Our sales director John rides a 2013 CBR1000RR Fireblade which he absolutely loves! However, having access to Honda trained technicians means that he does like to have an occasional tinker with the bike so it is set up perfectly for him. Recently John decided it was time for the suspension to be tailored to suit him personally so he booked the bike into the workshop to have it sorted.
 |
| Measuring the travel on the front end |
The first thing Mitch, our diagnostic technician, did was to measure the travel on the front and rear of the bike with the wheels off the ground so there was no weight on the suspension. After jotting down these measurements it was time to get John to sit on the bike. The measurements were taken again in the same place and Mitch was then able to work out the equations to see how far the preload was out for John’s weight. It turns out the front was too soft and the rear was too hard.
When the front end is too soft it compresses too quickly which can make the front end feel vague. Mitch adjusted the compression on the front forks to suit John then turned his attention to the back of the bike. The rear suspension was too hard. This means that the bike doesn’t get enough traction under acceleration and can cause wheel spinning. When Mitch had adjusted the rear suspension so it was suitable for John he checked his previous measurements again to make sure his adjustments were correct.
 |
| Measuring with John sat on the bike |
The next step was to sort out the rebound. The front rebound controls how quickly the bike comes back up after being compressed by braking or cornering and affects the weight transfer on corner entry and exit. To change the rate of rebound Mitch adjusted it by turning a screwdriver in the adjusters on top of the forks and counting the required amount of clicks. The rear rebound gives you traction by keeping the rear wheel in contact with the road surface. When the rear rebound is too hard it can cause loss of traction. Mitch adjusted the shock using the C spanner included in the bikes original tool kit.
 |
| Adjusting the front forks |
Finally, John sat on the bike once again for all of the measurements to be checked one last time. When Mitch was satisfied that everything had gone well John was able to take the bike out for a test ride. When he got back the grin on his face was enough to tell us that even the slight adjustments that were made had enhanced his enjoyment of the bike.
 |
| Adjusting the rear shock |
You can book your bike into our workshops to have your suspension tailored to your own needs. It only takes about an hour and can really improve the feel of your bike. The original settings on all Honda motorcycles are really good. Honda has spent a lot of money and time on research so your new bike has the best set up for the average person. We all know that no biker is average so getting your bike set up to suit you is an affordable luxury that is an investment in your future riding pleasure!!
