2009 Buell XB12Ss Suspension Settings

[Miami78]

Strange, my '09 service manual shows the chart oh9 posted, but my '09 Ss owners manual shows a completely different chart...

Cant snap a pic of it right now, but for a 200# rider the '09 Ss owners manual says to do the following:
Front fork -
Preload: turns in from minimum - 7 (minimum is counterclockwise until adjuster stops)
Compression: turns out from maximum - 2
Rebound: turns out from maximum - 1 1/2

Rear shock -
Preload position - 3
Compression: turns out from maximum - 3
Rebound: turns out from maximum - 3 1/2

All compression and rebound adjustments are from full clockwise until the adjuster stops, the numbers listed are the number of turns counterclockwise.

[urbanpail]

Thanks for that. If you can snap a pic in the future it'd be very much appreciated.

[Miami78]

You bet, I'll dig my camera out shortly and try to post it, or if you PM me your number I can text you a pic of that page.

[Miami78]

[urbanpail]

Awesome. You just did a great service sir. Kudos!

[Entropy76]

After 8 years does anyone know why the settings are different from the service manual to the owner's manual? And which should I follow?

Sorry to create a zombie thread but inquiring *brains!* want to know.

[Cooter]

That settings chart is NOT universal to all Buells. Besides they are simply a starting point for the weight the bike will typically ride around with. Riding style, age, miles, service, even preference, all affect those settings.

Stick it there to start, and do NOT leave it alone forever after. You would be doing your bike and yourSELF a big disservice by ignoring why they are adjustable in the first place. If you are unsure of what those adjustments do, there are plenty of free sources to learn from. Moto Ju-jitsu and Dave Moss are a couple of the best.

Throwing $80 at a "suspension guy" can get you a little closer but in the end YOU are the only person on this planet that can ride your bike and know what you prefer. You will be AMAZED by what a little Youtubing/reading and tuning it yourself will do for your riding experience.

[Mesozoic]

That settings chart is NOT universal to all Buells. Besides they are simply a starting point for the weight the bike will typically ride around with. Riding style, age, miles, service, even preference, all affect those settings.

Stick it there to start, and do NOT leave it alone forever after. You would be doing your bike and yourSELF a big disservice by ignoring why they are adjustable in the first place. If you are unsure of what those adjustments do, there are plenty of free sources to learn from. Moto Ju-jitsu and Dave Moss are a couple of the best.

Throwing $80 at a "suspension guy" can get you a little closer but in the end YOU are the only person on this planet that can ride your bike and know what you prefer. You will be AMAZED by what a little Youtubing/reading and tuning it yourself will do for your riding experience.

Yeah, agreed. Once I finally figured out how to tune the suspension to my liking, I'm really able to handle the bike properly... or at least as well as I'm able to. I can really drive the machine into corners hard, pop out of corners fast, and generally just ride like I stole it. What I learned on dialing the suspension on the Buells was that I then applied those lessons onto my mountain bikes. Good times.

[Cooter]

Totally this ^^^ Suspension is the same whether its a Buell or a dumptruck. Once you figure out its not a black art you can apply those lessons to everything.