jaykup Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I've got 50,000 miles on my Blackbird now, and want to upgrade the suspension. I don't do any track time, but ride aggressively on the street (dirftless area of WI has hundreds of miles of twisty / technical / rough roads). I'm 160ish without gear. From searching the forums, it looks like these are my options for the front: 1.0kg springs & 7.5wt Maxima Racing Fork Fluid - $120 1.0kg springs, 7.5wt Maxima Racing Fork Fluid & Gold Valves - $300 And my options for the rear: Stock Rear Shock Rebuild - $250 Penske 8983 Rear Shock - $770 Ohlins HO 518 Rear Shock - $970 My questions: Is the extra $180 worth it for the front? Is the extra $500-700 worth it for the rear, or should I just rebuild stock and call it good? I'm not exactly rich so I'm trying to decide if its going to make a big enough difference to justify the cost... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Ohlins rear is nice but kinda overkill for a street only bike. Look into a Penske 8900 "sport" shock- no compression adjustment but it can be had for around $600 and would be worth the extra $$ over rebuilding the stocker IMO. It's also upgradable so you can add compression adjustment/remote preload, etc down the road should you find yourself feeling the lack. I've never ridden the Gold Valve setup, but I've heard good things. Another option for the front would be talking to a local suspension tuner and having him tweak your stock valving. That might or might not be more economical depending on who you use and how in demand his services are- but it will be specifically set up for you. One thing many overlook is setup. You can spend hundreds of dollars and it's all wasted unless you're pretty experienced with setting a bike up. I read all the books, went to seminars, played with settings and took notes, "tuned" shit for a full season at the track. I did okay but a pro still hit a better setup in 30 minutes than I did in a year. Best $60 I ever spent. I'd suggest finding a good suspension guy local to you and see what he can do for you. Where are you in WI? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooplehead Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Ive researched and researched and fiddled on suspension crap for years. Ive learned this much.. I can make it work, but thats about it. Everyone agrees that setup is an art form. Im not an artist. Im inclined to agree with redbird. I hate admitting I cant fix my own shit, so im going to claim im too busy. Find a local guy with a good rep and start small perhaps? Im worried when i do an upgrade, Ill spend a fortune and it wont be shit compared to a pros magic-setup wand. let us know what you decide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaykup Posted June 14, 2011 Author Share Posted June 14, 2011 Ohlins rear is nice but kinda overkill for a street only bike. Look into a Penske 8900 "sport" shock- no compression adjustment but it can be had for around $600 and would be worth the extra $$ over rebuilding the stocker IMO. It's also upgradable so you can add compression adjustment/remote preload, etc down the road should you find yourself feeling the lack. I've never ridden the Gold Valve setup, but I've heard good things. Another option for the front would be talking to a local suspension tuner and having him tweak your stock valving. That might or might not be more economical depending on who you use and how in demand his services are- but it will be specifically set up for you. One thing many overlook is setup. You can spend hundreds of dollars and it's all wasted unless you're pretty experienced with setting a bike up. I read all the books, went to seminars, played with settings and took notes, "tuned" shit for a full season at the track. I did okay but a pro still hit a better setup in 30 minutes than I did in a year. Best $60 I ever spent. I'd suggest finding a good suspension guy local to you and see what he can do for you. Where are you in WI? Just outside Milwaukee. I'd love to take it down to a shop and have him set it up for me and my riding style. I feel like these really expensive ($1,000) shocks are for the racers on the track, and since I'm not pushing the bike that hard I wouldn't get the benefit of all that extra money... I just need it to be stable, confident and smooth on rough pavement cornering... Do you know of a place near me I can take it to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Southeast Sales is in Milwaukee and they're racers there, but I'm not sure if they do suspension work in house. You could give 'em a call and ask. There's also TSE (trackside suspension & engineering). They most definitely do suspension, but I've only run into them at the track, so I'm not sure exactly where their shop is. Pretty sure it's somewhere in southeast WI, maybe Kenosha? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Para045 Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 You could always do what I and some others have done and fit a rebuilt 900RR shock :icon_think: At your weight you may not even need to get it re-sprung I got one rebuilt and re-sprung and it worked out less than 1/2 the price of getting a Penske and ~1/3 the price of an Öhlins I am in Australia and shit costs more over here so it may be different there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryG Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 I found this thread and am in the same boat. I'm about 177lb without gear. Bird has only 28K miles. Had 1.0kg Race Tech springs installed at 15K miles (when I bought bike) w/5WT fork oil. This was almost 3.5 years ago. Stock rear shock. I'm noticing the bike has a pretty rough ride over bumps now and I also can hear my front end "squeak"...? Don't know what that means. I have a couple good suspension shops near me that will do install but I'm thinking adding the gold valve kit to the front end and maybe a Wilbers rear shock sprung for my weight on the rear. Hopefully I'll feel a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rideonXX Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 I went with the Hyperpro progressive front spring set up to their recommendation(kit included 2.5 wt oil)---rebound seemed a little to fast for me---but it was close and I weigh 215 in gear. On last fork service I changed to full synthetic 5wt and rebound seems a tad slow----but again, close. Much better ride than stock. 7.5 wt seems like it will be heavy and thus slow for you weight with stock valving. Never ridden a bike with the gold valve set up----but seems it would be the hot ticket. Mines good enough now that I haven't been able to justify the money and effort to upgrade from where I'm at. Maybe if I rode a bike with the Gold Valves I would change my mind. There was a group buy here on the Wilbers rear shock and mine has been excellent and a HUGE improvement from stock. It's now much more comfortable to ride than it was stock. Had I known how much different the suspension upgrade would make----I would have ordered the parts the very first month---instead of years after I purchased the bike. Go to You Tube and check out "Two Clicks Out" with Dave Moss ( a super tuner out here on the left coast. Lot's of good information and you can see how the bike should respond and why you are almost destined to crash if suspension is way off. Happy trails, kel Check it out----starter------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryG Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Go to You Tube and check out "Two Clicks Out" with Dave Moss ( a super tuner out here on the left coast. Lot's of good information and you can see how the bike should respond and why you are almost destined to crash if suspension is way off. Happy trails, kel Check it out----starter------ Great video. Thanks. Maybe I should check what my rear shock preload is set to... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiona Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Go to You Tube and check out "Two Clicks Out" with Dave Moss ( a super tuner out here on the left coast. Lot's of good information and you can see how the bike should respond and why you are almost destined to crash if suspension is way off. Happy trails, kel Check it out----starter------ Great video. Thanks. Maybe I should check what my rear shock preload is set to... Agree... good stuff in that video. I have never fiddled with my suspension on any bike I have ever owned (yeah yeah, save your jokes)... but this FJR I'm riding is a fat pig in the corners and I can't control shit. Seems to be pretty easy to mess with the suspension so I'm learning a bit about what needs to be done to make it handle much much better than it currently does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rideonXX Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Go to You Tube and check out "Two Clicks Out" with Dave Moss ( a super tuner out here on the left coast. Lot's of good information and you can see how the bike should respond and why you are almost destined to crash if suspension is way off. Happy trails, kel Check it out----starter------ Great video. Thanks. Maybe I should check what my rear shock preload is set to... Agree... good stuff in that video. I have never fiddled with my suspension on any bike I have ever owned (yeah yeah, save your jokes)... but this FJR I'm riding is a fat pig in the corners and I can't control shit. Seems to be pretty easy to mess with the suspension so I'm learning a bit about what needs to be done to make it handle much much better than it currently does. You might go out to the Racetech site and under the 'pavement' tab, 'sport touring' tab---check out their data on what springs front & rear are stock on the FJR and by inputing your weight, calculate what springs you should have. The wider the gap between what is and what should be will help you decide what changes are necessary. Personally I prefer the HyperPro progressive springs for the street as they provide a more pleasant ride over rough surface streets but stiffen up fast when pushed. Personal choice of course but both companies have done a lot of research to find the correct numbers for the bikes they list. I run the HyperPro on both the Bird and the ST1300. Made a BIG difference on both bikes. The ST1300 which is even heavier than your FJR is a joy to ride now---and will turn!. For relativily little money (around $300.00) it will be a different ride---for the better. With the HyperPro kit you get the proper fork oil for stock valving, the springs front & rear and instructions on proper set up. Should be some guys on the FJR sites that can give feedback on both (HyperPro & RaceTech) to help guide the decision process. Wish you the best & many happy trails, kel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haWHYnXX Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 I've got 50,000 miles on my Blackbird now, and want to upgrade the suspension. I don't do any track time, but ride aggressively on the street (dirftless area of WI has hundreds of miles of twisty / technical / rough roads). I'm 160ish without gear. From searching the forums, it looks like these are my options for the front: 1.0kg springs & 7.5wt Maxima Racing Fork Fluid - $120 1.0kg springs, 7.5wt Maxima Racing Fork Fluid & Gold Valves - $300 I'm not exactly rich so I'm trying to decide if its going to make a big enough difference to justify the cost... Personally I think for your weight and the way you're going to ride the 'Bird, 1.0 springs are not right for you. I would look into maybe .975 and 5wt oil. You're not going to be at the track and the extra stiffness won't be needed. Plus the slightly softer springs should soak up some of the bumps you'll encounter on your roads. Just my 2 cents. Oh, and a good rear shock will perfectly compliment your new front end. I agree with Redbird that the Ohlins are a little overpriced for your application, but the Penske will do just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVLXX Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 I've got 50,000 miles on my Blackbird now, and want to upgrade the suspension. I don't do any track time, but ride aggressively on the street (dirftless area of WI has hundreds of miles of twisty / technical / rough roads). I'm 160ish without gear. ... I'm not exactly rich so I'm trying to decide if its going to make a big enough difference to justify the cost... My opinion.... Your about to waste a lot of money. Why, because the bike was designed for an average rider of 160 ish lbs., that would be you. It was designed to be a very competent Street bike.... which is what you say you want. So.. my suggestion is... rebuild the stock suspension, Fully (that's new Springs, Guides, Seals and Oil, front and rear), then set your Rake and Trail, then set your Sag, and you'll probably be very happy with the results. ... If you really want to push your bike on the other hand..... you're going to have to throw everything away and start over with a lot more money to spend, But, that's a completely different story.... or is it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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