Static sag on Hyper S forks

[Karlr]

Hi Chaps...greetings from across the pond and to our european brothers and sisters, from across the puddle...

Now, I've had my suspension dialed in and it seems a lot better although the front seems a bit pattery at times. I just wondered what static sag others were running mine is 30mm.

Replies on a postcard or foreign telegram preferred but if that is not possible then on here will do.

Ta in advance.

[GHEZZI]

Firstly static sag is just the weight of the bike alone and that is not the important figure, RIDER SAG which includes you in all your finery is the one that you must first measure and then set by adjustment. From fully extended (topped out) to where it settles.

Then measure static sag (bike on it's own, fully extended to settled), this figure will then tell you if the spring rate is too hard or too soft.

Most bike shops talk of 30mm rider sag and 5-7mm static sag. In this scenario if your static is more than 7mm the spring could be too hard, if it's less than 5mm it could be too soft. I know that sounds wrong but it's all to do with the amount of pre-load we wind on/off to get the initial rider sag of 30mm.When installed, the spring should also have at least 15-25mm pre-load applied to it's free length.

However, there is a theory that rider sag should be set between 20% and 30% of total travel. Compare a V-ROD at 50mm rear wheel travel and say a KTM 300EXC which has more than 300mm of rear travel. If you set them both at 30mm rider sag the Harley would bottom everywhere and the KTM would toss you over the bars.

Then Ohlins website states: Rider sag front 35-50mm and static front 15-30mm.

If we apply the 20-30% rule to a Hypers 165mm travel (along fork axis) we end up with 33-49.5mm which is very close to Ohlins theory. But now we have a new problem.

The bike shop theory of 30mm and 5-7mm has static sag at around 20% of total or rider sag, but Ohlins theory has static at between 43 and 60%. Go figure???

So after all that confusing mumbo jumbo, it is a black art you know? This is what I am going to do, until advised otherwise by a REAL expert.

Hyper rear wheel travel is 141mm X 28.5% = 40mm (rider sag), X 20% = 8mm (static sag).
Hyper front fork travel is 165mm X 28.5% = 47mm (rider sag), X 20% = 9.5mm (static sag).

In the 20% to 30% theory, 20% represents the harder end of the scale most suited to racing, while 30% represents the softer end of the scale for touring. My choice of using 28.5% is just a starting point based on a personal preference of setting up for rough road use and not a race track. In the final outcome I may differ from these greatly as all we are trying to achieve here is a BASE SETTING where the bike is balanced. From there, only time, personal preference and feeeeeling will tell. Ciao.

[Karlr]

Ahhh thanks..I know you have posted extensively on this before and I have agreed with your posts finding them valuable.

However, I was at the track the other week and got my bike set up by http://www.setupengineering.co.uk/index2.php .... James told me that the only point, initially of setting rider sag was if you were going to change the spring rate ....so he said that static sag was more important and advised 15mm at the rear and about 30 at the front.

So that's why I'm asking...about static sag only.

Cheers

[Karlr]

So I guess if I have 30mm at the front I would need to harden up a little but it seems like I should be doing the opposite.

My bike was set up at 5mm rear static sag...which was too hard I guess.

[Falappa]

Originally Posted by Karlr

So I guess if I have 30mm at the front I would need to harden up a little but it seems like I should be doing the opposite.

My bike was set up at 5mm rear static sag...which was too hard I guess.

Hello Karl. I'm Swedish so you have to exuse my bad english
My HMs settings from the box was zero static sag on rear and 50mm on the front. My weight is around 65kg naked. I now run this settings.

Rear static sag 10mm and with me in full dress 30mm.
Front static sag 32mm and with me 44mm.

This work quit well on bad roads maybe i have to rise the ride hight on the rear. To make it turn in faster but i'ts not really bother me. I like a soft setting so I can feel what the bike is doing. But I ride it like a stolen One thing about this bike i have found out is..you really have to ride as you stolen it. The better the suspension is working, like on mx-bikes.

Forza HyperMotard

Falappa

[Karlr]

THanks Falappa,

Your English is much better than my Swedish :-). This is what the man at setup said. You need to let the suspension operate. I am coming to the same conclusion as you, it moves around a bit but it works better when on the gas. I have the 2 into 1 termi. It's an awesome bit of kit the hypermotard..a rush everytime I go out.

[GHEZZI]

Originally Posted by Karlr

I was at the track the other week and got my bike set up by http://www.setupengineering.co.uk/index2.php .... James told me that the only point, initially of setting rider sag was if you were going to change the spring rate ....so he said that static sag was more important and advised 15mm at the rear and about 30 at the front. So that's why I'm asking...about static sag only. Cheers

Firstly let me state, I am no expert! But every expert I talk to has a different opinion or advice. So I can only advise that you stick with James until you are not satisfied with the outcome, but you will need to experiment a little.

On his advice "The only point, initially of setting rider sag was if you were going to change the spring rate". I can see his point and I have done that to determine if the original spring rate is in the ball park for my weight.

At 65kg you would definitely benefit from lighter spring weights, here that would cost about AUD$400 plus fitting. Your call, keep us posted.

[AXE]

If I were to use the 20-30% rule, my front would clock in around 25.5% and my rear would be 23.5%. I think having the rear a little stiffer and the front a little softer helps keep the front planted and eliminated the twitchy front end.

Here are my settings that I posted a while back. I have messed with the compression and rebound a click or so, but this works well for me.

Suspension Settings

Out!

[Karlr]

Thanks Axe / Ghezzi..All these suspension guys seem to have a diffrent angle. I reckon I'll go a little softer on the front. Axe do you have static sag settings?

[shat]

Originally Posted by Falappa

My weight is around 65kg naked.
Falappa

Jeeze, Falappa. That's a little more then we needed to know.