I find turning the front preload up one notch when riding on the road for extended periods makes a world of difference. Just makes it’s feel more planted, less nose dive on front braking.
The same: in the city the default set up for preload will make you feel "diving" almost every time as if you would be emergency braking every single time. +3 or +6 improves a lot. And when off road, getting it.back to zero is super easy given the fact it requires no tools at all (mine is a 2019 790 adventure R)
Just perfect. I was about to try doing the very same spreadsheet 😊. I’m just like you I need to read the manual through and take down some notes. Thanks a lot you saved me a lot of time and troubles. 👍🏼
Nice explanation. Thanks for the suggestion. Currently fiddling with the suspension after having taken the 901 Exp out for a couple of thousand miles on, mostly, mountain roads and some motorway/highway and off-road. Standard settings gave me plenty of confidence on serious hairpins and twisties in the Alps. Now looking to tame the dive and fine tuning the somewhat awkward rear when it gets bumpy.
Best thing to do if you're a 200 lb + rider.. toss the factory springs in the garbage and install heavier ones, then up your fluid viscosity by 1 point. It's a night and day difference. The factory springs don't cut the mustard offroad with a load on.
Right after springs you should also re-valve the rear shock as it is drastically lacking in compression. The first shims on the compression shim is 2mm smaller than the ports it sits on, whereas the 890R has a shim 2mm larger than the ports it sits on.
You posted this a day after I figured mine out, just got an 890R, still watched it anyways! I am 5ft6in about 160 and I think my inseam is like 31 so I've got my settings in comfort (I mostly do highway and service roads) and it rides like a dream. The brake diving is significant though in comfort, I tighten that up when I'm doing more spirited riding! I will admit against OEM recommendations I have my preload on the rear shock at 0 but it makes a big difference when I'm city riding and doing a lot of stop and go. With my box on the rear it pretty much matches or beats the seat height of my KTM 390 I came from.
Excellent explanation of suspension settings one thing I would highly recommend to everyone with one of these bikes is replace the skid plate with something that mounts to the frame my 890 fell over in the driveway hitting the front bottom corner of the plate sending all the force to the rubber insert on the tank cracking it $1570 later I have a new one coming & an aftermarket skid plate
Hi, what a perfect video. I own '21 890 R and need just one click off the compression at front (from standard), yes I like stiff suspensions. For fully loaded bike on Road use, I manage just rear preload to Max. For offroad it depends, how much weight, the empty bike, the STD rear set is OK for me. When luggage is there, the rebound is crucial for offroad, std is too slow, jumps with lugagge >> at least +3 on both compressions to keep the bike safe.
Thank you sir. Last summer did a almost 8 week trip through Turkey. And ofcourse getting there. Had around 40 kg of luggage on the bike. But i could not get the suspension really right. As if the shock was broken. Without luggage it could plow through the unpaved section. But with luggage it became difficult. A problem i did not had on the 1190R or even on the 800XC or Tenere XT660Z. From all those bikes the Exped gives me the best controll. Farout. But without luggage. I will try your settings and report back. But that will be in 7 weeks. Due to high content of salt on the roads. Just one riding in that fully destroys the bike overtime.
Love this idea. So many questions: Did you have preload on the front? Where did you set the compression and rebound? Was the primary advantage from brake dive reduction? Ride safe out there!!
My 2018 KTM 1290 SAR had a lot of front brake dive. My Husky 701 doesn't have any noticeable front brake dive so it must be that extra 200+ pounds of bike weight moving forward that causes it. Might be hard to develop a fork that can give good road and off road handling and still be firm enough to handle bike weight moving forward. I have not ridden any other comparable bikes so maybe they have it figured out. Everything's a compromise I suppose.
Love your videos Mike. I am also named Mike, own this bike as well, the difference being I live in Ontario Canada. I am currently researching fuel issues for storage, namely the cursed ethanol in fuel problem. Anyhoo..love the vids, keep em coming brother.
🙏 Appreciate the kind words. I’ve used Stabil fuel stabilizer in smaller bikes with some success. But it doesn’t get nearly as cold here. Non-ethanol might help if you can find it. Just ride down to Texas and find a Buccee’s 😆
Never go by what a manual suggests as you need to question who they are suggesting this to in the first place. Suspension set up is much more involved as you need to factor in the weight of the rider and intentions. Not one setting recommendation works for everyone. Perhaps a good starting point however you will need to understand that brand new bikes aren’t set up for you.
Great video 👌thanks The expedition suspension comes with lighter springs and 20% plusher forks. Doesn't that leave us with different settings for the 890 r ?!
Good question. You’re correct about it being sprung slightly differently. I checked both manuals for the video and the rear rebound was a few clicks different but the rest was the same. That said, it’s pretty subjective and I highly recommend you adjust up or down from the standard settings based on how the bike feels to best fit your ride.
Hey Mike great vid thanks for the settings. I’m finding massive front wheel hop at 55-65 kph and tried changing the front setting with little change. Are you finding the same hopping and just ride with it or is there another setting to try. Btw front tyre was already changed for new and balanced the front wheel with spoke weight no change.? Really need help with this on my 901 expedition otherwise this bike is awesome.
Try turning the compression up a bit, like 2-3 clicks. Compression is the grey adjustment knob. I found mine bounced quite a bit as well and just a couple clicks makes a huge difference.
Thanks! (Sorry for the delayed reply.) I do get just a touch of front wheel hop on this bike. My buddies with KTM 790's have some too. It's not uncommon on these for some reason. Silly question - have you tried different tire pressures or adjusting the comp and rebound? Would love to know if you found a solution.
Hi Mike, just thought I would check my front head stem nut and after loosening the top triple clamp bolts and torquing the head stem bolt to specified 18Nm the nut turned close to 1/2 a turn (that is close to 0.75 mm on fine pitch thread) it has improved the hop, still there but not as bad and my head stem clunk is gone. Not great that a brand new bike has that much clearance but something for others to check if they have similar issues.
Really good explanation Mike 👍 thanks very much but I couldn’t find your cheat sheet to download? How do I do that please? I have subscribed 👍 best wishes Karl in Australia 🇦🇺
Thanks! The link below should help. It's also in the description if this one doesn't work: drive.google.com/file/d/1Udz7RxIBs7b15uwd-OH42AhkBvCj8LmC/view
Thanks very much Mike 👍 I just picked up my new 901 Expedition on Friday and really love it 😊 what a great bike 👍 looking forward to seeing more off your posts and come and visit us in Tasmania one day as we have some great roads and tracks 👍 cheers Karl 😊
Good question: In short, yes you’re correct. I’m assuming you mean the settings for rear Preload and High speed Compression? When I was filming Preload for example, I would turn the Allen key twice halfway round for 1 Full Turn. Let me know if I’m not understanding your question. 👍
Suspension between KTM 890 Adv R vs 901 Norden Exp are not the same; springs in front and back have different Nm-values => KTM's springs are stiffer than 901.... So I have been told 🙂
You're correct. I double checked the manuals and the rear rebound settings on the R are a few clicks different. That and the spring length is 3mm longer on the Norden (but the same spring rate.) I should have called out the rebound difference. While I was re-reading I also confirmed all the other settings are the same. 👍🏻
I find turning the front preload up one notch when riding on the road for extended periods makes a world of difference. Just makes it’s feel more planted, less nose dive on front braking.
The same: in the city the default set up for preload will make you feel "diving" almost every time as if you would be emergency braking every single time.
+3 or +6 improves a lot.
And when off road, getting it.back to zero is super easy given the fact it requires no tools at all (mine is a 2019 790 adventure R)
Awesome! Thanks for the cheat sheet!
Just perfect. I was about to try doing the very same spreadsheet 😊. I’m just like you I need to read the manual through and take down some notes. Thanks a lot you saved me a lot of time and troubles. 👍🏼
I needed this thank you
Thanks for this!!!
Bike looks absolutely stunning, Mike!
🙏 Much appreciated - Almost as striking as the INT 😁
Outstanding suspension setup review for my 890!! Thank you kind sir!!
Glad it helped! Ride safe! 🙌
This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you! I’m currently trying to manage that big time brake dive in the front end.
so glad it helped!
Nice explanation. Thanks for the suggestion.
Currently fiddling with the suspension after having taken the 901 Exp out for a couple of thousand miles on, mostly, mountain roads and some motorway/highway and off-road. Standard settings gave me plenty of confidence on serious hairpins and twisties in the Alps. Now looking to tame the dive and fine tuning the somewhat awkward rear when it gets bumpy.
Hope you're getting it tuned up! I find I have to add a few turns to the front when I'm fully loaded to help with the brake dive. Ride safe!
Best thing to do if you're a 200 lb + rider.. toss the factory springs in the garbage and install heavier ones, then up your fluid viscosity by 1 point. It's a night and day difference. The factory springs don't cut the mustard offroad with a load on.
Right after springs you should also re-valve the rear shock as it is drastically lacking in compression. The first shims on the compression shim is 2mm smaller than the ports it sits on, whereas the 890R has a shim 2mm larger than the ports it sits on.
You posted this a day after I figured mine out, just got an 890R, still watched it anyways! I am 5ft6in about 160 and I think my inseam is like 31 so I've got my settings in comfort (I mostly do highway and service roads) and it rides like a dream. The brake diving is significant though in comfort, I tighten that up when I'm doing more spirited riding! I will admit against OEM recommendations I have my preload on the rear shock at 0 but it makes a big difference when I'm city riding and doing a lot of stop and go. With my box on the rear it pretty much matches or beats the seat height of my KTM 390 I came from.
😆 Perfect timing? Agreed on the brake dive. I have to tighten up the front forks a couple of clicks when I hit the twisties.
Excellent explanation of suspension settings one thing I would highly recommend to everyone with one of these bikes is replace the skid plate with something that mounts to the frame my 890 fell over in the driveway hitting the front bottom corner of the plate sending all the force to the rubber insert on the tank cracking it $1570 later I have a new one coming & an aftermarket skid plate
Holy crap that’s disappointing
Hi, what a perfect video. I own '21 890 R and need just one click off the compression at front (from standard), yes I like stiff suspensions. For fully loaded bike on Road use, I manage just rear preload to Max. For offroad it depends, how much weight, the empty bike, the STD rear set is OK for me. When luggage is there, the rebound is crucial for offroad, std is too slow, jumps with lugagge >> at least +3 on both compressions to keep the bike safe.
Much appreciated!
Now you just need some Motion Footpegs to complete that awesome set up;)
Thank you sir.
Last summer did a almost 8 week trip through Turkey. And ofcourse getting there. Had around 40 kg of luggage on the bike. But i could not get the suspension really right. As if the shock was broken. Without luggage it could plow through the unpaved section. But with luggage it became difficult. A problem i did not had on the 1190R or even on the 800XC or Tenere XT660Z.
From all those bikes the Exped gives me the best controll. Farout. But without luggage.
I will try your settings and report back. But that will be in 7 weeks. Due to high content of salt on the roads. Just one riding in that fully destroys the bike overtime.
Hope you find the right settings. Sounds like you’re doing some fun trips! Rear Preload alone is a game changer. 👍👍
I've dropped the forks through the yokes 10mm and it's transformed the cornering
Love this idea. So many questions:
Did you have preload on the front?
Where did you set the compression and rebound?
Was the primary advantage from brake dive reduction?
Ride safe out there!!
My 2018 KTM 1290 SAR had a lot of front brake dive. My Husky 701 doesn't have any noticeable front brake dive so it must be that extra 200+ pounds of bike weight moving forward that causes it. Might be hard to develop a fork that can give good road and off road handling and still be firm enough to handle bike weight moving forward. I have not ridden any other comparable bikes so maybe they have it figured out. Everything's a compromise I suppose.
Love your videos Mike. I am also named Mike, own this bike as well, the difference being I live in Ontario Canada. I am currently researching fuel issues for storage, namely the cursed ethanol in fuel problem. Anyhoo..love the vids, keep em coming brother.
🙏 Appreciate the kind words.
I’ve used Stabil fuel stabilizer in smaller bikes with some success. But it doesn’t get nearly as cold here.
Non-ethanol might help if you can find it. Just ride down to Texas and find a Buccee’s 😆
@@advmike Would if I could LOL
I also use ethanol free fuel she seems to like it more and I get about 25 more miles per fill up
Never go by what a manual suggests as you need to question who they are suggesting this to in the first place. Suspension set up is much more involved as you need to factor in the weight of the rider and intentions. Not one setting recommendation works for everyone. Perhaps a good starting point however you will need to understand that brand new bikes aren’t set up for you.
Great video 👌thanks
The expedition suspension comes with lighter springs and 20% plusher forks.
Doesn't that leave us with different settings for the 890 r ?!
Good question. You’re correct about it being sprung slightly differently.
I checked both manuals for the video and the rear rebound was a few clicks different but the rest was the same.
That said, it’s pretty subjective and I highly recommend you adjust up or down from the standard settings based on how the bike feels to best fit your ride.
Thank you I'm in the process...
Hey Mike great vid thanks for the settings. I’m finding massive front wheel hop at 55-65 kph and tried changing the front setting with little change. Are you finding the same hopping and just ride with it or is there another setting to try. Btw front tyre was already changed for new and balanced the front wheel with spoke weight no change.? Really need help with this on my 901 expedition otherwise this bike is awesome.
Try turning the compression up a bit, like 2-3 clicks. Compression is the grey adjustment knob. I found mine bounced quite a bit as well and just a couple clicks makes a huge difference.
Thanks! (Sorry for the delayed reply.) I do get just a touch of front wheel hop on this bike. My buddies with KTM 790's have some too. It's not uncommon on these for some reason. Silly question - have you tried different tire pressures or adjusting the comp and rebound? Would love to know if you found a solution.
Hi Mike, just thought I would check my front head stem nut and after loosening the top triple clamp bolts and torquing the head stem bolt to specified 18Nm the nut turned close to 1/2 a turn (that is close to 0.75 mm on fine pitch thread) it has improved the hop, still there but not as bad and my head stem clunk is gone. Not great that a brand new bike has that much clearance but something for others to check if they have similar issues.
Really good explanation Mike 👍 thanks very much but I couldn’t find your cheat sheet to download? How do I do that please? I have subscribed 👍 best wishes Karl in Australia 🇦🇺
Thanks! The link below should help. It's also in the description if this one doesn't work: drive.google.com/file/d/1Udz7RxIBs7b15uwd-OH42AhkBvCj8LmC/view
Thanks very much Mike 👍 I just picked up my new 901 Expedition on Friday and really love it 😊 what a great bike 👍 looking forward to seeing more off your posts and come and visit us in Tasmania one day as we have some great roads and tracks 👍 cheers Karl 😊
A video on how to read the manual, neat. Also there is a reason the 890R and Expedition rear shock part numbers are different...
In the video it seems like “TURN” means 180 degrees of rotation. Should not it be 360 degrees = 1 turn?
Good question: In short, yes you’re correct.
I’m assuming you mean the settings for rear Preload and High speed Compression? When I was filming Preload for example, I would turn the Allen key twice halfway round for 1 Full Turn.
Let me know if I’m not understanding your question. 👍
Suspension between KTM 890 Adv R vs 901 Norden Exp are not the same; springs in front and back have different Nm-values => KTM's springs are stiffer than 901.... So I have been told 🙂
You're correct. I double checked the manuals and the rear rebound settings on the R are a few clicks different. That and the spring length is 3mm longer on the Norden (but the same spring rate.) I should have called out the rebound difference. While I was re-reading I also confirmed all the other settings are the same. 👍🏻
How many words did I use incorrectly?? 😂
I’m southern so I didn’t pick up on any mistakes. Well done.
Hasqy all day every day
Thanks for the cheat sheet! Awesome!