beat the rain

[Paul_E_D]

Got out for some local riding this afternoon before the weather goes downhill for a few days. Rode up through leverett, Wendell, Nortfield, back to shutesbury, and then home. Lots of frost heaves and sand, but it was still fun to get out and roll in the twisties a little.

[typeone]

nice! the frost heaves were pretty intense out here this winter too, whooped out everywhere but calming back down a bit now.

we had a blast on Sat hitting our usual loop. super sandy in most corners but felt so great to rip around. got out Thur-Sat... need to start studying maps again

[Paul_E_D]

Yeah, Definitely a big year for heaving the roads. Less snow=more heaves apparently. I got a little head shake in a few bumpy corners, but overall I like the way my SMC is handling the bumps this year. You'll have to bring the SXV out this way soon.

[typeone]

i still haven't had time to bring my stuff to GMD but i got the new rear spring on, feels better for sure but sag isn't perfect yet. i'm hoping once GMD goes through everything that some of my headshake over bumps disappears. just stiffening up the rear helped but it was still present in certain situations. i try to sit as far forward as possible to help.

i'm also going to replace my bars (again) with a set that has a taller rise (Henry/Reed bend this time). might be able to sneak the forks up another ring to get the front end a hair lower.

def will bring the SXV out your way soon! prob just throw it in the truck

[Paul_E_D]

Well, the more you raise the forks, the more it will shake. You might try going the other way now that you have the stiffer spring out back to hold the bike up, you can raise the front end a little and benefit from more trail.

[typeone]

Well, the more you raise the forks, the more it will shake. You might try going the other way now that you have the stiffer spring out back to hold the bike up, you can raise the front end a little and benefit from more trail.

i mean raise the fork in the clamps so the front end is lower... i feel like i want more forward lean to the bike.

bringing the front end down will increase the shake? i thought the opposite since i'm trying to cure the rearward lean, especially when accelerating.

is my thinking wrong?

[Paul_E_D]

For headshake, yes, your thinking is backwards. You do want to raise the front end to give it more stability.

The rear squat will contribute to other issues, like extending the front so much that the bike feels noncompliant on bumps, skittery feeling, and tendency to run wide.

Those thing can make it feel like that is also causing shake, but that's not it. Lack of trail causes the shake. You remedy this by raising the front end or adding trail with a smaller offset at the triples

[typeone]

hmm, thanks for the input. everything i've read about the SXV (with stock suspension) is aimed toward correcting the rearward lean, which is taking weight off my front end.

a common recommendation is to run the forks at the 4th ring, or even lowest ring, putting the front end lower. this helped immediately after making the change when it was new, so i've been on a path to stiffen up the rear to get some stability.

maybe my front settings are just too stiff (?) perhaps softening up a tad will help the front absorb stutter bumps (?)

the forks are really in poor shape right now anyway, Seacoast didnt want to replace the seals under warranty, i still get weeping out of the top, which is odd. cant help but think the fluid isnt at optimal age or levels.

i really need to sort this shit before i go into a full on, seat sucking tank slapper one of these days woooo!

[Paul_E_D]

Weeping out of the top just means that some oil gout in the outertube area or something. It's not ideal, but not a problem with the forks. My SX does it.

Your stiffer rear spring will weight the front more. Taking preload out of the front will help. If the forks are non-adjustable, you could take the spacer out (very easy to try). The front of you bike is likely not too stiff, but just overly preloaded. Setting the rear wheel back in the range will also weight the front. These things combined might let you raise the front back up to get some trail.

Pretty much exactly the same issues I've battled on the SMC. You're welcome to try it out.

[typeone]

OK, cool. the weeping from the lower seals seemed to stop (it was a left-over '07) but the top stays damp.

another common mod is to use a 10mm spacer in the fork with 100 - 120mm air gap and 10wt oil (maybe 5wt). i need to do more research to fully understand what this does. i know it effects preload but not sure how compared to stock. most just say to get the Sachs race kits (F+R) and be done with it but that = $$$

anyway, i totally hijacked your ride thread i knew this would be an odd battle with such a lightweight, mixed-use bike... doesnt help that the Ape stock stuff is kinda wonky out of the box. didnt have that problem with my Buell or the Husky, just needed fine tuning.

[Paul_E_D]

No worries on the hijack. This thread wasn't going anywhere anyway. Getting a motard set up is not as simple as many people would have you believe. They are starting off with way too much movement for the application.