Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: YellowDuck on May 20, 2026, 08:26:54 PM
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As I continue to get acquainted with my new V85, I came across something I have not seen mentioned here (or anywhere).
I am familiar with having rebound and compression damping adjustments on different legs (I have two bikes, including a V7 850, with cartridge setups like that), but before the V85 had never seen spring preload on only one leg.
It turns out, that's the only leg with a spring in it!
Some forks have all damping action in one fork leg, and the only spring in the other ("separate function" forks). The V85 is the first bike I have encountered with all of the damping AND the spring in the same leg. The left fork leg just locates the axle!
All the reviews about this bike that I read and watched, and no one mentioned that. It's pretty unique I think.
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Never heard of such a thing, I have a couple of MTB, bicycle forks that have the (air) spring in one leg and damping in the other but the 'all in one leg' and on a motorbike is a new one to me.
I have to say, it sounds more like a cost-cutting exercise than a technical innovation.
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No doubt it was the cheap way out. But way better than no adjustments. Plus it actually works well when set up as the book says.
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The bean counters strike again !
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No doubt it was the cheap way out. But way better than no adjustments. Plus it actually works well when set up as the book says.
I agree that it is certainly cheaper, and also that it works just fine. There is no reason at all with modern forks that the springing shouldn't be confined to a single leg. I had racing suspension experts telling me that 20 years ago - they had tested it even back then. And the rebound adjustment on the V85 seems to provide a lot of useful range. Screw it all the way in, and the forks are *VERY* slow to return; all the way out and they are very bouncy. It's not really rocket science. Compression damping I don't know - it's a lot harder to test / evaluate.
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Think of the $$$$ you'll save on the rebuilds/renew service(s).