Racetech gold valve install - self-install?

[mossy1200]

I just got mine done by RT and guess what ,they already had emulators so poorly installed you couldnt tell they were there at all.Now my 20 year old bike will ride like a new bike and the money has been well spent rather than a 50% result from me doing it myself.Get it wrong and you spent money achieving nothing.
Id rather go earn the money and get it right 1st time.I would be 90% likely to stuff something anyways.
Confidence in a job well done is worth the expence.

[Shaun]

Were they genuine brass Race Tech emulators or were they the mainland Asian rip off copies? If they are the Asian ones ask that they are swapped for the long term reliable US product. The Asian ones wear quickly and the poppet springs sack out. We know, we tested and analysed them.

r, but the ASIAN ones are cheaper for the fitter to buy, givin a better profit margin though

[Robert Taylor]

r, but the ASIAN ones are cheaper for the fitter to buy, givin a better profit margin though

It matters not how much cheaper they could be, theres always a price to be paid with cheapness. Poor performance and poor reliability.

[CookMySock]

Who supplies the asian knock-off ones? The genuine article isn't that expensive I thought.

Steve

[TZ350]

10... 9... 8...

(counting down til when Robert Taylor appears and lambasts all us gumbies for even thinking we could fiddle with suspension without 20 years of experience and a gold-edged certificate from that Swedish company whose name I forgot...)

Sure you could pay to have it all done......but RT is ok about people having a go, so long as they don't grump at him if it all goes tits up. Bucketracer brought a set of gold valves of RT and RT has been helping all the way as Bucketracer rebuilds his forks and dials them in. http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...=102171&page=1

RT didn't have to do it and there was no real $$$ in it but he has helped Bucketracer heaps.

[mossy1200]

I think RT likes the everyone, unless they are trying to sell a budget crap knock off product that attempts to replicate years of resurch with a "copy it cheep and sell it to the unaware public approach".

[Skunk]

Sure you could pay to have it all done......but RT is ok about people having a go, so long as they don't grump at him if it all goes tits up. Bucketracer brought a set of gold valves of RT and RT has been helping all the way as Bucketracer rebuilds his forks and dials them in. http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...=102171&page=1

RT didn't have to do it and there was no real $$$ in it but he has helped Bucketracer heaps.

I got some off RT too. He set them up at a 'best guess' (CB125T forks on an Ax100 with shortened springs isn't the best start point - without even seeing the bike!). He's helped me adjust them ever since.

I think I've used the cost of them in labour alone!

Best thing I ever did for the bikes handling. Bang for buck they couldn't be beaten.

[Shaun]

It matters not how much cheaper they could be, theres always a price to be paid with cheapness. Poor performance and poor reliability.

of course! That was just me taking the piss at a person who tried so hard to rock the boat once,

[CookMySock]

unless they are trying to sell a budget crap knock off product that attempts to replicate years of resurch ...

Cough, racetech didn't invent shim stack suspension valving, they copied it off off someone else actually.. Didn't they Robert..

I watched my Dad tuning shim stack suspension 30 years ago.

In all fairness, it was racetech that converted the technology into a simple consumer product (the emulator) that works.

Steve

[Robert Taylor]

Cough, racetech didn't invent shim stack suspension valving, they copied it off off someone else actually.. Didn't they Robert..

I watched my Dad tuning shim stack suspension 30 years ago.

In all fairness, it was racetech that converted the technology into a simple consumer product (the emulator) that works.

Steve

Exactly, I think it was the French? The emulator ( as opposed to bending shim stack pistons) doesnt use a shim stack as such and is for use with old style damper rods only. Bending shim stack piston kits are used to respec cartridges.
But the essence of what I was trying to say is that the cheap knock offs provide commensurately ''cheap'' performance and reliability.
Re SELF INSTALS it can very fairly be stated that the success of the job is to a large degree dependent on attention to detail. If the installer has the finesse of an elephant then the end result will be horrible. And whilst the instructions are reasonably explicit there is so much that is not detailed that can also impact on the success or otherwise of the job. Experience does count for a lot.

[Pixie]

...now 'es 'avin' a go at the Elephants

[Shaun]

Exactly, I think it was the French? The emulator ( as opposed to bending shim stack pistons) doesnt use a shim stack as such and is for use with old style damper rods only. Bending shim stack piston kits are used to respec cartridges.
But the essence of what I was trying to say is that the cheap knock offs provide commensurately ''cheap'' performance and reliability.
Re SELF INSTALS it can very fairly be stated that the success of the job is to a large degree dependent on attention to detail. If the installer has the finesse of an elephant then the end result will be horrible. And whilst the instructions are reasonably explicit there is so much that is not detailed that can also impact on the success or otherwise of the job. Experience does count for a lot.

Self installations of the emulators is a piece of piss to a compitent fitter BUT

The only way to get the very very best out of them, is to fit them professionally/correctly, which does involve machine work of the Forks to Gauarantee that all faces are 100% Square/flat?true!

If this is not done, You are Not getting any where near the full benifit of your purchase ie, money spent.

Some times shopping at Farmers is better than the whare house for true Quality control, and if you are going to bother to try and improve your bike and make it safer, you may as well spend just a few more dollars and Guarantee succes!

[Viscount Montgomery]

WTF is so mysterious and tricky about dropping a pair of race-tec gold valve emulators into a pair of damper rod forks???? Stick the emulators onto the damper rod, check they're sitting flat, bung the springs on top and screw the effing fork caps back on. Repeat - WTF is difficult about that??? As for drilling the compression holes, again, WTF is the problem??? The emulators come with instructions showing any half-witted monkey what to do. Slam an 8mm bit in ya drill and ream the fuckers out. What's so effin' hard and hi-tech about all this????

[Shaun]

WTF is so mysterious and tricky about dropping a pair of race-tec gold valve emulators into a pair of damper rod forks???? Stick the emulators onto the damper rod, check they're sitting flat, bung the springs on top and screw the effing fork caps back on. Repeat - WTF is difficult about that??? As for drilling the compression holes, again, WTF is the problem??? The emulators come with instructions showing any half-witted monkey what to do. Slam an 8mm bit in ya drill and ream the fuckers out. What's so effin' hard and hi-tech about all this????

As you obviously fully understand engineering and proffesinal fitting work, carry on driver

[Viscount Montgomery]

There's nothing 'professional' about fitting emulators to damper forks, next we'll be getting advised to pay some parasite consultant to 'setup' the job because "only the professionals are qualified for the job" or some similar shyte..