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How hard does your front end dive

10K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  ghbzorro 
#1 ·
Ive noticed when i come to a stop my front end seems to dive, and i dont know if this is normal or not. I havent been able to adjust the suspension for my weight yet being that im about 40lbs heavier than the previous owner, but i was just curious if this was normal.

I weigh about 180lbs and am 6 feet tall. I may just need to adjust it bc the fork seals should be fine with only 10k on them
 
#2 ·
the fork seals have no affect on front end dive. they just hold in the fork oil.

your front is gonna dive under braking all the time because yours and the bike's weight are shifting forward. put a zip tie on the fork tube up against the rubber dust cap. go out and brake a few times just as you normally would then look at how much the zip tie moved. if its not completely at the bottom you're fine. but if its close to or at the bottom and you aren't braking really really hard then the suspension is too soft. stabbing at the brakes rather than progressively squeezing them will also make the front dive harder.
 
#17 ·
the fork seals have no affect on front end dive. they just hold in the fork oil.

your front is gonna dive under braking all the time because yours and the bike's weight are shifting forward. put a zip tie on the fork tube up against the rubber dust cap. go out and brake a few times just as you normally would then look at how much the zip tie moved. if its not completely at the bottom you're fine. but if its close to or at the bottom and you aren't braking really really hard then the suspension is too soft. stabbing at the brakes rather than progressively squeezing them will also make the front dive harder.
The zip tie will never go all the way to the bottom due to the oil locks in the fork. They will prevent the fork from bottoming and causing damage to your forks, but effectively shut off the fork in the last 20mm of travel.

Get a proper set of springs set for your weight from racetech or ohlins.

I've got a set of progressive ohlins springs for the 929/954 for street riding, and a .90kg/mm set of straight rate springs that I just put in for the track.

Properly weighted springs, set the sag, and adjust the rebound & preload to your liking/riding style and you'll be good to go.

:thumb:
 
#4 ·
What do you mean by dive?

The front forks should compress to a certain rate as the weight is being shifted onto the front but the rear wheel should not lift unless your braking quite sharply and shedding a lot of speed.

Do what CBR929RE said...
 
#10 ·
How many lines are showing on your front fork spring rate adjustment. At your wieght I would say you should be showing 2-3 lines. That should set your spring rate (Also called sag). From there if it still dives on you twist the compression adjuster at the bottom of your fork about a qaurter turn at a time clockwise and then try it after each adjustment. If you have the owners manual it will give you the the stock set-up specs and tell you how to reset them back to stock if you want to start from scratch.

Edit: Or you could spend around $40 to have a shop set it for you.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Ive noticed when i come to a stop my front end seems to dive, and i dont know if this is normal or not. I havent been able to adjust the suspension for my weight yet being that im about 40lbs heavier than the previous owner, but i was just curious if this was normal.
I'm 6' and outweigh you by 20 lbs., and for "street" riding, the stock suspension does a decent job - once you set it up.

I'm curious - your earlier post said you haven't been able to adjust the suspension..
ive never adjusted suspension...i just want it to be stiffer in the front...when i go around corners it very spongee
It sounds like you're a bit unclear about what's adjustable and what should be adjusted. The front suspension has three adjustments available: Preload, compression, and damping (or rebound).

Preload affects how much pre-tension is placed on the springs.

Compression regulates how quickly the fork compresses.

Damping (or rebound) affects how quickly the spring rebounds (uncompresses) to it's original length (with the preload applied).

On the 954, the damper adjustment is the small slotted screw on top of the forks. The preload adjuster is the larger nut on top of the fork. Compression adjustment is handled by the small screw at the bottom of the fork.

You need to setup your suspension to factory levels, then tune them to suit your ride.. It's as much a how-does-it-feel-to-you, as each rider's individual needs are different. Given your height and weight, you'll need a tad more preload than factory, but not much. The other settings all depend on how you ride.

Factory settings are:

Preload - 7 turns from full soft
Damper - 2 turns from full hard
Compression - 2 turns from full hard
 
#12 ·
Dont know if your a new rider or what but a quick question are you balancing the bike by using your rear brake aswell? If it is setup your strugglin with I feel your pain but my problem is the other end off the scale im about 5.8 with me boots on an weigh 70 kgs..only thing u can do is set it stock then work one click at a time keep a book on the adjustments and test ride each change.make sure u use the same roads for the changes that way u get an idea for what is workn best.
 
#16 ·
I had mean't if you use your rear brake properly it will reduce the amount of front dive unless of course you are stabbing at the front brake....Its one of the first things you learn with track courses its not a foot rest u have to use it properly if you want to stop properly its also good to have the practice for if you want to close in a turn a bit so u have the feel for your back wheel without lockn it up!
 
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