Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: bad Chad on June 24, 2020, 07:34:13 PM
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The built to a price point forks on the Roamer are adequate, but I want better. I want something approaching good forks, in other words I'm in need of a good Forking! Recommendations solicited. :cool: :boozing: :afro:
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"Forking by Frank" is in the business of forking people. They've forked me good before, I highly recommend them....
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race tech? :undecided:
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Lindemann Engineering?
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jim hamlin of hamlin's cycles in connecticutt is considered by many to be a suspension expert.
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RMR Suspension if you are in British Columbia
https://www.rmrsuspensions.com
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Remove the forks, send to Hamlin Cycles in CT ( I use an old gun hard case to ship), get them back, install, and go. Perfect.
The shop knows Guzzis.
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This thread is forked..I believe the OP wants suspension changes but he is not being clear about his forking ...
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Traxxion Dynamics
Springs and Gold Valve Emulators all the way to full Cartridge inserts to meet whatever performance you desire balanced with your budget.
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This thread is forked..I believe the OP wants suspension changes but he is not being clear about his forking ...
Next thing BC will want to know is where to get shafted... :shocked: :grin:
John Henry
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jim hamlin of hamlin's cycles in connecticutt is considered by many to be a suspension expert.
Highly recommend. Jim did the front and rear on my V7 and KOF's V7 and quite a few other Guzzi owners.
Gerry
If interested.
Contact
Jim Hamlin > Jim@HamlinCycles.com
Hamlin Cycles
44 Grassy Plain Street, Rte 53 Bethel, CT 06801
Phone: 203-942-2232
Fax: 203-942-2687
http://hamlincycles.com
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After Jim transformed my Tiger 1050 I've had him work his skill on every bike I've had since but one-and that will get his front end treatment sooner than later, too.
having experienced how much better it can be for everyday riding and how inexpensive it is compared to lots of other "motorcycle things" I'm firmly in the camp that says "do it".
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race tech? :undecided:
+1 on the Race Tech. Best bang for ur $. You'll be amazed...
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I heard of a place just outside LaGrange that does Forking but keep it on the down low.
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What type of forks? Dinner? Damper Rod? USD cartridge?
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The built to a price point forks on the Roamer are adequate, but I want better. I want something approaching good forks, in other words I'm in need of a good Forking! Recommendations solicited. :cool: :boozing: :afro:
What don't you like about the forks?
- too soft?
- too firm?
- undersprung?
- oversprung?
Do the forks have adequate travel?
What are your expectations from having the forks resprung/revalved?
Not a quiz. I went thru this with the CB1100. Got close to what I wanted. It took time
RaceTech on forks .... on and off bike several times to set compression damping.
Ikon shocks with lighter springs, adjustable rebound damping.
Bob
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They feel to twitchy and reactionary. I'm thinking they are set up to soft and under sprung? I'm mostly comparing to the feel to the B1100, which is not regarded as having anything special fork wise, but they are far more planted, even with 10W oil.
If I can get them close to the action of the B1100 I would be happy.
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I contacted Matt Wiley, mwiley@RaceTech.com, for a solution for my V7ii, letting him know how heavy i was, bike, etc.... Then purchase parts, and install EXACTLY per his instructions (there are a couple of things to set up on the emulator). I did that and they were spot on, including pre-load. Never had to go back in to fine tune. I haven't emailed him for a few years, so don't know if he has moved on...
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Hamlin has worked with RaceTech for years.
Damper rods, by design, can never preform outside of a very small envelope. They are limited by the basic design that cannot be overcome by any amount of "fooling" around.
The Gold Valve is a proven inexpensive solution. Bang for the buck is right up there.
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Lose weight??? :evil: Okay....seriously.. ...change springs and heavier oil? That would be for better rebound and damping. On the other hand....what air pressure for the tires are you running?
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I sent my V7III forks to Race Tech set up for my weight and track days $594
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I contacted Matt Wiley, mwiley@RaceTech.com, for a solution for my V7ii, letting him know how heavy i was, bike, etc.... Then purchase parts, and install EXACTLY per his instructions (there are a couple of things to set up on the emulator). I did that and they were spot on, including pre-load. Never had to go back in to fine tune. I haven't emailed him for a few years, so don't know if he has moved on...
Matt Wiley Info:
I give very high marks to Matt Wiley at Race Tech technical support. He always worked on the phone or via email with me until I got the forks where I was satisfied with them.
Matthew Wiley
Race Tech Vintage Specialist
909-273-4985 cell# 951-279-6655 – Ask for Matt
mwiley@racetech.com
http://www.racetech.com
EDIT 06/26/20: I wish I had started with Race Tech/Matt Wiley. Instead, I purchased the CB1100 kit from another company who just happened to use Race Tech Gold valves in their suspension offering, which included:
- new damping rods
- fork springs
- RT Gold valves
I was expecting a more compliant ride, but instead got a different ride that was still too stiff for me. So, I contacted Matt at RT and explained the situation. He said he'd be more than willing to help me, but that he wanted to be assured he was working with stock damping rods drilled to their specs, along with springs of a known weight. So, took rods to a machine shop that drilled the 4 original holes to RT's spec, and added two more holes.
Matt also asked how many bleed holes had been drilled out of the RT valve plate. Answer "2." "You need two more of .xxx" diameter.
He also supplied me with the set of small springs that placed a preload on the RT valve plate. Heavy, medium, low weight.
Long story short(er.) Had I dealt with Matt and Race Tech in the beginning, I'm sure this would have been a much easier job, probably being correct on the first try.
Bob
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Most any stealership will give you a good forking.
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Matt was also a long time technical writer for Motorcycle Consumer News.
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Not sure if you are ok with forking yourself, you will save a lot of money that way.
You could go with either K-Tech (~$900) or Matris (~$660) full cartridge inserts. Those prices include springs & oil, got the info from AF1 here: https://www.af1racing.com/store/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=3012&description=V9+Roamer+Performance+Parts . With both of these, the idea is you remove all the "old school" guts of your fork and put in all new current (ish) technology cartridge fork internals.
I would call up AF1 and ask them about these two kits. On the Matris details, says "No modifications to the original fork..." so no cutting, drilling, etc needed. AF1 also can do it for you (and charge you of course).
So if you went the do it yourself Matris route, for ~$660 you get cartridge forks with compression, rebound, and spring preload adjustments ... and new proper springs for your weight ... and oil. vs. paying someone $600 to drill holes in a damper rod and drop in an emulator and springs. And with the Matris, once done, you could clicky-clicky to make changes in damping vs having to pull the forks apart again and then tweak the emulator.
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And that's where proven experience comes in. There are those who know how to get it right the first time.
Some may not know: Many of the big names get their recommended settings from trusted installers around the country(s). These trusted shops will report back to the OEM on what works and where it works. You'd be surprised how much this happens.
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Makes me wonder. Do any suspension shops use some sort of linear 'dynamometer' that would allow them to mount a fork leg, or both legs, and run it/them thru a set of computer-controlled movements, at different fps speeds, measuring compression pressure and rebound damping at various parts of the fork stroke, so that there would be a real set of constants one could tune to?
This whole suspension thing seems like such a crapshoot.
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Jim Hamlin did my Bobber with K-Tech. You won’t be disappointed.
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It's a crapshoot to the inexperienced tuner.
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Makes me wonder. Do any suspension shops use some sort of linear 'dynamometer' that would allow them to mount a fork leg, or both legs, and run it/them thru a set of computer-controlled movements, at different fps speeds, measuring compression pressure and rebound damping at various parts of the fork stroke, so that there would be a real set of constants one could tune to?
This whole suspension thing seems like such a crapshoot.
What most people are looking for is a better ride on the roads they normally ride so emulators and the correct springs will be a noticeable improvement.
If your riding varies from rough roads to smooth twisties and fast speeds, the suspension will benefit from adjustments in compression and rebound as the conditions change. This type of rider should go for fully adjustable suspension and figure out the best settings for each situation.
Once you get it figured out, you have a cushy ride to your favorite twisty roads, and a tight ride with no wallowing while enjoying the curves. Takes a whole minute to change the settings once you have them figured out.
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Makes me wonder. Do any suspension shops use some sort of linear 'dynamometer' that would allow them to mount a fork leg, or both legs, and run it/them thru a set of computer-controlled movements, at different fps speeds, measuring compression pressure and rebound damping at various parts of the fork stroke, so that there would be a real set of constants one could tune to?
This whole suspension thing seems like such a crapshoot.
I would hope Matris & K-Tech have dyno's and tested things when they developed their kits. They have a desired curve (test results) they are looking for.
But then a local ish suspension shop that installs a Matris or K-Tech fork cartridge probably does not have a suspension dyno and instead they rely on Matris/K-Tech's testing and setup info.
In the dirt bike racing world, several high end suspension shops have their own shock/fork dyno's and do lots of "lab" testing and track testing. From that they develop their suspension settings/kits. When you send your fork/shock to them they do not dyno your fork/shock, but look at their setup notes and revalve your suspension based on all their previous testing.
And if Factory Connection did your suspension, it would probably be different than if MX-Tech or Kreft Moto or Stillwell Performance did it (dirt bike world here) ... as each of these shops have different ideas/theories on what is best. So they don't even agree on the best test results! :laugh:
But these guys are not just winging it, crap shoot style.
On the other hand, there could be a suspension shop where a person with a lot of experience just experiments, revalves, rides, revalves, rides keeps refining things until they like the result, no fancy shock/fork dyno. Then when a customer wants a revalve they use their notes/settings to do that revalve.
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I have installed the Race Tech springs and Gold valve Kit to my Breva 750 via their recommendations for my weight and riding style. I did the install and damper rod modifications myself over last winter and could not be happier with the results! Compliance was noticeably improved and handling is as good as my skill set allows it to be.
This was one of the two best improvements I've made to that bike along with Ikon shocks and a Brembo RSC front master cylinder. Well, I guess that's three. I'm definitely going to install this set up in my Milano this coming off season.
It looks like about $310.00 for the springs and valve kit currently listed for the V9 series on their website. I would think Bad Chad would be able to handle this with help if necessary from one or more friends.
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Short of losing weight and being shorter. :rolleyes: That should do it.
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Oh you little Rascal Tommy! I can hardly wait till I see you again and give you a great big Pink Bandana hug!! :afro:
Not sure I want to take the project on myself. But I’m definitely going to look at having the forks set for my svelte body type.
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:grin: :grin: :grin:
Have you tried a different wt. oil in the tubes to slow the rebound? Progressive wound springs would also help or old school remedy. Cut some spacers and add it to the top of your springs in the fork tubes. PVC or copper tubing if you have it. 1" or less. The hard part would be putting the caps back on the tubes.