FJRiders.com

My 2013 was an A. I never really learned the suspension settings beyond the basics. I get the theory of what each setting does but have trouble converting that to real life use. So once the 2013 needed lots of work including probably a total rebuild of the rear suspension I just decided to get an ES. I love the simple nature of it. It will serve me fine since I am not an expert level rider.

So now I have the ES. I am still trying to dail in what settings are best for me. I weight about 185. Usually carry another 10 lbs at least on the bike, even for day rides.

I never ride two up, but tend to take too much junk on a multi day trip. This weekend I had it loaded with camping gear, clothes, food, etc.

I understand Yamaha basic springs are made for light riders about 165lb? Is that true?

So since I am 185 I go up one on the preload. I ride helmet and luggage when just day riding. Two helmets when packed. That a good place to start?

Now damping is still a mystery to me. I have went up and down and still looking for the perfect setting. What are some of you guys running? For the time being I have jumped around with the numbers just on zero.

Day rides feel pretty good. Fully loaded the bike felt a little "floaty" in the front.

I would just like to see what other people are doing.

There seems to be some unhappy riders regarding the ES, personally I'm pretty happy with it. I paid big dollars on my old 2003's suspension and the ES is pretty close. Once you get the sag set, the rest is fine tuning to your local riding area.

https://www.fjrowners.com/threads/es-su ... ns.150837/

Canadian FJR

I vary my settings depending on load and riding. For example: This weekend I had a medium load on the bike heading to and from Tech day. 500 miles each day with a combination of slabbish and twisty riding. I had the front set at STD 0 and the rear 1 helmet and 1 luggage. No matter the load, if I am going to be riding hard in the twisties I set the front to STD +3 and the rear to fully loaded (2 helmets, 2 luggage). You can set a softer setting on the front for when you are not riding aggressive at all by selecting SOFT -3 to +3. Note that if you change the front on the fly you only have three choices and those are whatever the last setting you had on SOFT, STD, and HARD. You cannot change the number unless you are stopped. Also note that the higher the preload on the rear will raise the height. That will make your turn in feel faster.

I've been running my pre-load to "2-up" regardless. I haven't tried this bike loaded with camping gear, and suspect I'll go to "2-up plus luggage" then.

My soft is set to minus 2, Std. is zero, and Hard is plus 2.

I run it on soft for rough roads, slab riding, easy putt putting around town.

I run it on Std when I'm riding a bit more agressively.

I run it on Hard when I'm railing it.

Everything feels pretty good to me, except on occasion with the soft setting. I like the plush ride over the bumps, but I do get some feedback (almost vibration) to the handlebars. Not sure if that's an issue - kind of think not.

Question: Does anybody know if we have a total of 18 individual dampening settings, or is there some overlap? For example: Perhaps "soft plus 3" might be the same as "Std minus 2"?

Regarding overlap—- I believe the overlap is widespread. There was a graphic somewhere in the manual if I recall. I just checked the FSM and the info is not where o thought it would be in 3-20 through 3-23

Basically the concept was that hard -3 might be equivalent to STD +2. Soft +3 maybe be similar to STD -3. Let me see if I can find that graphic.

I will try to see what I also run as setting for different conditions.


Soft 0

Standard +3

Hard 0

That is what I ride with. Not sure others will like it, but i weight 215 geared up. I rarely ride with luggage when possible.

Just yesterday after the wife and I went for a walk and got sweaty, I convinced her to go for a ride. I threw an empty top case on and we rode around town looking at a few things while cooling off. (It was quite irresponsible, we both had shorts/t-shirts, and tennis shoes on. No helmet either. Total squid move, but I digress). We got flashed at least 4 times before I remembered to stop and set the suspension away from One Helmet to TWO HELMETS. The aux lights were blasting away and just raising the rear made a difference. I had to explain that her added mass made the back end ride lower. She simply said “That’s Rude!” I said “At least I didn’t have to change it to 2 helmets and luggage”.

As others have said, riding load and style affect your suspension choices. I have tailed it with Spawn on the back, but she weighed 130-135 geared up and knew how to lean. No way I am doing that with anyone else. So that point is mute. No need to set the suspension stiffer/higher at this time.

The more luggage I pack on and faster I go in the curves will dictate what preload and dampening I choose. The rebound also is affected by those settings. Also you can adjust the rebound with the viscosity of your fluid.

I am sure Ray (who has a better theoretical understanding than me) will come along soon.

Will now look for the graphic.
No way I would rail

To keep us unconfused, first talk separately about preload vs. damping. #1 rule, your springs have to hold you up, so set your preload for your weight. You can only do this on the rear shock while stopped. No preload adjusters on the front forks. The FJR is somewhat undersprung on the rear, so the "one helmet no luggage" may not work for anyone over 160 lbs.

Damping is merely controlling the rate at which the suspension bounces as it travels up and down. You do not have separate compression and rebound damping, one adjustment controls both within the parameters Yamaha programmed in, and you cannot adjust front independent of rear. Basically you will set the damping stiffer for twisties and less stiff if you like for straighter or bumpy roads.

I found the chart Josh is referring to.... Yammy 'splainin' when ES first came out in 2014.......

So - it appears that there is considerable overlap in the dampening. That is helpful - and affirms my suspicion while riding the bike over same terrain at different settings. I now think I've got it dialed in about as close as I need it.

That chart really helps!

Intech wrote: ↑Mon Aug 28, 2023 3:01 pm I vary my settings depending on load and riding. For example: This weekend I had a medium load on the bike heading to and from Tech day. 500 miles each day with a combination of slabbish and twisty riding. I had the front set at STD 0 and the rear 1 helmet and 1 luggage. No matter the load, if I am going to be riding hard in the twisties I set the front to STD +3 and the rear to fully loaded (2 helmets, 2 luggage). You can set a softer setting on the front for when you are not riding aggressive at all by selecting SOFT -3 to +3. Note that if you change the front on the fly you only have three choices and those are whatever the last setting you had on SOFT, STD, and HARD. You cannot change the number unless you are stopped. Also note that the higher the preload on the rear will raise the height. That will make your turn in feel faster.

Your post was confusing to me. If I am reading it correctly you are mixing apples and oranges with regards to preload settings and damping. Shock preload (as Ray mentioned there is no fronts forks preload) is set with the rider, rider+luggage, two riders, two riders + luggage icons. This affects only the rear shock and how much weight you are putting on it. Damping settings, soft, std, and hard affect both the front forks and the rear shock and relates to how the suspension front and rear 'feels'. Simplistic explanation, I know.

I see lots of folks guessing as to preload settings rather than taking the time to do it right and measuring. The shock might be under sprung. It might not be for some. At 185 lbs buck naked I ride all the time on the one rider preload setting and have no complaints. I bump it up to one rider with luggage when I am carrying shit. Personally, I think lots of folks read on here how the shock is undersprung and bump up preload and since it feels 'different' it is therefore better. Not necessarily. The only way to truly know is to measure SAG. I haven't done it yet either as I haven't felt the need. But I will sometime. Especially now that MudslideMiller had his ES shock rebuilt with a stiffer spring. When the Arizona heat isn't trying to cook us like a pizza we will go out and measure SAG for comparison of the upgraded spring shock and stock.

If you are adding too much preload then you are not leaving your shock much room to absorb dips in the road. So, I would really like to see more folks go out and measure their SAG and report back here actual, measurable results. It's not hard. Just a bit of a pita.

And me, so far I find it hard to differentiate between all the small damping adjustments. I have mine on Soft -3, Std -0, and Hard +3. I ride most of the time in Soft. Sometimes in STD if the roads are smooth. And when the road gets twisty then it is in Hard.

I have the front set at STD 0 and the rear 1 helmet and 1 luggage for all touring riding. If I am riding twisties I set the rear to 2 helmets which recalls STD +2 (or +3 can't remember) for the front. It seems to work.

Spininprop wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 7:27 pm I have the front set at STD 0 and the rear 1 helmet and 1 luggage for all touring riding. If I am riding twisties I set the rear to 2 helmets which recalls STD +2 (or +3 can't remember) for the front. It seems to work.

You are separating the front and rear damping in your description which is incorrect. STD, whether it be 0, -2, +2, or +3 affects BOTH the front and rear settings.

SkooterG wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:13 pm

Spininprop wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 7:27 pm I have the front set at STD 0 and the rear 1 helmet and 1 luggage for all touring riding. If I am riding twisties I set the rear to 2 helmets which recalls STD +2 (or +3 can't remember) for the front. It seems to work.

You are separating the front and rear damping in your description which is incorrect. STD, whether it be 0, -2, +2, or +3 affects BOTH the front and rear settings.

Thanks for clarifying that. Now - stupid question/clarification needed:

Can I program different dampening settings (soft, Std, Hard) for EACH preload setting, and if so, are those remembered as I toggle (while stationary, of course) through the different pre-loads?

Hppants wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2023 10:51 am

SkooterG wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:13 pm

Spininprop wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 7:27 pm I have the front set at STD 0 and the rear 1 helmet and 1 luggage for all touring riding. If I am riding twisties I set the rear to 2 helmets which recalls STD +2 (or +3 can't remember) for the front. It seems to work.

You are separating the front and rear damping in your description which is incorrect. STD, whether it be 0, -2, +2, or +3 affects BOTH the front and rear settings.

Thanks for clarifying that. Now - stupid question/clarification needed:

Can I program different dampening settings (soft, Std, Hard) for EACH preload setting, and if so, are those remembered as I toggle (while stationary, of course) through the different pre-loads?

I believe the damping settings are independent from preload settings. So the answer is no the FJR suspension dampening can't be programmed to each preload. (This ain't a BMW ya know. )

There are 7 settings withing each damping setting. I have found the settings are subtle so I set the soft setting in the lower range like -2, the standard setting to 0 and the hard range to 2 or 3. This technique provides the most extreme range of on the fly dampening available on the ES.

Well ok. But it's still the settings... :>)

SkooterG wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:13 pm

Spininprop wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 7:27 pm I have the front set at STD 0 and the rear 1 helmet and 1 luggage for all touring riding. If I am riding twisties I set the rear to 2 helmets which recalls STD +2 (or +3 can't remember) for the front. It seems to work.

You are separating the front and rear damping in your description which is incorrect. STD, whether it be 0, -2, +2, or +3 affects BOTH the front and rear settings.

Hppants wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2023 10:51 am

SkooterG wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:13 pm

Spininprop wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 7:27 pm I have the front set at STD 0 and the rear 1 helmet and 1 luggage for all touring riding. If I am riding twisties I set the rear to 2 helmets which recalls STD +2 (or +3 can't remember) for the front. It seems to work.

You are separating the front and rear damping in your description which is incorrect. STD, whether it be 0, -2, +2, or +3 affects BOTH the front and rear settings.

Thanks for clarifying that. Now - stupid question/clarification needed:

Can I program different dampening settings (soft, Std, Hard) for EACH preload setting, and if so, are those remembered as I toggle (while stationary, of course) through the different pre-loads?

You can't program a damping setting for each preload setting. BUT, you can fine tune the damping setting for each preload setting. IOW, if you set 1 rider + luggage and Soft -2 STD 0 Hard +2, those detailed settings will be remembered for that preload setting. And so on with the other different preload settings. For example, at two riders you could set Soft 0 STD +1 Hard +1 and it will remember those settings for that preload setting also.

I hope that made sense.

SkooterG wrote: ↑Thu Aug 31, 2023 3:13 am

Hppants wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2023 10:51 am

SkooterG wrote: ↑Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:13 pm

You are separating the front and rear damping in your description which is incorrect. STD, whether it be 0, -2, +2, or +3 affects BOTH the front and rear settings.

Thanks for clarifying that. Now - stupid question/clarification needed:

Can I program different dampening settings (soft, Std, Hard) for EACH preload setting, and if so, are those remembered as I toggle (while stationary, of course) through the different pre-loads?

You can't program a damping setting for each preload setting. BUT, you can fine tune the damping setting for each preload setting. IOW, if you set 1 rider + luggage and Soft -2 STD 0 Hard +2, those detailed settings will be remembered for that preload setting. And so on with the other different preload settings. For example, at two riders you could set Soft 0 STD +1 Hard +1 and it will remember those settings for that preload setting also.

I hope that made sense.

Thanks Skoot, I didn’t realize that.

Makes perfect sense.

Tomorrow, I’m gonna dial that in.

Thanks Scooter I didn't know the dampening settings could be set for each preload setting. Good info.

I am gonna have to try this as well.


I thought the settings were across the entire range of Helmet/Riders and Bags/luggage.

Are you saying you can set individual susupension settings for each of the Preload levels?

So say you have Rider only (One Helmet) That allows for a Soft, STD, and Hard setting....Say... Soft-3 Standard +1 and Hard+3

Rider + Bags. Another 3 settings and be different than the above? Say Soft +1, STD 0, and Hard -2

Rider + RIder Another 3 settings independent of the 2 above? You get the idea all of them are different

Rider + Rider + Bags Another 3 settings independent of any of the other ones?

I do not know if that is the case. But please give me the details where to find that tutorial. THAT IS A LOT OF CUSTOMIZATION. Definitely way better than I can ride.

Josh that is a good explanation and the way it works. I tested it briefly. I am so insensitive to the ES damping settings I doubt this new found customization means much to me. I have to set the damping at the extremes to notice a difference. For my buck two fifty I much rather have 12 preload settings and a 800 lbs rear spring.