Suspension Nuggets:

I thought I'd throw out some (hopefully) useful information - please feel free to embellish as you see fit.

Both front (forks) and rear (shock) suspension parts are wear items. Although not specifically identified in the service manual, these parts need periodic refresh to give you happy happy ride satisfaction. Most folks will not notice the slow loss of performance over time, but you will notice the difference after a refresh.

Forks - these are a DIY rebuild item if you have reasonable wrenching skills. Very few tools are needed to disassemble and rebuild the R3 forks. The only special tools you really need are a seal driver (about $40 - and some shops will let you borrow one at little or no cost), and an fork oil level tool ($20). The service manual gives a good description of the procedure. I do it yearly, but for most street riders, I'd recommend every couple of years. To have a shop do it, you're looking at about $100 plus parts if the forks are off the bike - more if they aren't. Do one rebuild yourself and you've recouped your tool cost. Replace seals and dust caps as a minimum when doing your rebuild - that and fork oil (one liter will do both forks) are your parts cost (total about $50). If you have a shop do it, ask around - in some cases, it may be better if you do it yourself (I have stories).

Winter weep: if the bike sits for any length of time (couple of months or more) you may get some fork oil weep due to the seals not be exercised often enough. One way to avoid this is to 'pump' the forks a few times every week or so. A lot of dealers will do this for the floor models to keep weep from occurring. If you notice 'wet' or leaking forks, attend to it as soon as possible - lose too much fork oil and weird to bad things happen.

Preload/Spring Rate: There are a couple of other threads discussing this in some detail - proper preload and spring rate will enhance handling. As provided, the factory forks are not adjustable for preload, but spring rates can be changed. An easy way to see if a higher (ie; stiffer) spring rate is warranted, put a zip tie around one fork tube at the dust seal. Ride the bike for a while and note where the zip tie has ended up. Total fork travel is a little over 5" (130 mm). If the zip tie ends up more than about 4" from the dust seal, you may want to consider a higher spring rate - most vendors will provide a spring rate based upon rider weight and use (street/track).

Shock: Just like on your automobile, it will lose performance over time. Unfortunately, this is not a DIY job for most. Not sure whether the stock shock is rebuildable (someone who knows for sure - post up), but many aftermarkets are. The stock shock is currently retailing for about $375 and should be replaced or rebuilt every 3-5 years under normal use. Racetech, Ohlins, Traxxion Dynamics and others will rebuild your shock for less than half that. If you plan to keep the bike for more than a few years, consider the purchase of a quality aftermarket shock that can be rebuilt - worth the money over the long haul. Many riders completely ignore the shock - I've seen them come into a buddy's shop more than once completely gone - nothing more than a spring, really.

Performance Mods: The best suspension bits have adjustable preload, compression and rebound damping. You can spend a pile of money for fork cartridges that provide these features ($1000+), but for most riders probably not necessary. You can respring and add 'cartridge emulators' to the front fork for about $350. These will improve damping and front-end 'feel', but aren't adjustable without fork disassembly. A three-way adjustable shock will run $650 and up, but again, not necessary for commuters or most street riders. Fang has posted numerous aftermarket shock options, most if not all appear to be rebuildable and some cost less than the OEM shocker.