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[ST] More Fork Questions



Erik Wrote:

> From: Erik Miner <Axeis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [ST] Fork Oil Heights, Pre-Load and Front Sag
>
> The way you are measuring the front preload does not take into
> account sticktion of the front forks. Additionally the stock springs
> are .75kg not .65( and I believe progressive rate)  The problem with
> what I see you doing is that a .75 kg front spring is WAY light for a
> 200 lbs rider ( which I also am) .75kg springs are good for up to
> about 170lb rider.... I had the springs changed
> out to 1kg. The improvement was dramatically better.

Erik,

Thanks for the valuable feedback on the front forks.  I got the 0.65 kg/m stock spring rate off of the RaceTech website.  I had one question as to the 1 kg/m spring rate.  While I don't doubt it improves handling, how much penalty do you pay on general comfort?  By this I mean for the "touring" side of the comfort equation, say 500 mile days, day after day?  I don't want to set the bike up so firmly that I gain handling on the back roads at the expense of all around ridability.  I use the bike frequently for longer trips, and don't want to sacrifice that part of the sport-touring equation.

In the end, if I continue with this, I probably will bite the bullet and install the RaceTech emulators.  They are not that hard to put in, except I hate to drill out the compression holes in the rods, as there is no turning back after that, so I am kind of hoping to get some improvement using oil weight alone.  So far, the 10W oil with my stock springs is better than the 15W, as would be expected, since for the stock spring rate (0.75 or 0.65) the 15W is over-damping.  OTOH, for stiffer springs such as 1.0 kg/m, they would require the stronger rebound damping of the 15W oil.  The 10W appears a reasonable compromise with the stock springs.

I fully agree that the best money spent on the bike is suspension work, and that the stock setup can be greatly improved.  The only negative is that this is a slippery slope, in that once started, it takes a substantial amount of time to test ride the bike, make changes, test it again, etc. until everything is properly sorted.  Then of course, sorting the front end leaves the rear suspension to get right.  No wonder people just pay the dollars and have a suspension shop do the work.  It is fun though.

Rick Hartwick
00 ST


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