oldboyracer Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I love my vfr and I do use it probably a bit outside what Harry Honda would think suitable . stock suspension , sag set to around 35 mm . I ride with spirited riders on mostly sports bikes and I think have reached its limits as it is . I play boy racer hanging off the bike and find its still touching down on the pegs , no chicken strips on tyres left so I assume it's not a ride height problem . So has anyone done a suspension upgrade that's been in this position before , it still feels nice through the corners but it would be nice to have a bit up my sleeve so to speak if I come in a bit fast . It might be just the bike squatting under power but I don't want to spend to many dollars and not get results . Hope fully some one here can offer advice . Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogman Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 Any VFR will benefit from a decent rear shock upgrade. For the front how far do you want to go? respring and revalve or front end transplant? Your budget is the limiting factor usually, along with your mechanical expertise. I would start with the rear shock, replacing it with a Wilbers. or Penske or Ohlins, then decide what to do with the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RC36Rider Posted October 17, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 17, 2016 1. Lose the hero blobs. Since your sag is fine, it's the easiest way to gain (a little bit of) ground clearance. Mind your toes. 2. The bike squats under cornering forces as well. Big(ger) leans require big(ger) springs. If you are rather on the heavier side of average, get a shock that has been sprung for you rather than e.g. a shiny Ohlins that comes with a standard spring. 3. Buy a Panigale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Duc2V4 Posted October 17, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 17, 2016 I have had both of my VFR suspensions upgraded as well as my Ducati 900SS. All three were done by DMr and all three have been given new life! Although I am not a big or heavy rider (5'8"/155 lbs.) the stock suspension was a little undersprung and under damped for the way I ride. My 6 Gen is commuter/tourer so I had it setup for this type of riding as well as for added weight of additional passenger and gear. This setup was done with the stock forks and shock, albeit an OEM ABS model shock but this alone transformed the way the bike handled and tracked in the turns. The best part is how the bike handled bumps and dips in the road. This added benefit was worth it to me but when added to how much better the bike handled in the turns made the ROI one of the best I got out of any of the mods I have done so far. On my 5 Gen I went one step up on both the front and rear. For the front I had DMr install the rebound adjusters and for the rear I was able to find a Penske shock and had it rebuilt to suit my weight and riding type, in this case sport and track day use. These mods alone gave the two bikes a much better feel on the road and have made sport and canyon riding much more enjoyable. Although I don't usually rail the commuter but knowing that I can without the fear of over extending its capabilities is comforting. I get that part of RC36rider's post is half joking, I do believe that with the right setup the VFR can be just as fun and as capable of a canyon carver if setup correctly. Will you be able to keep up with the latest and greatest Super Sport/Super Bike? That would depend on the rider IMO. I can say that I have been able to be in a group of bikes like these and not feel like I was riding a tricycle! What is important, is to ride your own ride! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keef Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I love overtaking guys on the latest and greatest around the outside in a corner at a track day on my streetfightered, 16 year old gentelmans sports tourer. I have a gsxr front end and a 929 rear shock (quite a few years now), and I'm about to get both ends rebuilt with new springs/shims/valves. If you like how it feels now, just get the stock front redone, and add a DMR CBR rear shock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogue_Biker Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I went with the full DMR front fork upgrade, and the rear OEM shock redone completely on my '07. The ride and handling was transformational. Handles like a sport bike. Rides BETTER than the stock VFR even when it was new. That's the great thing about the VFR800. It can be a tourer or a sport bike AND you can make it a bike that does either of those duties extremely well with only a few choice modifications. If you want the handling of a sport bike, upgrade the suspension. The results will be surprising! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldboyracer Posted October 17, 2016 Author Share Posted October 17, 2016 Thanks for the replies. I was hoping a few that have done the upgrades would reply and once again this forum did not disappoint . Looks like I go hunting for suspension parts in oz . Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VFROZ Posted October 18, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 18, 2016 Hi mate, I've redone mine with VTR lowers and internals, plus full valve replacement with high flow pistons and shim stacks on the front with full brake delink. CBR929 rear from JD. I'm also in Sydney, if you want info or opinions, pm me and I'll send you my number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keef Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 I didn't even pay attention to the sydney part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RC36Rider Posted October 18, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 18, 2016 FWIW: http://www.promecha.com.au Melbourne area so not exactly next door but at least it's in Oz. They seem to offer everything from reworked OEM to the finest top $ kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Mohawk Posted October 19, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 19, 2016 Lower the front & raise the rear. A new shock with adjustability will transform it, with ride height adjuster will let you raise the rear. Overhaul the front with the correct spring weight for you, job jobbed. I'm down 10mm at the front, up 50mm at the rear, still stable whilst wheelieing off bumps at 150+mph :) Plan to raise rear some more for more ground clearance ! YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogue_Biker Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 My bike's rear has been raised by what feels like about 1" too. The steering is sublime now. Much quicker than stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer maxredline Posted October 19, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 19, 2016 My 2 cents What I did was rebuild using Daugherty's gear. New fork internals with a redone 954 shock. I am very happy with it and yes its better than stock ever was. I thought of going all out with an aftermarket shock and front end transplant but I caught myself. My thinking is why turn a bike into something it was not intended for? It is a pig compared to a super sport ride. I went the 2d bike route (Aprilia). If you want to keep up to the litre bikes get one. Get something like an old Gixxer 1000 that has some mods done to it already. Something like that is great bang for the buck. You have power wheelies and handling that a Viffer could possibly never live up to. Back in the day I had a Honda 954, with the mods I had it was very close to the comfort of the Viffer and went like a bat out of hell. Sold it due to speeding tickets before it became a real problem 8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogue_Biker Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 929/954RR's are currently selling for under $3k for low mileage examples. Imagine what those would be like with a customized suspension! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldboyracer Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 Lots of opinions here all with the same outcome , you have to do the mods you won't regret it . I am realistic if I wanted sports bike handling I would riding one . I think I'm going to have to go with adjustable damping front and rear . I do a reasonable amount of dirt roads as part of my touring, so I need to be able to soften it right up so it's still rideable on dirt . I will email JD and see if his adjustable fork inserts would do what I need . I put a pic in so you see what I mean . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Terry Posted October 20, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 20, 2016 The fork cartridge units that JD supplies are similar in concept to what you get in say a VTR1000F fork. The fork cap has a preload adjuster, then in the centre there is a screw adjustable rebound damping needle. This reaches down the inside of the damper rod to the bypass port in the rebound valve, so you can adjust the size of the rebound bypass which is the low speed rebound damping. Although these adjusters primarily affect the rebound, there is also some affect on compression damping as well, and backing the adjuster out softens that as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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