Let's Talk Suspension

ZakV

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You guys have been fantastic helping an outcast xs500 owner like me figure out the finer points of making a 45 yr old bike sing!

I have lots of experience karting, and nearly as much road course stock car racing. As I've become more comfortable with my riding abilities and the trust in my machine, I find myself very quickly meeting some short comings in performance and style I'd like to discuss.

Ride Height:
From stock, what range up and down will result in a "X" amount change to max lean angle

Wheel Hop:
Under trail braking, besides the driver, what is the issue causing wheel hop (spring, rebound, etc)

Shimmy:
Sustained Lat G + compression, leads to a 2-3 cycle oscillation in handling. Recommended action?

Progressive vs Linear Springs:
The geometry of our bikes leaves much to be desired. I understand how a wheel tilting + bump = unideal reaction and orientation of the rear axle. Does a certain spring format assist in these issues.

Hard vs Soft
If ride quality was not a factor but wheel hop & shimmy were paramount, what end of the spectrum would you tune for?


Please feel free to add anecdotes. Its all a ratio, 'X' front travel + 'Y' rear ride height = fighter jet and everyone else is just driving grocery carts ofc :)
 
For wheel hop I always dial in more rebound damping
Shimmy- fatter forks or tighten all the pinch bolts and axle bolt then add some spring preload
Springs are a matter of preference, if your ok with fork dive under braking progressive are the best of both worlds
Hard for fast pace, soft for cruising the highway all of my race bikes are set up very firm for the reasons you mentioned; I have a KTM that I use for tight trails and rock crawling, it is setup Cadillac soft
 
For example I lower my suspension 1inch front and rear, how does that affect the max lean angle in the corners? Or viceversa I raise ride height?
You will scrape, plain and simple unless you have high pipes and raised pegs. My Supermoto race bike is very high but rarely scrapes although when I take it out on the backroad it still embarrasses a lot of sport bikes. Body english is mandatory on this bike.
 
Progressive vs. straight rate springs: This bike came with progressive springs. They’re more one size fits all. Straight rate is more precise. I have custom wound springs on one of bikes. The laden sag is set to 35 mm front and back. It also has Race Tech Gold Valves. Yes, it’s a big improvement, but it’s still an old bike with skinny forks.
 
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