Go to a different dealer then. I am sure they would love to bill Suzuki. They do not fix them for free, Suzuki pays them.
:congrats: and :welcome: to the forum also bro. :bigthumbsup:
:congrats: and :welcome: to the forum also bro. :bigthumbsup:
Front Forks Bottoming Out
Hi all,
I bought a leftover '08 Limited back in October and am enjoying it except the front sag is excessive. I'm 220lbs but have plenty of other bikes that don't exhibit this kind of behavior. The bikes own weight without me on it consumes about 1/2 or more of the travel up front. There seems to be plenty of compression damping but when I push down on the front end with the brake applied, I can hit the bottom without too much trouble. The front will also hit hard on any number of bumps and creases in the road. No other bike has ever done it this bad. Other nines in pictures seem to sit low in the front and another bike I sat on in a showroom felt about the same. A few searches turned up less info than I would have expected. I'm curious do any of you other owners experience this? Do you think Suzuki didn't put enough oil in my forks? That could lower the air spring effect in the fork which could cause it to ride low, maybe sagged springs from sitting for 2 years unsold? The bike is still under the 12 month warranty but I have little faith in my dealer, they wouldn't help me with a suddenly dead battery last week. Battery fails load test and they won't replace it but that's another story. Anyway, any ideas on the front forks?
Thanks, Mike
I bought a leftover '08 Limited back in October and am enjoying it except the front sag is excessive. I'm 220lbs but have plenty of other bikes that don't exhibit this kind of behavior. The bikes own weight without me on it consumes about 1/2 or more of the travel up front. There seems to be plenty of compression damping but when I push down on the front end with the brake applied, I can hit the bottom without too much trouble. The front will also hit hard on any number of bumps and creases in the road. No other bike has ever done it this bad. Other nines in pictures seem to sit low in the front and another bike I sat on in a showroom felt about the same. A few searches turned up less info than I would have expected. I'm curious do any of you other owners experience this? Do you think Suzuki didn't put enough oil in my forks? That could lower the air spring effect in the fork which could cause it to ride low, maybe sagged springs from sitting for 2 years unsold? The bike is still under the 12 month warranty but I have little faith in my dealer, they wouldn't help me with a suddenly dead battery last week. Battery fails load test and they won't replace it but that's another story. Anyway, any ideas on the front forks?
Thanks, Mike
1 - 15 of 15 Posts
I've never heard anyone mention the front forks bottoming, but some have changed the fluid to a different viscosity to change the dampening.
Here's a thread on the different fluids available. seapup knows his stuff on this, so if he doesn't respond shoot him a PM if you need help.
http://www.m109riders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100920
Here's a thread on the different fluids available. seapup knows his stuff on this, so if he doesn't respond shoot him a PM if you need help.
http://www.m109riders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100920
Sounds like your dealer don't care to have satisfied customers, I agree with ryno, find another dealer. :welcome:Go to a different dealer then. I am sure they would love to bill Suzuki. They do not fix them for free, Suzuki pays them.
:congrats: and :welcome: to the forum also bro. :bigthumbsup:
Thanks for the responses. When I get my new battery charged up today, I'll install it and test the charging system. Once that issue is resolved I'll try to show the front end to the dealer. Can anyone here who is happy with their stock front fork performance tell me how much of the actual hard chromed tube shows when the bike is held upright with no rider? Mine shows 4.06" unladen sag, and 2.75" bottomed.
Umm, sounds like a problem there with the seals or something else. Never had any issues with bottoming, and i weigh more than you. Have the dealer check this out.Thanks for the responses. When I get my new battery charged up today, I'll install it and test the charging system. Once that issue is resolved I'll try to show the front end to the dealer. Can anyone here who is happy with their stock front fork performance tell me how much of the actual hard chromed tube shows when the bike is held upright with no rider? Mine shows 4.06" unladen sag, and 2.75" bottomed.
BTW, you are supposed to go SLOWLY over those speed bumps, lol
I charged up my new battery and installed it last night. The bike never started so quickly. The charging system is functioning too. I think the dealer never charged the battery before start up when setting up the new (left over ,08) bike. Dealer pointed at Suzuki and when I called Suzuki cust sevice, they pointed at the dealer. I just did it myself because of the time and effort dealing with these guys.
Anyway can anyone here measure the amount of chrome fork tube showing on their bike when it is upright with no rider? Mine measures 4.06". Also judging from how the seal wipes the tube it dives down to where 2.75" shows. I'm curious to know if this is typical.
Thanks, Mike
Anyway can anyone here measure the amount of chrome fork tube showing on their bike when it is upright with no rider? Mine measures 4.06". Also judging from how the seal wipes the tube it dives down to where 2.75" shows. I'm curious to know if this is typical.
Thanks, Mike
Not as much
Mine is an 06, so it might have sagged more than a newer one, but mine measures 3 1/2 inches upright. I can pull up on the bars, and it measures 4 inches, but sags to 3 1/2 on it's own weight. When I put on the front brake, and push down hard, it reduces to 2 inches. It's very smooth and quiet in it's action. So I guess this is normal for mine.
I do have my rear shock set at seven, and a 160/250 tire combo set at 42/44 psi. All this and more will affect the ride height.
These bike ride more stiffly than other cruisers in my experience.
You can change the rear shock setting, fork oil viscosity, or fork springs if you want something else. Tires make a big difference too.
Dealers aren't much help, you need real mechanic, or experiment yourself.
I'm a DIY kind of guy myself.
Mine is an 06, so it might have sagged more than a newer one, but mine measures 3 1/2 inches upright. I can pull up on the bars, and it measures 4 inches, but sags to 3 1/2 on it's own weight. When I put on the front brake, and push down hard, it reduces to 2 inches. It's very smooth and quiet in it's action. So I guess this is normal for mine.
I do have my rear shock set at seven, and a 160/250 tire combo set at 42/44 psi. All this and more will affect the ride height.
These bike ride more stiffly than other cruisers in my experience.
You can change the rear shock setting, fork oil viscosity, or fork springs if you want something else. Tires make a big difference too.
Dealers aren't much help, you need real mechanic, or experiment yourself.
I'm a DIY kind of guy myself.
Welcome - nice to see more Yellow!
Thanks CBR, I'll have to digest those figures. Mine seems to ride higher but does not compress down as far. It doesn't feel like it's loose and then hits a hard stop bottom. It feels like it has plenty of damping and then the damping gets hard and it stops with 2.75" of fork tube still showing. It will feel like it is banging into bumps fairly easy. I'm so sure the dealer will tell me they all do that. Ughh.
Suspension on the 9?
Hey there blokes.Had the same problem with the front bottoming out all the time,even at low speed and/or going up a driveway slowly.IMHO the OE suspension on the 9 is crap.That's why some of us over here in OZ have gotten our bikes set up with aftermarket suspensions,and the difference to the handling of the bike is really great.A friend of mine who owns a Black 9 was forever changing the fork oil(heavier) and taking advise from so called experts,he decided to go to someone who new what they was talking about.This bloke does bike suspensions(Past 25 years,and races bikes also) for a living,and will custom make a shock for your bike if need be.Which is what he had to do in regard to the 9.He had never seen a 9 or even heard of one 'till we showed up to ask if he could supply us with a decent setup for our bikes.It wasn't cheap,but was well worth it.The best part though is that this fellow is a local,so if anything goes wrong,we can go see him and get it fixed.Too easy. KEZZ.:bigthumbsup::bigthumbsup:
Hey there blokes.Had the same problem with the front bottoming out all the time,even at low speed and/or going up a driveway slowly.IMHO the OE suspension on the 9 is crap.That's why some of us over here in OZ have gotten our bikes set up with aftermarket suspensions,and the difference to the handling of the bike is really great.A friend of mine who owns a Black 9 was forever changing the fork oil(heavier) and taking advise from so called experts,he decided to go to someone who new what they was talking about.This bloke does bike suspensions(Past 25 years,and races bikes also) for a living,and will custom make a shock for your bike if need be.Which is what he had to do in regard to the 9.He had never seen a 9 or even heard of one 'till we showed up to ask if he could supply us with a decent setup for our bikes.It wasn't cheap,but was well worth it.The best part though is that this fellow is a local,so if anything goes wrong,we can go see him and get it fixed.Too easy. KEZZ.:bigthumbsup::bigthumbsup:
Resolved Issue with bottoming!
One of the fork legs had about a 2" lower oil level than what was in the other side. There was no evidence of leaking either. The bike was delivered new like this.
Any way with the oil level fixed it rides great now, no bottoming or hard hits. That air spring effect is very important.
One of the fork legs had about a 2" lower oil level than what was in the other side. There was no evidence of leaking either. The bike was delivered new like this.
Any way with the oil level fixed it rides great now, no bottoming or hard hits. That air spring effect is very important.
Thanks, the Ohlins Springs look like a nice upgrade.
1 - 15 of 15 Posts
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