V7 front end upgrades

[Lee Bruns]

I got to ride a friends V7 stone for about 50 miles the other day. The Front end is . . . . . .inadequate . .at best. What fork upgrade kits have you riders tried and with what results? Cost?

[malik]

Has the fork oil ever been changed? Replacing old oil can make a big difference. After that you can start the whole "set the sag" routine front & rear. That may help determine whether new springs are necessary, or whether you can get by with changing oil weights, air gap or pre-load length. Worth a try, although not as easy as having a professional do it for you (for a fee).

[kingoffleece]

I have RaceTech Gold valves.  Works great

[malik]

Check out the details of the suspension on the V7 III Racer, front & rear. Ohlins of some kind on the rear. Took one for a demo ride recently, and was VERY impressed with its suspension. Unlikely to be cheap.

[gerryp]

I have RaceTech Gold valves.  Works great

same here

[chuck peterson]

At 190lbs, my swap to 5w fork oil saved me over $1000 in improvements and is sufficient for this old guy....ymmv

[ohiorider]

I can't report back with any V7 suspension experience, but I will soon be installing the Traxxion Dynamics fork kit on my 2014 CB1100.  The kit consists of
- new damper rods pre-drilled for RaceTech Gold valves.
- Race Tech valve emulators preset by the supplier for my weight/type of riding.
- new springs.
- new spacers

I installed a set of Ikon shocks, with lighter than stock springs, 4 preload settings, and 4(?) rebound damping settings.  After only a few miles of saddle time, the improvement is quite obvious.  I guess bikes other than Moto Guzzi come from the factory with less than ideal suspension.  One size does not necessarily fit all.

Bob

[pyoungbl]

For about $150 the Race Tech gold emulators are hard to beat.  They make a significant improvement in the actual valving in the forks and reduce the harshness found in the stock setup.  You still need to adjust the air gap and preload to your individual taste.  I also changed the springs in order to get decent sag numbers.  Now I'm getting almost the full 130mm travel on the front end.

Note, installing emulators is not rocket science but you will have to drill out the metering rod holes. 

Note #2...the emulators have a range of adjustments so you can fine tune the valving quite a bit.


Emulators can be adjusted by (1) changing the pressure on the spring or (2) changing the spring for one with different tension.   RT recommends drilling two extra holes in the metering disc, as shown

Peter Y.

[jpv7]

Ditto on the Race Tech recommendation...th ere are better solutions, but this is the "cheapest" way to go.  You are doing springs, different oil, and gold valve emulators.  Price it out and compare.  I emailed Matt Wiley from Racetech and used his suggestions for set up.  It was perfect and sag is spot on for my weight.  So don't worry that you will need to experiment - I didn't and the bike rides great. 

[roadscum]

I have RaceTech Gold valves.  Works great

Same here. Same kit same results installed at the same shop.
Now the rear need attention. Damn near got bucked of several times in the last two weeks and it'll take some time for my back to recover..... I hope.

Paul

[Lee Bruns]

Thank you for the input.