Tips for Improving Your Motorcycle’s Suspension
Motorcycles are built to offer a comfortable riding experience on different types of terrain. To a large extent, this is made possible by one of the most important parts of your bike: the suspension. Similar to shocks on a car, the suspension absorbs the bumps in the road. Improving your motorcycle’s suspension can make your ride a lot easier to control, which is why we’ve provided some tips to help you adjust this key component of your bike. Keep reading to learn more, and if you’ve any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at St. Charles Harley-Davidson. You’ll find us in St. Charles, MO, where we serve all those in St. Louis and St. Peters.
Why Should You Adjust the Suspension?
When you don’t have a good suspension, you’ll be in for an uncomfortable ride. Rigid setups will shake you up while riding, and if the suspension is too loose, you’ll feel your bike wobbling on the road. That’s why you need a good transmission that balances out the vibrations but still holds the tires on the road. Make sure that the suspension is just tight enough to keep the wheels on the pavement. You’ll get more traction, while also staying in control because of the decreased vibrations. Everything improves with a good suspension, including power, handling, and agility.
Understanding a Bike’s Suspension System
A motorcycle’s suspension typically has two major components, which work together to provide a steady ride. Rear suspensions frequently have a coil-over system. This design has a shock absorber, just like the shocks in your car, which is wrapped by a metal coil. It’s sometimes also attached to a reservoir in order to enhance its performance. Some motorcycles have an adjustable rear suspension, so riders of all sizes can get it at just the right emulsion for their preference.
The front works a bit differently from a rear suspension. Where the coil wraps the shock absorber in the back, the coil-over sits inside a part called the damper in the front. This component has low-viscosity oil inside, and a plug controls how much the oil flows inside the damper. This automatically adjusts as needed, so there will never be unnecessary vibrations, but there’s still enough suspension for handling rough roads with control.
How to Adjust the Suspension
Some simple ways to adjust your motorcycle’s suspension are as follows:
- Preload Adjustment: This refers to compressing or decompressing the spring to tighten or loosen the suspension system.
- Low Speed and High-Speed Damping: This adjustment allows you to control vibrations at low and high speeds, so you can experience a smooth ride.
- Rebound Damping: This adjustment has one of the most significant impacts on the handling of the bike as you can minimize the bouncing of the motorcycle up and down.
- Ride Height: This setting will impact the overall steering and handling, as well as some aspects of the comfort level. To increase or decrease the ride height, you'll have to adjust the rear through an adjustable eye on the shock. This will allow you to change the length to better suit your height.
If you have additional questions about your motorcycle’s suspension, get in touch with the staff at St. Charles Harley-Davidson. We’d be delighted to assist you. Our dealership is conveniently located in St. Charles, Missouri, and we welcome all our patrons in St. Louis and St. Peters.