Like most things in motorcycling, suspension mixes art with science. Professional racers on the same team and bikes find one anothers settings unusable, so knowing whether your bike is working as well as it can for you is a subjective and difficult question. Usually the answer is no.

If any of these conditions describe your ride, there are improvements to be had:

• If you struggle to initiate a turn, or hold a line through a corner, or finish the turn as you want, suspension and chassis setup can help.
• If you lack confidence in a straight line over rough or loose or soft terrain, and feel like your bike is always trying to get away from you, suspension setup can help.
• If you bottom very frequently or almost never, your suspension is not set up right.
• If you involuntarily wince when you approach a certain type of obstacle on the trail, your suspension is not set up right.

Our approach is to start by explaining the underlying principles of suspension and chassis theory, to equip you to understand what your bike is doing. Once you have a framework, you will have a much easier time recognizing how your bike works as formerly mysterious actions are explained and understood.

With a baseline of understanding established, we offer two tuning sections. The first is a practical process of carefully chosen and ordered steps, which will help you learn about your bike and guide you to the best compromise possible if you take your time to follow them. The second is a troubleshooting guide that will give you an idea of what to change if you are struggling in a particular area.

Sold as an Adobe Acrobat .pdf eBook download. The book contains animations that require the latest version of Acrobat to be played, but the static text and drawings can be seen in any version.

Frequently Asked Questions:

I'm not interested in racing. Why is suspension setup important?

Understanding motorcycle dynamics and tuning them to your advantage is more about control than it is about speed. Control is where safety lives (speed is next door). Good suspension will allow you to use the brakes harder, to corner more confidently, and to deal with obstacles without letting them become dangerous.

My bike doesn't offer much adjustability. Is the book a waste for me?

No, although you won't be able to follow through on all of the tuning suggestions we offer. Still, it is useful to understand what your bike is doing and why, and you'll be able to evaluate whether your suspension is getting in your way.

Can I just forward the book to all my friends once I buy it?

That would be stealing and we're counting on you to be honest. I ride a _________ ___________. Will this book apply to me? Yes. The physics of motorcycle dynamics are not brand specific. The sole exception are BMW R/GS bikes equipped with telelever suspension, which by nature of their design, respond differently to tuning than everything else. If you have one of those, feel free to buy the book to learn more about what the rest of us ride.

Why don't you sell this as a printed book?

The cost of making and delivering a presentable printed book becomes quickly prohibitive and doesn't add to the usefulness. Plus, the electronic format gave us the opportunity to do a really cool animation of suspension valving at work that will give you a much better understanding of how things work than printed material could (thanks to Concept Vision, llc for the animation).

Do I need anything special on my computer?

No. Adobe Reader is universal and available for free here. You do need the latest version to play the animation. The file is not compatible with Apple preview.

How much is shipping to my location?

Free!

I bought the book but don't see how to download

The final screen after you confirm your order has a link to the file. Or, you can log in using your email and password and download it from the "my account" link.

I bought the book and there's something I don't understand. Can you explain?

Yes, eventually. We can't answer every email with a detailed explanation, but we do want your feedback, and we'll update the book and previous buyers can have a copy of the updated one for free. Email suspense@dualsportriding.com with your questions, and while you most likely won't get a reply, you will help us make a better book (which you'll be welcome to download once released).