[ST] RS suspension upgrades

["Darwin Holmstrom" <dholmstrom@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

So far the suspension on the RS seems pretty impressive, stone stock. I've noticed a little headshake on rough pavement when heeled over, but nothing scary. I've decided to put enough miles to sack the original suspension components before replacing anything, which shouldn't take more than a few months at the rate I'm going.

My problem is the fact that my most recent bikes were Buells, and that causes me to question my baseline for measuring quality. After a Buell, everything seems pretty nice. 

In Buell's defense, the chassis on the 2001 Buell I had resulted in one of the best front ends of any motorcycle I have ever ridden, from any continent (or even any incontinent). The combination of supurb fork, engine position in relation to the swingarm, and significantly stiffened rear motor mounts meant that the 2001 bike had the better front end feedback than any bike I've been on. Side to side transitions were thought-quick and mid-corner corrections, at any speed, were not only easy, but they were fun. The instantaneous feedback from the front wheel meant the bike was extremely tolerant of mid-corner braking.

Unfortunately, everything from the steering head back was crap. The rear suspension was useless, even after Buell mounted the much-improved replacement shock in October. And the vestigal swingarm meant that it was impossible to keep the front end earthbound when on the throttle.

In contrast, the rear suspension on the RS seems pretty sophisticated, but anything would compared to the Buell. The Ohlins shock sounds cool, but it had better be more than just cool to justify the price. The front end is good, but it doesn't have the feedback of the 2001 Buell (it's better than earlier Buells). The RS definitely lets me know it won't tolerate much braking while heeled over in a corner.

I like the way the stock Bridgestones feel, but I'm wondering at what lean angle they'll give it up? I've already feathered them to the edge on the rear, and the front is pretty close to the edge, and I haven't yet ridden it hard enough to touch a peg feeler.

When I do start upgrading the suspension, the areas I most want to address are front-end feel and perhaps ground clearance (I've been scraping my boots in fast sweepers). Anyone made any attempts to deal with these issues? Were they successful?

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