bike set up
 

I'm final starting to understand all about this, snetterton showed up a few places where my bike felt weak. So I would like to look into servicing my shocks or finding something better. I'd also like to look at servicing the brake callipers. As I’ve not got any money at all now I'm just looking into what can be done and what id get from it. This has all been highlighted for me in this week MCN as they got an old bike to go real fast just by working on set up. I haven’t messed with the shock all season, as I didn’t understand what I wanted from them. Now I’ve been racing for a bit I think I can understand the changes if I made some. An advice would be fantastic and who to talk to would be good to.

p.s. some idea of cost as well.

Dom I don't think you can go too wrong by getting in touch with Ktec in Coalville. This is just down the road from donington and does quite a bit of work to both BSB and BSS bikes. He's also very reasonable

any contact details

Some bloke called Rich who works at Louigi Moto set my bike up, so you could ring him ;)

01761 453366

He may even have some second hand bits, or do an exchange with your stuff for some reconditioned items - that would be cheaper than buying new.

See what he says.

My bike goes OK ;)

Well, it did...

Sorry Dom I've no details at them moment, but will look into it tomorrow. I bet someone will be along b4 then with the info. I do know that Pedro has recentley had his forks re-shimmed and set up by Ktec, Ill se if he's got his details.

Contact K-Tech
For further information, support, or guidance simply contact
a member of our team;

Unit 1 Forest Court Linden Way,
Coalville Leicestershire LE67 3JY

Telephone : 01530 810625

Fax ; 01530 832061

Email : sales@k-tech.uk.com

www.k-tech.uk.com


Dom,

They fitted the 20mm cartidges and fitted a kit making the shock like new with springs and damping to suite me on my R1, making it handle like a new bike. Have a chat with Chris, he really knows what he's talking about, although there isnt that much you can do to the forks but the shock can be replaced or re-built on the 583. I run a 750ss shock.

Andy

You changed it then
it had a 750SSie shock on it when i sold it to you, those extra few mm in length make all the difference

Funny Kev, that's just what the missus says. ;)

Just make sure that his . . .
 

so called "ohlins specialist" goes NOWHERE near your bike!!!!

Khushy

Sorry Dom,

I'm not convinced on your diagnosis? What is the problem?

We have on #10:
Shocks - KTech - ask them to set up for track only.
Rear Shock - Ktech service - Use a longer, IE set up, get it set for your weight etc.
Brakes - use them less...or get them serviced and a decent set of pads.

I'm not a techy, but I get the impression people mess with their bikes too much, especially 583?, just get on and ride it! I've not changed anything on my bike all season, changed the oil once!

I know I'm not a good example from the weekend.

Andy was carrying loads more corner entry speed than me, so thats for me to practice, no need to spend money on the bike.

IMHO.

Yep, totally agree Chris.

My rear shock is the 750ssie one Kev fitted to the bike when I brought it. The settings are full damping and re-bound, never changed them! Everything else, standard newer forks and brakes.

I feel I have jelled with it and adapted to how it handles. It actually out-handles my 900ssie which has had thousands spent on it, so I suggest you check the obvious, sort a longer shock/get k-tech to service it (if you aren't running one) and go ride.

Andy

Dom

I run a STD 900SS shock that has not been re-worked or re-conditioned...!! the forks are bog std with no work done on them at all...the brakes are std just cleaned and pads chanded regularly...2 sets a year..!!

I cant push the bike to its limit in std 49.2 bhp form as it stands.!......

You just have to ride em dude...and work on your riding etc ..... its been said by Chris and i agree and this is applicable to both 620 and 583...Just go rode em..sure of it feels wrong change it but other than that ....ride ..!!

Its not the tool its the rider..................

HTH

Phil

is that your racing advice or your chat up line Kev? :)

My bike has the standard 600ss rear shock[although it did measure the same as my 900ie shock] set up as per the factory handbook!
The front forks i have never touched but they are alot softer than my road bikes.
I run road tyre pressures to. IF it ain,t broke don,t fix it i say.

Brakes, well ive had the lot.No brakes at Castle Combe,locked front in the wet at Donny...........like my new set up though Brembo radial mcyl[more for piece of mind after Combe] and Pfm pads.

If in doubt flat out the 583 motto.......unless its the last lap.......in the lead...........sigh!!!!!!!!!

I found I couldn’t ride through the boom hole flat out as I was convinced the rear shock was at its limit. After riding Alans bike #36 at cadwell the front end just felt so much more stable on corner entry and on the brakes you could feel what the front was doing, with mine it real hard to know what the front is doing and if you have to make a change in the corner the bike bounces about. I know Iv not changed any thing to do with this area yet and I feel I'm pushing the bike to its limit now and I’m finding that the suspensions not keeping up with me.

i know mate but this is an area i real want to understand and lean about

Understand and learn what m8.?

Surely Dom needs to feel comfortable on his bike first before he starts to worry about going really fast? His shock may be fuxxored for all we know, so I'd recommend that the least you do is get it serviced and setup with a spring to suit you - so at least you know that it's working as it should and the adjusters are going to have an effect!

thats the thing i have no idea if there working properly the bikes over 12 years old and no ones ever touched them

k-tech doent want to know so any others

I used Racing Lines in Derby:
http://www.racinglines.co.uk/

(and I still have my old shock for sale...;))

how does it feel...? wot is the bike doing in the corners or under brakes etc.?

He said up there ^^ that it was all over the place!

Check the set up on the bike Dom, compare to others, clip ons and rear sets suspension/fork height, Eric changed his at Cadwell after looking at others, very happy. etc.

Speak with Baines, or go and visit them, pay an hour of their time and get it set up properly.

Sure the feel has to be right, but don't over think it?!

Under brakes the bike dives and real up sets the turning in so have to be progressive with the brakes and load the front and then if you let go of the brakes before you get to the apex it up sets the bike and run off line. So to keep the line you want to just let go before the apex and run the risk of low side. If you do all you braking before the corner the bike sits up as you want to turn in and it real hard to move the bike. Out of corners the bike sits on the rear and a few time its hit its limit and spun up. And after a few laps the back skips around a lot. I hope I’ve explained it fil2 as I say I've not had to deal with these problem and I feel like I'm trying to ride around them and not fix them or try any thing new.

I think what I’m trying to say is the front end doesn’t feel stable and there seems to be a lot of travel in the suspension and its up setting how the bike turns.

With other bikes iv ridden around the track the bikes feels planted in a corner and you feel the front end working not bouncing around like what mine does.

things iv tryed so far is to drop the front and raise the rear and set it to hardest it will go. iv also moved the clip on out a bit. i did this for cc and the bike turned a lot eayer and the bike also felt a bit better out of the corner.

i also put a set of rear sets on at donnington and the bike felt better in corners i think thats because i had more weight over the front end

What you seem to be describing are the symtoms of poor damping. There are a number of quick fixes previously detailed by others but the real problem lies with budget o/e suspension. The good stuff, IMHO, is worth every penny but try the fixes as more often than not suspension is all personal opinion and feel.
I mess about all the time, never go much quicker, but improving the feel of the bike gives the confidence to try.
Good luck.

As above, sounds like your damping isn't good enough - the same problem I had with those Marzocchi forks.

Speak to Racing Lines as they came up with a good solution for mine and should be able to do the same for yours.

excelent people he real understood what i was talking about and he real thinks he can make a huge difference to my bike. he asked me to talk about the corners where i felt it was worse and for what didnt sound to much he could service it all and recomend any changes

You probably spoke to Clive - he's the main guy and former 250GP racer. He also does the ACU training days as well. Knows his stuff and his work is good, so I'm sure he'll sort you out.

And you still got your shock for sale right...!


LOL

Borrocks, you're right!

wot is it again.?

'just ride it' is advice that is useless if you don't like how a bike feels. Regardless of set up it's how it feels to you that makes you go fast on it. This is why magazine or other peoples set ups are pointless. You need to figure out what is wrong and work from there. If you can't say what is wrong then no one can help. The only advice to give is return everything to standard, all settings and fork oil type and level. In standard trim bikes are made to suit a large percentage of riders. Once it's in this trim try and suss out what you don't like if anything about it.

Best advice I've seen here.
Working from a standard set up see what it is you dont like about it and work on one thing at a time. Dont change too much in one go or you wont know what it is thats giving you the changed feel of the bike, you may make a change to the front that upsets the rear or vice versa. The first thing I did to the 583 monster was set it onm max preload (to comenaste for the weight it had to carry), then I had to jack up the rear to max on the loop arm, and when that didnt give me the turn in I wanted I had an inch extra welded in to the bottom of the loop arm. I then found I was decking out the pegs real easy without hitting the edge of the tyres and I was using all the travel of the forks under max braking, so put a thick nut under the head of the spring retainers and it felt almost spot on. Sure I could have gone to a specialist and paid good money for a good job, but in the real world I didnt have that money to spend so worked with what I had. You can too, just work on one thing at a time and try it out.

Clogger,

Maybe two ways to go about this and a load in between.

1. Get the bike in top condition as per standard, new oil and seals and maybe new springs. set to standard. and work from that point.

2. Chuck some cash at it and buy the best stuff the rules allow.

The cash unlimited option is maybe not reasonable so do the stuff that it realtivelely cheap to sort out the standard issue stuff to get it as good as you can.

There are still quite few variable you can fiddle with cheaply. Document every thing so you know where you started, what you changed and so on. If you think you have gone wrong you can back track.

Racing is about confidence i.e. knowing that the thing is gonna stick to the track and "feel"

If you need someone nearer home maybe try www.reactivesuspension.co.uk they are on the far side of York. (maybe not that near then!)

Ray

here's a basic guide on suspension set up that i wrote a little while ago. you might find it handy, you might not, but no harm in giving it a quick read anyway...
trouty's suspension guide

Wayhey!!!!!

You finally got your arse in here :D

Mines a can of wifebeater (as Otei so kindly put it)

Good to see you at the weekend too.

;)

a whole can?? hope that's going to be shared :)
dont know about everyone else, but i managed to get sunburnt on sunday!

i got to ride a ducati for first time as well, allbeit up the paddock about 20ft, turn it round and back to the van... it felt, umm, different....

anyways, great riding from everyone, great to see such a well filled grid with close racing throughout

ya never know, u might get the pleasure of my attendance again sometime... ;)

All sounds a bit fishy to me.

Badoom tssshhh!