Tyre wear/suspension setup

Hi all

4 week old 04 Cagiva X Raptor.

Running 180 rear, 120 front (Bridgestone I think, I
can check if you think it's relevant), I've got wear marks right to the
edge on the rear, but I've still got about a finger's width of
untouched tread on the front. I seem to recall that indicated that I
didn't have the suspension set up right - comments, suggestions ?

I've not taken it to a track yet, just road riding, have about 3500Km
on it. Started setting up the suspension this weekend, the front was
too stiff so I backed off the preload a fair bit (sag is about right
now) and the compression damping a little bit. It was a lot better up
McCarr's Creek road today (the benchmark for rough as crap roads in
Sydney), although I think it could go a little softer. I've left the
rear stock so far, although I suspect it could be backed off a little
(I'm doing as much 2 up riding as solo and the setup seems about right
for two up).

Suggestions ?

JL

 

wrote in @g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Just ride the fucking thing.

But by all means play with the suspension settings. Do it gradually though,
and always remember where the standard settings are. Eventually you'll know
where you want to set them for various types of road conditions and speeds
and weights etc.

 

Shit mate, I've done 3500K in 4 weeks, I am bloody riding it !! Every
chance I get <grin>.

JL
(I just seem to recall the uneven wear thing indicating a suspension
setup issue, but can't find the answer via google)

 

I doubt it's anything to do with suspension, unless you can't lean far
enough to take the front to the edge before something grounds out. The
tread on fronts always wraps around further than on rears (assuming a
matched pair), so you simply have to lean further to take a front to
the edge.

 

wrote in @f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

3 1/2 million miles in 4 weeks is some going ;-)

If you think about the wear thing logically, all it means is that the cross
section radius on the front tyre is tighter than the rear. Considering how
much wider the rear is than the front this is not surprising. Stop worrying
about it. Who'd want to be right to the edge of the front anyway?

If the suspension feels right, it is right.

 

Though leaning that far potentially will have the whole bike over

I went off the front of the GSX-R doing a low speed "knee down"[1] day in a
Qinetic car park - the first and only time I grounded anything on the GSX-R
and the instructor suggested not leaning it any further