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Is six rings above the yokes a bit extreme?

U

Uglyfatfook

Joined Nov 2012
107 Posts | 0+
I accidentally posted this question in the wrong section sorry, so please ignore it there.
I have a 2001 rsvr with Ohlins forks, and it's still set up as I bought it (as I know nothing of suspension set up) but after reading stuff on here I'm thinking that maybe the fact that it has six rings showing above the yokes might not be the best set up for road use. The bike doesn't feel as agile as I thought it would and has a slight weave, though this is better since adjusting the steering damper off a bit.
Also, could someone tell me what the torque setting is for the bolts on the yokes in case I do decide to adjust this.
Thanks awfully. :thumbup
Jase
 
Im no expert...but 4 is standard with the Ohlins gear. That said, they boast 10 !
Never ridden this bike...I disassembled as soon as I got mine to rebuild it. I'll put all settings to factory, adjust sag, and take it from there.... ?
If you have a handbook.....the settings are in there...NB - Use the tables specifically for the RSVR.

HTH
 
Mine had 3 rings showing when i bought it and i moved it to 4 ...**** 6 must feel twitchy!

Dunno about torque settings i just tighten up till it wont go no more. (Except something crucial like a cylinder head)
 
Thanks guys, looks like I have stuff to entertain me this weekend.
Tim, that's what I'll be doing this weekend, adjusting the sag and wotnot, yeah I do have a handbook, but the language it seems to be written in is a strange mix of english and stoopid. Never done this before on a bike, the bikes I used to ride didn't have anything to adjust. Life was so much more simple back then.
Read a couple of bits from t'net which seem to explain it fairly well so here goes!!! Please listen out for shouts for help.
 
Adjust the rear shock till you have 4mm of thread showing on the adjuster rod, then set the front to 3 sections showing, try that and see how you like it, 6 rings will be unstable and you will have rear traction problems also, even on track i ran my 01R at five rings showing, your bike is way to radical for the road let alone a track
 
Cheers Badger, thats what i thought, Ive just had thought... Mine has a 1" lowering kit fitted, do I need to compensate for this with the front? Would that possibly be a reason for having more rings showing on the front?
 
That'd be one reason fella, dropping the forks raises the rear ride height. That may also explain why you say it doesn't feel as agile as you'd expect, with 6 showing it should turn like a moped & the rear spin up on gentle throttle, the whole geometry has been altered.
 
Hmmmm, what to do then! I have the original link to replace the lowered one, but being a short arse I like a little less height than standard, but not at the expense of handling and stability. So maybe replace the linkage and put back to factory settings and start over?
Anyone else got any thoughts or experience with settings on a lowered bike?
 
You buy it off a dwarf ??? 6 rings and a lowering kit!!

I would go back to 3 rings and keep the 1 " lowering if you feel you need it.

The rear i would set to standard if its too high for you then lower it a couple of turns and see how it feels standard is still pretty high but you dont have to be flat footed as long as you can put toes down and be stable and confident.

Then set your sag and reset rebound and damping to factory and tweak as necessary.

If you do all that and find your understeering then go back and look at height again... Its a pain inthe arse but the bikes gotta suit you.once your preloads set it stays there however, u can just play about with ride height, rebound and damping when out for a ride stopping and tweaking ...

Theres some great threads on setting up suspension out there...
 
You didnt tell us it had a lowering kit ! :devious May well explain the seemingly radical fork setting....
Its a lot easier to reduce the number of rings above the top yoke than faff changing the links.... if you are a short arse you may find you just need to change them back again. I dunno. Havent ridden one yet, Alls I know is the cockpit has plenty more room when compared to say, a K5 Gixxer. So you see, my problem is that bikes are made for midgets !
I would concentrate your efforts on making sure sag ( race & static) is good - for the road if this is the predominant use expected.
You will find dumb **** you never think of, like tyre pressures, what tyre widths are chosen front to rear, and tyre wear, will have significant effects on handling characteristics....
Check pressures
Check wear ( squaring off if road use )
Check tyre numbers ( ie- 180-55-17 and cross refer to manual...some folk like a fat tire..it ruins handling ! )

Then you can consider the fork tube position if these other things are sorted. It is, as has been said, related to rear setting. The Ohlins are completely adjustable...you may be able to reduce the rear height by winding down the eye to eye length. This will reduce ride height to the floor...NB- the handbook states a minimum ground clearance of 130mm I think..but this may be less of an issue of itsnot for track use.

Just my thoughts...
Edit- I see Paul has replied. Sorry if I repeat his advice .
 
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If you are a short arse then leave the rear at its lowest setting you can achieve, then start with the forks at say 4 rings showing and ride it, if it still steers slow then pull the forks through another section, do this till it steers to your liking, big problem though is if you are riding with any aggression you will run out of clearance.

Obviously you need to set sag and get your damping right as well, my advice is leave it to Griff if you are unsure in waht you are doing, you can get lost with suspension if you dont understand it.
 
The problem you've got is you're in the realms of the unknown. How much should you lower the front to compensate for the rear? My advice, junk the lowering kit, go back to standard set up then tailor it to your size/style. Badger's a dwarf, but he never used a lowering kit & was/is quite rapid (feet can't touch the floor without his 6 inch "Gary Glitter Sidis" on though.... ;))
 
Thanks for all the advice lads, think I'm deffo going to refit standard link and then reset everything to factory settings, then pay a visit to Griff in Tamworth. Unfortunately, I spent all my dinner money buying the bike so funds are somewhat limited for a while.
 
i set up my bike on two calibrated scales for 50-50 weight distribution with me on the bike in full gear and half full tank. coincidentally the bike shows 6 rings and being a short arse (1.71m) the rear ride height is set to min. the sag numbers are 30 mm rear, 25 on the front, road use. never had a problem with clearance other than VERY mild scratching of the front section of the belly on tight, fast knee-down corners. and trust me, when you're a short arse you have to get the bike a hell of a lot lower in order to get your knee down, even when hanging off like a monkey...
 
stress said:
i set up my bike on two calibrated scales for 50-50 weight distribution with me on the bike in full gear and half full tank. coincidentally the bike shows 6 rings and being a short arse (1.71m) the rear ride height is set to min. the sag numbers are 30 mm rear, 25 on the front, road use. never had a problem with clearance other than VERY mild scratching of the front section of the belly on tight, fast knee-down corners. and trust me, when you're a short arse you have to get the bike a hell of a lot lower in order to get your knee down, even when hanging off like a monkey...
Click to expand...

Interesting....! Do you have a lowering link fit ?
I seem to remember reading that the bikes differ depending on where they appear on the evolution of the Mille over the years....? So 50/50 maybe 60/40 on other models ! Perhaps it is a matter of preference and to some extent, rider weight and typical usage ( ie track-road etc) Some will prefer a neutral set up. Others may not. Weight is thrown about whilst underway all the time....right ?!! Im sure the later bikes were worked to produce a lower centre of gravity and a more equal weight distribution front to back however. What model year do you ride ?
 
I'm somewhat vertically challenged, being only 5 foot 6 last time I looked, that was some years ago now so could have shrunk again since. Taken the lowering link off now and put the forks on the fourth ring. Also re- tensioned the chain and did a couple of other wee bits, the bike feels so much better for it. Yes it does feel much taller, but it also feels loads lighter, more nimble, willing and stable in the bends. It's also lost all the snatchyness in the lower revs since doing the chain. Starting to really love this bike now. Thanks everyone for your help.
 
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