2012 suspension

[BigRed]

Where is a good place to have my suspension work done I know there is factory connection and rg3.. I like in VT and there isn't much around me so if anyone knows of a good place in NY, CT, NH please let me know. Thanks.


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[bender]

The best thing you can do first is get rid of the stock exhaust and get a akrapovic full ti/stainless system. The heat that pours out of the cat and onto your rear shock will screw with your adjustments.

[JGGUNS]

Originally Posted by bender

The best thing you can do first is get rid of the stock exhaust and get a akrapovic full ti/stainless system. The heat that pours out of the cat and onto your rear shock will screw with your adjustments.

Where did you get this wisdom from? That's a bunch of BS!


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[capt.america]

Originally Posted by JGGUNS

Where did you get this wisdom from? That's a bunch of BS!


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[bender]

Originally Posted by JGGUNS

Where did you get this wisdom from? That's a bunch of BS!


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From racing, the excessive heat kills the damping, then the shock. You can do it, but it sucks. Why put all that heat next to a Ohlins or a revalved stock unit? You don't need to get akrapovic as long as you put a system on thats not going to heat soak the shock.

[TexasTraffic]

Originally Posted by JGGUNS

Where did you get this wisdom from? That's a bunch of BS!

The rear shock does get hot just from hard riding, and a bunch more comes from the exhaust. The OEM exhaust has been bad for this since '08. It does work OK for the street, unless you ride hard in high heat.

The fading rear shock was obvious to even my untrained butt when riding the Twisted Sisters last summer. The temperature passed through 100 sometime before 11am each day of that trip, and the shock was wonky well before then. I mentioned the behavior to my suspension guy at the next track day and he verified that rebound damping was "gone" after 3 laps in mid-morning heat. He could get NO rebound damping when coming hot off the track.

A shock with good valving (Ohlins, Penske) will handle the heat gracefully and maintain its performance.
The OEM shock doesn't handle the heat gracefully at all.

Racers will have replaced the rear shock (and exhaust) so they wouldn't see the problem with the OEM unit.

[BigRed]

Just looking to get susp dialed in and set up for my height / riding style see doesn't get very hot here in summer maybe 1-2 days of 90 but mostly 65-75 so I'm not sure I'd benefit from having a few grand in my suspension. Well I would but not spending that kind of cashola. I would consider a revalve with ohlins internals... Still looking for a place close by that does it....


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[d207gp]

Originally Posted by bender

From racing, the excessive heat kills the damping, then the shock. You can do it, but it sucks. Why put all that heat next to a Ohlins or a revalved stock unit? You don't need to get akrapovic as long as you put a system on thats not going to heat soak the shock.

I don't recall the OP ever saying that he's riding the bike in a racing environment.

If he has overheating problems (which is a non-issue for street riding), a slip-on can work just as well because it also eliminates the stock cat.

[TexasTraffic]

The front forks are pretty good; it's the rear that gave me issues when hot. It doesn't look like it can be taken apart for re-valving like the fronts can.

[d207gp]

Originally Posted by TexasTraffic

The front forks are pretty good; it's the rear that gave me issues when hot. It doesn't look like it can be taken apart for re-valving like the fronts can.

I've read somewhere that if you really want you can have the shock revalved, but it's not worth it in the long run (you still don't have an adjustable length, for example). The stock suspension has done quite well for me for the nearly 18,000 miles I've had my '08 (including trackdays). But as the mileage accumulates I plan on a fork revalve and shock replacement.