RE: Race Tech was...

["Keith Tynan" <keith@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> From: Neil Halbert <halbert@xxxxxxx>
> Subject: Race Tech was Re: Duc vs. Sprint / racing history / etc.
>
> Ok,
> It seems everyone who has done the upgrade has gone full boat.
> Has anyone just done
> the springs and oil?
>
> I have been considering doing the upgrade so called my shop. Al
> gave me a quote
> then asked what was it I was wanting to achieve with this. My
> problem is with the
> dive under breaking and that if you try to reduce it with preload
> I have the front
> so hard it chops on bumps while cornering verses tracking the
> surface. His response
> was that springs and oil would most likely cure the front end and
> cost less than
> half the full upgrade.
>
> So......Has anyone done it incrementally or just done the front?


Neil,

My local suspension 'guru' has just upgraded the suspension on my 00 ST BRG.
His opinion was that RaceTech didn't offer anything that couldn't be
achieved by tailoring the existing set-up. Having watched the complete job,
I concluded that Triumph specified the cheapest forks they could get away
with...

The word from my man was that using a lot of preload with the stock set-up
(I was running 5mm visibility) merely compresses all the light-impact
absorbence out of the (vari-rate) spring, whilst the lack of damping (you
wouldn't believe the state of the 'oil' that was poured out - I've seen
nicer stuff coming out of a sewerage farm) just makes it pogo.

Alas, the weather here in Blighty's been so bad of late, that I've not had
chance to try things out (probably won't until Spring next year).

BTW, the front brakes were initially very spongy, and susceptible to fade
after repeated hard use, but a full fluid change has cured things.

Me
- --
- - 1.88m (6'2")
- - 95kg (14st 3lb, 209lb)

Envelope
- --------
0-140 mph, red-line, enthusiastic cornering, heavy braking.

Symptoms
- --------
- - Damping degrades noticeably as it warms up.
- - Front dives too much under braking. Front feels to ride too high in
corners; placing too much weight over the rear wheel, which then wallows
considerably, causing pitching. Situation improves considerably if weight is
purposefully moved forward, but this should not be necessary, and is
difficult given my size and the faring dimensions.
- - Rear compresses too easily to limit and seems to rebound too quickly and
too far.

Modifications
- -------------
Front: Damping hole bored out (size unknown)
       Damping rod polished
       Ohlins 8658-80 single rate springs (1-2cm shorter than stock)
       Ohlins 15w oil
       Pull-through increased from 0->5mm
       Preload reduced to zero
Rear:  Ohlins 46PRCS (rebound, compression and remote preload adjustment)

Cost
- ----
Front GBP 180
Rear  GBP 588
- - both parts & labour

I'll report back when I've had chance of a good blast...

BRG


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