I am new to the whole track experience and just was wondering if anyone had any advice on the best suspension set-up for the price would be to go with. I would rather start with suspension first and then get the rest of the go fast goodies. I have an 07 GSXR 600. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks
Best Track Suspension for the price
- Thread starter GSXR07
- Start date
I have found the Dave Moss DVD's to be very helpfull. There are some links to some PDF files on the follwoing website.
http://www.feelthetrack.com/tuning_guide.htm
Pretty comprehensive.....
http://www.feelthetrack.com/tuning_guide.htm
Pretty comprehensive.....
sobottka
New Member
yes- you'll need help if you arn't experienced. see you're nesba trackside service provider for help.
btw- you can expect to spend about $2000 for the set-up I reccomended and it would be competitive at least through expert level racing, kd83's advice would cost about half and work well for track days.
btw- you can expect to spend about $2000 for the set-up I reccomended and it would be competitive at least through expert level racing, kd83's advice would cost about half and work well for track days.
Joe Vital
Member
What NESBA group are you riding in? How much do you weigh?
It is likely that your bike has more than adequate suspension for riding track days, with out spending lots of money.
Have you had your sag set? This will tell you if you need springs and springs are, in my opinion the basis for a well sorted out bike.
Once you have the sag set then you can start fiddling around with the compression and rebound adjustments. It has been my experience that reading the service manual and using the standard settings gives a good place to start.
There is no need to go out and immediately spend a substantial amount of money on your bike's suspension. Use the money for track time and tires.
Hope this helps.
It is likely that your bike has more than adequate suspension for riding track days, with out spending lots of money.
Have you had your sag set? This will tell you if you need springs and springs are, in my opinion the basis for a well sorted out bike.
Once you have the sag set then you can start fiddling around with the compression and rebound adjustments. It has been my experience that reading the service manual and using the standard settings gives a good place to start.
There is no need to go out and immediately spend a substantial amount of money on your bike's suspension. Use the money for track time and tires.
Hope this helps.
Todd Stinson
New Member
Joe beat me to it........................
You won't be outriding the stock suspension on a new 600 right away. Sure a high dollar set-up is nice, but you certainly don't need it if you are just starting out on the track. The suspension on the modern 600's is very good right out of the box. If you are a heavy guy, just swapping out the fork springs for a stiffer rate can make a big difference.
As long as you can get your sag reasonably set with the stock stuff, meaning you weigh under 200 pounds, spend you money on track time.
You won't be outriding the stock suspension on a new 600 right away. Sure a high dollar set-up is nice, but you certainly don't need it if you are just starting out on the track. The suspension on the modern 600's is very good right out of the box. If you are a heavy guy, just swapping out the fork springs for a stiffer rate can make a big difference.
Todd Stinson
New Member
:doh: I hate it when that happens
I am pretty much in the same boat as you. I have done quite a bit of reading, just trying to absorb everything I can on suspension. My problem now, is that I am more well read than have any real world experience.
Last year I purchased a ’08 R6 with the intention of getting more involved in track days and giving up the street entirely. I recently priced out doing a Penske revalve in the forks and a Penske triple clicker for the shock. I knew it would be expensive, but I still had some sticker shock. Everything I have read on forums says, suspension should come before any other go fast goodies. Even though the factory stock suspension is built to a price point and is engineered to compromise a wide range of users, I have a ways to go before I will exploit what came stock on the bike. I just do not have the budget to upgrade the suspension stuff right now. I am trying to get outfitted just to get my bike to the track. I purchased all of the riding gear last year. Purchased the bike stands and new tires this year. Now I am saving up for a trailer. Once that is done, I can start participating in more track days. Next will be track plastics. After the plastics go on and I gain confidence and speed and find I just cannot go any faster on the stock suspension, it will be time to install new components.
The first thing you will want to do with stock suspension is make sure you can achieve the proper sag numbers with stock springs. A general ballpark is 32-38 mm for the forks and 28-32 for the shock. This is a range you can be in.
I have been told that the most important thing is to make sure the bike is sprung for your weight. Once that is done, the valving can work. If your springs are topped out because you’re too light or crunched way down because you’re too heavy, the valving cannot work properly.
I am sure you can connect with someone at the track just to help you establish sag and a baseline setting.
Good Luck!
Last year I purchased a ’08 R6 with the intention of getting more involved in track days and giving up the street entirely. I recently priced out doing a Penske revalve in the forks and a Penske triple clicker for the shock. I knew it would be expensive, but I still had some sticker shock. Everything I have read on forums says, suspension should come before any other go fast goodies. Even though the factory stock suspension is built to a price point and is engineered to compromise a wide range of users, I have a ways to go before I will exploit what came stock on the bike. I just do not have the budget to upgrade the suspension stuff right now. I am trying to get outfitted just to get my bike to the track. I purchased all of the riding gear last year. Purchased the bike stands and new tires this year. Now I am saving up for a trailer. Once that is done, I can start participating in more track days. Next will be track plastics. After the plastics go on and I gain confidence and speed and find I just cannot go any faster on the stock suspension, it will be time to install new components.
The first thing you will want to do with stock suspension is make sure you can achieve the proper sag numbers with stock springs. A general ballpark is 32-38 mm for the forks and 28-32 for the shock. This is a range you can be in.
I have been told that the most important thing is to make sure the bike is sprung for your weight. Once that is done, the valving can work. If your springs are topped out because you’re too light or crunched way down because you’re too heavy, the valving cannot work properly.
I am sure you can connect with someone at the track just to help you establish sag and a baseline setting.
Good Luck!
rk97
Member
at the risk of sounding like a jealous, rude, ass:
for people concerned with "budget" for your suspension, you sure have nice, new, expensive-ass bikes.
:saythat:
sell the '07 and '08 rides, and buy someone else's '05 with all the suspension stuff already installed. Then pay Joe, or Turn One, or whoever else to set it up for your weight, and buy 20 trackdays with the other $4000 you'll have left over.
or if you really want to keep your current bike, turn 1 does suspension setup for under $100. new fork springs are about $100. A new spring for your stock rear shock is only about $100 too. thicker oil might be necessary as well. for around $350, you should end up with a pretty capable setup for your weight. that's not improving any components, but it's ensuring that what you've got works as well as it can.
www.racetech.com
for people concerned with "budget" for your suspension, you sure have nice, new, expensive-ass bikes.
:saythat:
sell the '07 and '08 rides, and buy someone else's '05 with all the suspension stuff already installed. Then pay Joe, or Turn One, or whoever else to set it up for your weight, and buy 20 trackdays with the other $4000 you'll have left over.
or if you really want to keep your current bike, turn 1 does suspension setup for under $100. new fork springs are about $100. A new spring for your stock rear shock is only about $100 too. thicker oil might be necessary as well. for around $350, you should end up with a pretty capable setup for your weight. that's not improving any components, but it's ensuring that what you've got works as well as it can.
www.racetech.com
Fastguy
Member
I would strongly recommend that you go to the track with what you have! Period. Don't get caught up in the idea that you have to have the latest revalved this or that at the track. Because in the end, at especially at the track day level, it's not about the bike, it's the rider!
You have an '07 Gixxer, if I were you I would spend that money on track time. This advice come from a person who has done about 5 track days total over 2 seasons. Learn the bike that you have before you begin to plunk money into it. Build your track time.
Check out my steed!
You have an '07 Gixxer, if I were you I would spend that money on track time. This advice come from a person who has done about 5 track days total over 2 seasons. Learn the bike that you have before you begin to plunk money into it. Build your track time.
Check out my steed!
I can vouch for the stock stuff being more than adequate. My suspension hasn't been touched since the dealership floor, and it's gotten me to the back half of I group.
Meat
Member
Put a zip tie on your fork to see if you are using the full travel and get yourself to the track. You may not turn or brake hard enough to need bigger springs right away. Motorcycle schools like California Superbike School, Freddie Spencer, etc run totally stock suspension on their student bikes. Keep that in mind before you start shelling out serious cash for upgrades.
I would take off your mirrors, tape up your blinkers and go to the track. You should be just fine. There is plenty of time to max out your credit card for your track addiction.
I would take off your mirrors, tape up your blinkers and go to the track. You should be just fine. There is plenty of time to max out your credit card for your track addiction.
Sklossmonster
New Member
Something critcal to consider in this discussion of "stock" versus "aftermarket" suspension which is all too often totally overlooked in conversations like this one:
Throwing the word "stock" around without saying what year, model, model of the bike, and especially how heavy the rider is (140 lb versus 220 lb) is a big mistake. Not to mention how many miles are on the "stock" suspension in question.
One guy may weigh 150 lb, and have a brand new '08 GSXR, which you can get the right sag numbers on, and set up reasonably well if you know what you're doing.
Properly ajusted, that bike could take you into the Advanced group.
On the other hand is a 210 lb guy with an '03 GSXR with 10,000 miles on the "stock" suspension, which back then was way softer than they are today.
That bike will put its rider on his head long before they get to the front of the Intermediate group.
Both these suspensions are "stock" but they couldn't be more different situations for the two riders.
At Turn One Racing, we set up suspensions all the time, some stock, some aftermarket, and you absolutely must consider these variables when making decisions, especially when your life is on the line.
Yes, I sell aftermarket suspension service and components, but when I work with a customer, and his stock forks have adequate valving, and the sag setting we perform shows the springs are adequate for his weight, I tell them they don't need aftermarket forks. Just refresh them with oil and seals every off-season.
And when a guy comes to me and he needs totally different springs for his weight, the clickers are all the way in and the bike is still bouncing like a basketball, and the forks have 10K miles on them, I tell him not to risk crashing by pushing his personal limits on a racetrack until he resprings and revalves his front forks.
Throwing the word "stock" around without saying what year, model, model of the bike, and especially how heavy the rider is (140 lb versus 220 lb) is a big mistake. Not to mention how many miles are on the "stock" suspension in question.
One guy may weigh 150 lb, and have a brand new '08 GSXR, which you can get the right sag numbers on, and set up reasonably well if you know what you're doing.
Properly ajusted, that bike could take you into the Advanced group.
On the other hand is a 210 lb guy with an '03 GSXR with 10,000 miles on the "stock" suspension, which back then was way softer than they are today.
That bike will put its rider on his head long before they get to the front of the Intermediate group.
Both these suspensions are "stock" but they couldn't be more different situations for the two riders.
At Turn One Racing, we set up suspensions all the time, some stock, some aftermarket, and you absolutely must consider these variables when making decisions, especially when your life is on the line.
Yes, I sell aftermarket suspension service and components, but when I work with a customer, and his stock forks have adequate valving, and the sag setting we perform shows the springs are adequate for his weight, I tell them they don't need aftermarket forks. Just refresh them with oil and seals every off-season.
And when a guy comes to me and he needs totally different springs for his weight, the clickers are all the way in and the bike is still bouncing like a basketball, and the forks have 10K miles on them, I tell him not to risk crashing by pushing his personal limits on a racetrack until he resprings and revalves his front forks.
Sklossmonster
New Member
So ..... GSXR07,
How much do you weigh? And how many miles are on your bike?
How much do you weigh? And how many miles are on your bike?