Hi from New Zealand. A well presented and edited video about an important part of what we do. I’ve got a 2019 AT bought new and now has 34000 kms (21000 mls) I ride hard and push my tyres on sealed roads and my bike behaves predictably with good handling with no complaints. I run TK80’s 50/50 front and Mitas eo7 plus on the rear and also ride lots of gravel back roads. I swear by them. My fork preload is 8-10 out cc. You said 9. Rebound I’m 2 turns out you said 1.3/4. My compression is 5 out /yours 6. My rear preload is in 12 in from minimum / yours 9.. I’m going to check the rebound and compression because I’ve lost that data. I don’t hesitate to back off the rear preload for thick gravel roads because it makes a huge difference and on the real bumpy off road stuff doesn't kick up in the rear. By the way I’m1701bs on the button. So always gratifying seeing I’m in the right ball park.
I just purchased a 2017 today and noticed this in the front almost immediately. I was a little apprehensive about messing with the suspension as this is my first Adventure bike. This video helped alot.
Just finished it and road around the block. Yes it helped a lot. I weigh 178. The dealership wasn’t too helpful. I feel I should pay you for assisting me lol
I about 215lb with my gear on and went almost to the end with front adjustments. It "helped" as the bounce is significantly less pronounced but still exists. For me it happens at around 38mph on the 6th gear. I know who rides like that, but by giving it high gear on fairly flat terrain at that low speed, I can dial into the bounce feeling much more easily. I think Honda really messed up with the front suspension but if you upgrade to an after market good quality suspension that might due the trick for us heavy riders.
2018 at as bike is flat level when using rear brake very plush ride , no stickage in front shocks ,I'll let you know at speed tomorrow going to work 100 mph + on front end .... with tires un balanced new set then after balance on front and rear ✌
Yup I've had this issue after my fork seal blew and had them rebuilt, bike has never been the same. It's not a deal breaker and I just got used to it but it can be annoying. Tried different tires on road and off road and same thing. Might try your settings but I'm a 220lb rider.
Thats even more puzzling...your problem appeared after a rebuild? Mine did it from day 1. At your weight you definately want the rear preload near the max.
@@Speedytrip yeah, I'm thinking of pulling my forks off and having a motorcycle tech do a Hyperpro spring and shock rebuild. I wanna make the suspension way harder anyways for off-road use and when I load the bike up with gear. I hope that will also help with the bounce.
Thanks, I no longer have the bike but the biggest change I'd make is add more preload at the back. From memory, at 200lbs, my rear preload was maybe 4-5 clicks from the max as I also had a passenger at times.
@@Speedytripa reduction of wheel weight changes the harmonic frequency of the wheel, with the HD tube, the frequency matches the fork springs making them pulse from sympathetic frequency causing the hop. Same principle that an opera singer uses to break a wine glass with a note.
Possible but the Alpinas arent really lighter, the rim is heavier and you save the weight of the tube so its about even :) Ive gone through many different tires (from new to worn out) and never noticed the slightest change until I moved to the perfectly round alpinas :) In my book tube tires should be banned from road bikes and only used on dirt bikes and even then Id choose a mousse over a tube…
@@Speedytripwhen my bike was doing it, it wasn't rotation related. The bumps were random, no pattern at all even with maintained speed. So definitely not the rim. The 1st thing I did was buy a balancing stand, balance weights and a spoke torque wrench and triple checked the rims were true and balanced. Adjusting the fork preload sets more tension on the spring, effecting its vibration. I think this issue isn't more talked about as lota of people change the springs on CRF1000L as they are supposedly no good for offroad. I weigh 105kgs in riding gear and always have about 30kgs of luggage on and still dont bottom out getting air off erosion mounds.
I had mine to the dealer and even new the rim was just within specs but still not round compaired to the alpinas.I had about 4 different tires professionally balanced. I can imagine changing springs would definately change the frequency of vibration and could be a solution I know of another person for who the dealer tried everything, they changed the tires, forks, wheels, chain, sprockets and ended up buying the bike back from the customer as after all that, it bounced exactly the same and it was pretty obvious…and some africas ride like an 8 ball on a pool table in stock form…still a bit of mystery around this. Putting a bag of balancing beeds in the fromt tube might also help compensate. Some were able to solve it just by adjusting the forks and some even dropped the triple clamps on the forks by 1 cm.
Sorry I dont have those specs. Probably worth bringing it to a suspensions specialist who will mesure sag (they usually charge about 60$ for a full setup). AT 224lbs, you'll probably want to at least put a stiffer spring on the rear shock as it is undersprung for your weight. Are you experiencing the front end bounce as well?
@nick heseltine I know some rotated their fork tubes, but otherwise it usually means a complete rebuild. some have the tubes redone (new anodization and harder coating).
Thanks for the video. What would you recommend for a lighter rider, 140 Lbs? I’m really interested in setting up my Africa Twin for road biased adv tours.
I don't have settings for 140lbs but you shouldn't be too far off from those setting. You can check your sag and just adjust the preload and you should be near a very good setup :)
Thats surprising…is it new? Is the front tire well balanced? Have you tried different tires? When you change suspension mode does it make any difference?
I bought it new… I started noticing the bouncing issue after replacing the tires recently, I went with Shinko 705. I haven’t tried different modes yet, but I’ve noticed it’s especially pronounced when I’m going at slower speeds, I don’t feel it when going fast. I wonder if it’s a balance issue
Could very well be. Make sure bead is seated properly all around the tire and that its balanced properly. If not try a different tire next time and see if you see a difference. In my case the thing that made the biggest difference was going tubeless on higher quality wheels, my oem wheels were out of round new.
I'm 200lbs, so I added a lot of rear preload to that setting, but so far still looks like it's my rim that isn't perfectly round. The dealer will be measuring the rim this week. If it's more than 1mm out of spec, Honda will replace it. I've tried a lot of suspension settings, but nothing yet has had much impact on the front end bounce. So far I've read about some replacing a tire (which I did), having their entire forks replaced under warranty, and some having rims replaced under warranty (some for rust, others cause it wasn't round). With the test I've done, in my case it really seems to be the rim, but I'll post an update once I've resolved it. When you say twitchy, you mean the front is constantly vibrating?
@@matosa1 Dealer measured the front rim and it's near perfect and well within specs. I ended up going with tubeless Alpina wheels and it made a huge difference, it's now a non-issue.
After trying adjustments of the forks, remounting and balancing tire, checking spokes.... I finally read the manual.... followed the steps to reinstall the front wheel EXACTLY and the bounce disappeared.
Yep it has solved it for some. In my case what made the biggest difference was installing my Alpina wheels. They are rounder than stock ones that sometimes even out of the showroom aren't super round and true.
@Scuba Travel and Adventure 1 minute ago If you change the springs and oil, the settings would also be different. I updated the description, that might help you eliminate possible causes. For me so far what made the biggest difference was upgrading to tubeless rims.
@@Speedytrip 👍thats a pricy upgrade I am using settings provided to my weight by hyperpro, tried playing with the settings and no difference 40-50km/h only
@@AdventureTravelandScuba Have you checked to make sure your rim is both round and straight? The OEM rims are pretty soft, and mine weren't perfect even on day 1. If you know someone who is experienced with straightening wheels I'd start there (if you're sure your tires are balanced properly). I used to have a pretty bad bounce at 60-70km/h and I no longer have that. The suspensions are still not as 'calm" as they could be, but the wheels in my case removed the bounce I was getting on perfect surfaces at steady slower speeds.
mostly between 40 and 70km/h, with even throttle or during engine compression, not on acceleration. If overall you're happy with your suspensions, the first thing I'd do is crank up that rear preload (15+ clicks) :) I'm 200lbs, my gf is 120lbs, and even with luggage, with the rear preload set close to max, its actually pretty comfortable.
And many front rims don’t have a safety bead, so though they can be converted to tubeless, in case of a flat, theres is a risk that the tire gets derimed…
