Ok, something is definitely up.

tom_e · 14 Apr 2015 at 15:34

I imagine your forks will be a lot more sturdy than the ones on my YBR but just as another suggestion are you sure you've not bent them slightly, I had a similar off at around about the same speed over Christmas and until I had my forks straightened I had a similar feeling.

ElliorR · 14 Apr 2015 at 15:51

Just so you know you're not the only One suffering with this, here's a link to a recent thread on the Tiger 800 forums with the same problems.

http://www.tiger800.co.uk/index.php/topic,13323.0.html

Yaayuh! · 14 Apr 2015 at 16:14

tom_e said:
I imagine your forks will be a lot more sturdy than the ones on my YBR but just as another suggestion are you sure you've not bent them slightly, I had a similar off at around about the same speed over Christmas and until I had my forks straightened I had a similar feeling.

I went for a 3 hour ride on Sunday, it feels absolutely fine generally. I would've thought if there suspension was damaged/not right in anyway i would have noticed.
It's just now and then like people have described, feels like hitting a wet painted line or join.
I'll have to test in the warm because as i said, it's happened early on in rides, so could be just **** and unpredictable when not warmed up. Come to think about it, there are far more left turns on my way to work than right.

ElliorR said:
Just so you know you're not the only One suffering with this, here's a link to a recent thread on the Tiger 800 forums with the same problems.

http://www.tiger800.co.uk/index.php/topic,13323.0.html

Sounds very familiar!

ShakenNstirred · 14 Apr 2015 at 18:02

Rossi~ said:
The zip tie idea is good, i'll try that today. As for the tyres, i've been looking at the Mich Pilot Road 4's, seem to be a great all-rounder.

also check the static sag(without rider) it wants to be around the 30-35mm sag

wazza300 · 14 Apr 2015 at 18:04

you shouldn't really have to mess with sag though unless your a porka

maybe touch more rebound/compression might help,as would a better brand/gripping tyre

ShakenNstirred · 14 Apr 2015 at 18:16

wazza300 said:
you shouldn't really have to mess with sag though unless your a porka

maybe touch more rebound/compression might help,as would a better brand/gripping tyre

having the suspension set for your weight whatever that maybe, makes a big difference.
if the sag is wrong the suspension wont work as its meant too.
its the starting point for everything you do as regard's suspension as it lets the forks and rear shock use its full travel and can give you better feel from the tyres and even make the tyre last longer as the suspension is doing the work and not the tyre.

wazza300 · 14 Apr 2015 at 18:35

yh I know that,but they are generally setup for average weight rider out of the factory,

worth a check though I guess,ive just never had to mess with mine,you find once you mess you never get it to feel right

I took mine to a local suspension setup/rebiuld place and he adjusted mine for me,he said the sag was ok though

DanF · 14 Apr 2015 at 19:34

Rossi~ said:
Front is a BT011F, rear is the BT020 though

http://www.bridgestone.co.uk/moto/ranges/battlax/bt-011/

Yeah the 020 is a really old tyre design, like maybe 8 years old now. I had them on my SV years ago and really hated the feel of them in the wet. They where OK in the dry but I had a major moment with them on a trackday where they basically overheated at beginner speeds. The rear just gave way and almost high sided me

The 011 is listed as a scooter/sport tyre, can't imagine it's all that good unfortunatly.

Honestly just go out and get a set of PR4's, they are just very good in every situation apart from hard track use. Almost perfect for a UK road bike.

my STR has pirelli diablo rosso corsa which are amazing in the dry but need to really warm up in the wet before they feel any good.

The other bike as a PR3 on the front and a PR4 on the rear and they are really good, copes with a 1 ltre of v-twin torque with no issues

Maybe slightly more vague than the pirelli in hot dry conditions but better everywhere else.

what bike are you riding? a basic suspension check and setup is usually pretty cheap if you can find a good independent specialist.

DanF · 14 Apr 2015 at 20:11

ah the other thing it could be is the front forks hydrolocking, happens on damper rod forks like on the gsx650f. They only have one damping setting which is a compromise between high speed impacts like cats eyes and potholes and low speed which is say brake dive.

If you are in a corner and hit a road imperfection then damper rod forks can lock which can cause the front tyre to skip and lose traction for a bit. Used to get it a fair bit on my SV650. There's not much you can do about this if it's what's happening.

Dogbreath · 14 Apr 2015 at 22:31

DanF said:
ah the other thing it could be is the front forks hydrolocking, happens on damper rod forks like on the gsx650f. They only have one damping setting which is a compromise between high speed impacts like cats eyes and potholes and low speed which is say brake dive.

If you are in a corner and hit a road imperfection then damper rod forks can lock which can cause the front tyre to skip and lose traction for a bit. Used to get it a fair bit on my SV650. There's not much you can do about this if it's what's happening.

You can disable the damper rods and fit cartridge emulators. One of the best improvements I made to my SV. I'm a little surprised that the GSX650F doesn't have at least basic cartridge forks, but apparently Suzuki fitted dinosaur suspension to them.

Yaayuh! · 15 Apr 2015 at 08:21

Dogbreath said:
I'm a little surprised that the GSX650F doesn't have at least basic cartridge forks, but apparently Suzuki fitted dinosaur suspension to them.

It's a bandit with a fairing. It's a dirt cheap all-rounder bike.

I don't think i'll mess around with the suspension, as it can get quite costly and it's really not worth it on such a bike i don't think. Unless of course you could tell me it can be done cheap and relatively easily?

Interesting video:

In an ideal world, i'd like to get some decent tyres on it and keep it as a commuter. Then get another bike that i can tinker with and use for fun/weekend tours.

Yaayuh! · 15 Apr 2015 at 14:43

Going to adjust my pre-load on my front a notch before i leave work, see if being a little stiffer helps in any way.

DanF · 15 Apr 2015 at 15:56

so yeah pre-load just changes the amount the bike sags when you sit on it, changing it doesn't alter how hard or soft the suspension is. Only way to do that is to swap out the springs.

It's pretty easy to set the correct pre-load or rider sag though. Easy if you have a mate to take the measurements for you.

1: hold the front end up and measure from the seal to the bottom of the tripleset = total length
2: let the bike sag and measure again, do it a few times
total length - this = static sag
3: sit on the bike with feet on the pegs with hand against a wall or post a few times
total length - this = rider sag

on most rode bikes you'll want 30-35mm of rider sag. If after setting the rider sag your static sag is less than about 5mm or greater than about 20mm then the springs might need changed as they will be either too hard or too soft.

The rear is the same process really, just use 28-37mm for the rider sag. Measure straight up from the rear axle to something on the bike.

BAcon · 20 Apr 2015 at 09:53

edit: reading this back many years later I realise my clear error.

DanF · 20 Apr 2015 at 12:20

The spring is always pre-compressed when just sat normally. You are only adjusting the amount of sag with pre-load.

google it, there are so many articles on this stuff and it's really simple to set up and understand.

http://fixbroke.tumblr.com/post/39188918110/spring-preload-and-sag-what-does-it-really-do

BAcon · 20 Apr 2015 at 19:14

Cheers

DanF · 20 Apr 2015 at 22:37

I'd love to see the equation to prove it

Dogbreath · 20 Apr 2015 at 22:53

BAcon said:
Thanks for the advice but I am aware of how springs work.

if a lighter person wants a stiffer setup, adding additional preload will give them that

Clearly you aren't aware of how springs work

Changing the preload does not affect the spring rate, it simply moves the static position of the spring (sag). For a linear spring, the spring rate is determined only by the wire gauge, spring diameter, number of turns and material constant - it remains the same no matter how compressed it is.

Dogbreath · 20 Apr 2015 at 23:09

Rossi~ said:
It's a bandit with a fairing. It's a dirt cheap all-rounder bike.

I don't think i'll mess around with the suspension, as it can get quite costly and it's really not worth it on such a bike i don't think. Unless of course you could tell me it can be done cheap and relatively easily?

Cartridge emulators are about the single best thing you can do to damper rod forks after getting the appropriate spring rate for you weight and riding style. They really make a big difference to the damping.

YSS make some fairly reasonably priced emulators, but I don't know if they make a set specifically for the GSX650. No doubt something from a different bike would fit - I fitted some emulators to my SV650 designed for a Harley

The one make forums would be the best place to get info on this.

ShakenNstirred · 21 Apr 2015 at 07:36

If YSS don't make the Cartridge emulators for the GSX650.
all they need to know from you so that can suggest one, is the diameter of the spring and the inner diameter of the fork leg.
that what they asked me for when I emailed them a few months ago