Secrets of a Road Tester: Bike Set Up | MCN

[@brianperry]

After 59 years of riding a 'Bike' I understand 'never stop learning and embracing the new'....also, if you don't know yourself, ask a man who does. Bikes have changed immeasurably in terms of chassis, suspension, braking and tyre technology, not to mention a new style of body positioning since 1963...I'm getting toward the end of my Motorcycle journey now... from young 60s Rocker to Old Biker... loved every minute of it..

[@jondiaz3475]

Always appreciate this presenter! I think he could even make the description of a medical procedure interesting and engaging. Thanks MCN!

[@johnpapila3372]

I noticed the subscription number and I saw 297k and I had to do it. this guy is doing a great job

[@fadi9340]

Spot on! Thanks. It’s content like this that differentiates MCN. For me it was beneficial just to learn a bit more mechanically..

[@michaelhoward142]

"QT -- 'quite tight'. Not FT...". ;) This is (one of the reasons) why we love Neevesy. Great explanation -- comprehensive yet easy-to-understand advice for tailoring our bikes. Thank you, sir!

[@rhapsodyrr7876]

Finally a handsome bike from Suzuki ❤

[@HeretiCflow]

Dave Moss is THE institution on suspension adjustment. He's got tons of content and I cannot recommend enough to subscribe on his website for a month and watch his premium content. Teaches you a lot. I adjusted my suspension according to his knowledge and the bike rides much better.

[@nickthequick]

All very good advice as usual for MCN. Remember, Japanese bikes are often tested by smallish fellows weighing a lot less than many of us. I had not thought about lever adjustment until I saw some videos on the "Dave Moss Tuning" channel, so I had that done day one on the new Ninja 1000SX I bought a couple of years ago. Along the way I adjusted the suspension because it was too soft (especially in the rear). I took note of all adjustments in a document and when I sold the bike recently gave the document to the new owner. He got a great bike, well cared for, and I got a good price so we were both happy. I sometimes miss my bike though ...

[@FaddyMcFaddyWaddy]

Some good points in there however tyres are all date stamped so you can tell how old tyres are.

[@Markycarandbikestuff]

Beat me to it, was going to say the same, will add it's in an oval circle on the sidewall, it's a four digit code which some might not realise, first number is week, second year so 1621 would be 16th week 2021.

[@gonzosk8966]

Amazes me how few riders adjust their machines. Even worse yet is the folks who check their tire pressures once or mabie twice a year. Stuns me!

[@David40S]

Superb stuff! I've had my 2020 Speedy 1050 RS for nearly 2 years and have not gone through all these changes. Will definitely do so having seen this vid.

[@natural9743]

Such a brutal honesty from this guy in his information and reviews

[@rodintoulouse3054]

Thank you. Just got my new bike last week and it was reassuring to see I did all the right adjustments…although I didn’t go and buy new tyres 😁

[@n.elliott9122]

Excellent content. I personally would feel more connected with the channel if, you would put out more information on a personal level, such as this. As a bio-medical research engineer, the ending was brilliant. I have designed the hip, knee, spinal implantable devices. Stay safe.

[@meteficha]

This is great stuff. I didn't know about the gear lever adjustment. And on replacing second-hand bike tyres: that is really good advice. I spent so much time thinking "these tyres are a bit dodgy" but not replacing them because I thought I had a duty to use them. No more! I'm putting fresh rubber every time now.

[@roythearcher]

A lot of riders seem to think that the rear brake is for the MOT only but like you, I like to use the rear brake a lot. in town, in heavy traffic, or just a little dab to control speed. leaving the throttle hand free for fine control. When properly set up, you should be able to bring your bike to a complete stop using only the rear. This is not a recomendation that you do this but you should be able to!..

[@CampHikeSki]

I actually picked up the new '22 Suzuki GT+ about two weeks ago, finding the riding position a little too far forward for my liking even after adjustments. Am going to be putting bar risers on shortly to try and make it more comfortable for longer distance touring. Would be curious as to how you found the riding position during testing.

[@gazza9670]

Brilliant! Love the way this guy explains things...so clear and precise.

[@stinkerdoodle1737]

Not going to lie I watched this for the motorcycle looking forward to getting one of these soon. Great video also very important to set your bike up so it fits you the best it can.

[@paul.vanhout57]

Learn something with everyone of these videos👍. Appreciated the clarification on tire pressures as well as base suspension setup.

[@kiwicanuck5459]

Great video but i would add some things to watch out for like when you adjust things like the rear brake as it can effect the spring and then the switch and i have seen brakes being fully on due to adjusting it, so it would help to tell people what to be careful on when adjusting things.

[@lopsided1]

Neevsey you rock! You forgot to point out that in a non adjustable suspension you can change fork oil weight and spring rates!

[@Smokedship]

Excellent explanation guys! The Suzuki’s looking great as well :)

[@jimperry4420]

Great content. Adjusting the handlebars is also an option.

[@CeeRTee]

Great video. Worth remembering to do the rear light switch with the lever tho, on my last bike i basically disabled the cruise control because the switch was engaing even tho the rear light was still off.

[@mineblock9024]

Very useful video. I wonder if you could do a short video on quickshifters and blippers? There isn't a lot of good info out there on the best way to use them and what not to do with them...

[@terenceokeeffesmotorcyclestuff]

Don't think that Suzuki has cornering ABS but it is still a great looking bike.

[@ragerider6283]

Great vid. Weird how bikes always look better inside. Interesting & informative as well as highlighting there's lots of meaningful adjustment you can make out of the box for free!

[@scottbailey5644]

Superb advice as always from Mr Neevesy! Thanks

[@tapashkakati4218]

Love the bike💙

[@charlottejet4338]

This is a fantastic video. I've learned a lot watching this. Guess what I'll be doing this weekend...

[@bikerjock2654]

I bought a new pair of sports boots recently, but they’re a bit stiff, and I’m having difficulty getting my toe under the gear lever for up-shifts. So I was pleased to see the simple tip for raising/lowering the gear lever. However, on my R1200S, rotating the connecting rod doesn’t affect the gear lever angle at all. It simply screws into one end at the same rate as it unscrews from the other. So, I’ve put it back to equally screwed into both ends. Disappointed. But an excellent series of videos.

[@jimbo1485]

Fantastic as always Michael

[@TheKampan]

Thank you so much for a great video as always. I just got a suzuki vstrom 1050 and can you recommend a good pair of tyres for street use and for fun ride and doesn't matter if it not last very long as I only do weekend ride. Thanks again big fan of your work.

[@davidhandley6374]

Really useful video with some great tips, thanks

[@yumyumbaboon]

Very good Neevsy but I would start with adjusting the handlebar position before the levers! Also date of manufacture is usually stamped on the tyre sidewall so you can know the age. 😉

[@ayowser01]

Standard pressures are fine for new riders or riding with a pillion, but once you become fast you will see a 4-5psi gain on a quick canyon run.

[@thinkdunson]

13:39 i wish you could turn off upshifting, but leave on downshifting. i like being able to preload the lever and then blip for upshifts under spirited riding. i'm sure QS up and down are great on track, but for street riding, i don't care about trying to shave off every microsecond i can find. i'm more interested in the feel and having a good time.

[@leroyjones769]

I could not agree more with standard tire pressures. I know so many guys who say they only 2 or 3000 miles out of a set tires. Then you find out they’re running 27 psi in the front and 32-34 on there rear for the street. And when they let you ride the bike, you can actually feel how slow the steering is.

[@expatbiker6598]

I remember I once took my bike to an old school mechanic. he lowered my tyre pressure from stock 2.9bar rear and 2.5bar front. the bike felt so unstable I thought he messed my bike up. I now know how it feels riding under inflated tyre.

[@kvasnaik8920]

Thank you

[@victorgonza4528]

Good one thank you .

[@AlanFM900]

Brilliant, cheers.

[@darylgregg]

Am not sure about most bikes having suspension properly adjusted straight out of the crate. Possibly anything given to a journalist for test riding has been tweaked first. Have seen bikes on the shop floor with rebound valves completely closed. The same setting from factory can’t suit both a 60kg rider and a 100kg rider - unlikely the range of adjustment with factory springs would even cover both riders. Pretty simple to measure and adjust to proper sag settings.

[@baz5806]

That GT looks great in this vid.. I want sure about the looks in other videos.. Is this the darker blue version?

[@Pintuuuxo]

Dear Michael and friends of MCN, after watching this video I will adjust the preload in the front of my CBF600SA to see how it feels. I have already adjusted the brake and the clutch levers. See you.

[@achuou]

Cannot thank you enough for this video

[@cruze86]

Which bike is this? Can anyone tell me? Looks beautiful.😍

[@tHaH4x0r]

Suzuki GSX1000GT. Relatively new model.

[@kevinspalding5470]

May I ask a question ?... 61/2 year old tyres ,Pirelli Diablo on my 99 600 Bandit....would new tyres make a noticeable difference ?.

[@blackcatMiaxox]

never even occured to me as a newer rider that i could adjust the foot levers

[@jag1970s]

Really excellent

[@kunalroyal1188]

Can the stock 190/50 R 17 rear tyre of this bike be replaced with a 190/55 R 17 or a 200/55 R 17 size rear tyre ? What effects (good or bad) will it have on the overall performance of the bike ?

[@angelocardoc]

That's an awesome bike. Did Suzuki give you that for a long term tester? How are you liking it?

[@888jackflash]

Upon long review of the GSX-S1000GT, I do believe it is one of the UGLIEST motorcycles I've ever seen, in my numerous years of riding and wrenching.

[@TheLiddleBigChannel]

As always a very good video, however the suspension setup segment was lacking.

[@london_biker6177]

Was it not a bit silly of Suzuki to put an unreachable c collar shock on a touring bike? I like this new model but you’ve got to be able to change the rear preload fast for a two up bike with luggage. Nuts

[@heinekenczech]

Never used the back brake in 10 years of racing. And 30 years of road riding.

[@wanderlpnw]

I ask the dealer to set up a bike for me when I buy it. They're usually very willing once you've just spent over 10 grand with them.

[@pajomad1]

Gsxs GT is some bike.

[@lastdimestudios]

Not only does that bike not have an imu it doesn’t have a remote re-load! It’s supposed to be a modern sports tourer. Suzuki???

[@ThaSideWeed]

It's a bit unfortunate to see journos propagating the tyre pressure misinformation speech over and over again. By the logic given here, why does for example yamaha's Tracer 9, which is by all accounts a brand new bike, have 33-36 as a recommended solo pressure, on the swingarm, and a different 2 up pressure? KTM's 790 has 33/38 on the swingarm. Also a new bike. Additionally, when out in for example 10C ambient, maybe true that the tyre won't gain much pressure on the road. But what if you're on 30 C ambient? Road surface will be considerably hotter than 30C as well. You will be putting way more heat into any given tyre with normal riding when compared to the first example. Can be confirmed by anyone who has an ir thermometer and a pressure gauge. The universal 36/42 is basically a 2 condom type "safe" approach to recommendations for manufacturers. Actual perfectly reasonable road pressures do not vary much. 33-34/ 36-38 is a happy middle with no abnormal wear, no cold or hot tear, handling, stability, etc, for someone that's not super heavy, or super light, on a mid pack weight bike. Regardless of what tyre you have on, it's common sense that you will simply not run the same pressure on a 160 kg 300cc, as you will run on a 250 kg tourer. Somewhat defeats the purpose of teaching more inexperienced riders notions that improve their experience, imo.

[@Sprchkn]

And to the manufacturers that use locating pins to position the brake and clutch levers or switchgear: I'm not impressed. I had to cut the pins on my Ducati ST3 from way back in 2004, for example.

[@papamichailang]

Ultra like

[@andyhe72]

when mr. Neeves says we listen

[@HeretiCflow]

Not adjusting rebound or tire pressure imo is bad advice. Many bikes have very fast rebound out of the gate. Tire pressure is also dependent on your weight, riding style etc. Kawasaki told me their adjustments are made for an average 80kg rider. If you're 100kg or 60kg, you're well off adjusting suspension and tire pressure to what suits you.

[@speedybeef]

@6:31, afaik you got it the wrong way around. TEN for Tension means Rebound, not Compression. Otherwise great video!

[@BarnettSpeedSuzukiThou]

And the rear is rebound only, doesn’t do both afaik.

[@BarnettSpeedSuzukiThou]

No power difference on modes, just differing delivery characteristics

[@jaspersilus]

First comment!😁

[@stoundingresults]

🥇

[@EVILSPAWN1003]

Has it not got a quickshifter?? My god the Suzuki GSX-S’s really are the bottom of the barrel. Bottom of the Suzuki parts barrel that is. I made the mistake of buying one, a gen.1 2018 model and never have i ridder a bike with poorer suspension, cheaper screen and a general budget bike feeling. I know it’s a cheap but FFS!

[@averagebiker]

FT 🤣🤣🤣