[Author Index] [Date Index] [Thread Index]
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]

Re: [ST] Re: ST rear suspension sag



Darren_Mason@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> However,
> some books I have read recommend the static sag should be a percentage of
> wheel travel. This makes a lot more sense to me as travel can vary from 3
> to 12 inches depending on the bike.

This makes sense to me, too.

>      I think Freddies recomendation would be biased towards & suitable only
> for a racetrack (ie: very smooth surface combined with hard riding). It is
> probably too hard for the street. The racetech figure would probably be a
> better starting point.

Quite possibly. I figured I'd split the difference and work from there. 
Little did I know that the suspension wouldn't even get that far. :-)

>      I have seen 25% travel for static sag recommended. This may also be
> for racetrack use & too hard for the road, as it was in an engineering book
> about motorcycle design for road-racing. The ST has 120 mm travel on the
> rear. My bike at 12 turns out had about 36 mm sag ( 30% travel).

With my regular load, I'd have to go to approx. six turns out to get 30% 
(36mm) of sag. Quite the difference!


> I went to
> about 8 turns & went for a ride. I found the ride too harsh around town
> over sharp square edge bumps, so I put it back where it was. 8 turns may be
> ok for me for solo sports riding, but for around town I prefer the softer
> ride so leave it at 12 turns. I should add that I dont have the panniers or
> load that you mention.

Eight turns out for you is probably close to two turns out for me 
(assuming a linear relationship). I'm running around with zero turns out 
right now. If I had to pick between what I used to be set to (13 turns 
out) and the way it is now, I'd definitely take it the way it is now. I 
don't really mind the ride; it's stiffer, but at least for my commute of 
25 miles (a little city, but mostly highway) it doesn't seem punishing. 
In fact, it's really much more comfortable when going over the expansion 
joints on highways that are built with concrete slabs. Previously, I'd 
get a strong back-and-forth rocking motion that made my kidneys feel 
like they were in a martini shaker. Now it just feels like a couple of 
small bumps each time I hit a joint.

However, my goal is to have a suspension that works well, not one that's 
just stiff. So, I think I'll back off to about six turns out this 
weekend and see how that works. Six turns should give me about 36mm of 
sag, or 30% of the suspension travel.

Then I'll start working on the front end!


- -- 
Blake "Dawgbert" Sobiloff <sobiloff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Burlingame, CA, USA


     *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
      The ST/RS Mailing list is sponsored by Jack Lilley Ltd.
          http://www.TriumphNet.com/st/lilley for more info
   http://www.TriumphNet.com/st for ST, RS and Mailing List info

=-=-=-= Next Message =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=