Where should I go to get a good Forking?

[bad Chad]

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.

[Lannis]

"Forking by Frank" is in the business of forking people. They've forked me good before, I highly recommend them....

[LowRyter]

race tech?   

[Two Checks]

Lindemann Engineering?

[blu guzz]

jim hamlin of hamlin's cycles in connecticutt is considered by many to be a suspension expert.

[Kiwi_Roy]

RMR Suspension if you are in British Columbia

https://www.rmrsuspensions.com

[kingoffleece]

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.

[Rough Edge racing]

 This thread is forked..I believe the OP wants suspension changes but he is not being clear about his forking ...

[twowheeladdict]

Traxxion Dynamics

Springs and Gold Valve Emulators all the way to full Cartridge inserts to meet whatever performance you desire balanced with your budget.

[Zoom Zoom]

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...

John Henry

[gerryp]

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

[kingoffleece]

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".

[jpv7]

race tech?   

+1 on the Race Tech.  Best bang for ur $.  You'll be amazed...

[nsmith]

I heard of a place just outside LaGrange that does Forking but keep it on the down low.

[Perazzimx14]

What type of forks? Dinner? Damper Rod? USD cartridge?

[ohiorider]

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.

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

[bad Chad]

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.

[jpv7]

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...

[kingoffleece]

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.

[Tom]

Lose weight???    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?

[guzzi771]

I sent my V7III forks to Race Tech set up for my weight and track days $594

[ohiorider]

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

[Sasquatch Jim]

Most any stealership will give you a good forking.

[kingoffleece]

Matt was also a long time technical writer for Motorcycle Consumer News. 

[usedtobefast]

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. 

[kingoffleece]

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.

[ohiorider]

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.

[ff73148]

Jim Hamlin did my Bobber with K-Tech. You won’t be disappointed.

[kingoffleece]

It's a crapshoot to the inexperienced tuner.

[twowheeladdict]

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.