•Too little pre-load can make the bike difficult to turn.
REAR REBOUND DAMPING
Increasing:
•Turn it up a little and the bike will be better-suited to
track days, but too much will cause it to run wide.
•Too much rear rebound will overload and chew up the rear
tyre when riding hard.
•It will also make the bike unstable, with the back end
kicking up over bumps.
Decreasing:
•Backing off the rear rebound damping too far will cause the
back of the bike to bounce around.
•It will also mean the rear tyre isn’t being worked hard
enough, so it will take longer to reach the optimum temperature for maximum
grip.
•Lower the rebound damping too much and the bike will push
the front end wide under power.
REAR COMPRESSION DAMPING
Increasing:
•This controls the rate at which the shock is squeezed –
wind it up too much and you’ll be bouncing out of the seat over bumps.
•Too much rear compression will put the tyre under too much
stress as you put the power down.
•Get it spot-on and the bike will track straighter and hold
a tighter line.
Decreasing:
•Back the rear compression off too much and the rear of the
bike will squat down, causing understeer.
•It will also cause the front tyre to go light. The result
is that you will run wide in corners.
•Wind it off too much and the bike will bottom-out over
bumpy roads and wallow around under power.
FRONT PRE-LOAD
Increasing:
•More pre-load stops the forks diving under braking but be
careful as too much makes the front more likely to lock up under heavy braking.
•It also pushes more weight on to the rear of the bike,
which gives better traction and allows you to get on the throttle harder in a
corner.
•Overdo it and the bike will not turn as well or as quickly
as there’s less weight on the front tyre.
Decreasing:
•This gives more sag at the front end and puts more weight
over the front tyre.
•You will achieve more feel from the front when turning in
to corners, especially under braking.
•Go too far and the forks will dive too much under braking.
You might even find yourself doing an accidental stoppie.
•Overdo it completely and the forks won’t compress quickly
enough, causing instability especially over bumpy roads.
Decreasing:
•Back the compression damping off and your bike will cope
with bumps better and use more of its travel to make things smoother.
•Turn it off too much and the front tyre will load up under
braking and the forks will move too freely.
•The forks may also skip over bumps rather than soaking them
up.