New Owner with a lot to learn: Fresh eyes suspension view.

[Disaster]

ST1300 is my reintroduction to biking. 20 years away from it. My last bike was a Yamaha 650 Seca with all of 50 horsepower so the ST is a pretty big upgrade.

Bought a 2006 with a only 4,500 miles on it. 3rd owner.

Really amazed how light it handles...quick steering, low Cg, smooth power...tons of torque.

Having said that the suspension seems horribly unbalanced. The front end feels way too soft. Touch the brake and the nose dives. Meanwhile the rear feels way to stiff and overdamped. It bounces over bumps. The rear tire chatters over uneven surfaces. The bike is downright scary in turns, the slightest imperfection unsettles it. I find myself constantly readjusting...compensating...countersteering to keep the tires under the bike.

I just drove the bike for the first 1,500 miles to get comfortable with it...which never happened. Now it's time to sort things out. The only thing I've done so far was back the preload off. I need to play with the suspension rebound damping...which is set way too high right now.

Anyway, lots to read and learn. Any tips would much be appreciated. Not much riding season left here in Michigan.

 

[dduelin]

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?109391-ST1300-Video-Setting-rear-shock-rebound-adj&highlight=

How much do you weigh? Ride solo or two up?

 

[Disaster]

6', 185lbs. Ride solo most of the time but definitely planning two up x-country trips. Thnx for link and welcome.

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?109391-ST1300-Video-Setting-rear-shock-rebound-adj&highlight=

How much do you weigh? Ride solo or two up?

 

[dduelin]

6', 185lbs. Ride solo most of the time but definitely planning two up x-country trips. Thnx for link and welcome.

It is common for the preload adjuster for the rear shock to lose ability to increase preload until it is turned clockwise 18 clicks or more. That is, you turn the adjuster clockwise from a fully turned out starting point 9 complete turns (18 clicks) before it begins to feel resistance. There are many threads on refilling the preload adjuster but at 185 lbs you should be able to set sag OK even if it needs attention as long as you can get resistance by 18 clicks. Adequate preload adjustment is needed on the ST1300 at your weight so the sag can be set to your liking. 9 to 18 clicks after resistance is felt should be as OK starting point. This will probably get rear sag with you on the bike of 30 to 36 mm then with rebound damping set to 1.25 to 1.75 turns out from full hard see if the shock has settled down the rear end from what you describe.

Tires can also cause some of what you describe, in particular the Michelin Pilot Road 2. I did not like that tire as it never seemed to settle into a line after turning into a corner.

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?106715-ST1300-Pre-load-Fluid-Replacement&highlight=

 

[bkra13]

4500 miles, third owner?? Sheesh. Probably still OEM tires? They shouldn't even be squared off yet, but if they are, change them before you start messing with the suspension. I've found that the ST is seriously affected by tires that are starting to square off. With mine, I need to constantly adjust the line in left handers once they start developing shoulders (for some reason, possibly "road crown" the left sides of both tires wear faster than the right). My ZRX was somewhat sensitive to this, but not nearly as much as the ST.

As for the "bouncing" rear end - is the entire bike hopping, or just the tire? If the whole bike is hopping, dial back on the rebound a click or 2 - too much rebound damping and the shock may not be extending enough after compression . 2 or 3 cycles and it's "packed" and can't compress/rebound anymore, almost turns solid. If just the tire is hopping, then you may just need more rebound damping.

+1 on the preload fluid - almost seems as if a lot of bikes came from teh factory with no or very little fluid. Easy job, big difference in pre-load amounts.

At 185lbs, you're pretty much in range for the stock front springs, tho. Any idea if previous owners changed springs at either end?

 

[Disaster]

I doubt first owner did anything. Second owner put maybe 400 miles on it. I changed the oil and filter, added a Bestem trunk, the taller Heli's, pannier protection bars and rear peg relocation kit, and Laminar lip. The Laminar lip made the hugest difference in riding comfort. I thought it was the bar position that was so tiring but I finally realized it was all the back pressure coming from the raised shield.

The front fork seems really soft to me, though it could be because the rear is jacking up from the rebound damping.

The tires aren't flatted but must be original.

As it is now, the ST is really taxing to drive. Between the driveline lash, throttle response and suspension, I haven't been able to find my groove with it yet.

 

[bkra13]

Pretty easy to adjust the rebound - there's a hole in the frame that a looong flat blade screwdriver fits into to reach the adjuster on the shock. Ride/adjust/rinse/repeat till you're happy with it.

As for the throttle response/driveline lash, good luck with that. There are a few things that help a bit (G2 Throttle Tamer, different fuel pressure regulator that may/may not help) and you'll eventually get used to most of it. I'm in the camp that thinks we shouldn't HAVE to get used to this, Honda should have figured it out before selling the bike. I don't particularly like the Throttle Tamer (have to twist too far to GO), but I like the binary nature of the throttle without it even less.

 

[Disaster]

Adjusted the suspension today...much better, but limited time to evaluate because it is snowing here! I backed the preload off till it was loose, than cranked it back in a few turns. Then I backed the rebound screw all the way out and did the same. Took a couple more turns in with the rebound to find a point that didn't seem to bounce too much. Not sure how it was adjusted originally, but it is much better now. The rear tire actually kept in contact with the road...instead of pogo sticking like it was before. Thanks for the tips and links, guys.