Suspension Settings

Standard forks on all bikes, R1 included have virtually no adjustment, from click 1 to 10 (or whatever) they are designed to have little effect on the handling. It's a safety issue by the manufacturers to ensure they're not going to get sued too much lol.

Many bikes have too little compression and preload damping.

The only way you'll greatly improve handling is to have the forks rebuilt/valved by an expert to your weight/needs, the same goes for the rear (less important)

In the mean time, if your forks are rebounding (jumping back up) when you let off the brakes add more rebound damping (top of forks clicker) equally if your forks are dipping too quick/far under braking or generally seem to lose their travel too quick look to compression damping (bottom of forks) then preload.

Better go and see someone who knows :yesnod

UK sportsbike forum

I have not had any hands on with a 2002 so cant help to much in giving you some settings to try, but try and set the bike up yourself you can do it.

Basic terms and functions:

Static Sag:
This is the amount of movment in the suspension when the bike is lifted, taking the wieght of the suspension revealing how much suspension is used up by the bikes own wieght.


Loaded Sag or Sag:
This is the same thing as above, but with a rider on board the bike in riding gear (Boots, gloves, helmet, lethers, ect... this is importaint). Determines the amount of suspension used up by rider. This is the importaint one to everyone.


Pre-Load:
The amount of tension on a spring. This is how the sag is adjusted. The more preload (the hiegher the preload setting), the less sag. Most suspension people say the front should be between 20mm - 30mm and the rear 5mm - 10mm. Just remember as the preload will also have an efect on the ride hieght of the front and rear, affecting the steering geometry of the bike. Sag is basicly a way of messuring the geomety setting of the bike. (also dropping the front, by raising the forks through the clamps also has an effect on the geometry and front ride hieght. To be taken into account when increasing front preload for a quick steering bike as increasing front preload allowne will slow the turning of a bike).


Compression:
The rate or how quickly the suspension will compress under load ( bumps, breaking, that sort of thing). The higher the setting the slower it will compress ( more resistance).


Rebound:
The rate in wich the suspension will return to its "normal" state (that is once the suspension has compressed, how quickly it will return or "rebound" to its uncompressed state). The more rebound (the hiegher the setting) you add the slower the return and the firmer the ride. This will sometimes confuse people as the rebound is basicly how quikly the suspension recovers from a bump. If the setting (at the rear for example) is to hiegh the the suspension dose not recover in time for the next bump, giving less suspension travel in turn giving a harder ride. Sometimes even upsetting the ballance of the bike mid corner. At the front to much rebound gives a vauge, lack of grip feeling. Rebound is where many people become unstuck not compression.


Fork Hieght:
How much of the fork that is exposed above the top fork clamp. The distance is messured from the top of the clamp too the top of the fork cap. Thats the silver bit on top of the gold fork leg. (about 1mm thick of silver cap on the gold fork leg on the R1).

:thumbup