Warp11XX Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Suspension gurus....am I thinking in the right direction here? I'm applying experience from the original front forks on a 900F, so bear with me... Will 20W oil give me increased damping in the rear shock of the Wing in the same manner that it did with the 900F's forks? Do I have to worry about "chatter" on uneven type surfaces due to slower rebound. The manual recommends ATF as the fluid to use. I'm assuming that ATF and standard Honda fork oil are 7W. I discovered through experimenting with the 900 that 20W was ideal to combat front dive under brakes without sacrificing crucial rebound speed over washboard surfaces. I'm thinking this is only different because it's a rear shock and not a front...correct? Am I screwing up? My reason for wishing to go up in damping are for heavy loading(I alone weigh over 300 ), frequent two up riding, occasional trailer towing, and I'm now running max air almost all the time. I don't want to take this big beast apart again, so I'm hoping to guess right the first time. Thanks for any input... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Para045 Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Suspension gurus....am I thinking in the right direction here? I'm applying experience from the original front forks on a 900F, so bear with me... Will 20W oil give me increased damping in the rear shock of the Wing in the same manner that it did with the 900F's forks? Do I have to worry about "chatter" on uneven type surfaces due to slower rebound. The manual recommends ATF as the fluid to use. I'm assuming that ATF and standard Honda fork oil are 7W. I discovered through experimenting with the 900 that 20W was ideal to combat front dive under brakes without sacrificing crucial rebound speed over washboard surfaces. I'm thinking this is only different because it's a rear shock and not a front...correct? Am I screwing up? My reason for wishing to go up in damping are for heavy loading(I alone weigh over 300 ), frequent two up riding, occasional trailer towing, and I'm now running max air almost all the time. I don't want to take this big beast apart again, so I'm hoping to guess right the first time. Thanks for any input... I'm no expert but it really depends on the valving in the shock Just being heavier doesn't mean thicker fluid, that requires a heavier spring I replaced my front OEM forks/springs with some 04 forks with Ohlins valves and 1.2kg/mm springs and went to 7.5w oil from the stock 10w and the reduction in dive was huge from the std forks/springs I may try a lighter weight oil still though as it still feels quite harsh on small ruts etc in the road BTW I am ~300lb as well and used to bottom the original forks over bumps under hard braking :icon_think: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveK Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Jesus Christ Warp.....just pour the SLAW juice from momas recipe in the tube and BE DONE WITH IT !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 My reason for wishing to go up in damping are for heavy loading(I alone weigh over 300 ), frequent two up riding, occasional trailer towing.... Loading issues should be addressed via springs or preload, then address damping, IMO. All the damping in the world ain't gonna help if you're running 75mm of sag..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warp11XX Posted July 14, 2009 Author Share Posted July 14, 2009 I understand what you're saying about the preload settings being set first and foremost. No adjustments on the rear for preload though except for air pressure. Not much else that I'm aware of to help out the GL's in the rear...sound familiar? Mother Honda seems to make a regular thing out of designing no adjust suspension systems . Preload seems to be at "reasonable" sag(unmeasured), but hitting a dip or similar at speed lets me know that the rear compresses a lot when the mudflap scrapes pavement. I'm wondering if I can just add some resistance to that fast compression without compromising anything else by changing to the heavier oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 If preload isn't the answer, I'd still suggest replacing the spring(s) with something more suited to your weight. If that's not in the cards, then yeah, increasing compression damping might help some with your bottoming issue, but it's going to be far from a perfect solution. Harsher ride, potential issues with the rebound circuit (as you acknowledged), ect. I'd pony up for a spring. What year wing, BTW? I put 1500 miles on a GL1800 with the wife on back and loaded bags. Probably close to 400lbs, never had any bottoming issues and I ran that thing pretty hard over three or four of the passes in the Sierra Nevadas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skull Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 What year wing, BTW? I put 1500 miles on a GL1800 with the wife on back and loaded bags. Probably close to 400lbs, never had any bottoming issues and I ran that thing pretty hard over three or four of the passes in the Sierra Nevadas. The thread subtitle says '92 GL1500. That's light years away from the one you rode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Dammit, I knew he posted it somewhere, but the subtitle is apparently the one thing I can't see while posting. My bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warp11XX Posted July 14, 2009 Author Share Posted July 14, 2009 It's a '92 Aspencade. I can't find anything to "upgrade" the rear suspension to a heavier spring...maybe I'm not looking in the right places. I couldn't afford a huge investment like Ohlins or Works right now, but something priced in the typical range of Progressive suspension stuff might find it's way to my garage soon, if it was available. Right at the moment I tip the scales at 328 pounds. If I actually knew the SO's specs, I'd undoubtedly be sworn to utmost secrecy under penalty of death, but I'm guessing at 130-ish. That is 460 on the seat with no allowance for what is in the bags, and I have a fairly large Hannigan trailer behind me at times. The tongue weight is pretty low though...I doubt it is adding very much suspension load even when packed heavy. I only know it's there when stopping and starting actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skull Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 I couldn't afford a huge investment like Ohlins or Works right now, but something priced in the typical range of Progressive suspension stuff might find it's way to my garage soon, if it was available. It's not? http://www.progressivesuspension.com/prodS...amp;modelID=443 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warp11XX Posted July 14, 2009 Author Share Posted July 14, 2009 It's not? http://www.progressivesuspension.com/prodS...amp;modelID=443 :icon_doh: DOH ! How have I missed that? Thanks Alan... Anyone have any direct experience with the 412HD series shock on a Wing? Like? Dislike? Worth $300? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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