Decent suspension as standard
Discussion
TLDR; I'd like a non-sports or adventure middleweight bike with 'good' suspension, do they exist?
I see the majority of mainstream, run-of-the-mill bikes are sold with what is often referred to as 'basic' or 'budget' suspension. If you then want something bespoke and/or of a better quality you're looking at a few hundred pounds either end of the bike, which those who opt for it will say has transformed the experience (and I've no reason to doubt them).
Now, I'm interested in a new-to-me middleweight bike and would want it to be equipped with something that is not crying out for an upgrade. My boggo current setup is adjustable for preload front and rear and is OK around town, but buzzing along a B road is not a great experience. One complication is that I would not know where to start explaining what was bad from a technical point of view, eg. rebound/compression/damping.
Do any 500 - 900cc have a good ride for a lighter rider as standard? If not I'd look at upgrading the bike I have despite it looking like money down the drain come resale. I assume judging this is really down to test-rides.
ETA. apols for massive can of worms...
I see the majority of mainstream, run-of-the-mill bikes are sold with what is often referred to as 'basic' or 'budget' suspension. If you then want something bespoke and/or of a better quality you're looking at a few hundred pounds either end of the bike, which those who opt for it will say has transformed the experience (and I've no reason to doubt them).
Now, I'm interested in a new-to-me middleweight bike and would want it to be equipped with something that is not crying out for an upgrade. My boggo current setup is adjustable for preload front and rear and is OK around town, but buzzing along a B road is not a great experience. One complication is that I would not know where to start explaining what was bad from a technical point of view, eg. rebound/compression/damping.
Do any 500 - 900cc have a good ride for a lighter rider as standard? If not I'd look at upgrading the bike I have despite it looking like money down the drain come resale. I assume judging this is really down to test-rides.
ETA. apols for massive can of worms...
Edited by TheInternet on Tuesday 19th October 14:36
Street Triple RS springs to mind, but it's very focussed.
The other option, of course, is to buy something with relatively decent suspension and upgrade it further, for example with a Nitron shock and cartridge kit to suit your weight. At which point you could choose many different bikes.
The other option, of course, is to buy something with relatively decent suspension and upgrade it further, for example with a Nitron shock and cartridge kit to suit your weight. At which point you could choose many different bikes.
Krikkit said:
Street Triple RS springs to mind, but it's very focussed.
I’ll say it’s focused. One of reasons I sold mine was that the ride was so firm that I couldn’t actually see going down a bumpy road.The Showa bpfs on the front also made a really annoying twang over bumps.
Although I’ve now firmed it up the current generation sv650 has a decent ride. Not sophisticated by any means and it get ragged when worked hard but for just cruising around it’s good.
I found the forks in the 1050 speed triple rs gave a nice plush ride but the whole bike made me feel like cruising all the time. Didn’t find it exciting at all.
I haven’t ridden one but the KTM 890 R is supposed to have a great ride / handling compromise.
trickywoo said:
I’ll say it’s focused. One of reasons I sold mine was that the ride was so firm that I couldn’t actually see going down a bumpy road.
The Showa bpfs on the front also made a really annoying twang over bumps.
Disagree, I have a 2017 RS and for road use have it set in Comfort and it's all day comfy but still handles really well, track settings work well (unsurprisingly) on trackday. I have never in over 20k miles heard the BPFs 'twang' ever.The Showa bpfs on the front also made a really annoying twang over bumps.
A motorcycle workshop I've used offers a suspension tuning service where you sit on the bike and they set up the suspension for you.
Depending on your existing motorcycle there may be a proven solution with regard to springs, fork oil and rear shock.
You could buy a motorcycle that comes with blingy branded suspension straight out of the crate but if it's not been set up for you does it risk becoming a case of 'all the gear and no idea'?
Depending on your existing motorcycle there may be a proven solution with regard to springs, fork oil and rear shock.
You could buy a motorcycle that comes with blingy branded suspension straight out of the crate but if it's not been set up for you does it risk becoming a case of 'all the gear and no idea'?
It's not just about 'good suspension', it's about the 'right suspension'. Rarely are spring rates correct for everyone - and many bikes with adjustable damping have such a narrow range of adjustment to stop punters fooking the adjustment up by going too far and making the bike absolutely lethal.
My advice is just budget some more money, use a recognised suspension workshop and get the bike sprung, valved, and then most importantly set up afterwards. You can have all the fancy adjustment you like, but if the bike has no sag it'll ping you off the seat on every bump, before you've even started to set up damping.
Additionally, if you're not buying a brand new bike, the suspension will likely need servicing anyway unless it's very low mileage. Fork oil does degrade, OEM rear dampers generally go soggy very quickly as they're built down to a price (usually).
My advice is just budget some more money, use a recognised suspension workshop and get the bike sprung, valved, and then most importantly set up afterwards. You can have all the fancy adjustment you like, but if the bike has no sag it'll ping you off the seat on every bump, before you've even started to set up damping.
Additionally, if you're not buying a brand new bike, the suspension will likely need servicing anyway unless it's very low mileage. Fork oil does degrade, OEM rear dampers generally go soggy very quickly as they're built down to a price (usually).
My Svartpilen 701 has fully adjustable WP apex suspension and you can tell it's good quality kit. I had a test ride of the duke 790 when I was looking to buy and the 701 suspension felt a class above. I also recently tested a 765 RS and whilst the suspension is also good quality its definitely much firmer. I ride mainly bumpy B roads on the 701 and its perfect for that.
As above, I doubt there are any new bikes out there that wouldn't benefit from having spring-rates matching your rider weight.
Even top-end spec Ohlins fitted at the factory will have to fit a large rider weight-range, from 60kg to 120kg.
Buy aftermarket and it will be custom sprung to your weight. Obviously the more features on the aftermarket stuff, the more expensive it gets though. KTech razor R is a good compromise IMHO for price/features.
A good reason I guess to buy a new bike that is let down by its suspension as you could factor in approx £1k to get a new shock and front fork springs and cartridge kit.
Even top-end spec Ohlins fitted at the factory will have to fit a large rider weight-range, from 60kg to 120kg.
Buy aftermarket and it will be custom sprung to your weight. Obviously the more features on the aftermarket stuff, the more expensive it gets though. KTech razor R is a good compromise IMHO for price/features.
A good reason I guess to buy a new bike that is let down by its suspension as you could factor in approx £1k to get a new shock and front fork springs and cartridge kit.
Thanks for all the replies. It sounds like I need to make a judgement on whether to throw £800 at a <£4k (and first) bike, or upgrade the bike with a bit of budget on top for the suspension.
Taking the first option, is it madness to only work on one end of the bike at a time, or would a significant offset in spring rate front to rear create issues?
Any suggestions of places that can help set this stuff up in the vicinity of London would be welcome, otherwise I'll consider doing it myself.
Taking the first option, is it madness to only work on one end of the bike at a time, or would a significant offset in spring rate front to rear create issues?
Any suggestions of places that can help set this stuff up in the vicinity of London would be welcome, otherwise I'll consider doing it myself.
snagzie said:
I doubt there are any new bikes out there that wouldn't benefit from having spring-rates matching your rider weight.
Why is this not an option when buying new? I assume there's not that much in it for the manufacturers, and that most riders are ok with what they get or don't know any better. TheInternet said:
snagzie said:
I doubt there are any new bikes out there that wouldn't benefit from having spring-rates matching your rider weight.
Why is this not an option when buying new? I assume there's not that much in it for the manufacturers, and that most riders are ok with what they get or don't know any better. It wouldn't take much for a bike dealer to offer the custom spring and setup for a few hundred though, or even bundle it in with a new bike cost as a selling point.
...but then many people dont even bother to adjust what they have got...they just get on it and ride and its "good enough".
bogie said:
...but then many people dont even bother to adjust what they have got...they just get on it and ride and its "good enough".
^^^ This90% of the bikes I buy, the owners don't even know where the oil / water level is, let alone how to adjust the suspension - I can see why so many bikes aren't adjustable, why spend money when most owners don't care
KTMsm said:
90% of the bikes I buy, the owners don't even know where the oil / water level is, let alone how to adjust the suspension - I can see why so many bikes aren't adjustable, why spend money when most owners don't care
Yep. It's exceptionally rare for me to see the fork preload on anything but the 'default' setting on other bikes like mine. 
t at riding and wouldn't get the most out of it. The Monster/KTM/Husqs I could probably get on board with.TheInternet said:
KTMsm said:
90% of the bikes I buy, the owners don't even know where the oil / water level is, let alone how to adjust the suspension - I can see why so many bikes aren't adjustable, why spend money when most owners don't care
Yep. It's exceptionally rare for me to see the fork preload on anything but the 'default' setting on other bikes like mine. But seeing as the OP is after decent suspension, it *is* his bag.
Not saying manufacturers *should* provide decent suspension, but people paying extra for bike variants on better suspension isn't as great an idea as it sounds due to the spring rates installed.
It would be fantastic to be able to specify things like this, but again would come at a more of a cost, and probably a lot more than just going aftermarket if going by other non-standard extras are used as a basis (Akra cans costing £2.5k for example....)
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