Preload, Sag and EAS DDC Sport setup 2018 - an easier How to guide for us beginners

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Hi Slayer,

I'm happy with the changes I made to my 2018 S1K bike, I got the ride a little softer and more compliant front and rear which what I wanted to achieve. Thanks for asking.

I seem to have started a good debate, happy about that and yes the user manual is frequently incorrect, perhaps it was the translation, a good point well made.

Steve
 
Glad to hear it’s sorted ���� Suspension is a funny thing I’ve got mates that never touch anything and I’m still fiddling with my bike that is ��
 
I contemplated tweaking my suspension as it 'wallowed' when cranked over. At a recent track day, I had it checked by Colin @ 100% suspension. Best ?50 i've spent. Sag was spot on, and ended up with +4 at front and -2 at rear. No 'mechanical adjustment was required, all changes were done in the DDC. Made adjustments a bit at a time, until it was spot on. Bike runs like a dream now. I'm 17.5st and 5'11 :)
If you get chance, and don't mind parting with the ??? then I'd definitely recommend his services.
 
Hi,

My 2 pennies worth.... it's all too easy to get the brain thinking the 'bone shockingly hard' ride' is from too stiff a spring.... it can easily be because of too soft a spring. It can be hitting the bump stop i.e bottoming out. The thing with the DDC rear is that the damper rod is enclosed in plastic and you can't see how much travel it's using. Personally from over a million miles of riding/racing/testing bikes.... I'd say it's under sprung. My 1098 was a nightmare as it came with an 8 rear spring. Even Dani Pedrosa would find that too soft!. Took a linear linkage i.e dumping the rising rate linkage and 12 spring to get it perfect for the road. I'm 16 stone in full kit by the way... P.S you can only measure sag correctly with the ignition 'ON' as the valving is shut with the ignition off and after a good ride to warm everything up.
 
Hi Slayer,

I'm happy with the changes I made to my 2018 S1K bike, I got the ride a little softer and more compliant front and rear which what I wanted to achieve. Thanks for asking.

I seem to have started a good debate, happy about that and yes the user manual is frequently incorrect, perhaps it was the translation, a good point well made.

Steve
So what did you do then?
 
Zxcv12 - I've only done 500 miles so far, I am finding that the bike is really uncomfortable on rough A and B roads, the frequency of the bumps at national speed limit 60-70 mph are really jarring to me. Smooth A and B roads or dual carriageways are absolutely fine, but the slightest uneven road surfaces where road repairs have been made etc are just doing me in - I ride in Hants, Berks and Surrey. The roads surfaces are not great and I want to gain more confidence and relax a little more. The changes I have made are making a difference, I am determined to keep making more DDC setup changes to get the suspension to work for me a little more. It is rebound and compression damping I am trying to adjust. I had to stiffen the preload as I had 28mm of Sag in the front and 18mm in the rear as delivered.
How much did you have to stiffen the preload? I have the same bike?2018, and I?m 260 pounds. Did you max increase the preload on both front and rear? Cheers
 
How much did you have to stiffen the preload? I have the same bike?2018, and I?m 260 pounds. Did you max increase the preload on both front and rear? Cheers

YouTube ?how to measure and set sag?.

Get a friend to help you with a tape measure. It?s not difficult, just that you have to take your time, you make a change to the preload and measure the effect both front and back to set the sag to your weight, only then should you change the DDC settings for best effect. Make sure you have the ignition switched on and use the black plastic sheath tool in the toolkit when you go to change the preload otherwise you might destroy the finish on the preload adjuster.

If you live anywhere near the Camberley area, PM me and we?ll arrange a day and time for you to come on over. I?ll happily help you get the preload correct.

Also, I use an Alpha Racing 2D potentiometer on the front forks plugged into the wiring loom which gives me both rebound and compression on the front end.
 
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YouTube ?how to measure and set sag?.
Get a friend to help you with a tape measure. It?s not difficult, just that you have to take your time, you make a change to the preload and measure the effect both front and back to set the sag to your weight, only then should you change the DDC settings for best effect. Make sure you have the ignition switched on and use the black plastic sheath tool in the toolkit when you go to change the preload otherwise you might destroy the finish on the preload adjuster.

If you live anywhere near the Camberley area, PM me and we?ll arrange a day and time for you to come on over. I?ll happily help you get the preload correct.

Also, I use an Alpha Racing 2D potentiometer on the front forks plugged into the wiring loom which gives me both rebound and compression on the front end.


im not far from Camberley and would be keen to come over when weather is better if you?re able to help please
 
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YouTube ?how to measure and set sag?.

Get a friend to help you with a tape measure. It?s not difficult, just that you have to take your time, you make a change to the preload and measure the effect both front and back to set the sag to your weight, only then should you change the DDC settings for best effect. Make sure you have the ignition switched on and use the black plastic sheath tool in the toolkit when you go to change the preload otherwise you might destroy the finish on the preload adjuster.

If you live anywhere near the Camberley area, PM me and we?ll arrange a day and time for you to come on over. I?ll happily help you get the preload correct.

Also, I use an Alpha Racing 2D potentiometer on the front forks plugged into the wiring loom which gives me both rebound and compression on the front end.
I?m in Manila, thanks for the offer to help. I?m aware how to measure sag. Are you saying you get the sag into the ideal setting without changing the springs; or if you did not change the springs, without maxing out the preload? What sag did you come up to?
 
YouTube ?how to measure and set sag?.

Get a friend to help you with a tape measure. It?s not difficult, just that you have to take your time, you make a change to the preload and measure the effect both front and back to set the sag to your weight, only then should you change the DDC settings for best effect. Make sure you have the ignition switched on and use the black plastic sheath tool in the toolkit when you go to change the preload otherwise you might destroy the finish on the preload adjuster.

If you live anywhere near the Camberley area, PM me and we?ll arrange a day and time for you to come on over. I?ll happily help you get the preload correct.

Also, I use an Alpha Racing 2D potentiometer on the front forks plugged into the wiring loom which gives me both rebound and compression on the front end.
I?m in Manila, thanks for the offer to help. I?m aware how to measure sag.

Are you saying you got the sag into your ideal setting without changing the springs; if you did not change the springs, without maxing out the preload?

What sag did you come up to?
 
I used the standard springs which came with the bike from new, I haven't replaced them.

I didn't record the exact sag settings on my bike whilst sitting on it at the time, only that I had set the preload front and rear to get in the seated sag range specified in the owners manual which came with the bike which can also be downloaded from the manufacturer web site. ie those stated in the first posting of this thread.

If I recall, in Sport mode all my DDC numbers front and rear are low negative numbers, sorry my bike is at another site for a few days so I can't tell you what the exact DDC numbers are just now, I will post them at the weekend.

Hope that helps.

Steve
 
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On this note, I'm selling my Motool slacker, I've offered it to one of my chums, so if he doesn't grab it, I'll list it up on the exchange and mart section....apologies for butting in [emoji6]

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