| Author | Message | ||
     Point_doc |
I just got back from a night ride here in San Diego. We went up to Mt. Laguna, while riding thru one of the many turns I felt a sudden jolt from hitting something (it felt like a med. size rock?) then the twisting of my front end/forks and then the jerk of the handlebars from my hand. As suddenly as this happened it was over, my aftermarket suspension sucked it up and planted my Corsa III tire back on the pavement. The rest of my bike was unaffected just the front, I rolled right on thru this turn like it was a little bump at best. I am so thankful I replaced my stock (SUCKY) suspension with the Hyperpro progressive springs (fork/shock). My bike like all Buell bikes would front end dive when applying the front brake, now, nothing!! I also replaced my wheel weights with the beads (http://www.innovativebalancing.com/ ) that go inside the tire and this was my first ride since the replacement. I have noticed one item that has changed; is that when I let go of the handlebars and let the bike coast, the bike rolls straight. In the past like all Buells/Harleys the bike would always start to roll/lean to the left. Now the bike rolled straight-up. No deviation to the left or right, straight-up. I was pleasantly surprised. The beads dynamically balance the tire/wheels, but it must also balance the entire bike. How else did the bike roll straight without input from me? | ||
| Damnut |
In the past like all Buells/Harleys the bike would always start to roll/lean to the left. My bike doesn't roll/lean at all. always tracks straight when letting go of the bars. | ||
| Randomchaos |
My bike doesn't roll/lean at all. always tracks straight when letting go of the bars. Same here. | ||
| Wantxbr |
My bike doesn't lean when I let go of the bars. Straight as an arrow. I had one of those nights also, I don't know what it was I hit but I got a little air born on Del Dios. The bike took it like a champ no problem or worries. I still have Stock suspension. | ||
| Spatten1 |
My bike like all Buell bikes would front end dive when applying the front brake, now, nothing!! Sounds like you picked up some BMW Telelever suspension! | ||
| Darthane |
...any straight-line V-Twin that wants to lean or roll when you take your hands off the bars has a problem. That's a LOT of rotating mass that wants to stay straight up and down, it takes effort to make it fall over at speed. | ||
| Darth_buell |
Hey doc.. welcome to the world of DYNABEADS. I posted something about those once on this site but it got realy mixed comments. I'm glad someone else tried them. They work and no ugly weights. PEACE.  | ||
| Randomchaos |
Im really considering using the beads instead of the weights. Bet the place that replaces my tire for me would be pretty damn confused though when they pull the old tire off! | ||
| Point_doc |
Well that was fun; it seems that the point was MISSED! The point that everyone should have came away with that I was THANKFUL! I was thankful that I had the opportunity to ride my bike home. Does it really matter what I believe or felt the reason for it was or that it may have been divine intervention??? I have road quite a few v-twins and they are not perfect when you let go of the bars. Now, I might concede that my bike may have a problem, but it has never been down, dropped etc. since purchase. As for the suspension, I forgot to mention I weigh in at 225lbs. The stock springs I felt was maxed out the moment I sat on the bike and it always felt compromised on the road. (Message edited by point_doc on May 02, 2008) | ||
| Spatten1 |
As far as the BMW comment; the act of labeling or associating one to degrade or elevate your position is OBTUSE! I guess you don't know what Telelever suspension is. It is an anti-dive geometry that is an alternative to telescopic forks, which all have dive and stiction issues, as a weak point in their design. No degrading, just making a joke about completely eliminating dive while braking. Obtuse, I know that word from the Shawshank redemption, but not sure what it means. | ||
| Jaimec |
No, the point is that ALL motorcycles with telescopic front forks will nose dive when braking force is applied. It's the nature of the beast. Bikes with alternative front ends (like the BMW Telelever or Duolever) do NOT dive, but the engineers will engineer in SOME dive so the feeling isn't too "alien" to someone riding it. No degrading occurred. Incidentally, this includes the Harley Springer front ends, too... though that system adds a lot of mass to the steering system. | ||
| Point_doc |
Spatten1, My bad; from reading post on this site and others that any associations with a BMW is a foul. I apologize. John | ||
| Spatten1 |
No sweat man, didn't mean to insinuate anything negative. I like a lot of the BMW models. If they had a half-off sale I'd get one. If you get a chance to ride one of their bikes with the no-dive suspension, check it out. Really a weird feeling to jam on the brakes and have the bike stay level. Most of them are still too long and heavy for serious cornering, but they are fun to ride and would be a great bike for the Al-Can. | ||
| Damnut |
Well my bike HAS been dropped, actually it flipped end over end in a crash. Maybe that's why mine tracks straight.  | ||
| Reepicheep |
LOL! That about sums it up. Except I have an unfounded suspicion that BMW motorcycles doesn't pay the full burden for their tooling / manufacturing setup, that perhaps it is currently subsidized by the car division. So you may already be getting it at half price... but what you really want is 1/4. I'll trade my KLR-250 even up for an F-650!  | ||
| Point_doc |
Spatten1, Thanks. Thank you for your responses. It seems that after reading several posts that I (not the bike) may have an inherent lean/roll in me, possibly my CG is off when I ride. No matter the reason, the beads in the tires compensated for me not locating my CG correctly. (Message edited by point_doc on May 02, 2008) | ||
| Towjam |
Ok, I'll give the beads a try but I can't figure out how to get 'em in the wheel!  | ||
| Ustorque |
eeewww..... | ||
| Firebolteric_ma |
I also have the "Beads" in my tires. They seem to work just fine so far, Can't see why one would not like them.... I know they are not a sponsor so they must be "Snake oil" around here!...LOL | ||
| Aldaytona |
I have been using the beads for several tire changes and even in a BMW! I like them BOTH!  | ||
| Dbird29 |
You are fortunate! Former BadWeb member TedK hit a a rock and is now paralyzed from the waist down. Anybody hear from him lately? | ||
| Wantxbr |
Hey Doc what did you pay to get your front end reworked? | ||
| Point_doc |
I purchased the springs from a dealer, but now Al from American Sport Bike carries them. http://www.americansportbike.com/shoponline/ccp0-p rodshow/16110.html I bought springs for the fork and shock as a set. I usually try doing the work myself, but for this I did not have the special tools for doing the forks, so I conceded and took my bike into a local motorcycle import shop because they did not charge as much as my local Harley shop does. I believe I paid about $80.00 for the work. The local shop wanted twice this!! One of the guys I ride with rode my bike and the next week went and purchased as set for his Uly, since then he has enjoyed them from the first moment they were installed. In fact prier to his purchase we were in the mountains pounding the twisties when his front end washed out. Fortunately, he did not wreck, but it took him several minutes on the side of the road to collect himself in order to continue the ride. Since then, he has replaced his suspension setup using the Hyperpro springs and his front tire has never washed out again. He also mentioned that his bike used to get a vibration in the front end that had him concerned, but since the change in springs the bike no longer has this. Also his front end does not dive as hard as it used to when applying the front brake!! | ||
| Spacecapsule1 |
What's up with the springs, doc? What makes them so much better than stock? What do the springs have to do with the front end washing out? Seems more like a tire issue? (Message edited by spacecapsule1 on May 03, 2008) | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
What do these beads cost? | ||
| Point_doc |
What is Progressive Suspension? In a normal spring, the coils are evenly spaced and compress at the same rate. For example, if you have a spring that has ten coils spaced a centimeter apart, and you push down one centimeter on the spring, the entire spring compresses one centimeter and each coil will then be 0.9 centimeter apart. In a two-step linear spring (or one-step progressive), about half the coils have shorter spacing. As the spring compresses, the coils move closer. At a certain point, the shorter spaced coils touch, effectively eliminating them from the spring. You then have a spring comprised of only the longer coils. Hyperpro springs are an engineering work of art. Backing up this claim is a lifetime warranty against breakage. Each spring is constructed of the finest grade of chrome-silicon wire and is guaranteed not to sag even after 1.000.000 miles of use. Each spring is shot-peened for strength and durability and then polished to reduce friction and eliminate fork oil contamination. Jon (Uly owner) mentioned to me that from reading the Hyperpro spring info they write about this vibration that is inherent in all springs. I don't recall the reading other then him mentioning it, but from what he was describing, it sounds like a topic of "harmonics". He suspected that the tires may have been the reason, he had them replaced and the bike still had this vibration. But in either case (tire or harmonics), the Hyperpro springs remedied this. http://www.hyperpro.com/home/index.asp http://www.epmperf.com/hyperpro-springs.htm (Message edited by point_doc on May 03, 2008) | ||
| Point_doc |
Price of beads... http://www.innovativebalancing.com/gallery1.htm |
