Front End

[clintard]

I took my bike out of storage and have been riding it lately. I corrected tire pressure, ran a few tanks of fuel through her, all is fine she is running well no problems as of yet. Im having trouble with my front forks big time. Before storage i could get the front to hold air for a while but the nose dive was still pretty bad. Now it wont hold air whatsoever and ive gained some weight so the front is driving me crazy. its so soft i dont feel safe.

Whats the best mod to do to the front end for the money. Ive read about racetech springs and emulators, how much does that cost and how hard is it to install?

Im a 280 pound rider


Also its time for a new tire and was wondering peoples opinions on the met 880 fat tire. Should i risk it not fitting and get it or should i just buy a stock. Thanks

 

[mikemax04]

Clint, it's time to upgrade to stiffer springs. You can get RaceTech or Progressive. Unless you're into canyon carving and a lot more work, forget the emulators. Simplest is to just remove the old through the top and install the new springs and cut the preload spacers so they stick out 1/4 - 1/2" above the tube with your weight. Whole job can be done in less than an hour and no more air in tubes. Best mod for the money.

880 in size 170/80/15 will just fit.

 

[shawn kloker]

I went through all this before with you.You need to decide ,are you a one spring for everybody rider or a custome weight spring for your size and riding style?
Race tech 1.0 rate is the stiffest racetech makes.These are what I have in mine.I also recomend 20wt fork oil for you.I do not have emulators so I do not know if they are better or not.I do really like the fork springs now.No diving under brake and climbing every time you gas it.Totally different world over stock.You should be able to do this for under $100,oil & springs.Emulaters is about twice as much.

 

[clintard]

Thanks a lot guys. Kloker if you've went over this with me before its been too long to remember. When i first got the thing i went apeshit talking about what "im going to do" Now ive decided how she is now is pretty much good enough for me. Im not gonna go and throw 10k in the bike like a lot of guys do. I think a set of crashbars/pegs for the front, some racetech springs and MAYBE some stiffer rear shocks and ill be satisfied.


Tonight i drove about 80 miles to a buddys house. He went out on his rocket with me and loves to show off how he rides wheelies. I had it in second gear rolling about 12 or so mph, snapped the throttle and leaned back and i swear to god i almost flipped the thing over backwards. The suprise got me and i was too stunned to know to let off the throttle, what a ride, hahahahahha

 

[Buster Hymen]

I agree that if you are going to put any money into your VMax, it should be in the suspension. I went with the RaceTech springs but I also put in the emulators. I figured if I had the forks apart, I might as well go the full 9 yards!.

 

[Rusty McNeil]

Emulators will enable you to run the stiffest springs they have and 20wt oil and still have some "give" on hard bumps.

I wouldn't pull the forks apart without putting them in there.

It's no big deal doing this job....If you can read you can do it...

 

[clintard]

Thanks guys,

I will do some more research on the emulators before i decide to buy them. What does it take to install them? Do you have to take the forks completely apart?

What do you guys think about the rear shocks? Are they good enough with me being heavy or should i get some better ones? What do they run price wise? Thanks

 

[Buster Hymen]

Thanks guys,

I will do some more research on the emulators before i decide to buy them. What does it take to install them? Do you have to take the forks completely apart?

What do you guys think about the rear shocks? Are they good enough with me being heavy or should i get some better ones? What do they run price wise? Thanks

Yes your forks have to be taken apart, but it isn't as hard as it sounds. The rear shocks suck as much as the front, so I suggest either Works or Progressive for the rear.

 

[shawn kloker]

Progressives can be as cheap as $200 for the 412's.I have them on mine and my wifes fazer.They are a big improvement over stock.Since I lowered both bikes it was easy to order shorter shocks too.
The biggest improvement that I have seen is that now the rear tire does not bounce like a basketball when you do a panic stop.

 

[DanQuin]

I use RaceTech springs and emulators. When I get my V-Max I will likely do the same to it. They charge about $80 in labor to install the kit and springs, so I've been taking the easy route and sending my forks to them. Mostly because I don't have the tools. And down time for a bike isn't much of a problem because I don't schedule maintenance on more than one at a time.

The emulators give you a much improved damping curve for your weight and style of riding over stock. Like others have said, I wouldn't skip them at the point of doing springs.

Suspension is the single best performance upgrade you can make. You can put nitrous and a blower on your bike, but if the suspension can't handle the power it's unusable.

 

[shawn kloker]

Clintard,I thought about it and I think that I decided that it was not you after all.I appologize for coming off too harsh on this reply.It sometimes confuses me with all the made up names.I do think you will be happy and safer with new springs.

Thanks a lot guys. Kloker if you've went over this with me before its been too long to remember. When i first got the thing i went apeshit talking about what "im going to do" Now ive decided how she is now is pretty much good enough for me. Im not gonna go and throw 10k in the bike like a lot of guys do. I think a set of crashbars/pegs for the front, some racetech springs and MAYBE some stiffer rear shocks and ill be satisfied.


Tonight i drove about 80 miles to a buddys house. He went out on his rocket with me and loves to show off how he rides wheelies. I had it in second gear rolling about 12 or so mph, snapped the throttle and leaned back and i swear to god i almost flipped the thing over backwards. The suprise got me and i was too stunned to know to let off the throttle, what a ride, hahahahahha

 

[mikemax04]

It sometimes confuses me with all the made up names.

Shawn, I can see where you can get confused with all the various names on the list. Mikemax for example makes one wonder if the name is Mike or Max? We could use roman numbers...........nah, they're confusing too. Just kidding. It would be nice if others at least used their first names on the bottom when posting so we know what to call them besides "hey you". I think it would make for a friendlier atmosphere. :whistlin: