Suspension set up.....

Give this guy a call (GRIFF) FUSEBOX on the Zone if your in the midlands [email protected] 01827 285500
:thumbup

Alternatively, have a go yourself. If you get the bike feeling nice (to you) it will be far more satisfying if you have done it. I went through the same, here's the link detailing what I did: - CLICK

This will set the rider sag, the amount of preload you have front and rear. This dictates how high/low the bike sits with you on it and how much it sinks as you get on.

Having done this set your compression and rebound to Aprilia's recommendations. Take the bike out (personally I'd take the little allen key and screwdriver to adjust the suspension while out) and tweak the suspension for the feel that you want. Something I would say is to move the 'clicks' on the suspension by more than 1. You probably won't notice 1 click's difference too much, by moving it more you WILL feel a difference and will be better able to know whether that was the right direction. If it was it's then a matter of more or less of the same. If not, go in the opposite direction.

I was quite worried about messing up the handling of the bike. If you start at the recommended settings you have a base to return to. I always took it steady when I first went out so I knew how the bike felt rather than chance different behaviour catching me unaware.

Hope that helps mate :thumbup

Dave makes a good point.

If you arrive at a good setting yourself you will understand what does what and why en route to your setup.

The key is the sag. until that's right your peeing in the wind. Griff will sort that for you if you are local to him. then go and play.

The biggest mistake most people make is running the bike too stiff. Lots of compression gives the impression of "feel" as you can sense every bump. There is 120mm of travel for a reason.

Set your sag then set the suspension to standard settings. Zip tie your forks and go for a ride. not banzai just a normal ride and see how much travel you use. If you have lots left on the forks back off the compression and try again. Little by little not big adjustments.

Also remember compression affects rebound and vice versa. The further your forks compress the more distance they have to travel to get back to a normal position. So if you go softer 3 or 4 clicks of compression then go faster a couple on rebound. Otherwise they will not have time to rebound before the next bump and will pack down and feel harsh.

The standard rear settings are not bad generally (maybe needing a bit more rebound) but you are looking for a balanced feel. When you hit bumps the front and rear should act together and not feel harsher or softer one end or the other.

If you trail brake and find the bike stands up when you do it then you don't have enough weight over the front. If your bike is post 04 it has a 50/50 weight distribution and you want 51/49 as per the older models. Go down 1 ring on the forks or race setting as the manual calls it.

Worth having a go. You can always take it somewhere if you don't make any progress.

http://aprilia.rsvmille.home.comcast.net/~aprilia.rsvmille/bikes/suspension_guide.htmits a lot harder than some people make out to understand the differences. very dificult to distinguish between too much compression and not enough rebound....

the best way to do it setup rider sag (this is a given in all cases) i think its 30mm front and 25m rear ish but don't quote me, xheck with Aprilia...
then get standard settings for compression and rebound......

now for road use, back the compression off a little front and rear and test ride a 5 mile route
now add rebound front and rear and re ride te same route
now go opposite add compressio and remove rebound
every time riding the same stretch of road

only then can you start to feel the differnces and adjust to your own riding style and preference.

here's a good link
http://aprilia.rsvmille.home.comcast.net/~aprilia.rsvmille/bikes/suspension_guide.htm

guys very interesting reading, i took my bike to the local pro's who set the bike up for me.It came back not to much different from the settings it had already been on. The bike still rides great as you learn the feel, so to speak of the bike. I though would really like to Know a bit more about adjustment so thanks 4 the info and i will do a bit of research and development .cheers

It can help if you break down corners into segments to establish where your suspension may be out. Most suspension will feel ok on a straight.

These are just generalisations and assume your not doing silly things with the throttle/Brakes and your weight.

tip in to mid corner issues - compression on front and rebound on rear.

Mid corner - rebound on both especially forks

Exit- Rebound on front compression on rear.

Fork travel in particular has a big affect on the steering angle of a bike.

A suspension setup for the road is always a compromise. You ride all sorts of road types and in all weather. That stiff setup might feel great on a hot summers day on A roads but have you gritting your teeth in the wet or a bumpy B road.

yeah agree there with spoonz

same goes for tyre choice - i'm binning the ultra sticky rubber and going for a good street tyre next, purley because i spend more days in the rain than hot sticky grippy days.

personally i'm having trouble setting up the rear, had a few slides, so confidence is down.... so this weekend i'm going back to basics, checking rider sag (dont bother with static sag as i have no intention of changing springs at this stage)

putting all back to standard then backing off compression a little as i feel our bikes are a little stiff (ohlins) for the road.....

if i'm perfectly honest and please dont be offended by this but i had my R1 dialed right in, planted everywhere, might of been luck but i just can't get this bike sorted to feel the same