09 front forks are bottoming out: Ohlins Piston Kit

I'm 200 lbs with full gear. Forks are bottoming out under heavy braking on the bumpy roads. I increased the compression but I loose compliance on the bumps when leaned over. I did not experience this with the 04 and the 08 bike. So, I'm thinking about re-valving the forks. I wanted to know if any one has used the Ohlins Piston Kit for the 09 and what is their feedback on the compliance and the feedback. I also find the bike goes a bit wide under acceleration and I dont get the same feedback as the 08.

Contact HardRacing for the valves. He will give you a good price on them. I would recommend better valving for the 09. Although I have been able to tune the compression pretty decent. As far as the bike running wide under acceleration I would double check the rider sag and keep it between 30 and 35 mm. If the swingarm goes much further than that it seems like the bike wanders a bit. But the shock does seem to be tunable to accommodate this. Double check the sag in the rear and see if it's between those numbers, and then check the front sag. If the bike seems to wander and the rear compression, rebound and sag are good, the wander you are feeling may be from the rebound in the front.

The sag settings are within the range. However I had to go on the softer side on the rear to reduce the twitchiness of the rear under fast transitions. Contact HardRacing for the valves. He will give you a good price on them. I would recommend better valving for the 09. Although I have been able to tune the compression pretty decent. As far as the bike running wide under acceleration I would double check the rider sag and keep it between 30 and 35 mm. If the swingarm goes much further than that it seems like the bike wanders a bit. But the shock does seem to be tunable to accommodate this. Double check the sag in the rear and see if it's between those numbers, and then check the front sag. If the bike seems to wander and the rear compression, rebound and sag are good, the wander you are feeling may be from the rebound in the front.

The sag settings are within the range. However I had to go on the softer side on the rear to reduce the twitchiness of the rear under fast transitions. If you are within the range stated and it's still twitchy I suspect the front more than the rear. I've tuned a handful of them and the rear is pretty good if you keep the swingarm under smooth control. But I think the front needs some pretty good help in the valving. I've been talking with a couple of companies and more aftermarket products should be available soon. Right now the only valve kit available is the Ohlins. I think if you control the front better the bike will be better. We'll have a few of them on the track this month that I'll be tracking. I'll be posting what I find in either the Suspension 101 (http://www.r1-forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252234) thread, or a new thread.

Thanks. Please keep us posted on the feedback on the ohlins kit. If you are within the range stated and it's still twitchy I suspect the front more than the rear. I've tuned a handful of them and the rear is pretty good if you keep the swingarm under smooth control. But I think the front needs some pretty good help in the valving. I've been talking with a couple of companies and more aftermarket products should be available soon. Right now the only valve kit available is the Ohlins. I think if you control the front better the bike will be better. We'll have a few of them on the track this month that I'll be tracking. I'll be posting what I find in either the Suspension 101 (http://www.r1-forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252234) thread, or a new thread.

I agree with DanQ, hoping to have my forks back from GP Suspension the end of this week, should be on the track on the 13th to see what's what.

just heard back, they won't have time to develop anything right now. Too many BPF's in the works to get mine in right now. First thing he said was *&$# Yamaha used Loc Tight on everything internally! The piston size and shim stack is a wierd size too. He's going to play around with a couple shims, send to me and I'll see what's up on Monday.

811racer put the ohlins valve kit in his 09. I'm going to do the same to mine here shortly.

811racer put the ohlins valve kit in his 09. I'm going to do the same to mine here shortly. Who is going to do the work for you?

Who is going to do the work for you? 811racer. :)

811racer. :) :thumbup

Spring the bike for your weight. Valving is not your primary problem.

If your forks are bottoming out, you got a spring rate issue. The spring is what limits overall travel distance. You can add 10ml of fork fluid to help a little, but its only a bandaid. Post up your rider and static sag numbers. I weigh 225 and could only get 54mm rider sag with the stock springs. I'd suggest increasing to 1.05s. Revalving isn't going to change your compression rates much. I did see a significant increase in rebound which is very helpful with the stiffer spring rate.

Yeah, I'm afraid that re-valving might not fix the problem. I'm disappointing since I did not have this issue w/ the 02/04/08. I wonder if the reduced the spring length and travel. I've been experiment with different sag settings front 35-39 rear 18-25 I forgot what is the free sag.

Spring the bike for your weight. Valving is not your primary problem. +1 newbee: The sag settings are within the range. rear 18-25 note that cranking hte preload in limits fork travel. preload is for fine tuning and in any event and doesnt change spring rates per se a 0.9kg/mm linear spring is still a 0.9 no matter how much you wind the preload in. if front static sag is ~30mm and its bottoming, then dial in more compression damping. simple if you have baselined your sags and dialed in 90% of your available front compression damping and the forks are still bottoming under brakes.. then look at aftermarket damping i would be quite surprised if you needed to revalve an 09 for street use, noting that generally speaking after market valving kits are stiffer... and you have backed your compression damping off because its not compliant enough when leant over on bumpy roads.... ummm btw.. how are you measuring your sags? 18mm - 25mm is freaking stiff, you say you have made the rear soft? im pretty surprised you could even get 18mm sag in the rear

>>rear 18-25 Sorry typo. I meant 18-35. I tried 18, 25, 30 and 35. Right now its around 30. >>note that cranking hte preload in limits fork travel .. I understand that >>if front static sag is ~30mm and its bottoming, then >> dial in more compression damping. >>simple >> if you have baselined your sags and dialed in 90% of >> your available front compression damping and the forks >> are still bottoming under brakes.. then look at aftermarket damping Initially, I did increase the compression, but then it lost compliance. >> ...generally speaking after market valving kits are stiffer.. That might be the case, but the only time I had my bike re-valved(04) there was no compromises. Much better feedback and compliance. So far, if I want to sum it up looks like there are two camps: 1- Re-valving and/or oil level can address my issue. Stay tuned for more feedback 2- Best way to address this issue is to spring it for my weight

So far, if I want to sum it up looks like there are two camps: 1- Re-valving and/or oil level can address my issue. Stay tuned for more feedback 2- Best way to address this issue is to spring it for my weight I'm in the camp that wants to know how you are measuring sag, for the sake of it. The springs weights are 1.0 kg/mm front/10.0 kg/mm rear. This should be pretty decent for a 200 lb rider. In contrast, some of the stock weights have been: 2002 - .816; 2004 - .930; 2008 - .950; and 2009 forks are 1.0. The 2009 is a little heavier bike, but Yamaha did put a little heavier spring in there. As far as your two choices above, my opinion is spring the bike for the sag you want, and valve the bike to accommodate the spring you are going to use. First things first, get a good series of sag measurements, both rider sag and free sag and let us know what you are seeing.

Newbee - you need to take 3 measurements. A= forks fully extended B= bike standing upright WITHOUT rider C= bike WITH rider A-B = static sag A-C = rider sag DanQ - Ohlins told me that some of the 09 R1s are coming with .95 springs in them, not sure why. Pretty sure that is what cam in mine as I could only get 54mm rider sag at max preload. I ended up going with 1.1s and still only get 33-43mm rider sag. With that said, Ohlins recommneds 37mm front and it does feel really good on the track with their piston kit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVXc29ZgutI ^that doesnt look very 'compliant' to me its not a cruiser man :)

> 2- Best way to address this issue is to spring it for my weight thats right burger boy diet and exercise may also help :secret:

Newbee - you need to take 3 measurements. A= forks fully extended B= bike standing upright WITHOUT rider C= bike WITH rider A-B = static sag A-C = rider sag DanQ - Ohlins told me that some of the 09 R1s are coming with .95 springs in them, not sure why. Pretty sure that is what cam in mine as I could only get 54mm rider sag at max preload. I ended up going with 1.1s and still only get 33-43mm rider sag. With that said, Ohlins recommneds 37mm front and it does feel really good on the track with their piston kit. A-B = static sag B-C = rider sag A-C = total sag

Yea, I probably labeled them wrong. Everyone seems to call them something different. Total sag is really what we are looking for.

I pulled this from my ohlins manual: Measuring, proceed as follows (it will be much easier if done by two persons): -Get two buddies, one to hold and one to measure. -Raise the rear end of the vehicle so that the suspension is in a fully extended position. -Measure the distance, e.g. from the lower edge of the rear mud guard or from a point marked by a piece of tape, immediately above the rear wheel axle, to the wheel axle. (R1) -Make a similar measurement on the front axle, e.g. from the bottom of the upper fork crown to the front wheel axle. The fork must also be fully extended. (F1) -Allow the motorcycle (without rider) to apply load on the springs and repeat the measuring procedure. (R2, F2) -Then take the same measurements with the rider and equipment on the motorcycle. (R3, F3) NOTE! It is important that the rider has a correct riding posture, so that the weight is balanced on the front and rear wheel in the same way as when riding. The measurements must not differ from the following sizes: Without rider (free sag): Rear: 10-20 mm (R1-R2) Front: 15-30 mm (F1-F2) With rider (static sag): Rear: 25-40 mm (R1-R3) Front: 35-50 mm (F1-F3)

I'll get the measurements this time and write them down before I forget. Newbee - you need to take 3 measurements. A= forks fully extended B= bike standing upright WITHOUT rider C= bike WITH rider A-B = static sag A-C = rider sag DanQ - Ohlins told me that some of the 09 R1s are coming with .95 springs in them, not sure why. Pretty sure that is what cam in mine as I could only get 54mm rider sag at max preload. I ended up going with 1.1s and still only get 33-43mm rider sag. With that said, Ohlins recommneds 37mm front and it does feel really good on the track with their piston kit.

I dont expect it to be a cruiser but when it starts skipping over the bumps then that is a problem. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVXc29ZgutI ^that doesnt look very 'compliant' to me its not a cruiser man :)

Hey just b/c I'm 200 lbs and I live in States that does not mean I'm fat bro :) thats right burger boy diet and exercise may also help :secret:

Thanks. Initially, I reported A-C. I'll get the rest when I find someone to help me with holding the bike so I can get accurate measurements. A= forks fully extended B= bike standing upright WITHOUT rider C= bike WITH rider A-B = static sag B-C = rider sag A-C = total sag A-B = static sag B-C = rider sag A-C = total sag

I got the Ohlins piston kit and heavier spring ordered from hardracing. I'm getting them installed tomorrow. I have two questions: 1- Suspension Oil: 09 manual says its of type "M1". Anybody knows is this the same weight (5w) as recommended for 07-08. 07 manual says type "01". 2- Spring rate: Ohlins piston kit manual says 09 spring rate is 9.1 N/mm, but R1 manual says 9.6 N/mm. Anyone else noticed that? I went by the manual and ordered 10.0N/mm

I got the valve kit and the 10.0 N/mm springs installed. The forks still bottom out. On top of that the Ohlins instructions asked for the hydrolic stop to be disabled, so now its really bottoming out. adding more compression help a bit but I loose the compliance. This is getting annoying.

I got the valve kit and the 10.0 N/mm springs installed. The forks still bottom out. On top of that the Ohlins instructions asked for the hydrolic stop to be disabled, so now its really bottoming out. adding more compression help a bit but I loose the compliance. This is getting annoying. Like we discussed, increase preload to get about 30 - 35 mm total sag (rider sag). One you get that, also measure the free sag and post the numbers.

I wont be able to do any measurements until I find someone to help me with lifting the bike. After the vales and the springs were replaced the rider sag was at 38 mm. I will increase the preload to show two lines and ride the bike tomorrow to see if it make any difference. I also called Hardracing and Ohlins, but they were gone for the day. I'll try again tomorrow or Monday. Like we discussed, increase preload to get about 30 - 35 mm total sag (rider sag). One you get that, also measure the free sag and post the numbers.

Past two days I experimented with different preload settings. As expected more preload, the quicker the forks bottom out. The only thing that helps the problem seems to be increasing the compression, but at the cost of giving up compliance. Right now I'm running it at 18-16 clicks from the hardest setting. I'm thinking about replacing the 09 forks w/ the 08. I was pretty happy with my 08 forks out of the box.

Past two days I experimented with different preload settings. As expected more preload, the quicker the forks bottom out. The only thing that helps the problem seems to be increasing the compression, but at the cost of giving up compliance. Right now I'm running it at 18-16 clicks from the hardest setting. I'm thinking about replacing the 09 forks w/ the 08. I was pretty happy with my 08 forks out of the box. That's not the way it normally works. Something else is going on there. As you add preload it just internally moves the spring to a different range of motion. The only way it would allow it to bottom faster is if it were in a coil bind situation, which it should not be.

Past two days I experimented with different preload settings. As expected more preload, the quicker the forks bottom out. The only thing that helps the problem seems to be increasing the compression, but at the cost of giving up compliance. Right now I'm running it at 18-16 clicks from the hardest setting. I'm thinking about replacing the 09 forks w/ the 08. I was pretty happy with my 08 forks out of the box. As DanQ says, if you're increasing the preload the forks should not be bottoming out more quickly. As well as changing the valving, did you change your springs? My experience with my 09, is that the front springs were nowhere near the spec 1.0kg/mm. My specific bike had 0.87kg/mm springs (measured) and it was bottoming out everywhere just the same as you are saying. (I weigh about 74kg btw, so maybe 180+lbs with gear on.). It seems like the 09s have a lot of variation in the front forks from the factory.. form discussing with people here in Japan..and out of the box my bike had the the worst front end I have ever experienced on a bike (I've owned 9 liter bikes at this stage).. After I changed the springs to a more reasonable 1.05kg/mm the front forks started to behave normally. I also had to change the valving, since out of the box it has nowhere enough range. Before you go back to using 07 forks I suggest you make sure the springs are correct for you. (Personally I'm still not convinced by the 09's seperate left/right setup for damping).

Also, remember that on the 09 more lines showing means more preload.

If your sag is right and you've got your damping set where you like it, it's the air gap that prevents bottoming. Personally I thought the front forks of the 09 R1 were sprung good for a 200lb rider including gear. I think you wasted your money on springs and valving when the problem was simply your air spring. When you disabled your locks, did you put in a high quality rubber bump stop kit? Your tuner should have told you at what length the forks start to touch the stops and when they're fully compressed as well. You also want to come very close to bottoming out or even just bottom out when your on the track, otherwise your not using all your travel. You have to determine if and when you bottom out if it's to harsh to a point where it hinders you.

Also, remember that on the 09 more lines showing means more preload. this through me off when I went to adjust my forks the other day, had to get the manual out to make sure I wasn't loosing my mind.

I called the Ohlins 800 number and got their recommendation on what I'm experiencing. 1- US number 1-800-336-9029 2- The person who answered the call was very helpful. He made an initial recommendation and got a second opinion from someone else and called me back with the final recommendation. 3- Their recommendation is that if I dont want to increase the compression and I'm happy with the sag, I should try to increase the oil level by 10 mm. I believe this is what bender referring to by "air gap". If the oil level fixes the problem, going with a heavier spring was not necessary. 4- As DanQ mentioned, they believe increasing the preload "should not" cause the fork to bottom out quicker. The design of the cartridge is the main factor in the travel length of the suspension. 5- Increasing the preload will raise the front 6- Piper, I went with 10.0 N/mm springs when I changed the piston kit. 7- I asked about measuring sag and they said for them they are mainly interested in the difference between suspension fully extended minus bike on the ground with rider on it. 8- I asked about separating rebound and compression in the forks. They believe it has its pros and cons. Hopefully I can sort out my problem and can experience the pros :)

I called the Ohlins 800 number and got their recommendation on what I'm experiencing. 1- US number 1-800-336-9029 2- The person who answered the call was very helpful. He made an initial recommendation and got a second opinion from someone else and called me back with the final recommendation. 3- Their recommendation is that if I dont want to increase the compression and I'm happy with the sag, I should try to increase the oil level by 10 mm. I believe this is what bender referring to by "air gap". If the oil level fixes the problem, going with a heavier spring was not necessary. 4- As DanQ mentioned, they believe increasing the preload "should not" cause the fork to bottom out quicker. The design of the cartridge is the main factor in the travel length of the suspension. 5- Increasing the preload will raise the front 6- Piper, I went with 10.0 N/mm springs when I changed the piston kit. 7- I asked about measuring sag and they said for them they are mainly interested in the difference between suspension fully extended minus bike on the ground with rider on it. 8- I asked about separating rebound and compression in the forks. They believe it has its pros and cons. Hopefully I can sort out my problem and can experience the pros :) They are great people for sure :fact I'm still interested in seeing your total and free sag numbers. I hate changing the air gap (fork oil level) except as a final tuning change. But a small amount isn't bad. One of the benefits of the damping setup you have is less turbulance in the oil. We will still see some on the R1 because the spring is partly out of the oil as it travels. I'm going to be setting up some 09 forks with different springs and valves soon. We can compare notes.

I'm going to be setting up some 09 forks with different springs and valves soon. We can compare notes. Thats what Im talking BOUT...cant wait

I hate changing the air gap (fork oil level) except as a final tuning change. But a small amount isn't bad. I know it sucks adding or draining oil, but as I said; it's the proper way to prevent bottoming when your springs and damping are correct.

I know it sucks adding or draining oil, but as I said; it's the proper way to prevent bottoming when your springs and damping are correct. But it will change the progression of the fork travel. Where if he dials it in with preload he may be able to avoid that.

If you dial it in with preload you would end up with a sag that will change the desired handling traits. That's why you get your sags right then adjust for bottoming by fine tuning your oil height. I wish someone would come up with a valve that is situated on the bottom of the fork and you could add or remove exactly the amount of oil you want in a matter of 5 seconds. Hell if it was incorporated into the comp adjuster that would be tits.

The 09 r1 also needs some more rebound on the rear, this would help your front as it will stop the rear jumping straight up under initial braking and transfering the weight frontwards, I can't really fault the rear besides that, it also needs the rear rebound to stop it weaving about when exiting corners hard

If you dial it in with preload you would end up with a sag that will change the desired handling traits. That's why you get your sags right then adjust for bottoming by fine tuning your oil height. I wish someone would come up with a valve that is situated on the bottom of the fork and you could add or remove exactly the amount of oil you want in a matter of 5 seconds. Hell if it was incorporated into the comp adjuster that would be tits. His sag is not even in the desired range. We've been discussing this through PM. As a last measure I would look into oil level. Not before. Are you kidding about the valve location? They are at or close to the bottom of the fork. The 09 r1 also needs some more rebound on the rear, this would help your front as it will stop the rear jumping straight up under initial braking and transfering the weight frontwards, I can't really fault the rear besides that, it also needs the rear rebound to stop it weaving about when exiting corners hard Yes, I have seen a lot of fade in the rear shock as well as the forks. The rebound is half decent, but it fades fast.

His front sags looked within range with his original forks from the numbers that he posted, if they're not in range with the new springs and can't be adjusted to get them in range, then the tuner screwed up. Reread my post, I was simply talking that it would be nice to have a quick fill/drain valve that you can add or remove oil quickly, not the location of the comp adjuster.

His front sags looked within range with his original forks from the numbers that he posted, if they're not in range with the new springs and can't be adjusted to get them in range, then the tuner screwed up. Reread my post, I was simply talking that it would be nice to have a quick fill/drain valve that you can add or remove oil quickly, not the location of the comp adjuster. I'm sorry. There has been an extensive PM conversation on this, and the last sag number he gave me was 38 mm. I did re-read your post, and still I am not an advocate of changing the oil level to affect the air gap until other other things have been pursued. Look into Traxxion's nitrogen filled forks (http://traxxion.com/detail-2.aspx). Those may address more of what you are talking about. Don't know how long before they are mainstream, but they are nice. And a little pricey :D

I spoke to 'my' suspension guy today (Maxton) and asked him what he could do for the 09R1, it varies from new rear shock and maxton internals in the front to a re sprung rear shock (he says there is too much preload at the rear) and revalved forks with slightly harder springs. He says they learnt a lot running R1'a at this years IOM TT and Manx GP, interestingly he says the rear shock 'is actually quite good' but the front needs quite a lot of work, the forks are 'big piston' forks that everyone is raving about, he says they are also a nice unit, i'm booking mine in

I spoke to 'my' suspension guy today (Maxton) and asked him what he could do for the 09R1, it varies from new rear shock and maxton internals in the front to a re sprung rear shock (he says there is too much preload at the rear) and revalved forks with slightly harder springs. He says they learnt a lot running R1'a at this years IOM TT and Manx GP, interestingly he says the rear shock 'is actually quite good' but the front needs quite a lot of work, the forks are 'big piston' forks that everyone is raving about, he says they are also a nice unit, i'm booking mine in The shock is definitely better than the forks. But my impressions have been that the whole machine is under damped, and the front severely under sprung. But I think a good set of valves and springs will make a difference, as well as a little thicker oil to go with the valving. I'm not quite ready to throw the baby out with the bath water so to speak on the big piston suspension. But I can understand peoples concerns. Please be sure to post up when your guy does your suspension :thumbup

The shock is definitely better than the forks. But my impressions have been that the whole machine is under damped, and the front severely under sprung. But I think a good set of valves and springs will make a difference, as well as a little thicker oil to go with the valving. I'm not quite ready to throw the baby out with the bath water so to speak on the big piston suspension. But I can understand peoples concerns. Please be sure to post up when your guy does your suspension :thumbup http://www.maxton.netspinners.co.uk/ Will do, but I have to book them in within the next week or so, they get mad busy from November onwards with next years race teams. I don't know whether we undestood each other, according to Richard at maxton the 09 R1 has big piston forks as standard, he reckons they were too busy pushing the motor in the adverts to mention the BPF's

http://www.maxton.netspinners.co.uk/ Will do, but I have to book them in within the next week or so, they get mad busy from November onwards with next years race teams. I don't know whether we undestood each other, according to Richard at maxton the 09 R1 has big piston forks as standard, he reckons they were too busy pushing the motor in the adverts to mention the BPF's I got ya on the BPF. :thumbup But I'm hearing from a lot of suspension folks that they are swapping it out for a 25 mm cartridge with individual compression/rebound on each leg. I'm not convinced that it needs to be all that. Just good valving, springs, and fluid in my opinion.

I have spoken with several people that have gotten the OEM forks working correctly, but most tuners and individuals opt for the AK's -they are quick simple and a known quantity. As for bottoming, if the fork is working well on most surfaces but is bottoming during hard braking I would recommend raising the oil level, this adjustment really only affects the last 1/4 of fork travel (varies on oil level of course). If the spring and sag are correct (38 is to much, 29 should would be closer, rider preference of course) you only should be in this region during hard braking anyways. As for an easy way to add oil, just pop the caps and add a measured quantity. With the 09 R1 you only need to do this on the compression leg. :)

I have spoken with several people that have gotten the OEM forks working correctly, but most tuners and individuals opt for the AK's -they are quick simple and a known quantity. As for bottoming, if the fork is working well on most surfaces but is bottoming during hard braking I would recommend raising the oil level, this adjustment really only affects the last 1/4 of fork travel (varies on oil level of course). If the spring and sag are correct (38 is to much, 29 should would be closer, rider preference of course) you only should be in this region during hard braking anyways. As for an easy way to add oil, just pop the caps and add a measured quantity. With the 09 R1 you only need to do this on the compression leg. :) 29mm of total sag? :no Adding oil to only one leg? :no

29mm of total sag? :no Adding oil to only one leg? :no Been wondering if you were going to say anything in this thread. I think I've :moto: 'd enough. I'll check back on it sometime :lol

I kind of like the current sag (38 mm). I added up to 3 rings of preload but did not like the results. The bottoming out is happening under heavy breaking on uneven pavement. I talked to my shop and to measure the actual raise in the oil level they have to take the whole thing apart. We dont know how much oil (in cc) will results in raising the level by 10mm, so we talked about adding 10cc of oil through the top cap and see what is results. If it going the right direction we add up to 40 cc or when its not bottoming out (which ever comes first). Its a hack and not very precise, but will save time and labor. Interesting idea on adding oil only to compression leg!? I have spoken with several people that have gotten the OEM forks working correctly, but most tuners and individuals opt for the AK's -they are quick simple and a known quantity. As for bottoming, if the fork is working well on most surfaces but is bottoming during hard braking I would recommend raising the oil level, this adjustment really only affects the last 1/4 of fork travel (varies on oil level of course). If the spring and sag are correct (38 is to much, 29 should would be closer, rider preference of course) you only should be in this region during hard braking anyways. As for an easy way to add oil, just pop the caps and add a measured quantity. With the 09 R1 you only need to do this on the compression leg. :)

I got ya on the BPF. :thumbup But I'm hearing from a lot of suspension folks that they are swapping it out for a 25 mm cartridge with individual compression/rebound on each leg. I'm not convinced that it needs to be all that. Just good valving, springs, and fluid in my opinion. Thats the 'next step up' from the revalve and springs on the std forks, look good though from the pic ,mmmmmmmmmmmm

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I would add oil to both tubes, not one.

Looks like 20cc (which is not much) of oil in each fork did the trick so far. So I'm content with with how the bike falls into the corners. The other issue that I wanted to address was bike going a bit wide in the corner when I get on the gas. I feel the front comes up when I get on the gas. This is how the bike behaved even with the original setup (fork/valve) I have the rear setup reasonably plush in terms of preload and high speed compression to get it to be more complaint on very quick transitions. I dont know how much is the sag after I took out more preload. Any suggestions/ideas?

1st suggestion is to verify the sag, both bike alone and total, and report back...

The shock is definitely better than the forks. But my impressions have been that the whole machine is under damped, and the front severely under sprung. My first track day on the bike was last weekend and I had exactly the same impression. I'm a smaller guy (165lbs) so, the rear shock is fine for me. The front forks are just way too soft. We were bottoming out most of the day even after adding preload and a small bit of compression.

bump. I'm building up this R1 as a trackbike for next year and still wondering exactly what is wrong with the suspension. I'm 180 geared up, pretty aggressive street or track riding. From what I understand the front is under sprung and valving is not quite right? Rear is ????? I don't mean to sound like an arse but I'd really like to hear only from people who know what they are talking about. This thread has a few nuggets, but also a lot of confusing information. If you don't even know how to set or measure your sag, you really shouldn't bash the suspension or give advice for that matter. Anyways I am looking for specific info like what range of springs for a 180lb rider, what level of air gap, fork oil weights, height of forks raised above the triples, etc. I'm not prepared to spend money on aftermarket replacements like ohlins, I had enough of that crap with my last bike which had damping rod forks and no suspension adjustability besides preload. The whole reason I bought a supersport was to have a bike with sorted out suspension. I believe too many people think that the only way to get a good handling bike is to throw out all the factory stuff and drop a couple grand on ohlins, without even giving the stock stuff a chance.

First things first, you'll never find a bike in our price range that has suspension that will be perfect out of the box. Full Stop. You're springs should be fine for your wieight, set your sag and see where you're at. Front suspension is "ok" out of the box for a halfway fast rider, but if you're going to push it on the track, the valving is suspect. I"ve noticed the front end disapears on me about lap 7-8 or so. The rear is close, but also needs some work in the valving department. I'm having Lindeman do my forks/shock in the next month, I basically rode around it all year, and let me tell you, having the bikes front end turn into an RC51 while your on the track sucks!

bump. I'm building up this R1 as a trackbike for next year and still wondering exactly what is wrong with the suspension. I'm 180 geared up, pretty aggressive street or track riding. From what I understand the front is under sprung and valving is not quite right? Rear is ????? I don't mean to sound like an arse but I'd really like to hear only from people who know what they are talking about. This thread has a few nuggets, but also a lot of confusing information. If you don't even know how to set or measure your sag, you really shouldn't bash the suspension or give advice for that matter. Anyways I am looking for specific info like what range of springs for a 180lb rider, what level of air gap, fork oil weights, height of forks raised above the triples, etc. I'm not prepared to spend money on aftermarket replacements like ohlins, I had enough of that crap with my last bike which had damping rod forks and no suspension adjustability besides preload. The whole reason I bought a supersport was to have a bike with sorted out suspension. I believe too many people think that the only way to get a good handling bike is to throw out all the factory stuff and drop a couple grand on ohlins, without even giving the stock stuff a chance. You'll probably hear a number of different opinions but here is my story: I put 1kg springs in the front, and modified valving and now it works pretty well.. but I'm pretty cranky about my damping so will probably end up putting in the Ohlins cartridges. The rear as standard has damping that lasts about 2.5 laps, and I wasn't able to get it working any better even after getting it overhauled by a company I trust, so I dumped it for a TTX and now am happy to be an owner of an 09R1. What a difference... :fact

so you think that is because it is overheating? Seems kinda odd that a shock with an external reservior would exhibit that kind of behavior.

Under tail exhaust don't help much in my opinion. But I think the oil is too thin. My friends that run them on the track have had them about dead on for the first few laps, and then go pogo.