SUSPENSION
Complete Motorcycles has now taken over M-Spec Suspension. Mark will continue to work along side us with future suspension developments. Completes Motorcycles services suspension, including complete suspension disassembly, cleaning and inspection to customising valving and spring rates to suit individual suspension needs.
Suspension plays a huge role in the overall feel of your bike; the way it handles and your confidence on the track. Underperforming suspension affects every aspect of your bikes performance. Braking, acceleration, taking off, landing, stability and cornering – not to mention arm pump and overall rider fatigue and comfort – are all heavily influenced by the performance of your suspension.
Motorcycles are sent to us with suspension settings designed to suit a wide variety of riders weights and abilities. Whether you are 65kg to 95kgs, a novice or pro level rider, you can purchase a bike from a dealers showroom and take it out and ride it. The disadvantage being that in most cases the bike will have an poor ride quality effecting the riding experience and safety.
Over and above the base set up we also offer trackside assistance to fine tune your suspension characteristics tayloring specifically to you. If this is something you are interested in give our Motorbike mechanic/ technician a call!
SETTING SAG
Measurement A: First Measurement
Place the bike on a stand, wheels unweighted. If you do not own a SAG scale use a measuring tape. Use a piece of race tape and fix the end of the measuring tape to the rear fender so the same point is used everytime. Measure down to an accurate point on the rear axel nut. Record this as measurement A.
Measurement B:
Have the rider gear up, remove the bike off the stand. Whilst one person holds the handle bars have the rider sit in a normal riding position and bounce on the seat to settle the bike. Record this measurement to the same point on the axel.
Measurement C:
With the bike off the stand and the rider off the bike push down on the back end and let the bike come up by itself. Measure to the same point on the axel and record as C/1.
Now lift the rear of the bike and let it settle. Measure the same point to the axel and record as C/2.
Now add C/1 and C/2 together and divide by 2. This is your true and accurate measurement of C. If you have any more than 5mm between C/1 and C/2 chances are your linkages require servicing.
LEAKING FORK SEALS
Mostly they leak because they have a foriegn object lodged between the seal lip and fork leg, holding the seal open and allowing oil to leak out. Usually this is dirt or mud.
As modern forks grow in diameter to increase rigidity we also see an increase in seal drag due to the increased surface area. This additional drag creates unwanted harshness due to additional stiction.
In order to reduce the unwanted stiction the modern seals have less tension against the actual fork leg. As the forks flex the seals are stressed and any dirt on the fork tube may get passed the primary seal lip.
A common form of stress to the fork tube is caused by the break rotor, as you apply the break there is a rotational torque applied to the wheel opposing its natural momentum. The force creates stress to the fork leg which can stress the seals and create leaks. Hense the reason why most leaks occur on the break side first.
Another common problem is due to the forks bottoming and injecting the dirt sitting on the fork leg underneath the seals. Be sure to clean fork tubes between rides.
Last but not least, if you have seals that continually leak after repair and you are using OEM seals chances are your bushings are worn.
SUSPENSION MAINTENANCE
To maintain optimum performance of your suspension routine maintenance is required.
We recommend servicing your suspension every 25 to 30 hours.
Oil over time gradually breaks down and is contaminated with swarf, moisture and gasification. This results in a loss of damping control especially when hot and if left over a period of time will cause increased wear on all suspension components.
Your linkage, swing arm and steering bearings should also be part of the routine maintenance schedule being an integral part of the way your suspension and bike perform. If you use a high pressure washer or continually ride in mud the service intervals will be shorter.
All of these bearings should be disassembled, cleaned and degreased every 15 to 20 hrs with the lower shock bearing being at least every 3 to 5 hours. The lower shock bearing has the most load and therefore requires constant attention.
