There are hundreds of articles here with conflicting opinions on CBR 929 suspension and on the web on m/c suspension generally. I've spent hours reading them and worn the black powdered coating off my fork preload nuts and tried a hundred different combinations of rebound and compression to try to get a smoother ride from the 929 - primarily to get it to deal with everyday bumps on urban roads the way my CBR 600 and VFR 800 and every other bike I've had does. I knew nothing about suspension till I got the 929 but in the year I've had the 929 I've been forced to study it, so uncomfortable, dangerous even, is the ride.
So after months of fiddling around I got some aftermarket progressive springs (Hagon) to replace the Honda progressives - not much difference, perhaps marginally smoother ride, less jolting. But not enough, so more hours buggering around with fruitless preload and damping adjustment.
Last week I jumped and spent £400 getting K-Tech valve kit and correct weight linear springs fitted. I notice a nice improvement in steering - better response, control and quicker turn-in. But the jolting, the kicking off small bumps, remains. It's never an issue with the 600 or the VFR (or my previous BMW R1100S, Honda Hornet, etc, etc). I've messed a little with damping on the new setup, but don't have much hope of improvement - seems same scenario as before, just better steering.
I was hoping with the K-Tech kit to get the bike to be what I hoped it might be - a bigger version of the CBR600 (2000 bike). What perfection that is - stable, predictable, focused, planted - all things the 929 has never been. It's felt at times simply dangerous and except in a straight line on smooth road always seems to need constant nursing. It's not a confidence-inspiring ride. At times I can't believe Honda issued such a machine. I wondered if I had a bad one - bad or incorrectly assembled forks but the fitter - one of the most respected suspension specialists in the UK - said all was correct with the standard setup.
When I said to the fitter I hoped for a larger version of the CBR600, he said the frame on the 929 is stiffer than on the 600, so now I'm wondering if that's it, that it's simply a harsh ride, no matter how you fettle the suspension, because the frame or geometry dictate it. I could go further, get an upgraded rear shock perhaps, but I think it will be a pointless waste of more money, because Honda's OEM suspension can't be that bad.
So, question is, does my problem lie with frame, geometry, fundamental design of the bike? It's a machine that doesn't seem to want to know that road I shake along every time I leave home.
What a pity - good power and such a useful underseat storage space!
So after months of fiddling around I got some aftermarket progressive springs (Hagon) to replace the Honda progressives - not much difference, perhaps marginally smoother ride, less jolting. But not enough, so more hours buggering around with fruitless preload and damping adjustment.
Last week I jumped and spent £400 getting K-Tech valve kit and correct weight linear springs fitted. I notice a nice improvement in steering - better response, control and quicker turn-in. But the jolting, the kicking off small bumps, remains. It's never an issue with the 600 or the VFR (or my previous BMW R1100S, Honda Hornet, etc, etc). I've messed a little with damping on the new setup, but don't have much hope of improvement - seems same scenario as before, just better steering.
I was hoping with the K-Tech kit to get the bike to be what I hoped it might be - a bigger version of the CBR600 (2000 bike). What perfection that is - stable, predictable, focused, planted - all things the 929 has never been. It's felt at times simply dangerous and except in a straight line on smooth road always seems to need constant nursing. It's not a confidence-inspiring ride. At times I can't believe Honda issued such a machine. I wondered if I had a bad one - bad or incorrectly assembled forks but the fitter - one of the most respected suspension specialists in the UK - said all was correct with the standard setup.
When I said to the fitter I hoped for a larger version of the CBR600, he said the frame on the 929 is stiffer than on the 600, so now I'm wondering if that's it, that it's simply a harsh ride, no matter how you fettle the suspension, because the frame or geometry dictate it. I could go further, get an upgraded rear shock perhaps, but I think it will be a pointless waste of more money, because Honda's OEM suspension can't be that bad.
So, question is, does my problem lie with frame, geometry, fundamental design of the bike? It's a machine that doesn't seem to want to know that road I shake along every time I leave home.
What a pity - good power and such a useful underseat storage space!