Owner's manual for a 97-98 CBR600F3

[Tpoppa]

Does anyone have an owner's manual for a 97-98 CBR600F3? Would you be nice enough to tell me the suspension settings for the rear shock?

I am using an F3 shock to update the suspension on a Honda 919 and need the adjustment settings for the rear shock.

--thx.

[cbr600f3]

according to the book its. spring- 2nd, rebound 1 turn out from full and compression is 1 turn out from full. that's the standard setting from the book. they dont go into detail about rider weight other then setting up the proper shock and fork sag. ideally if both front and rear are working propely togetherr- springs, oil etc. your bike should evenly compress and rebound

Setting Sag

Proper sag is important because a suspension unit needs a certain amount of room within its travel to work properly. If you have too little sag, your bike will be prone to topping out the suspension as it extends to its limit. Similarly, too little sag could allow you to exper-ience the unpleasant jolt of bottoming out. Your bike's sag is broken into two categories: "static sag," the distance your bike compresses its suspension from fully extended when you climb on board; and "free sag," the distance your bike settles from full extension under its own weight.

In order to measure static sag, you'll need two assistants. A metric tape measure will also make the calculations easier than an SAE one. Before you mount the bike, measure the suspension completely topped out. To measure the fork's static sag, lift on the grips until the front wheel begins to come off the ground. On traditional forks, measure from the stanchion wiper to the bottom of the triple clamp. Measure from the wiper to the top of the axle clamp on inverted forks. Mark this number "L1."

Pick a spot directly above the axle and measure from the axle center.

Now, have one of your assistants hold the bike from the rear while you get in position on the bike. Your other assistant should push down on the fork and let it slowly rise up until it stops. The new measure-ment will be called "L2." The front end should now be lifted and allowed to settle slowly down until it stops, forming measurement "L3." Exactly in the middle of measurements L2 and L3 is the point the fork would want to live in a frictionless system.

Armed with this information, you can determine the static sag by subtracting the average measurement calculated above from L1. To write it out as an equation, it would look like this: static sag = L1 - (L2 + L3) / 2. For street riding, suspension gurus generally agree that between 30 and 35 mm (1.2-1.5 inches) is optimum sag. If you're track-bound, a stiffer 25 to 30 mm (1.0-1.2 inches) is preferred. If you have too much sag, you'll need to increase the fork's preload. Conversely, if you have too little, back off on the preload a bit.

Once you have the front suspension dialed in, repeat the process with the rear suspension. The key to getting accurate measurements out back is to pick a solid point on the frame or bodywork directly above the axle. If you don't measure straight up from the axle, you may get inaccurate numbers.

All you need is a screwdriver and a notebook to find your bike's best damping settings.

Setting Damping

Begin by setting your bike's damping adjusters to the factory specified positions (listed in your owner's manual). They probably won't stay there, but the settings should get you in the general area. Damping adjusters measure their settings in one of two ways: clicks or turns. If your bike uses clicks, turn the adjuster all the way in (clockwise) and unscrew the adjuster the correct number of clicks. For turns, do the same thing but count the turns instead of clicks.

To test your fork's rebound damping, stand your bike straight up. Press firmly down on the center of the triple clamp (not the handle-bar). Don't hold the brake. The suspension should rebound back to its starting point and not beyond. If it bounces back beyond the ori-ginal position, then you need to add some rebound damping by screwing the rebound adjuster on top of the fork inward. Generally, make adjustments in single clicks or half-turns. If the fork rises back directly to its original position, press on the triple clamp and time how long it takes to rise back. You want the rebound to take about a second. Adjust the rebound damp-ing until you feel the timing is right. Follow the same procedure in the rear, pressing on the center of the seat. The shock's rebound adjuster is usually on the bottom of the shock body.

Although you can test your suspension settings anywhere, the best way to get an accurate measurement of changes is to repeatedly ride the same section of road. Dial in the front and rear suspension separately. To get a feel for what direction you need to go with your compression damping, ride your test road with the compression set to the factory specs to form a base line. Next, go a couple of clicks firmer. Did the handling improve or get worse? Now try a couple clicks softer than stock. Which of the three settings do you prefer? Keep experiment-ing. Take notes. When you're satisfied with the front suspension, continue the process with the rear.

If you need more adjustments, such as ride height, you may want to look toward the aftermarket.

The challenge of setting up your suspension is that some symptoms can be caused by completely opposite problems. For example, if the front of your bike has a vague mushy feeling, you could be suffering from either a lack of compression damping or rebound damping. Looking for other symptoms will help you determine which setting to alter.

When you're happy with how your bike's suspenders perform, try one last test to make sure that you have balanced settings. Support the bike without any stands and press firmly on the tank. The front and rear suspension should compress and rebound in unison. If either end compresses or rebounds differently from the other, try altering the settings slightly to get the chassis movement in synch.

[Tpoppa]

Great. Thanks!