oHelp! Need suspension measurementn a stock SV650N

Hey guys I need a base line to fix my bike ride hight. Metric would be highly appreciated.

I need these measurements at rest on side stand possition.

1.- Center of front axle to base of frame. (Top of bottom triple?)

2.- Center of rear axle to the point where the black rear (shovel) fender starts off the tail section.

Thanks a million!!!! Regards, Luis

I would help, but mine isnt OEM spec anymore.

Those are a strange type of sag measurement ... static sag.

That is the first step of tuning a suspension.

How much does the bike sag under its own weight, and then you measure how much does the suspension sag under the riders weight.

Read up on the Suspension area of the FAQ section.

BTW, to set this, you don't need those exact points. All you need is a bit of painters tape on the plastic for the rear and a zip tie for the front.

Well you see my bike is far from stock...

I have 06 GSXR1000 front end with ohlins internals and a Penske adjustable shock on the rear. Sag is set well.

To ad things up I have a Pilot Power 120/70R17 Front tire and a rear GSXR Wheel with a Pilot Power180/55R17

I think I have made the bike lean foreward... I do not care much if my bike is higher than stock. I would welcome that.... But I need to play with chassis geometry to get the bike to handle the way I want.

Therefore it seems logical to start from with stock measurements as a baseline. From there I can change ride hight

the tape wont work because how do I know where it was taped at. It has to be from a hard part I can easily locate

Luis.


Those are a strange type of sag measurement ... static sag.

That is the first step of tuning a suspension.

How much does the bike sag under its own weight, and then you measure how much does the suspension sag under the riders weight.

Read up on the Suspension area of the FAQ section.

BTW, to set this, you don't need those exact points. All you need is a bit of painters tape on the plastic for the rear and a zip tie for the front.

Not saying it now to f*$# with you, but as a helpful hint to others making changes....

Measure before removing parts if you need to know the stock numbers.

SVRX - I could probably get you a number on the front forks tomorrow if no one else could, but it may not help you as I believe the GSXR forks are going to be 10+mm shorter than the SV forks.

How about going to a Suzuki dealer?

Then what you want is the eye to eye measurement of the stock shock.

There is a one inch difference between second gen and first gen.

http://forum.svrider.com/showthread.php?t=33192&highlight=shock+length

When I bought my Penske, a first gen shock was sent to me by mistake, my headlight was aiming about 12 feet in front of my front wheel and the spring was a hundred pounds too stiff.

In this thread ... all 400 posts ... is all the info you ever need to know about shock swaps. Pay attention to posts by TWF ... he was the resident guru until he left.

http://forum.svrider.com/showthread.php?t=31588&highlight=shock+length

After reading 50 or a hundred posts or so, you should come to the conclusion that there is nothing like using the correct part for the job. Buy a penske or elka and be done with it.

The only way you are going to get good numbers is bringing your bike over to a suspension shop like GMDComputrack where they take measurements and try to set it up the way it is supposed to be set up.

Where you are at now, there is no chance in heck you can get some good numbers where one can say, "OK, we now need shorter or longer dogbones to compensate for having a shock that is 4 mm too long."

I am not bragging, but one thing that I did learn a long time ago. There are some things that are just not worth experimenting with. It is much cheaper and safer to have a reputable pro handle. You may want to say that you can't afford it - I counter that one can never afford it the first time but there is always money to do it a second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth ... ad infinitum ... time. When all that is said and done, you have just done the shotgun approach hoping to get something better with questionable components of which you have no idea what their history is. These components were not specifically tuned to your application and God only knows where the heck you are at when you are done doing it.

If you can't afford to buy the right parts, then buy the correct right parts used!

Racing boards such as the WERA board, guys like Zoran will always be on the lookout for the right parts if you are ready to buy them. They don't last long.

For instance, I kept my stock shock. If I ever decide to sell my bike, you think the buyer is going to give me what I am asking for with the Penske on it? Takes twenty minutes to swap out a shock. It takes an hour to swap out my forks ....

Not saying it now to f*$# with you, but as a helpful hint to others making changes....

Measure before removing parts if you need to know the stock numbers.

SVRX - I could probably get you a number on the front forks tomorrow if no one else could, but it may not help you as I believe the GSXR forks are going to be 10+mm shorter than the SV forks.

How about going to a Suzuki dealer?

Yeah the dealer is the other option. I can not believe they close on Sunday and Monday.

The manual does not print any such performance numbers...

I know that the GSXR forks are shorter... That is why I use a 120/70R17 tire as it compensates hight the forks lack.

120/70R17 is 23.614 inches tall
120/60R17 is 22.669 inches tall
The difference is 0.945 / 2 = 0.473 inches taller or 12mm taller

As for the Rear I do not have that measurement... I did at the point I install the GSXR 600 shock. but I do not have the numbers after I changed the GSXR shock spring.

And I did not measured before the Penske shock as it was already on an SV

180/55R17 is 24.795 inches tall.
160/60R17 is 24.559 inches tall.
The difference is 0.236 / 2 = 118 inches taller or 3mm taller

Now one of the things I am looking at is free sag... I know the SV suspension forks are longer but sags much more.

I think I am going to have to go to the dealer.... Luis