Need some advice, think I've made a mistake

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v-petn

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Hi all,

I've got a 2006 fz1n... I'm no pro so the bike feels good. the only complaint is when I've accelerate hard, the front starts to wobble..

So i thought I would adjust the suspension. I'm quite a noob and don't really understand this...

I've only adjusted the front forks so far... the screw that is located on top of the left and right fork. Are they meant to be the same settings? The screw on the left was set to 5 clicks... The screw on the right fork was set to 14 clicks... I changed them both to 20 clicks... Is this correct or have I got this wrong?

I'm light, 130 pounds... I just don't want the front to wobble when I accelerate hard... How and what settings would you recommend?
 
Have you checked out the basics first?

How much air is in your front tire? What is its condition (ie. Is there any cupping or lumps or waves on the surface? What about the rear?

There are lots of online resources that can help you narrow down the source of your problem.

Blindly fiddling knobs usually doesn't work, especially if you don't know what they do

The experts here should have some good ideas, too :) Good luck!
 
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I discovered early on that my FZ1 handles a lot better with 42-46 PSI in my tires. When i got it they were at 35 PSI and the bike was ill handling at speed (over 100)
 
Seriously doubt it has to do with suspension. I would check the front tire for wear, PSI, it's probably shot, or not properly balanced. Then check steering stem bolt tightness. And make sure the Allen heads holding the forks are all tight. I bet money it's the tire though. I tried to get a little to many miles out of mine once, and it wobbled just like you described.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I'm on the light side too, but heavier at 150lbs. I'd get a copy of the owners manual and return the front to stock settings. Then set it softer from there - this is very plainly explained in the manual.

I needed to back off the preload setting by one ring and went 2 clicks softer with each of the compression and rebound dampening settings. They are not set at the same clicks so don't try, just get back to stock and go softer. It made a big diff in the way mine handles. Suspect you may need to go even softer.


Mine has never wobbled with stock settings, so I suspect you have other issue(s). I'd check the front tire as has been suggested.
 
As Duster360 states the settings are not the same for each leg , I think the left hand fork is compression and the right hand rebound or visa/ versa there is a prompt on the top of the fork by the adjuster . As said i would look in the hand book and put it back to stock settings , you wont be far out to be honest . A friend of mine lent me a very good write up on suspension set up , and having followed it and measured the static sag and rider sag I found the stock set up to be pretty spot on ; im on the light side too . From what you describe i would think the problem is with the front tire also .
 
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v-petn said:
Hi all,

I've got a 2006 fz1n... I'm no pro so the bike feels good. the only complaint is when I've accelerate hard, the front starts to wobble..

So i thought I would adjust the suspension. I'm quite a noob and don't really understand this...

I've only adjusted the front forks so far... the screw that is located on top of the left and right fork. Are they meant to be the same settings? The screw on the left was set to 5 clicks... The screw on the right fork was set to 14 clicks... I changed them both to 20 clicks... Is this correct or have I got this wrong?

I'm light, 130 pounds... I just don't want the front to wobble when I accelerate hard... How and what settings would you recommend?
Click to expand...


First, put the forks back to the original settings. You need to understand that left fork is for compression and the right fork is for rebound (Tension). It is labeled on the triple clamp.

The front end wobble is likely from the front end getting too light. I suggest increasing the spring preload on the shock to keep the rear from squatting, thus allowing the front to get light and wobble.
 
Thanks a lot guys make sense. On myu daytona 675, it's different. Both forks have to be the same and the compression was at the bottom of the forks. I shall return it back to stock and see if it's still there. If so I'll replace the front tyre
 
If you get the suspension where you like it and the front end " wobble " continues under hard acceleration try loosening your grip on the bars and holding on to the bike with your legs against the tank under acceleration.

Often front end wobbles / head shake can be traced back to the rider holding the bars too tight. Loosen up and relax.
 
Ok I adjusted the suspension front and back and returned it back to stock settings and no more wobble. Well I do get a bit when it's in high revs and the front lifts a bit.

And I just did my first power wheelie. Scared the shit out of me. All I felt was the front lift off the ground. Felt awesome
 
v-petn said:
Ok I adjusted the suspension front and back and returned it back to stock settings and no more wobble. Well I do get a bit when it's in high revs and the front lifts a bit.

And I just did my first power wheelie. Scared the shit out of me. All I felt was the front lift off the ground. Felt awesome
Click to expand...

Yes, your settings were up the creek! I just set mine for the first time and tested it today for 300+ km on twisty roads. Despite being stock shocks, it was a very noticeable improvement. Look through the threads under Gen 11 Suspension and you will find a post from Ballmead that details a pretty good fine tune - front and rear. Also mentioned is lowering the forks in the triple clamps by 5mm which I did and found it really good. I'm a tall lightweight at 140lb and it worked for me. What part of Australia are you in? Cheers.
 
v-petn said:
I'm in sydney bro. Cool I'll look into it. What's the benefit of lowering the front?
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Not sure, alters front angle slightly. I followed Ballmeads recipe as he and others had put in a lot of trial and error to arrive at those settings. The bike tracks through fast and slow corners with more confidence now. Basically leans in better with more stability. I didn't think it would do a bloody thing but it did!! Fork set up was for a 12.5 stone rider - I'm 10.5 stone but I went with it anyway. Fronts much better now, back is a bit hard so I might set it back to standard. My evaluation was in the hills well out of Melbourne and I gave it a hard ride on roads I know well. Some here go to R1 suspension or aftermarket rear but I do not see the need yet. My FZ1N has 8000km on it. Look up the threads and have a read. Good value and easy to do. Cheers.
 
Hail said:
You will get a little easier turn in on the corners at the expense of front end stability when rolling on hard.

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 2
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G'Day Hail. I was rolling on real hard all day today up to 200kph :sinister:and it was rock solid. Very happy with the settings ( rear a little firm) and new tyres are going on this week. After lots of post reading I'm going for Michelin Pilot Road 11's. The 111's are better I'm told by the guy's I rode with, or should I say past, who all had Michelin 111's. But they also said the 11's were excellent. Paying $430 AUD fitted which is $120 off normal price. I won't ride in the rain - I'll get my bike wet and dirty - full day rides only in the dry. Congrat's on Bike of the Month!! Great photo. Why don't more members vote???? Cheers. :rmwl:
 
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I know when I had my suspension adjusted the front end wanted to come up more often.......and it really helps the whole ride experience to get the suspension tuned. :)
 
Lonewolf said:
Yes, your settings were up the creek! I just set mine for the first time and tested it today for 300+ km on twisty roads. Despite being stock shocks, it was a very noticeable improvement. Look through the threads under Gen 11 Suspension and you will find a post from Ballmead that details a pretty good fine tune - front and rear. Also mentioned is lowering the forks in the triple clamps by 5mm which I did and found it really good. I'm a tall lightweight at 140lb and it worked for me. What part of Australia are you in? Cheers.
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Be more clear on how you say "lowering the forks in the triple clamps" - as that would actually raise the front of the bike , which will increase stability, and make the steering slower ( think chopper ).

Raising the forks in the clamps will lower the front of the bike, make it turn in quicker/sharper, but then you might start to loose a little stabilty at higher speeds.

Just trying to help anyone without much experience to not get confused.......
 
Cobalt Coupe said:
Be more clear on how you say "lowering the forks in the triple clamps" - as that would actually raise the front of the bike , which will increase stability, and make the steering slower ( think chopper ).

Raising the forks in the clamps will lower the front of the bike, make it turn in quicker/sharper, but then you might start to loose a little stabilty at higher speeds.

Just trying to help anyone without much experience to not get confused.......
Click to expand...

My error - written late at night. The correct wording should read - raise your forks in the triple clamps 5mm thus lowering the front of the bike. No stability lost at high speed on my bike. Cheers.
 
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