It's like Night'n'Day...

**vifferman** · 29th November 2007, 12:00

(I wasn't sure where to put this, so I hope it's approx. the right place...)

I was riding to work this morning, when it suddenly struck me how much better the VifFerraRi is to ride than it was a mere few weeks ago. I can't be sure whether it's mainly due to the Storms or the suspension changes, but I suspect most of it is the tyres, with the suspension helping when the road surface is gnarly.
There are two corners that aptly illustrate the remarkable improvement - one is on the way to work, the other on the way home, and both are off-camber, tight, and downhill. Whereas before I would button off and gingerly negotiate both corners, now I confidently ignore the corner, look way ahead, and fully commit myself, even when the road's wet. The Storm's are SO confidence-inspiring that it's like "leaning is the new upright". LOL...

The 'acid test' for the suspension consists of four different spots on my commute. The first is a 90-degree left, with a bump mid-corner. (Well... to call it a bump is akin to calling a tyre 'a round thing'.) It is a combination of an elevation change in two dimensions, combined with an angled hump. Hard to explain, and (previously) hard to negotiate. Now I just power over/through it. Oh it's still there, and I can still feel it, but it's immaterial.
Number 2 is a piece of sunken tarmac that's hard to see, right in the perfect line for another sharp left-hand corner. Even off this line, the depression exerts its influence. Thanks to the new springs'n'oil cossetting the front end, and Elka in the back, I can stuff the bike into the corner, actually aiming for the bump, and although I can feel it, the bike isn't fussed.
Feature 3 is a series of sharp bumps, all close together, on an uphill suburban street with rough tarseal. Now *this* feature still requires some dialling-in of the suspenders to get them right. While the front end, being relatively unweighted, mostly floats over them, the back end lets me know very assertively they're there. I suspect that the compression and rebound damping are both a notch or two too firm, and that they're reacting too quickly to allow the wheel to move enough to absorb the hit. The more throttle I have on board, the more juddery it is.
The last feature on the landscape is a tight, sweeping corner that is rippled on the apex. I now don't need to slow at all for it, and can only just feel the ripples, even with the bike cranked WAY over.

So, all in all, I'd say the money spent recently on the VFR was all well spent, and has rejuvenated the bike, making it feel much more sporty but still very easy to ride. I keep having these weird little revelations, like being in the middle of a corner, and realising that I'm not doing anything at all, just sitting there: no pressure on either bar, no subtle corrections, nothing. It's very relaxing.

**Hitcher** · 29th November 2007, 13:43

Storms are great. There's a new set going back on the FJR tomorrow, after my flirtation with PR2s.

**007XX** · 29th November 2007, 13:50

Awesome stuff Vifferman... Glad to know you're happy with your mods.

They made for a very educational read ups too

**Swoop** · 29th November 2007, 15:37

Nice to hear that Elka is doing her job!

This should have been in general bike ravings, since this IS about a bike!
(Mods, do your stuff)

**vifferman** · 30th November 2007, 13:49

Oh -here's something that I done plum fergot.

One of the most telling signs that the bike handles and feels better is that riding on the same roads as I was before, the new taahrrz are already scrubbed closer to edges than the previous set ever were. The back Storm is within a few mm of the edge, whereas I never got past about 12mm or so before. The front is - at a guess - about 10mm or so past where the previous one was.
A track day, or licence-losing speeds on the road and there'd be no 'chicken strips' on the back. I dunno that you'd ever get to the edges on the front - the treads seem to go a very long way up the sidewalls!

**jrandom** · 30th November 2007, 13:51

Originally Posted by vifferman

I dunno that you'd ever get to the edges on the front - the treads seem to go a very long way up the sidewalls!

Indeed.

Even Two Smoker has chicken strips left on his front tyres after a race.

(He's a pussy, though.)

**Usarka** · 30th November 2007, 14:02

Your bike handles like a automated money machine?

i got some avon vipers and i trust them more than my riding. even when they let go they still feel in control

**Blackbird** · 30th November 2007, 14:03

They really are good tyres Ian. In terms of front tyre wear, after our East Cape jaunt with the lads last weekend, my front tyre wear is pretty close to the end of the tread pattern. No chicken strips on the back at all after regular runs to Coro! I'm going to have to replace mine sometime in the next few weeks and they will have lasted about 8000 km of fairly arduous use. The front has retained its profile perfectly and the rear has only recently started to noticeably flatten in the centre. The sides are fairly chewed up from the torque on twisty roads. I'm sticking with Avons, but will be putting a Viper on the front next time because the 'bird boys in the UK are getting great results with the Storm/Viper combination. Riffer also has this set-up on his RF 900. Oh, and I'm getting the Viper for free otherwise it would be Storms front and rear.

**Hitcher** · 30th November 2007, 14:13

Tonight I uplift the trusty FJR which has today had its second set of Storms fitted. I canardly wait...

**vifferman** · 30th November 2007, 14:36

Originally Posted by Blackbird

I'm sticking with Avons, but will be putting a Viper on the front next time because the 'bird boys in the UK are getting great results with the Storm/Viper combination.

That's sorta what I had on before, but they don't make the actual tyres any more. Kerry @Motohaus arksed if I wanted a Viper on the front, but I was a bit iffy, because I wasn't enjoying the previous combo at the time (AV49-SP front, AV56-ST rear). However, I have really enjoyed these, more'n any other set I've had on any bike.
I even like the strange wiggling sensation when going VERY slowly (like walking pace or slower) on smooth surfaces; you can feel the tread squirming or boogeying or whatever the hell it's up to. Strangely (happily?) that doesn't translate into misbehaviour at any other velocity.

**Blackbird** · 30th November 2007, 14:50

Originally Posted by vifferman

That's sorta what I had on before, but they don't make the actual tyres any more. Kerry @Motohaus arksed if I wanted a Viper on the front, but I was a bit iffy, because I wasn't enjoying the previous combo at the time (AV49-SP front, AV56-ST rear). However, I have really enjoyed these, more'n any other set I've had on any bike.
I even like the strange wiggling sensation when going VERY slowly (like walking pace or slower) on smooth surfaces; you can feel the tread squirming or boogeying or whatever the hell it's up to. Strangely (happily?) that doesn't translate into misbehaviour at any other velocity.

Hmmm... the original Azaro ST's had that wiggly sensation at very low speed because of the large areas of tread block going in one direction then the other. It seemed to disappear after a while, but never bothered me either. The Storm "wiggle" might be the same thing. I hope it's not the front fork shimmy I've reported on before as they've supposedly cured that now by redesigning the front tyre bead area.

**jrandom** · 30th November 2007, 14:56

What's the story with the Avon tyre models?

As in, which tyres are supposed to be sporty, which are toury, etc?

The Viper's the sticky racy one, right?

Where does the Azaro sit in the lineup? I quite liked the feel of the Azaros on the Multistrada the other day, but felt that they could have been a little less 'skippy' on the road.

**vifferman** · 30th November 2007, 14:57

Originally Posted by Blackbird

I hope it's not the front fork shimmy I've reported on before as they've supposedly cured that now by redesigning the front tyre bead area.

I 'd read on the Interdweeb about 'faulty Storms' so I asked Kerry how many recalls he'd had. He said, "None", but also mentioned that many of the alleged problems were Blackbirds, and that's because they are fat sprotsbikes.

Nah, he didn't actually say that, but he did say they weight the front end a lot, and it gives front tyres a hard time.