Sportbike Suspension Tuning

"Sportbikes today handle better than pure racebikes did just a few years ago. Their sophisticated, versatile suspension offers countless combinations to find the handling that's right for you. This book will help you hone and perfect your suspension for high-performance street riding and track days. Discover the right way to set spring and damping adjustments, and adjust ride height for greater steering responsiveness and traction. Suspension specialists from professional racing and the aftermarket also offer their insights on useful modifications."--Publisher description.

The suspension expert’s illustrated, comprehensive troubleshooting guide for dirt, street, and supermoto—with a solution to virtually any problem. Suspension is probably the most misunderstood aspect of motorcycle performance. This book, by America’s premier suspension specialist, makes the art and science of suspension tuning accessible to professional and backyard motorcycle mechanics alike. Based on Paul Thede’s wildly popular Race Tech Suspension Seminars, this step-by-step guide shows anyone how to make their bike, or their kid’s, handle like a pro’s. Thede gives a clear account of the three forces of suspension that you must understand to make accurate assessments of your suspension’s condition. He outlines testing procedures that will help you gauge how well you’re improving your suspension, along with your riding. And, if you’re inclined to perfect your bike’s handling, he even explains the black art of chassis geometry. Finally, step-by-step photos of suspension disassembly and assembly help you rebuild your forks and shocks for optimum performance.

This book explains the influence of damping on the ride and handling of race and sports cars. The author deals with the myths about damping, explaining the correllation between laws of physics and damping design, showing that there is nothing myterious about the way dampers work or damping forces can be manipulated. If the tire is the most important part transmitting engine power to the pavement, an integrated damping/suspension system is the second most important component between engine power and road surface. Over the last decades, suspension design and tuning has become one of the most important reasons for success on the race track. One of the most significant achievements of the author has been the realisation that the unsprung mass is a greater disturbing factor for good handling than the sprung mass of a car. The author describes the observations leading to this breakthrough in modern suspension tuning and the excellent results in racing.

This thorough how-to manual helps the off-road motorcycle enthusiast get the most out of their machine. This one-stop reference covers everything from basic maintenance to performance modifications, including: • Engine rebuilding• Transmission rebuilding• Clutch repair and rebuilding• Big-bore kits• Cam kits and valve timing and tuning• Tuning stock suspension• Suspension revalving and kits• Jetting and tuning carburetors• Tuning electronic fuel injection• Wheels, tires, and brakes• Chains and sprockets• Cooling systems • Electrical systems

From electronic ignition to electronic fuel injection, slipper clutches to traction control, today’s motorcycles are made up of much more than an engine, frame, and two wheels. And, just as the bikes themselves have changed, so have the tools with which we tune them. How to Tune and Modify Motorcycle Engine Management Systems addresses all of a modern motorcycle’s engine-control systems and tells you how to get the most out of today’s bikes. Topics covered include: How fuel injection works Aftermarket fuel injection systems Open-loop and closed-loop EFI systems Fuel injection products and services Tuning and troubleshooting Getting more power from your motorcycle engine Diagnostic tools Electronic throttle control (ETC) Knock control systems Modern fuels Interactive computer-controlled exhaust systems