| Author | Message | ||
     Mortbike |
For my 2009 1125CR with 3,000 miles on it. I am 180 lbs and ride on the street only. Sag, compression, rebound set by local suspension shop. Questions are: 1. It seems like the bike would turn in easier if I raised the forks up about 5mm in the triple clamps. Has anyone done this, results? 2. Has anyone put a RaceTech Gold Valve kit in the stock forks? Was it necessary and did it improve the ride and control? 3. Anyone changed the stock shock for an Ohlins or other brand- Was there much improvement over the stock shock? Thanks for any advice-Mort | ||
| Mako |
different tire for turn in ? yes.yes pensky etc, no comparison to stock in most cases. | ||
| Jdugger |
Mort, Typically one raises the front on these bikes (less tube showing above the clamp) instead of lowering it. But, you may find you need an adjustable ride-height rear shock to get the geometry truly to your preferences. RaceTech gold valves are an upgrade over stock, but a better choice would be AK-20, Ohlins, etc. Most of us have probably upgraded our stock shock, and there are lots of reasons to do it. The Showa piece from EBR is a good value-option, the Ohlins or Penske are top-choice options. You might want to work with a suspension tuner for these things, since geometry and suspension set up are a bit of a black art. It's easy to get the bike all screwed up. | ||
| Rodrob |
Mort, 1952 so you're a geezer like me. Congrats! I'm always surprised when someone is looking to have an 1125R turn in quicker. The small rake and trail #s would suggest quick turn in by design and for me, the bike turns in almost too quick, so as Jim stated, I lowered the forks to be flush with the top of the tree. That being said, everyone is different so raising the forks will in theory make for quicker turn in, but at the cost of stability and the increased risk of head shake due to reduced trail and less castering force, so be cautious. So much of this depends on how aggressively you ride, as braking and throttle forces have a huge effect on geometry. As usual I agree with Jim; find a reputable tuner at a track day where you can test, adjust, test adjust, until you are happy. On my street bike I have the Showa race cartridges and shock from EBR. You can't do better for the price. If price is no option, then Traxxion Dynamics AK Gas forks and Penske shock. But IMHO, this is way overkill for the street. | ||
| Mortbike |
Thanks for the advice, guys! Rodrob-Does the EBR Showa race shock have enough adjustability to be controlled yet still comfortable for the street? I noticed it does have hi and low speed compression adjustments. Where did you get the Showa race cartridges for the forks? Thanks, Mort | ||
| Rodrob |
I got them from EBR. I don't know if they still have them. I think the Showa shock works fine on the street, but I ride fairly aggressively am almost always in the twisties. What I consider comfortable is being able to rely on the bike to hold a consistent line in a turn so that I can relax. It's more important to me to have the front and rear dynamically balanced so that the forks and shock move the same, rather than an overly stiff setup, which just masks problems. Nothing is more uncomfortable than fighting a bike where the front and rear are behaving differently. That said, my street bike is much softer than my race bike. | ||
| Pwillikers |
If you have Pirelli Corsa III tires, I suggest you try Michelin Pilot Power (2ct or 3). With Pirellis, I fought with setup trying to get it to turn in - with no success. After changing to Michelins, I have been extremely happy; easy turn in, holds a line. (Froggy's misgivings not withstanding)  . | ||
| Battyone |
You're wasting money putting a new rear shock on. The belt controls rear suspension movement. If you don't believe me,try bouncing the rear,then remove the idler pulley and try again. The looser your drive belt the better your rear suspension will work. A sprung tensioner transforms the handling and drive out of corners. | ||
| Jdugger |
> You're wasting money putting a new rear shock on. I totally disagree. While you are correct the tension on the belt does have an impact on swing arm travel, a good race shock still makes a major difference compared to the OEM unit for a capable rider. Also, if the swing arm doesn't pivot smoothly, even with the belt tension, you might need new swing arm bearings. I put mine up on jack-stands under the (rigid) pegs, disconnect the shock, and manually move the swing arm through the range of movement. It's an easy thing to do a couple of times a year. | ||
| Rodrob |
Not to mention ride height adjustment. | ||
| Battyone |
I would suggest then that the "race" shocks you are talking about are longer than standard.Either that or you've got a nice loose belt or weigh 100lb. I've got 3 1125s and they are/were all the same. very little suspension movement,then remove the belt idler wheel- so unloading the belt- and lo and behold!!! lots of suspension movement!!! nothing to do with pivot bearings. The whole belt/swingarm design also causes torque reaction like a shaft drive,lifting the rear under power. | ||
| Rodrob |
So just to avoid any further misinformation about suspension and "race" shocks, please see the video below that demonstrates that a properly working stock 1125R belt drive, has no influence at all over the travel of the swingarm. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iief3phoo2A Your choice of rear shocks, however, does. I do not know why Nigel has had a different experience. | ||
| Mortbike |
I replaced my Michelin Pilot Road 3 front tire with a Pilot Power 2ct and the turn in is plenty quick now and really quite excellent now. I am also running a Pilot Road 3 in back and the combination seems to work very well, especially on the long flat roads here in south Florida where a rear tire can get squared off pretty quickly. Mort | ||
| Pwillikers |
Michelin marketing youtube that is actually pretty informative.  (Message edited by pwillikers on May 17, 2013) | ||
| Xtreme6669 |
You think the Pilot Pure fits between the Power 3 and the Power sport? I have never seen a power 3. Maybe that is the Pure? Tread is different thou. |
