the laden and unladen sag. Most stuff you will read quotes measurements for bikes we don't own, and makes the assumption that you have more suspension travel at the front than the rear, as most bikes are like this. Guess what!!! VTR's are different, they have more travel at the rear. So here are the specs you need for our beloved bikes, to save you doing the calculations. I have worked them out specifically for us! For those that don't know, these figures are a percentage of your suspension travel. Generally 25-25% for laden sag and 10-20% unladen.

Suspension changed for 2001 models it seems, so hear are the front and rear travel specs:

Up to 2000 models. Front 109mm rear 124 mm
2001 models onwards. Front 119mm rear 124mm.

Loaded sag for up to 2000 models:
Front 25-38mm
Rear 30-43mm

Loaded sag for 2001 models onwards:
Front 30-41mm
Rear 30-43mm

Static sag will be the same for all models, or so close it doesn't matter, so I have kept it the same:

Front 20-30mm
Rear 0-10mm

So there you go, all you need I reckon. Let me know if I have left anything out and I will amend the post.

Cheers,
Shayne

Hawkrider

Shayne, there may be some differences between US and non-US models. I'm going to my suspension shop tomorrow. I'll bring the shock along and have the spring measured. I'm pretty sure they have that capability. That should settle this once and for all.

JamieDaugherty

My stock spring was way SOFT. I had almost all of the preload dialed-in before my sag numbers were correct. I'm ~220lbs (ok, 225lbs) and have since switched to a heavier rate Hyperpro spring.

thetophatflash

I weigh @ 210 lbs and I've had good results with Hyperpro springs front and rear with Racetech compression valving. The progressively wound springs work very well and smooth out a variety of real world road conditions.

shayne

You could be right Greg, it is possible, although not that I am aware of. The distances for suspension travel that I mentioned in my last post were taken from a few different sources on the internet to ensure they were accurate, and every spec was the same.

It is possible the spring rates are different though, and I am assuming that is what you are referring to. Be interesting to find out.

Hawkrider

Well, I couldn't find my stock shock. I looked everywhere. Must've got lost in the move, or in the bottom of a box of pots and pans or something. Sorry. I'll take you're word for this and concede.