Okay, I am writing this because I found the bike manual just too difficult to understand. I am also repeating most people's advice here as not to change the ride height front and back.
And for all us tall and weight challenged large chaps who stand in front of the mirror and see a vague resemblance to the greatest sports bike racers .... ahhemm! I am 145kg, yes a 6ft 3" fat barsteward. But the stock setup from new and out of the crate is bone shakingly hard for me too. But I needed a beginners guide to my S1000RR with EAS to help set it up for me
Here's a link www.3dman.com/Tutorials/suspensions.htm for something that my son says is easy to comprehend (he who has a degree in Motorcycle and Motor Sport Engineering - but do you think I could get more than 10 minutes of his time on this? ....)
We start by making measurements before and after Spring Preload changes to the bike, then ride the bike and make more changes using the on-board DDC electronics.
FIRST - use your camera to take a picture of the front (Right hand fork top) and rear Spring Preload black Adjuster nut (same size and colour nut above the rear swingarm) before you made any changes. Make sure you can count the number of threads showing from a side angle of the bolts in your photographs.
We start with measuring the Sag with the bike as per factory settings
1. Take two long cable ties and strap them firmly around the top of the forks where the fork tubes disappear into the slider. As you sit on the bike the cable ties will slide down the fork tubes and we are going to measure that movement as a distance travelled from the edge of the slider
2. Turn on the ignition ? very important
3. Stand the bike upright with no weight on the suspension, with a long ruler or equivalent (you can even use a plain stick) measure the bike at the pillion foot pegs between the floor and the same point on each pillion foot peg on each side
4. Sit on the bike, get someone to firmly hold the bike upright so that you can get both feet on the foot pegs, and assume your normal riding position. Start the Engine and read page 71 of the manual
5. Put your feet down lightly and support the bike, get your colleague to now measure the distance from the floor to the pillion foot pegs - the difference between the two recordings is the rear sag.
6. Get off the bike, sit the bike on the side-stand. Turn off the engine leave the ignition on.
7. Measure the Sag at the front (the new distance travelled from the slider to the top of the cable tie as it has moved down the fork tube)
8. Turn off the ignition
9. Record the front and rear Sag - firstly this is our base or 'stock' setting - You are aiming for a sag of 10-15mm on the front forks and 8-12 mm at the rear of the bike
Use the tool in the bike's tool kit to wind the Preload Adjuster nut on the front and back Clockwise (to stiffen the suspension) or out or anti-clockwise (to soften the setting - to give you more sag if you are a lighter weight than me)
Repeat steps 1-9 above after making the adjustment - until you get the desired sag readings (10-15mm front and 8-12mm rear sag) - when you reach the desired Sag - remove the cable ties on the front forks
Now - we have to recalibrate the bike Ride Height Sensor BEFORE you ride anywhere - go to page 111 on the Rider's Manual 06.2016 1st Edition, 01 and try and decipher it...
a. Turn on the bike ignition
b. Put the bike into Sport Mode and navigate to the DDC Setup Menu
b. Follow the DDC Setup instructions to calibrate the bike Ride Height Sensor first (page 118) -
c. Exit the menus.
d. Turn off the bike
e. Go ride the bike in Sport Mode having first read the guide at http://www.3dman.com/Tutorials/suspensions.htm and decide how you want to soften or harden your ride with the DDC electronics - don't worry, you can reset everything to factory settings if you go the wrong way. BTW most of my settings are -1 to -3 and I am now getting closer to a smoother ride.
Please feel free to amend this post
Mr Smooth (aka Steve)
And for all us tall and weight challenged large chaps who stand in front of the mirror and see a vague resemblance to the greatest sports bike racers .... ahhemm! I am 145kg, yes a 6ft 3" fat barsteward. But the stock setup from new and out of the crate is bone shakingly hard for me too. But I needed a beginners guide to my S1000RR with EAS to help set it up for me
Here's a link www.3dman.com/Tutorials/suspensions.htm for something that my son says is easy to comprehend (he who has a degree in Motorcycle and Motor Sport Engineering - but do you think I could get more than 10 minutes of his time on this? ....)
We start by making measurements before and after Spring Preload changes to the bike, then ride the bike and make more changes using the on-board DDC electronics.
FIRST - use your camera to take a picture of the front (Right hand fork top) and rear Spring Preload black Adjuster nut (same size and colour nut above the rear swingarm) before you made any changes. Make sure you can count the number of threads showing from a side angle of the bolts in your photographs.
We start with measuring the Sag with the bike as per factory settings
1. Take two long cable ties and strap them firmly around the top of the forks where the fork tubes disappear into the slider. As you sit on the bike the cable ties will slide down the fork tubes and we are going to measure that movement as a distance travelled from the edge of the slider
2. Turn on the ignition ? very important
3. Stand the bike upright with no weight on the suspension, with a long ruler or equivalent (you can even use a plain stick) measure the bike at the pillion foot pegs between the floor and the same point on each pillion foot peg on each side
4. Sit on the bike, get someone to firmly hold the bike upright so that you can get both feet on the foot pegs, and assume your normal riding position. Start the Engine and read page 71 of the manual
5. Put your feet down lightly and support the bike, get your colleague to now measure the distance from the floor to the pillion foot pegs - the difference between the two recordings is the rear sag.
6. Get off the bike, sit the bike on the side-stand. Turn off the engine leave the ignition on.
7. Measure the Sag at the front (the new distance travelled from the slider to the top of the cable tie as it has moved down the fork tube)
8. Turn off the ignition
9. Record the front and rear Sag - firstly this is our base or 'stock' setting - You are aiming for a sag of 10-15mm on the front forks and 8-12 mm at the rear of the bike
Use the tool in the bike's tool kit to wind the Preload Adjuster nut on the front and back Clockwise (to stiffen the suspension) or out or anti-clockwise (to soften the setting - to give you more sag if you are a lighter weight than me)
Repeat steps 1-9 above after making the adjustment - until you get the desired sag readings (10-15mm front and 8-12mm rear sag) - when you reach the desired Sag - remove the cable ties on the front forks
Now - we have to recalibrate the bike Ride Height Sensor BEFORE you ride anywhere - go to page 111 on the Rider's Manual 06.2016 1st Edition, 01 and try and decipher it...
a. Turn on the bike ignition
b. Put the bike into Sport Mode and navigate to the DDC Setup Menu
b. Follow the DDC Setup instructions to calibrate the bike Ride Height Sensor first (page 118) -
c. Exit the menus.
d. Turn off the bike
e. Go ride the bike in Sport Mode having first read the guide at http://www.3dman.com/Tutorials/suspensions.htm and decide how you want to soften or harden your ride with the DDC electronics - don't worry, you can reset everything to factory settings if you go the wrong way. BTW most of my settings are -1 to -3 and I am now getting closer to a smoother ride.
Please feel free to amend this post
Mr Smooth (aka Steve)