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Remote Suspension Tuning--Best $80 I've ever spent on a bike.

C

copdocpvd

Guest
Guest
I've wanted to get my suspension tuned since I bought my Kawasaki Concours14 6 years ago and never was able to find someone in my area qualified to help with the settings (everyone I talked to just said "oh, you're too big, the only option is a complete fork re-build" when all I wanted was someone to help me change settings.  I had read half a dozen posts on here and the forums with steps to follow, but it all seemed really intimidating to me, so I just wanted someone to help me set the bike up.

I stumbled across Dave Moss Tuning at https://davemosstuning.com/, and saw that he does "remote suspension tuning" using video chat/facetime.  I signed up for a 30-minute, $80 session.I gave Dave my weight and riding style info so he could calculate some baseline settings to start off with, and had an in-person session with him in my garage.  He looked at my tire wear, suspension travel, rear sag and asked about tire pressures cold and warm and in what ambient temps.  We made BIG adjustments to the front (I'm 6'1, 270...NOT the 150 pound rider that Kawasaki sets these things up for), and both settings on the rear (hell, I didn't even know there was a screw for adjustments on the bottom of the rear shock).  A zip tie on the front shock to measure travel as I ride the bike was next. 

A couple rides, sending him pics of the tires and fork travel and telling him about cold and warm air pressure changes during my rides, and we made additional adjustments, including changes to my cold air pressure based on how much tire pressure changes on my spirited rides.

What a HUGE difference.  The thing rides on rails now, I don't have any issues with the rear end feeling squirrelly on uneven pavement, and my self-confidence has gone up immensely, making rides exponentially more fun.  I ground off half an inch on my peg feelers this weekend, grinning like a madman on a route that previously made me nervous.


Spending money on an ECU flash was great for my engine performance.  Having my suspension tuned was a fraction of the price and has transformed the bike for me.  I can't recommend it enough!
 
I watch his videos on YT all the time, subscribed to his channel, he's really the MAN when it comes to suspension tuning.  I'll have to think about signing up for a remote tuning session. Purchased a Mototool Slacker V3 digital suspension tool to dial in front and rear sag on my bike and already noticed a improvement in the way the bike handles.
 
Ditto this.

And great post from the OP.

Had my forks redone by Traxxion and added an ohlins to the rear, bought a Motool Slacker AFTER watching a million Dave Moss tuning vids, and still can't get it right.  :truce:

I didn't know you could do this online with him, and that seems like a fair price for having a private session with THE WORLD's authority on Suspension tuning.

THanks for sharing this.  :beerchug:

gr
 
ghostrider990 said:
Ditto this.

And great post from the OP.

Had my forks redone by Traxxion and added an ohlins to the rear, bought a Motool Slacker AFTER watching a million Dave Moss tuning vids, and still can't get it right. :truce:

I didn't know you could do this online with him, and that seems like a fair price for having a private session with THE WORLD's authority on Suspension tuning.

THanks for sharing this. :beerchug:

gr
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ghostrider990 said:
Ditto this.

And great post from the OP.

Had my forks redone by Traxxion and added an ohlins to the rear, bought a Motool Slacker AFTER watching a million Dave Moss tuning vids, and still can't get it right. :truce:

I didn't know you could do this online with him, and that seems like a fair price for having a private session with THE WORLD's authority on Suspension tuning.

THanks for sharing this. :beerchug:

gr
Click to expand...
Where did you buy the Ohlins?
 
drop_center said:
As a side note, Dave recommends changing your fork oil as often as your engine oil. :-\
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No he doesn't. 8-10K miles on a street bike. Oil breaks down, contrary to popular thought around most forums, it's not lifetime fluid. I've always done a dump and fill ~10K miles on every bike I've owned, cost about $25 and takes around 2 hours to do.
Direct quote from his website:

Fork oil wears out just like engine oil. Changing it every 5000 miles (8000 km) is excellent, every 8000 (13,000 km) is good, every 10,000 (16,000 km) is okay, and by 12,000 (20,000 km) it’s become more like water in there than oil.​


He is also now the owner of a 2008 C14, I sent him my rear shock to rebuild for his bike and he will be doing some videos on front suspension modifications.
 
On another thread I started on Pre Load adjusting, What I found was important, for me anyway, was to set the front preload to where I wasn't getting closer than 10-15 mm of bottoming out, was then set the rear preload to where when I bounce up and down on the pegs, the bike evenly and equally moves up and down. I got this from Dave Moss. After I did this My C-14 was nicer to ride.
I tried the rebound dampening adjusters at both ends of the range but to tell the truth I couldn't tell the difference so I put them in the middle of the range.
FWIW
Nick
2014 C-14
 
Interesting for sure. Question is has anyone done this on the C14, or is it one of the 10%? Seems like what I have read pulling the cap off a C14 fork tube will make things blow up in your face. :(

Things used to be so much easier. The 900 has drain tubes on the carb bowls and screws on the forks to drain the fork oil out. For it, I made a dip stick to use for filling the fork oil back up. But I also have a graduated vessel that can measure oil as well. I like the use of the high temp wheel bearing grease on the fork tube which is something I'll incorporate next fork oil change.
 
Tim R said:
Interesting for sure. Question is has anyone done this on the C14, or is it one of the 10%? Seems like what I have read pulling the cap off a C14 fork tube will make things blow up in your face. :(

Things used to be so much easier. The 900 has drain tubes on the carb bowls and screws on the forks to drain the fork oil out. For it, I made a dip stick to use for filling the fork oil back up. But I also have a graduated vessel that can measure oil as well. I like the use of the high temp wheel bearing grease on the fork tube which is something I'll incorporate next fork oil change.
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Once the forks are off the bike it pretty much works just like in the Dave Moss video. Old style forks would be a different story LOL Like on my 97 Magna.
 
dragunslayer said:
Once the forks are off the bike it pretty much works just like in the Dave Moss video. Old style forks would be a different story LOL Like on my 97 Magna.
Click to expand...

Yaaaaaaah, about that. Getting the forks off the bike seems like a bit of a risky proposition without having a lift, supply cabinet chock full of parts and a gazillion-piece toolkit. LOL Just a bit outside my wheelhouse (pun intended) at the moment.
Not saying that properly equipped it'd be too big a job for me, but daaaaang the up-tooling would be expensive. :^ ) AB
 
texas.devops902 said:
Yaaaaaaah, about that. Getting the forks off the bike seems like a bit of a risky proposition without having a lift, supply cabinet chock full of parts and a gazillion-piece toolkit. LOL Just a bit outside my wheelhouse (pun intended) at the moment.
Not saying that properly equipped it'd be too big a job for me, but daaaaang the up-tooling would be expensive. :^ ) AB
Click to expand...
Taking the forks off does not require a lot of special tools.
texas.devops902 said:
Yaaaaaaah, about that. Getting the forks off the bike seems like a bit of a risky proposition without having a lift, supply cabinet chock full of parts and a gazillion-piece toolkit. LOL Just a bit outside my wheelhouse (pun intended) at the moment.
Not saying that properly equipped it'd be too big a job for me, but daaaaang the up-tooling would be expensive. :^ ) AB
Click to expand...
The lift is built into the bike. Granted you need a little bottle jack, Allen head sockets, 6 point sockets . The tools for the axle my be the biggest. All in all a lot cheaper than having a dealer do it but not as cheap as not doing it at all.
 
kzz1king said:
Taking the forks off does not require a lot of special tools.

The lift is built into the bike. Granted you need a little bottle jack, Allen head sockets, 6 point sockets . The tools for the axle my be the biggest. All in all a lot cheaper than having a dealer do it but not as cheap as not doing it at all.
Click to expand...

Good point kzz, glad to hear you say that. I'm still disorganized just enough to make me cautious about digging into a project I'm not sure I can complete in one sitting. We moved into our new house 3 months ago and I still have tools in shipping boxes.

I'd happily spend a day watching someone else do theirs first so I can see the process flow before tearing down my own. Being able to know ahead of time what tools (sockets & sizes, etc), supplies (shop towels, measuring cups, etc) and other materials to have on hand before getting started would be optimal to ensure I'm not having to run around finding tools or supplies while the task sits halfway completed.

Thankfully I won't have to do this for another 8,500 miles +/- since my new machine is just over 1,500 miles. That'll give me time to hunt for videos to watch (or find someone else doing theirs).
 
All you guys have to do is go read the Chalkdust article I wrote for the Concourier back in summer of 2012. It is on line on this site in the new issue of chalkdust. Just go the chart, look up your weight, and the baseline settings you need are there. No measurement is required other than knowing your weight, and no guesswork is involved. I spent a lot of work developing it for various weight riders, all you have to do is go read it.
 

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  • SettingTheSag.pdf
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Good info Fred.
I used your numbers and compared them with the Sag settings I'm using on my bike.
(To my surprise, I was pretty close)

Ride safe, Ted
 
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