im hoping someone has some good info regarding setting up the rc51. i have an 04 im setting up for the track, and ill be running dunlop 209gpA's. due to budget constraints i cant do anything to the suspension this season so ill be on stock stuff. from everything ive found i need to have the swingarm angle at 12.5 degrees, but i cant find info on what i should have my rake angle set at, or even how many mm's of fork sticking through the triples (being on dunlops, and running stock forks). any help would be appreciated.
appreciate the info guys. ive been in the game long enough to know that suspension is more important than anything else, but unfortunately i dont have the scratch to get suspension done this season so im going to have to set up the stock stuff the best i can and at least ill be on the track having fun even if ill be limited by stock suspension. i was just hoping to get some geometry numbers to start with. "Sweet Numbers" as it is referred to. ill get my sag set, compression and rebound as well, but its all about the angle of the swingarm, wheelbase, and rake/trail numbers. i browse all the rc sites including rogue, and i do agree that there is good info there. thanks again.
I just got my self an RC my self and am dying to take it to the track I just finish doing the revalve and resprong the forks (the Ohlins shock is for next season) but I think I will just lower the forks one line from the stock set up and see how I feel at the track and adjusted there.....that`s what I done with my other bikes the 929 is totally set up diferently that my 600 and both I have done like this little by little adjusments at the track
You're gonna love the big torque V-twin yanking you out of the corners. The factory forks aren't that bad. The weak part of the suspension is the rear. A Kyle link helps the rear even with a stock shock. It's a heavy bike....but fun to ride!!
yeah!!! cant wait, am trying to convince the wife to go with me to my first track day of the year so I can take the SUV to tow 2 bike and give couple of sessions on the RC....let see
If you're not going to valve the shock, you'd be better off without the link. The shock needs to be set up to run the link. Having said that, once you do both, it's great.
The forks are pretty good, at minimum, change the springs for your weight, and the 'top out' springs should be changed to the shorter Traxxion springs, or Dan Kyle can shorten your stockers. You won't be able to set sag properly on the front without the top out spring change/mod. The factory ones are too soft and as you try to adjust pre-load, you compress the top out springs instead of adjusting the main springs. I ran my stock suspension with the first line on the forks at the top of the triple, but the springs were so soft that I don't think it mattered. The bike was stable, but was kind of a 'truck' to steer, so I've dropped them to the second line. The rear shock is junk, don't waste a dime on it. Buy a used shock (Penske, Ohlins, Elka) when you can, and get it re-valved/sprung for your weight when you can. I know you said you can't afford suspension, but try as hard as you can to at least spring the forks properly. That alone will be a huge improvement. I had Trackside Suspension & Engineering (Darien, WI) go through my stuff this winter. They rebuilt & re-valved my Penske rear triple clicker. They also re-sprung my forks as well as added the Penske 20mm piston/valve kit. I can't wait to try it out this year!
thanks for the info smokngun... ive done a good bit of research and found the same info regarding the top out springs, etc... im gonna give it a rip on the stock stuff for this season and upgrade next winter. ive got the stock rear shock shimmed by 4mm's (the most i could get while still being able to securely torque the nut down. and i have the forks at the top line. ill get to the track and see how she feels and adjust accordingly.
I'll have an Ohlins triple shock for sale shortly, if anyone's interested....along with a Kyle Racing shock link. Amongst a few odds and ends. Just shoot me a PM if interested.
