fork woes

[Motomonster]

I bought springs and fork oil from Rick at Cogent dynamics for $120 and had them installed in March. Big improvement.

Last month I took a 4000 mile trip down the West coast and spent a few days in the Malibu canyons. The forks were great under all road conditions: straights, sweepers, twisties, tight twisties, super-trashed tight twisties, gravel fire roads -- riding aggressively practically the whole time. Up to 130mph, with myself and about 50 lbs loaded into a Ventura luggage pack and rack. I also had a set of YSS rear shocks.

Anyway, my point is, that, while new forks or a Traxxion kit would be nice, you can still get nice results out of these shocks without spending a lot of money. They are not really J-U-N-K so much as they are simply an earlier state of technology. Set up specifically for your needs, they will serve you well -- on the road. If you spend most of your time on the track, then perhaps spending $1000 or more would be a priority. If not, then, seriously, you can solve your fork problems for a lot cheaper.

[squarecat]

thanks moto!

my concern was that i was jumping into a fix that would only be a short term solution, sounds like at the very least springs and oil may just be the trick.

i am curious though about Linderman Engineering thing as it sounds like one step beyond the basic spring and oil upgrade.

[Motomonster]

Sorry, don't know anything about that. For the price he's quoting, I can't imagine he would do much more than what I described.

I ordered my stuff from Rick and had my work done by Adrian at Shiny Side Up in Everett. If you're looking for a local mechanic with good prices and a rabid cult following, he's your guy.

http://www.shinysideupmotorcycleservice.com/

[seriousjimmy]

Originally Posted by Motomonster

I bought springs and fork oil from Rick at Cogent dynamics for $120 and had them installed in March. Big improvement.

Last month I took a 4000 mile trip down the West coast and spent a few days in the Malibu canyons. The forks were great under all road conditions: straights, sweepers, twisties, tight twisties, super-trashed tight twisties, gravel fire roads -- riding aggressively practically the whole time. Up to 130mph, with myself and about 50 lbs loaded into a Ventura luggage pack and rack. I also had a set of YSS rear shocks.

Anyway, my point is, that, while new forks or a Traxxion kit would be nice, you can still get nice results out of these shocks without spending a lot of money. They are not really J-U-N-K so much as they are simply an earlier state of technology. Set up specifically for your needs, they will serve you well -- on the road. If you spend most of your time on the track, then perhaps spending $1000 or more would be a priority. If not, then, seriously, you can solve your fork problems for a lot cheaper.

Motomonster:

Nice to hear ANOTHER report of nice suspension upgrades without letting loose with the major $$$.
Wondering which YSS shocks you're running???

Ride safe!

[BlackSport]

I changed my fork oil to 10wt and installed RaceTech .90kg fork springs on my Sport. Total cost was about 275.00 and so far I'm very pleased with the results. Try playing with the adjustments on your shocks before you spend any money rebuilding or replacing them. Andrew Trevitt has an excellent book about suspension out called "Sportbike Suspension Tuning" for 25.00 of so. Well worth the money. If I can understnd it anyone can. I think MotoWheels carries it. I got mine through David Bull Publishing.

[Motomonster]

Originally Posted by seriousjimmy

Motomonster:

Nice to hear ANOTHER report of nice suspension upgrades without letting loose with the major $$$.
Wondering which YSS shocks you're running???

Ride safe!

G-366 twin. This is a very impressive, solid shock for the price. It was also set up well upon delivery. We didn't have to adjust the sag and I only had to tweak compression and rebound slightly to suit my tastes.

Last summer, my first on the GT, I went to an MC campout near Mt. Rainier. On the day ride, we found out that the roads had been particularly trashed from the previous winter's flooding. My buddy had just put Ohlins on his Guzzi and was able to keep a decent pace, I was tossed around so much I had to slow way down and crawl over the really bad stuff.

A few weeks ago, the same campout, the same roads, but new suspension: I was positively ripping through them. The bike was completely stable and planted. My buddy commented that the roads were even worse this year.

As is to be expected, the rear suspension is better than the front, but the front is well within the ballpark. I may upgrade the forks to an adjustable set in the future, but now there is no burning NEED to do so. I say that because I am 6ft, 240lbs so no amount of tweaking would have fixed the stock stuff for me.

From my trip to Malibu:

[RossaGT]

Hey Motomonster,

I see we have the same bike, and that you're across the water from me (I'm in Silverdale).

I rode over 2000 miles on the stock stuff before changing anything, and felt that the rear was worse than the forks. Funny, 'cause most posts talk about the forks. I bought a set of adjustable rear Sachs from an SC 1000s and felt they were a nice improvement. They were in perfect condition and he only wanted $400 for them, so I figured I'd give 'em a try. Now, at 4000 miles, the forks have 'loosened' up somewhat, and they aren't too bad. If I find a good set of Monster forks I might pull the trigger, but it's not the burning desire it was for awhile.

Can I ask what tires those are? I'm close to having used up my rear enough to justify a new pair, and was thinking Pirelli Diablo Rossas.

Thanks for your post-

[Motomonster]

Hi. I'm in Edmonds.

Front is a Michelin Pilot Power, rear is the Pilot Classic. That Pilot Power is also very impressive. I put it on right before the Malibu trip and it felt glued to the road the whole way down. Love the V profile.

I will probably swap my rear for a Pilot Road next time and keep with the Powers in front. Hopefully this will even out the wear times a bit.