Suggestions on improving stock suspension.

[Ritratto98]

I have an '03 LeMans and wondering if there decent options to improve the stock suspension (short of going with Olins), that is affordable. It just does not seem stiff enough to me.

[motowarren]

I have an '03 LeMans and wondering if there decent options to improve the stock suspension (short of going with Olins), that is affordable. It just does not seem stiff enough to me.

I just had my RM rear shock done by Race Tech this summer and am very happy with it. Take it off send it to them along with info for your weight and riding style. They will rebuild it, revalve it, and install a custom spring for you. About $500 and two weeks. I may get a kit from them this winter for the front forks. Meanwhile I have the damping cranked the whole way in on both forks and the steering damper cranked 3/4 way in and it works pretty good for me YMMV

[PDoz]

What do you pay for wilburs in the us? I recently fitted a 641 into the back of my 03 , absolutely fantastic. The only dissapointment is I haven't needed to adjust anything so I could have gone for the much cheaper 640 model. Even the spring preload was correct straight out of the box!

 

Now about those forks......

[Ritratto98]

I have an '03 LeMans and wondering if there decent options to improve the stock suspension (short of going with Olins), that is affordable. It just does not seem stiff enough to me.

I just had my RM rear shock done by Race Tech this summer and am very happy with it. Take it off send it to them along with info for your weight and riding style. They will rebuild it, revalve it, and install a custom spring for you. About $500 and two weeks. I may get a kit from them this winter for the front forks. Meanwhile I have the damping cranked the whole way in on both forks and the steering damper cranked 3/4 way in and it works pretty good for me YMMV

I tried the fork bit and it is a good deal better and may try your suggestion for the shock when it gets colder here (no winter last year here). Thanks for the advise!

[Tom M]

I have an '03 LeMans and wondering if there decent options to improve the stock suspension (short of going with Olins), that is affordable. It just does not seem stiff enough to me.

 

Have you set your preload and sag yet? There have been lots of threads here and elsewhere on how to do it.

 

Once you've done that you might find that you need stiffer springs. I don't know if stiffer rear shock springs are available but I know that fork springs are. Guzzitech sells progressive rate Springs for all model years LeMans. I went with straight rate springs from Traxxion Dynamics (not on their website but they have them), but Sonic Springs looks to be a viable source too. I know that both the TD and the Sonic springs fit '02 LeMans forks but I don't know about the '03 model year.

 

http://www.sonicsprings.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=141_144&osCsid=fc4c02e3b08363a047cf8669f6bf17d4

[docc]

Have you set your preload and sag yet? There have been lots of threads here and elsewhere on how to do it.

 

Once you've done that you might find that you need stiffer springs. I don't know if stiffer rear shock springs are available but I know that fork springs are. Guzzitech sells progressive rate Springs for all model years LeMans. I went with straight rate springs from Traxxion Dynamics (not on their website but they have them), but Sonic Springs looks to be a viable source too. I know that both the TD and the Sonic springs fit '02 LeMans forks but I don't know about the '03 model year.

 

http://www.sonicspri...7cf8669f6bf17d4

 

+1! Critical starting point for the best end result. Just adding preload and more damping to a soft spring with too much sag could get you half-way to a bad day. . . .

[GuzziMoto]

I can tell you what we have done to improve the wifes red frame V11.

We replaced the rear shock with a Penske unit. Of note here is that the spring rate of the stock shock was not bad. The new shock had almost the same spring rate as the original. I don't know about later V11's but the early ones are not overly undersprung at the rear. The improvements came from better dampening.

At the front is another story. The stock spring is a bit soft. But on her red frame bike the biggest issue with the forks was the almost complete lack of compression dampening. I actually had to modify the internals to get them to actually force oil through the piston and valving. As it was stock the compression side did little more then act as a hydraulic bump stop. It only forced oil through the piston and valving at the last inch or so of travel.

Picking your preferred suspension guy and sending them the forks and shock is a great idea. There is serious room for improvement.

Or you could go with what I did for my Daytona and upgrade the forks with a used set off a GSXR. They are pretty cheap as there are so many out there. The forks bring with them better brakes and a lighter front wheel.

[gstallons]

Can you post some pictures and explain what all was done to complete the job ?

[GuzziMoto]

Can you post some pictures and explain what all was done to complete the job ?

I do not have pictures.

I assume you are asking about the fork mods, as the shock was just a matter of calling Michael Himmelsbach at Penske and having them make one for her.

The fork mod started as changing the fluid. While I had the fork apart I was checking out how it worked (I am like that). I put the forks back together without the springs in them and was feeling the dampening. When I adjusted the rebound dampening I could feel the change, but when I adjusted the compression dampening I only felt the change on the last inch or so of travel. So I took the forks completely apart and found that there were two large bypass ports that let the fork oil out of the cartridge when the piston moved up meaning that the oil was not forced to go through the valve stack on the piston until it was past the two bypass ports. I closed of one of the bypass ports and could instantly feel a change in the dampening. Now the forks have compression dampening the whole length of travel. There is an increase in compression dampening when the piston passes the one still open bypass port. But except for very slow fork motion at least some of the oil now always has to go through the piston and valving. The result of this is that not only do the forks not have compression dampening but when you adjust the compression adjuster you can now actually feel a change in the motion of the forks.

I do not know if all the various models with Marzocchi forks have the same issue. I only know that my wifes red frame V11 had the issue. And that is how I solved it.

[motowarren]

I closed of one of the bypass ports and could instantly feel a change in the dampening. Now the forks have compression dampening the whole length of travel. There is an increase in compression dampening when the piston passes the one still open bypass port. But except for very slow fork motion at least some of the oil now always has to go through the piston and valving. The result of this is that not only do the forks not have compression dampening but when you adjust the compression adjuster you can now actually feel a change in the motion of the forks.

I do not know if all the various models with Marzocchi forks have the same issue. I only know that my wifes red frame V11 had the issue. And that is how I solved it.

 

How did you close the one hole?

[Francis Chartier]

I have an '03 LeMans and wondering if there decent options to improve the stock suspension (short of going with Olins), that is affordable. It just does not seem stiff enough to me.

 

I have a 1999 V11 Sport and replaced the stock rear suspension with a reconditioned S46HR1C1S Ohlins with custom spring, bought from PFP (french representative for Ohlins). It get adjustable compression and rebound hydraulic damping as well as adjustable hydraulic sping preload (very convenient when alterning often one or two up fort short rides).

I also replaced the dreadful 40mm Marzo fork with a 43mm Paioli SuperSport UPSD, bought new from the parts department of defunct Voxan factory (the Voxan Cafe-racer used that fork).

Fully adjustable for compression and rebound hydraulic damping on each stem.

I swap the original springs with stiffer Ohlins springs (1.05 ratio) as the Voxan was lighter that the V11S, with custom machined wheel axle and brake holding plates.

 

These parts are far superior to the original ones, and the result is really effective and pleasant on the little and rought roads where I live (France, Périgord).

[GuzziMoto]

I closed of one of the bypass ports and could instantly feel a change in the dampening. Now the forks have compression dampening the whole length of travel. There is an increase in compression dampening when the piston passes the one still open bypass port. But except for very slow fork motion at least some of the oil now always has to go through the piston and valving. The result of this is that not only do the forks not have compression dampening but when you adjust the compression adjuster you can now actually feel a change in the motion of the forks.

I do not know if all the various models with Marzocchi forks have the same issue. I only know that my wifes red frame V11 had the issue. And that is how I solved it.

 

How did you close the one hole?

I made a plug from I think it was a machine screw. It has been a while I think that is what I used. I cut it down so it was not much more then the head a a fraction of the shaft.

[GuzziMoto]

I have an '03 LeMans and wondering if there decent options to improve the stock suspension (short of going with Olins), that is affordable. It just does not seem stiff enough to me.

 

I have a 1999 V11 Sport and replaced the stock rear suspension with a reconditioned S46HR1C1S Ohlins with custom spring, bought from PFP (french representative for Ohlins). It get adjustable compression and rebound hydraulic damping as well as adjustable hydraulic sping preload (very convenient when alterning often one or two up fort short rides).

I also replaced the dreadful 40mm Marzo fork with a 43mm Paioli SuperSport UPSD, bought new from the parts department of defunct Voxan factory (the Voxan Cafe-racer used that fork).

Fully adjustable for compression and rebound hydraulic damping on each stem.

I swap the original springs with stiffer Ohlins springs (1.05 ratio) as the Voxan was lighter that the V11S, with custom machined wheel axle and brake holding plates.

 

These parts are far superior to the original ones, and the result is really effective and pleasant on the little and rought roads where I live (France, Périgord).

That sounds cool. I swapped my Daytona over to GSXR forks, along with the brakes and wheels that go with them. Not quite as cool as your set up but very functional ( and it was cheap).

What did you do for the wheel and brakes?