Time To Upgrade

[poconovfr]

I'm gonna throw this out there. I've taken the time to read input on fork and shock upgrade / replacement. I want to retain my stock 6th gen. fork, but we all know it could use some help. As far as the rear I plan on spending some cash. Penske or Ohlins? I've heard some horror stories about warranty issues and dealer support from Ohlins? Forks, after absorbing the many opinions I'll try the spring / revalve combo. I'm not looking to make it a track bike, I do the weekend get away often and don't want to get to beat up. Any positive feed back is welcome.

[jeremy556]

Revalve and respring the fork - that is about all you can do without switching out components for other bikes anyway.

Penske or Ohlins for the shock, doesn't make much difference IMHO. Both produce excellent products and will have similar quality.

[poconovfr]

jeremy, did you do the rear? which one ? I know the forks are pretty limted on what can be done . I have heard it's a HUGE improvement over stock set up. I'll save the parts just in case.

[SEBSPEED]

I did an Ohlins 46DRS and .90 springs, I like it a lot! I'd like to add the Racetech gold valves at some point too, now that I know how. I helped Poncho install the compression and rebound kits in his VTEC forks. :thumbsup:

[poconovfr]

I did an Ohlins 46DRS and .90 springs, I like it a lot! I'd like to add the Racetech gold valves at some point too, now that I know how. I helped Poncho install the compression and rebound kits in his VTEC forks. :thumbsup:

[/quote

Thanks for the feed back Seb. I'm gonna throw in the .095 spring and race tech golds. Still tossed up on rear selection( found Ohlins on ebay cheap) . Was the rear a bolt on or did you need to fab. any parts.

[spud786]

I'm gonna throw this out there. I've taken the time to read input on fork and shock upgrade / replacement. I want to retain my stock 6th gen. fork, but we all know it could use some help. As far as the rear I plan on spending some cash. Penske or Ohlins? I've heard some horror stories about warranty issues and dealer support from Ohlins? Forks, after absorbing the many opinions I'll try the spring / revalve combo. I'm not looking to make it a track bike, I do the weekend get away often and don't want to get to beat up. Any positive feed back is welcome.

Are ya getting beat up now for a weekend get away? Personally with just slight improvements to the fork, the vfr is more than adequate on the street.

Have ya changed the oil in your or played with the oil height, Hard ridden vfr fork oil will be Black trashed inside of 10,000 mile on stock oil.

When i first got my 06 , I came off the best street suspension ever to grace the street, and no it didnt come from any 4 inch travel street bike. But I tried to run the vfr through the same stuff, 100 + mph extreme choppy whooped broken pavement, the VFR front end was too soft, and just diving through that stuff too much. Or I could run the bike into a banked corner at full speed hit a small buump entering and the forks would bottom and the whole front wheel would cock.

as mentioned previously some of the recommend springs stiffen the bike too much and ya can end up with a harsher ride on the street.

if ya do just alittle improvement on the front the back gets more compliant, what seems to happen alot is the over kill the front set up with over stiff springs and then the back is a complete mismatch.

My 2 pennies , to save some mula

[SEBSPEED]

Thanks for the feed back Seb. I'm gonna throw in the .095 spring and race tech golds. Still tossed up on rear selection( found Ohlins on ebay cheap) . Was the rear a bolt on or did you need to fab. any parts.

Bolt on! :thumbsup:

IMO, the .95's are too much for the street, unless you're a big guy, or ride 2-up a lot.

[poconovfr]

Thanks for the feed back Seb. I'm gonna throw in the .095 spring and race tech golds. Still tossed up on rear selection( found Ohlins on ebay cheap) . Was the rear a bolt on or did you need to fab. any parts.

Bolt on! :thumbsup:

IMO, the .95's are too much for the street, unless you're a big guy, or ride 2-up a lot.

I am in the 200 plus club. I think I will run the .090 to be safe. If it's not enough it will give me good reason to drop some lbs. Now with the rear I'm assuming the Ohlins spring will do nicely. I don't want to track this girl just make her a 'lil bit happier.

[SEBSPEED]

I am in the 200 plus club. I think I will run the .090 to be safe. If it's not enough it will give me good reason to drop some lbs. Now with the rear I'm assuming the Ohlins spring will do nicely. I don't want to track this girl just make her a 'lil bit happier.

If you buy the Ohlins new, they will set the shock up for your weight with the correct spring, for your weight. If you buy used, you may need to swap springs, which run about $100.

[Baileyrock]

At 200 plus the .90-.95 a good range if you ride a little on the aggressive side. At the rear you should use a spring of at least 18kg(1050 lbs) for touring and up depending on your front spring choice and riding style.

Ohlins service should never be an issue as there are probably more Ohlins rep shops then any other, but most decent suspension shops will/can work on any brand.

Cost to upgrade go from just new springs (F & R) and new fork oil at around $250 and your own labor to new everything which would include a new rear shock($750-900) and rebuilt forks (Race Tech valves and springs, parts alone of $350-400) PLUS $250 labor. ($1400-1500 total)

In between are many options and if you search the subject you'll find many options. At your weight the proper springs will make the biggest difference, how you control them is the big question.

On my Vtec I'm running a used CBR F2/F3 Ohlins shock(required a mount spacer) with a 19kg spring(Got the shock for $300 ebay plus $100 for the correct spring) and I went with Phil at Aftershocks to rebuild/respring(.95)/revalve my forks for $300-350 parts and labor. So I have quality suspension front and rear for <$800. :thumbsup:

Check out my "Vtec shock options" thread plus the many others suspension threads.

[poconovfr]

At 200 plus the .90-.95 a good range if you ride a little on the aggressive side. At the rear you should use a spring of at least 18kg(1050 lbs) for touring and up depending on your front spring choice and riding style.

Ohlins service should never be an issue as there are probably more Ohlins rep shops then any other, but most decent suspension shops will/can work on any brand.

Cost to upgrade go from just new springs (F & R) and new fork oil at around $250 and your own labor to new everything which would include a new rear shock($750-900) and rebuilt forks (Race Tech valves and springs, parts alone of $350-400) PLUS $250 labor. ($1400-1500 total)

In between are many options and if you search the subject you'll find many options. At your weight the proper springs will make the biggest difference, how you control them is the big question.

On my Vtec I'm running a used CBR F2/F3 Ohlins shock(required a mount spacer) with a 19kg spring(Got the shock for $300 ebay plus $100 for the correct spring) and I went with Phil at Aftershocks to rebuild/respring(.95)/revalve my forks for $300-350 parts and labor. So I have quality suspension front and rear for <$800. :thumbsup:

Check out my "Vtec shock options" thread plus the many others suspension threads.

BAILY, thanks! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Baileyrock]

Here's the link to the Vtec shock options.

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.p...+gen+shock+swap

[jeremy556]

jeremy, did you do the rear? which one ? I know the forks are pretty limted on what can be done . I have heard it's a HUGE improvement over stock set up. I'll save the parts just in case.

I revalved and resprung the front, and replaced the shock with an Ohlins S46HR1C1LS which has a remote reservoir and adjustable for compression, rebound, and ride height. It was also sprung and valved for my weight and riding style.

The one without the res. is a bit cheaper, but I figured it was worth the extra cost with the HOT headers so close to the shock.

[jeremy556]

Thanks for the feed back Seb. I'm gonna throw in the .095 spring and race tech golds. Still tossed up on rear selection( found Ohlins on ebay cheap) . Was the rear a bolt on or did you need to fab. any parts.

Bolt on! :thumbsup:

IMO, the .95's are too much for the street, unless you're a big guy, or ride 2-up a lot.

I put in .95s in the front at 180lbs as suggested by Race Tech. When I installed them, I changed the oil out with, IIRC 7-10 weight. I always thought the springs were way too stiff. Then I did the gold valves and changed to 2.5-5 weight oil, now they are perfect. I get correct sag, and the damping is no longer bumpy and harsh, now it is firm, compliant, smooth. :thumbsup:

[SEBSPEED]

Thanks for the feed back Seb. I'm gonna throw in the .095 spring and race tech golds. Still tossed up on rear selection( found Ohlins on ebay cheap) . Was the rear a bolt on or did you need to fab. any parts.

Bolt on! :thumbsup:

IMO, the .95's are too much for the street, unless you're a big guy, or ride 2-up a lot.

I put in .95s in the front at 180lbs as suggested by Race Tech. When I installed them, I changed the oil out with, IIRC 7-10 weight. I always thought the springs were way too stiff. Then I did the gold valves and changed to 2.5-5 weight oil, now they are perfect. I get correct sag, and the damping is no longer bumpy and harsh, now it is firm, compliant, smooth. :thumbsup:

Jeremy, did you do compression and rebound GV's?

[poconovfr]

jeremy, did you do the rear? which one ? I know the forks are pretty limted on what can be done . I have heard it's a HUGE improvement over stock set up. I'll save the parts just in case.

I revalved and resprung the front, and replaced the shock with an Ohlins S46HR1C1LS which has a remote reservoir and adjustable for compression, rebound, and ride height. It was also sprung and valved for my weight and riding style.

The one without the res. is a bit cheaper, but I figured it was worth the extra cost with the HOT headers so close to the shock.

I'm feeling the same way about the rear. spend it once and be done. Thru my research I have come with same part number. As far as I can tell this piece is a bolt on. Thanks for the oil tip,kinda gives some differnt options. I'm really glad you guys battled thru this stuff, saves me hours of R&D! I'd rather be riding the bike. :goofy:

[Darth Bling]

Some more numbers for ya:

I'm about 180 lbs now and I'm running 0.95 kg/mm spring up front and a 18.8 kg/mm (1050 lbs/inch) spring on my Elka rear shock. The ride is very firm (some may say it's harsh), but I've been known to ride pretty aggresively... sometimes.

[Guest]

Hispanic Slammer did an excellent write up on installing Racetech valves (compression and rebound). I think his write up is in the "locked" mods section. Follow his excellent instructions to a "t" and Racetech's and you will have a first class front end.

[MetalHedd]

You bought the wrong bike man.

The ST or Goldwing is what everybody in your "club" is ridin.

:goofy:

[poconovfr]

You bought the wrong bike man.

The ST or Goldwing is what everybody in your "club" is ridin.

:goofy:

hahahahahahahahahahaha :lol:

[enzed_viffer]

A good option for the fork springs is Sonic Springs - their product is good, their service is excellent, and they're cheaper than "the other guys".

I've got an Elka rear shock, and 0.95 springs in the front, which are a bit firm (but not ridiculously so). All the same, I should've gone with 0.90s or even 0.85, although I think the latter would be a bit soft for the firm ride the Elka gives me. (BTW - I'm around 200 poooondz).

I haven't yet revalved the front end, so in the meantime I've used heavier weight oil. I started with 10W, but the ride was a bit bouncy, so I sucked half the oil out and put some 15W, which helped a bit. Not ideal, but it no longer feels bouncy.

[Guest]

Sorry if this is a little late.

I am 145lb/66kg the vtec forks were sh1t for me. Harsh on bumps and all over the place on bumpy corners and under heavy braking on rough surfaces. I tried using 5w oil but the low speed orifices were too large and the ride became mushy on slow damping. I'm not an aggressive rider and we have sh1t roads round here.

I purchased a set of .90 Sonic springs.

I purchased a set of F4i forks thinking I would be able to use the cartridges, sadly they don't fit the vtec lowers.

What I did was use the F4i rebound adjustable caps and damper rods in the vtec cartridges. This gave me rebound adjustment.

I then chamfored all shim and refill orifices in the f4i valves (same valves as the vtec with different shim arrangement) I didn't change the orifice size just the entry chamfor.

I then changed the standard compression stack from 17,17,16,16 x .1 to 17, 16, 16, 15 x .1 (i wanted a little less compression damping) If you are an aggressive rider I would leave the other 17x.1 shim in.

I changed the rebound stack from standard 17,16,15 x.1 to 17, 16, 15, 14 x .1 a bit extra damping for the heavier springs.

The next thing was the oil, I used a 50/50 blend of Motul Expert 5w and 10w to get 7.5w. this oil has a similar viscosity rating as the standard Honda oil.

I used a lower level of oil in the forks. 525cc's instead of 545cc's.

I was after smooth, progressive damping and I must say it seems quite smooth now. I have not had a chance to set it up yet and have only been for one 190 kl ride to test it. This ride was over a rough track and I had no problems with steering and the ride was 100% better.

I have to fit new rubber soon and then test it out to see what else needs doing.

[HispanicSlammer]

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.p...t=0#entry104081