[SolaceRye]

I'm about 5'11'' and 160 lbs. Now, how do I know if the springs are right inside my fork, and what about my rear shock... how do I know they're correct? I'm kinda getting lost again on this whole shock suspension thing, man, I need to play with it, but I'm afraid to screw it up.

-Solace

 

[miraclegrau]

Solace, you worry WAY to much. The springs in your bike are fine. If you were, say 80lbs., or 350lbs+., then you might run into a problem. Unless you plan on hanging with Nicky Hayden in the corkscrew at Laguna Seca, you don't need to worry.
You might want to just adjust your suspension to your weight, and riding style. Set the sag to begin with, and then see how the bike feels. The thing to knowing how a bike feels is having the experience to know what it is doing, and what it should be doing.
I know what you are going through though. You just want to make sure that everything about your bike is perfect---It is! You have a 2003 R6, right? If you knew the millions of dollars that go into testing these bikes to ensure that they are awesome, you wouldn't worry so much.
Trust me, your bike is fine!! :mrgreen:
You can't screw your suspension up....unless you start yanking out springs, and whip out the hacksaw on the rear shock. If you want to play with the adjustments, write down where they are now, how many clicks out, and how many lines are showing. That way no matter how out of whack they might become, you can always put it back to where it was.

 

[R6GIRL]

NEW R6

I AM GIRL, I WEIGH 125 LBS AND I AM 5'5. DO YOU THINK THAT I WILL NEED TO LOWER TH EBIKE MUCH IF ANY?

 

[dj1298]

The only reasons I can think of for you to lower the bike are:

1.you can not reach the ground when sitting on the bike

2.You change your front tire to a 70 series or a tire with a much rounder profile than the stock Dunlops(Metzler, Pilot Sports, etc) Then only raise the fork tubes by about 10 mm in the triple trees.

3.You want to quicken the steering into turns. Need to think about getting a stearing damper too. As you raise the fork tubes in the triple tree the rake angle decreases, and the trail decrease causing a very twitchy front end.

4.Or you are drag racing. Then I would lower the tubes about 15-20mm and use straps to hold the forks compressed.


I have seen it posted here that lowering the bike properly will not change the handling of the bike. It will to some degree. The more you lower, the bigger the change. So unless you need to lower it for an above reason, I would leave factory setting alone.


-DJ1298

 

[Jeffsy]

SolaceRye all I can say to you is set your suspension sag (see link). Your stock springs should be adequate for road riding & occasional track day. The only time you need to change your springs is if your going to do mainly track days or race. Or your a bit on the "heavy" side.

http://www.r6-forum.com/nuke/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=39

 

[panago]

I recently rode a lowered 03 R6. The front and rear were adjusted and it felt to me like the bike did not flick from side to side as quick. It is just the impression i got but it is worth noting. I think several factors come into play when lowering the suspension and you need to decide if it is neccessary or not. :mrgreen: