AT LAST it handles

[lonner]

got to say getting this busa to handle in a fashion i like (similar to my gsxr 1000 k1) has been a mission

however after much fiddling ive finally cracked it !!!!!

the rear oe shock is fitted with a schrader valve and its under the chrome cap so you can change the oil and re gas it

i fitted a hagon shock but that was just to dam soft so sold that.

what ive done for set up

fitted 25mm riser dog bones as this bike just turns to slow on stock design.

front end got 1 kg springs and 5w full synth oil (ill fit 1.1's next year or when a seal goes for 32mm sag)

set the forks to 1 line preload showing, rebound 2 out and comp at 7 out which suits my 190lbs ive got 36mm rider sag now (instead of the oe 48mm lol)

rear shock serviced and set pretty much to jinksters set up 20mm of thread showing and rebound at 10 comp at 7.

went for a good ride today and wow i love the corners again !!! and just about seen off the chicken strips.

other thing i found was the head race bearings were too tight (poor servicing i think) so backed them off a tad and that cured the wandering at low speed.

i nearly got shut of this bike after 2 weeks as i was shocked at how bad it handled when i got it and no matter what i did it was just awful and thought what have i bought


happy as a pig in well you know the rest


happy days

 

[JINKSTER]

Way2go..the fat lady can dance the asphalt ballet with the best of'em when she's set up right and has an accomplished dance partner!

 

[lonner]

Way2go..the fat lady can dance the asphalt ballet with the best of'em when she's set up right and has an accomplished dance partner!

sure can jinks and your jinkster attacks suspension post was very helpful indeed in getting to the bottom of this issue

 

[IG.]

Sounds great! With your new more aggressive geometry don't forget to mod your damper - either put heavier oil, or replace with an aftermarket one - to avoid possible tankslapper.

 

[lonner]

Sounds great! With your new more aggressive geometry don't forget to mod your damper - either put heavier oil, or replace with an aftermarket one - to avoid possible tankslapper.

yes i did that as i thought that might be causing the low speed wander .

i put 15w in it as the oil in there was very thin or rather hydrated etc but its fine now

 

[IG.]

yes i did that as i thought that might be causing the low speed wander .

i put 15w in it as the oil in there was very thin or rather hydrated etc but its fine now

You are the man mate! Enjoy your ride!

However, I would say 15W oil is too thin for the damper. You gotta put 40w or 50W regular oil (or 80W or 90W gear oil which is the same viscosity respectfully). I personally put 90W gear oil in. I ride when it's below freezing as well and have no issues. I actually put the damper in the freezer (about -20C), and I could still move the damper with my bare hands when I took it out later - although the resistance increase was noticeable.

 

[lonner]

You are the man mate! Enjoy your ride!

However, I would say 15W oil is too thin for the damper. You gotta put 40w or 50W regular oil (or 80W or 90W gear oil which is the same viscosity respectfully). I personally put 90W gear oil in. I ride when it's below freezing as well and have no issues. I actually put the damper in the freezer (about -20C), and I could still move the damper with my bare hands when I took it out later - although the resistance increase was noticeable.

got to say even giving it some so the front goes light its stable bar what id expect in that condition.

i dont want stiff bars at all but ill see how it goes on oil weight as ill be riding in a more geronimo fashion now the dam thing turns .

thanks for the info IG i appreciate that and will no doubt be tinkering some more . i do like tinkering

 

[IG.]

got to say even giving it some so the front goes light its stable bar what id expect in that condition.

i dont want stiff bars at all but ill see how it goes on oil weight as ill be riding in a more geronimo fashion now the dam thing turns .

thanks for the info IG i appreciate that and will no doubt be tinkering some more . i do like tinkering

Well, a while back I overlooked the damper mod and was riding for a long time with no issues. One day I was riding on the track in the rain, and all was well. Going over a small elevation change at about 110 - 120, the front got light and because in the rain the traction is reduced it turned a little bit too far. A moment later when the front got all the weight back and regained traction, it was a tad not straight. This caused a chain reaction resulting in a tankslapper that very few experienced. This was not a headshake which many confuse with a tankslapper. Imagine a giant lifting you in the air, shaking you a bit, and then throwing on the ground - all that at about 110 - and you get to realize what I experienced.

So, the point I am trying to make is that the main purpose of the damper to prevent a tankslapper which starts suddenly or grows out of a headshake. Most other headshake subside thanks to the bike's geometry.

 

[lonner]

Well, a while back I overlooked the damper mod and was riding for a long time with no issues. One day I was riding on the track in the rain, and all was well. Going over a small elevation change at about 110 - 120, the front got light and because in the rain the traction is reduced it turned a little bit too far. A moment later when the front got all the weight back and regained traction, it was a tad not straight. This caused a chain reaction resulting in a tankslapper that very few experienced. This was not a headshake which many confuse with a tankslapper. Imagine a giant lifting you in the air, shaking you a bit, and then throwing on the ground - all that at about 110 - and you get to realize what I experienced.

So, the point I am trying to make is that the main purpose of the damper to prevent a tankslapper which starts suddenly or grows out of a headshake. Most other headshake subside thanks to the bike's geometry.

hmm thats a proper one lol scary i had a lockstop breaker a few years ago on a fz750 at a fair lick and that caused me severe incontinence lol

so if i go 40w oil that will be fine then (i dont do track days on bikes like this) and the uk is full of speed cams so big speeds are not that common!!

the busa is very stable at high speed my issues were more 30mph to 90mph area which seems to be fine now with the quicker steering and stiffer better supported front end.

ill probably fit taper head bearings too as that also works well on these big bikes.

 

[skydivr]

Way beyond my meager technical knowledge.

 

[lonner]

Way beyond my meager technical knowledge.

if you want to po yours in the post ill do it for you

 

[fastblackblur]

Yes they do handle much better once you raise the rears up and set the sag. I'm using 1 inch raising links in the rear and have never had a hint of instability. I've thrown her through some corners pretty good for street riding but nothing compared to what I do to bikes on the track.

I am currently using stock unmodified dampers on all of my bikes and have never felt the need to fool with the dampers. I still haven't made up my mind if I even like them on the bike or not.

 

[lonner]

Yes they do handle much better once you raise the rears up and set the sag. I'm using 1 inch raising links in the rear and have never had a hint of instability. I've thrown her through some corners pretty good for street riding but nothing compared to what I do to bikes on the track.

I am currently using stock unmodified dampers on all of my bikes and have never felt the need to fool with the dampers. I still haven't made up my mind if I even like them on the bike or not.

yes that's how mine feels !! but got the front springs done

i never had a damper on the 12r or the blackbird or my rc51 just the suzukis seem to have them and ive not had a head shake on any (touch wood) only bikes ive done a dance with are my old kh250 and an yamaha fz750

 

[JINKSTER]

yes that's how mine feels !! but got the front springs done

i never had a damper on the 12r or the blackbird or my rc51 just the suzukis seem to have them and ive not had a head shake on any (touch wood) only bikes ive done a dance with are my old kh250 and an yamaha fz750

HeadShake: It's been my experience that the primary cause/reason for "headshake" is the steering head bearings being adjusted too loose.

Tankslapper: It's been my experience that the primary cause/reason for "tankslappers" is rider induced..too much counter-steering input by the rider which in turn fights the natural profile of the tires and their respective contact patches and this happens when the rider gets reluctant to just lean further and trys to make up for the lack of lean with excessive counter-steering input..a good clue/tip-off that a rider has a tendency to do this is "excessive front tire cupping"...just say'in.

 

[Spkrdctr]

Is the steering dampener the same on the 2008 and newer bikes the same as the one on the BKing? I'd like to put new oil in mine but don't know where to start. Anyone have a point by point post of how to do it? What tools are needed? I'd like to put 50W oil in mine and see how it works. IG, Jinkster?

 

[JINKSTER]

Is the steering dampener the same on the 2008 and newer bikes the same as the one on the BKing? I'd like to put new oil in mine but don't know where to start. Anyone have a point by point post of how to do it? What tools are needed? I'd like to put 50W oil in mine and see how it works. IG, Jinkster?

sorry..i'm with lonner here...i've never screwed with my oem factory steering damper..just havent felt the need to and truth be known?..if i ever did screw with it?..it would probably come off and stay off..some guys like that heavy oil hydraulic feel to their steering jst because "It feels Different"..where to me?..Dampers "DAMP" the feeling of my steering and i dont care for that..i wanna "FEEL" whats going on with my steering...i wanna "FEEL" connected...i bet some of these rocket scientist that have dumped 90w Gear Oil in their steering damper could possibly have loose steering head bearings and they're NOT FEELING IT cause their steering is so "DAMPED"...also?..over the years i've heard more than one horror story where riders who had put heavy gear oil in their oem steering dampers and wound up with sticky/heavy steering in cold climates..it's just not for me..i've also heard some say that when they pulled their non-modded stock oem dampers off that their movement was extremely free..like they werent even working..seals wore..juice leaked out...whatever...put too heavy of an oil in there and i can see where you could blow the seals..it's really nothing to screw with other than to remove it completely as far as i'm concerned..dampers have never saved anyone from a tankslapper but i bet they've hidden problems (like loose steering head bearings) that have ultimately caused them as had they not been there?..the rider would've gotten a heads up that his teering head bearings needed adjusting long before he suffered a tankslapper..so?..i'm out. LOL!