captainscarlet Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 My third post in as many days regarding suspension. This whole business is a minefield and I have found myself swinging from one idea to the next, but now think I'm closing in on a solution. To provide a complete picture I am 85-90 kg/190-200 lbs in full riding kit. I ride almost exclusively solo (no pillion) and rarely have luggage. Most of my riding is done on relatively small roads with sweeping to twisty bends and generally poor surfacing often damaged by winter frost heave. Up until today I've been using the original Dunlop D222 tyres but these are about to be replaced by a set of Pirelli Angel GTs. I have set my rider sag front and rear aiming for 30% of suspension travel which is basically 40 mm. I'm maxed out on front preload which gives me 43 mm, almost the 40 mm I'm after. At the rear I'm on the softest setting which gives me 33 mm, which is quite some difference from the 40 mm I'm looking for. So I'm at the limits of preload adjustment at both ends and have no room to play with. Now my current idea is to buy a new shock and replace the fork springs and oil. I have been weighing all kinds of options including new fork cartridges but have decided, based on reading here and elsewhere, that good improvements can be achieved by replacing fork springs and oil. I can buy a K-tech Razor R Lite shock and K-tech fork springs for SEK 5000 (including shipping) which is around $550. I have also been considering the Nitron NTR R1 shock and also the Öhlins YA335 but have determined from numerous posts from @pattonme that the K-tech appears to offer the most bang for the buck. Plus those other two shocks cost more than the shock and spring combination that I can get from K-tech. So my question is does that panel and @pattonme think I'm making a reasonable choice? I would also appreciate advice on spring rates for the fork springs. I have read on this board that @piotrek and others in my weight class have chosen 9 N/mm. A visit to Racetech's spring calculator told me I need 8.5 N/mm. I'm also given to understand that it is advantageous to choose a lighter weight fork oil than that specified in the manual and also a different oil height. Any guidance there would be appreciated. CS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member piotrek Posted February 4, 2019 Supporting Member Share Posted February 4, 2019 12 hours ago, captainscarlet said: ...I have read on this board that @piotrek and others in my weight class have chosen 9 N/mm. A visit to Racetech's spring calculator told me I need 8.5 N/mm. I'm also given to understand that it is advantageous to choose a lighter weight fork oil than that specified in the manual and also a different oil height. Any guidance there would be appreciated. I reached out to @stoltecmoto for springs, and I was told to account for weight of any accessories that I'd add to the front of the bike, and that made sense to me. I added the crash bars, large screen, tank bag, lamps, GPS and all the bracketry. The 0.9kg/mm rate was recommended, and it is perfect for me, in that I only need about a turn or two of preload. Oil weight and height are really trial and error. Remove the right leg, dump the oil (no need to remove spring, see this video) and replace that quantity with something much lighter. Go for a ride and see what happens. The quick-and-dirty way to see if damping improves enough not to warrant replacing internals (springs excepted)... then service/rebuild your forks properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainscarlet Posted February 5, 2019 Author Share Posted February 5, 2019 Order now placed..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainscarlet Posted February 21, 2019 Author Share Posted February 21, 2019 Well the goodies have finally arrived from Italy! You have to love the European market. K-tech make the kit in the north of England. I can buy direct from them and have it shipped direct to me in Sweden. However because of the Sterling to Krona exchange rate it was significantly cheaper to order from Omnia racing in Italy in Euros who dispatch from K-tech's warehouse hub somewhere else in Europe! Anyway, behold: The new shock is considerably lighter than the OEM original; it is also smaller in diameter. In the hands it appears to be very well engineered. All the adjustments, preload, rebound and shock length are made at the bottom of the shock and are easily accessible once fitted. There are 32 clicks of rebound adjustment compared to the OEM shocks 3 turns. Preload is of course infinitely more adjustable than the original, given a threaded collar on the K-tech compared to the crude 7 position ramp on the OEM. The K-tech fitted easily to the bike and is now in place. Tonight the new forks springs go in and then roll on Spring.... CS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted February 21, 2019 Supporting Member Share Posted February 21, 2019 @captainscarlet Thanks for sharing, (I love reading suspension threads and seeing other riders purchases 😍) very nice indeed, you are going to LOVE the ride when finished. Having the tool-less rebound dial at the bottom of the shock body is awesome! On occasion, I will pull off the road, make a quick click on the dial and am back on the road in seconds. - Gotta love that. ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 That shock looks lovely @captainscarlet. Did you get a pin spanner with it for adjusting preload? One thing @piotrek and I both had with a Nitron shock, which looks similar in design, was that the OEM bolt that went through the adjustment end of the shock, was only just long enough. The nut was on the very end of the threads. As it is a locking type of nut this seem fine, and mine hasn’t moved at all since installation, but it was initially concerning. Red 2015 Tracer, UK spec (well, it was until I started messing with it...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bamarider Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 Give us an update as soon as you get to try them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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