New shock - first impressions

[sil3nt]

Some rough measurements. I say rough because I find it hard to get an accurate measurement from the same spot. What is straight up with no weight on the wheel is no longer straight up with the bike sitting normally.

No weight: 420mm
Static: 410mm
Rider: 385mm

Static sag: 10mm
Rider sag: 35mm

Like I say very rough. Still it shows an improvement over stock. Stock shock there was zero static sag. Never did measure rider sag with stock shock though but I would have guessed 10-20mm.

So what is ideal for me? RT says in this video that rider sag should be 24-27mm for track and 27-35 for road and static sag 5-10mm although he was referring to a race bike for that.
The Nitron manual says static sag 5-15mm and rider sag 30-40mm for road and 25-35mm for track.

So good news! The sag appears to be fine. Although I will try and get a more accurate reading at some stage.

Now I need to find time to test ride the bike. The initial test was on a road I have ridden only once or twice before and it was a lot bumpier than what I would normally encounter. Thankfully I have a lot of good roads around me so hopefully I can get out there later this week and do some testing.

[AllanB]

Check the front too - no point setting the rear to near perfection of the front is miles off .......

[Robert Taylor]

Some rough measurements. I say rough because I find it hard to get an accurate measurement from the same spot. What is straight up with no weight on the wheel is no longer straight up with the bike sitting normally.

No weight: 420mm
Static: 410mm
Rider: 385mm

Static sag: 10mm
Rider sag: 35mm

Like I say very rough. Still it shows an improvement over stock. Stock shock there was zero static sag. Never did measure rider sag with stock shock though but I would have guessed 10-20mm.

So what is ideal for me? RT says in this video that rider sag should be 24-27mm for track and 27-35 for road and static sag 5-10mm although he was referring to a race bike for that.
The Nitron manual says static sag 5-15mm and rider sag 30-40mm for road and 25-35mm for track.

So good news! The sag appears to be fine. Although I will try and get a more accurate reading at some stage.

Now I need to find time to test ride the bike. The initial test was on a road I have ridden only once or twice before and it was a lot bumpier than what I would normally encounter. Thankfully I have a lot of good roads around me so hopefully I can get out there later this week and do some testing.

Ok, we will call this then ''roughly indicative''. Please only use a 1/4 inch wide measuring tape ( if you havent been already ) Wide builders tapes are so wide and clumsy when you engage on a narrow edge you can stuff the accuracy and repeatability up by 3-5mm , often more.

Cynically I will ask 10 different people to measure the sag on exactly the same bike and get 10 different readings. !!!!!!!!!!!????????????

I would like you to e-mail to me ( my regular e-mail address ) a full side profile shot of the bike sitting under its own weight and settled
Adjustment of the high speed compression adjuster will fine tune abrupt bump compliance, that is what it is there for.

Correctly identified by a number who posted here, you will not fully liberate the potential of that new shock until you balance the package and get it to work totally in unison by up-specing the front end

[Robert Taylor]

Ok, we will call this then ''roughly indicative''. Please only use a 1/4 inch wide measuring tape ( if you havent been already ) Wide builders tapes are so wide and clumsy when you engage on a narrow edge you can stuff the accuracy and repeatability up by 3-5mm , often more.

Cynically I will ask 10 different people to measure the sag on exactly the same bike and get 10 different readings. !!!!!!!!!!!????????????

I would like you to e-mail to me ( my regular e-mail address ) a full side profile shot of the bike sitting under its own weight and settled
Adjustment of the high speed compression adjuster will fine tune abrupt bump compliance, that is what it is there for.

Correctly identified by a number who posted here, you will not fully liberate the potential of that new shock until you balance the package and get it to work totally in unison by up-specing the front end

FURTHER

Our backup is pretty sincere. If for any reason the spring rate or settings are not quite ideal for any suspension unit we supply we will change the setting at no further charge, excepting freight recovery costs. You dont get that if you buy from North Mexico.

Also we are the only motorcycle suspension people in NZ who are so committed we have spent tens of thousands of dollars on a suspension dyno. We can graphically quantify damping so we are not ''flying blind''.

[sil3nt]

I will get those photos and email you, hopefully tonight.

I have also ordered new fork seals (including dust seals and retaining clip) and upper and lower bushes for the forks. No idea if I needed any of that but I figured it couldn't hurt. Once those arrive I will send them off with the forks so you, Mr RT, can work your magic

[sil3nt]

Took one click out of the high speed compression damping and rode to work this morning. I can't tell if the one click made a difference as this is only the second time on the bike with the new shock but the ride felt pretty damn good! Being on a familiar road where I know all the bumps meant I could easily feel the difference between the stock shock and the Nitron.

[insomnia01]

Hi Jonathan, if your still in the same place I visited you at last time, using Te pahu road as a test road would be ideal if not, then whatever loop/road you chose to test settings use the same road each time to identify changes in shock setup

[sil3nt]

Hi Jonathan, if your still in the same place I visited you at last time, using Te pahu road as a test road would be ideal if not, then whatever loop/road you chose to test settings use the same road each time to identify changes in shock setup

Yep was going to use Te Pahu

There are a few nasty bumps on that road

[insomnia01]

a good test road close to you I reckon !!! once you know where the bumps are you'll remember them

[Robert Taylor]

I will get those photos and email you, hopefully tonight.

I have also ordered new fork seals (including dust seals and retaining clip) and upper and lower bushes for the forks. No idea if I needed any of that but I figured it couldn't hurt. Once those arrive I will send them off with the forks so you, Mr RT, can work your magic

Ok, havent seen anything yet but have also been away for 4 days at road race Nationals. Only use sales@kss.net.nz for e-mail . What brand of fork seals did you order? We have a black list of some brands we just will not use.

[nzspokes]

Ok, havent seen anything yet but have also been away for 4 days at road race Nationals. Only use sales@kss.net.nz for e-mail . What brand of fork seals did you order? We have a black list of some brands we just will not use.

Is one of those brands KiwiX? I had trouble in the past with fork seals so got some from Honda for my Hornet. I thought they were genuine but clicked when I re-looked at the box they are not. Have been told genuine is normally the best. I got these kiwiX ones and I cant get them to seal.

Do you have a preferred brand?

[sil3nt]

Ok, havent seen anything yet but have also been away for 4 days at road race Nationals. Only use sales@kss.net.nz for e-mail . What brand of fork seals did you order? We have a black list of some brands we just will not use.

Everything I purchased was labelled as OEM replacement. ARX seems to be the brand for the fork seals.

Sorry haven't emailed you yet as I have been too lazy to take photos.

I did measure front sag. Don't remember 100% but it was something like 125mm dust seal to bottom of triple clamp fully extended. The bike took this down to around 70mm. Cranked the preload up as much as I dare and it is currently sitting between 80 and 90mm I believe. Took it for a test ride and the front felt a lot better. Can't wait to get it sorted with some proper springs!

[Robert Taylor]

Is one of those brands KiwiX? I had trouble in the past with fork seals so got some from Honda for my Hornet. I thought they were genuine but clicked when I re-looked at the box they are not. Have been told genuine is normally the best. I got these kiwiX ones and I cant get them to seal.

Do you have a preferred brand?

You always have to very specifically request GENUINE if that is what you want. Many aftermarket ''offerings'' are made of less pliable material with shall we say ''cheaper tolerancing''. There are some nasty 3 lip seals claimed to be leakproof when in fact they are not and they MASSIVELY increase friction. If installed into forks with low friction outer coatings these seals will wear off such coatings in short order. Thats not good, especially if the bike manufacturer unfairly gets the finger pointed at them for same.
Genuine seals are always a safe bet as they are usually Japanese NOK brand. Athena are a very decent brand and well priced. Top level stuff now is available as SKF fork and dust seals. High priced but in the dirty world of puddle jumping ( MX and StupidCross ) their low friction properties and life is outstanding. Now standard fitment on many WP forks on those orange Austrian curiosities and on Ohlins MX forks. High priced but cheaper than continually throwing in internet sourced budget no name no pedigree seals.
The rest of it is about constantly looking after the cleanliness and condition of the sliders. Brake pad dust, insect collision build up, pitting, vertical line scoring, road grime and dust etc. Bushings. Are the sliders also worn very smooth?

[Robert Taylor]

Everything I purchased was labelled as OEM replacement. ARX seems to be the brand for the fork seals.

Sorry haven't emailed you yet as I have been too lazy to take photos.

I did measure front sag. Don't remember 100% but it was something like 125mm dust seal to bottom of triple clamp fully extended. The bike took this down to around 70mm. Cranked the preload up as much as I dare and it is currently sitting between 80 and 90mm I believe. Took it for a test ride and the front felt a lot better. Can't wait to get it sorted with some proper springs!

See my prejudices re fork seals, from long experience. Theres always nasty further cost down the track with cheaper products because corners are cut to deliver low price.

The numbers that you have rattled off are the source of your bikes imbalance and the rear shock will work way way better once the front end is matched to it. Under the weight of the bike only it should sink into its stroke by 25-30mm, expressed from fully extended. With rider on board add 10-15mm on top of that figure.

Until that is sorted you will not be able to make a fair appraisal of the rear.

In terms of backing out the high speed compression adjuster try taking it out another click, then another until you get to a point where it will clearly blow through its stroke too readily. Try this on the same road with the same bumps

[nzspokes]

You always have to very specifically request GENUINE if that is what you want. Many aftermarket ''offerings'' are made of less pliable material with shall we say ''cheaper tolerancing''. There are some nasty 3 lip seals claimed to be leakproof when in fact they are not and they MASSIVELY increase friction. If installed into forks with low friction outer coatings these seals will wear off such coatings in short order. Thats not good, especially if the bike manufacturer unfairly gets the finger pointed at them for same.
Genuine seals are always a safe bet as they are usually Japanese NOK brand. Athena are a very decent brand and well priced. Top level stuff now is available as SKF fork and dust seals. High priced but in the dirty world of puddle jumping ( MX and StupidCross ) their low friction properties and life is outstanding. Now standard fitment on many WP forks on those orange Austrian curiosities and on Ohlins MX forks. High priced but cheaper than continually throwing in internet sourced budget no name no pedigree seals.
The rest of it is about constantly looking after the cleanliness and condition of the sliders. Brake pad dust, insect collision build up, pitting, vertical line scoring, road grime and dust etc. Bushings. Are the sliders also worn very smooth?

I do keep the forks clean, something Im big on. The seals I got are NOK after looking closer at them. The sliders are very polished over the seal area. When you run the seal over the area by hand its much easier to move. Guess then my tubes are stuffed?