I talked with a suspension shop who recommended modifying my stock fork springs to work with my weight. They say that I would only feel the difference between the modified spring (I think by cutting and rewinding) and an aftermarket spring in my wallet. I read up on that somewhere but cannot remember the site. What do you guys think?

They offer either a Hypercoil or Eibach for my rear. Any opinions on that too?

 

i'd get the right springs...ones suited to your weight...unless they can actually wound it to make it get the same spring rate as you need.

as for rear...both are good...so it's which one's sticker you like better!

 

They say the springs only set the ride height and it's the valve work that would make the difference in feel. The say that I should keep the extra $50 bux in my pocket.

 

sounds iffy to me - get ohlins or race tek internal springs and revalve it while your at it. Do it right or don't do it at all you'll just start digging a hole for yourself.

 

they are only partially true...for instance...say you can set ride height with your preload and all...if you had a lower spring rate, you would still bottom out...so it's like they're recommending that your suspension bugs be fixed via valving alone...and tweaking of the existing springs. if it's just $50 difference, then i'd opt for new springs...make sure you always ask for all your old parts back.

 

Just my 2 cents, but if a shop tells you to modify your stock springs...run away, don't walk, run! Modifiying springs in any way will actually damage them to a point. Call and talk to some of the top suspension guys in the industry such as Dan @ Kyle racing, Mike @ Thermosman, Ed @ Trackside engineering, Stu @ PPS tuning, etc... and ask them what they think about modififying springs.
The $50.00 extra for a quality sping that suits your weight will well worth the money.

Also rember a well set-up stock suspesnion (correct springs & oil, but stock valving and everything else) is far, far better than a bad set-up high end suspesnion!

 

The shop is a Traxxion Dynamics dealer and RaceTech dealer. They say they have machinery in house to make the valving and spring modifications and TEST the results. They claim that Max @ Traxxion likes some of Phil's ideas. Can I link to their site on here?

I'm inclined to agree that an extra $50 is worth new springs versus modified stockers, but if I can save $$ on something that I'm not going to notice (so they say), then I should. Heck I'm not sure I would notice the difference, I've never ridden a bike with aftermarket suspension.

Theysaid that if I were Expert class they would reccommend something different, but since I'm B class and plan to keep the bike about 2 years they say this is a GOOD compromise of cost vs performance. They also said that if I raced the bike, the motor would be the weakest link against current model sportbikes, and the suspension wouldNOT be the weak link.

I welcome comments from you guys. Just trying to swim in a big pool with only info that I read and heard. I have NO firsthand knowledge and not afraid to admit it.

 

jay...i only have limited knowledge of suspension issues...i would email the guys that jason recommends or go on 13x forum and ask to see what they think.

you can save 50 bucks elsewhere, such as valving...they can modify the stock components (port/drill) etc. to be much better than stock...and little things here and there.

t

 

Having gone through this several times, here's my 2 abe lincolns...

though I'm no expert, thethought of modifying stock springs seems unnatural to me.

Don't go with Race Tech. I like their stuff for dirt. Their street stuff is better than stock but I think you can get better bang for the buck. My recommendation for forks is to get stuff from GP Suspension. You can send your forks to him or go to one of his authorized dealers. (Though not quite an apples-to-apples comparsion) I have his stuff on my 600RR forks and its soooo much better than the RaceTech stuff on my F3.

For the rear, my preference is to do an aftermarket shock. You'll get more adjustability and just a generally beefier shock. If that's not in your budget, then getting the stock rear shock re-worked (both springs and valves, like your forks) is a cheaper option. It'll be better than shock but not as good as an aftermarket shock (I've done both on my F3 and the aftermarket was so much better).

 

The rear is taken care of. I bought an Ohlins that I'm having resprung and the oil vacuumed and changed.

As far as the front goes, they are porting and brazing the stock valves and using custom shim stack.

I wish I could find that article on modifying springs. It gave the pro/cons. Frankly it's just a piece of steel. If they cut and rewind, what's the big deal?