WTB: Track Bike, preferably SV650, Kawasaki 650R or similar.

[nhbubba]

• Stock front end, stock forks w/ emulators, stock calipers. This left little adjustment and didn't suit my 225 pound fat ass.

What does adjustment have to do with capacity for the weight of the rider? I thought that was handled by getting the right spring rates and spacer stack. Do GSXR forks come sprung for heavier riders? Or is there that much more adjustment to the preload to .. make it work. (IIRC, jacked preload is no replacement for the correct spring rates.)

I fully concede that is another shitty thing about the emulator + damper fork route. Touch spring rate or preload and every other setting changes. Compression damping seems to be a function of the oil used and spring rate.

But I keep coming back to .. for a non-racing rider where seconds do not count .. is it worth it? Will an easy to dial in suspension make me a better rider?

[The Snowman]

What does adjustment have to do with capacity for the weight of the rider? I thought that was handled by getting the right spring rates and spacer stack. Do GSXR forks come sprung for heavier riders? Or is there that much more adjustment to the preload to .. make it work. (IIRC, jacked preload is no replacement for the correct spring rates.)

Not saying they do. I'm saying that it lacked adjustability, so I was restricted to certain adjustments, unless I wanted to tear into the forks to add more fluid, or change the springs. It wasn't a clicker adjustment.

[SVRACER01]

Wirelessly posted (GS3)

I like turtles

[Tunertype]

Not saying they do. I'm saying that it lacked adjustability, so I was restricted to certain adjustments, unless I wanted to tear into the forks to add more fluid, or change the springs. It wasn't a clicker adjustment.

pre-2002? You still have to tear into the forks for damping adjustments, but after 2002 they got a pre-load adjustment so if the front fork isn't exactly set for your weight you can just turn a screw driver.

[GixerJockey]

Preload-schmeload

[juha_teuvonnen]

What does adjustment have to do with capacity for the weight of the rider?

A rider and a bike can be thought of as a weight attached to the end of a spring/damper combo. In an extreme case the shock that is completely shot and the rider+bike will bounce for a long time after hitting a pothole. The heavier the weight attached to the end of the spring, the longer it will bounce.

Damping is a force that counteracts the bouncing movement, and it is proportional to the speed. It "puts a brake" on the bouncing movement. The more mass attached to the end of the spring, the stronger the "brake" you will need to slow the sucker down.

Please pardon my overly simplistic and rather unscientific explanation. Tony Foale's "Motorcycle Handling and Chassis Design" is an excellent book that explains this very nicely.

I thought that was handled by getting the right spring rates and spacer stack. Do GSXR forks come sprung for heavier riders? Or is there that much more adjustment to the preload to .. make it work. (IIRC, jacked preload is no replacement for the correct spring rates.)

The spring reaction force is proportional to the travel. The more you compress it, the more it reacts. For heavy-ass rider like yours truly you need a stiff-ass spring, that's a given. Let's say we changed the spring but kept the shock designed to slow down the bouncing movement of a 160 lb rider. Once we sit my fat and lazy 230 lb ass on this bike and hit a pothole, the damping force that the shock will generate will be insufficient. The suspension will not be able to overcome the oscillations as fast as it should, and we will end up with "wheel hop". The wheel will bounce a few times after hitting a pothole before returning back to normal. This won't do your contact patch any favors and may result in loss of traction, which in turn can result in a lot of hurt. That's why the folks who tune suspensions play with viscosity of fork oil and get shocks get re-valved.

With more advanced shocks you can tune the damping by simply turning adjusters. With modern forks you can even separately tune compression and rebound. If you go from a 160 lb rider to a 180 lb rider you can dial in the bike without having to take it apart. You may still need to take things apart, re-valve and play with hydraulic fluid if you go from 160 lb to 230 lb. The stock suspensions seem to be set up for someone who is 140-160 and adjustable somewhere around that range.

I fully concede that is another shitty thing about the emulator + damper fork route. Touch spring rate or preload and every other setting changes. Compression damping seems to be a function of the oil used and spring rate.

But I keep coming back to .. for a non-racing rider where seconds do not count .. is it worth it? Will an easy to dial in suspension make me a better rider?

I want to learn how to ride well. Having to fight a suspension set up designed for someone that weights 70 lbs less than I do will make the process slow and frustrating. Given my weight, the stock SV suspension will need to be re-worked anyway. A competent shop should be able to get the front right using stock forks and emulators. Given the cost of labor involved, might as well throw in some easily adjustable forks, so that the suspension can be fine-tuned later.

[nhbubba]

I guess what I asked for, being a smart-ass.

If you happen to accidentally buy a setup SV, I do not think you'll be disappointed.

Best of luck shopping. Hopefully I'll see you around. I'm hard to miss: I outweigh you and have an SV painted an obnoxious orange.

[juha_teuvonnen]

I guess what I asked for, being a smart-ass.

If you happen to accidentally buy a setup SV, I do not think you'll be disappointed.

Best of luck shopping. Hopefully I'll see you around. I'm hard to miss: I outweigh you and have an SV painted an obnoxious orange.

I am looking at an SV that was set up for the track in a day or two. Hopefully I will see you at the track

[The Snowman]

Did you ever call on the one up in Burlington, VT? I'd get on that one.

[juha_teuvonnen]

Did you ever call on the one up in Burlington, VT? I'd get on that one.

The one in VT is quite nice, but I am looking at a significantly cheaper option at the moment. '03 SV650 (Oddball, I know), stock forks with emulators, re-valved rear shock, bike set up for 220 lb rider, which is pretty close to my weight. May be instead of tuning the bike I should tune myself and lose 10 lbs This setup is likely good enough for the first year or two. Before the season I plan on rebuilding the brakes for good practice and performing requisite maintenance. I'll probably install better pads while I am at it. In any event, I'll see the bike in a day or two and buy it if the condition is as advertised.

[maxim_X]

I've never heard of anyone revalving the stock shock. Is it a track bike or setup street bike?

[nhbubba]

I've read a lot of people send out the DL650/1000 shock. There's a guy down south somewhere that will machine fittings on it to make it rebuildable. Supposedly a solid improvement for ~50% of the money of a new aftermarket unit.

This is for street riding though.

I went aftermarket on my DL with the thinking that I could swap the stocker back in and unload the aftermarket setup 2nd hand when/if I decide to sell the bike.

[Chippertheripper]

If it's the bike I think it is, it's your typical CL rat trap.

[SVRACER01]

when i put on a penske shock and stock gsxr forks i think i dropped 3 seconds or more (with slicks). once i got the front end reworked, i dropped another second or 2

[freezinvt]

when i put on a penske shock and stock gsxr forks i think i dropped 3 seconds or more (with slicks). once i got the front end reworked, i dropped another second or 2

I've heard, and plan on finding out this summer, that the big advantage to upgrading to a gsxr front end on an sv is the addition "feel" or front end feedback you get over the stock front end, the better brakes are just a bonus. Thoughts?

[THE STUFF 187]

I have a nice 2004 SV 650 I just completely built for the track with Ohlins rear shock & GSXR front end that I am willing to sell for the right price as I will not have time this year to run 2 bikes. Bike has rearsets, power commander, quick shifter, Yoyodyne slipper clutch, race bodywork & paint, case covers, clip ons, and all the other track goodies. If anyone here has seen my bikes they will tell you that they are done right. If you want to come check it out call me (508-379-0100 Justin) & you can stop by the shop anytime to see the bike. I also have a 2005 SV 650 street bike for sale as well.

[The Snowman]

I've heard, and plan on finding out this summer, that the big advantage to upgrading to a gsxr front end on an sv is the addition "feel" or front end feedback you get over the stock front end, the better brakes are just a bonus. Thoughts?

Read post #25 in this thread: http://www.nestreetriders.com/forum/...=1#post1336577

[juha_teuvonnen]

I've never heard of anyone revalving the stock shock. Is it a track bike or setup street bike?

It's a GSXR 1000 shock, resprung for 220 lbs rider, not revalved.

[Chippertheripper]

It's a GSXR 1000 shock, resprung for 220 lbs rider, not revalved.

Is this thing white, with some red bits, and basically a coca cola can for a muffler?

[TheIglu]

It's a GSXR 1000 shock, resprung for 220 lbs rider, not revalved.

Run, don't walk, away.

[juha_teuvonnen]

Is this thing white, with some red bits, and basically a coca cola can for a muffler?

I'll take a look today. The tank and wheels are white, the fairings are red with black. The tail is unpainted. I don't think it has a muffler. Has trouble running at the moment, may be just needs some fresh gas? Do you happen to know this bike? I don't mind putting some wrench time into it prior to the season. I don't mind going through things like brakes and suspension, just don't want to get into major work, like rebuilding or swapping the engine.

[SVRACER01]

I've heard, and plan on finding out this summer, that the big advantage to upgrading to a gsxr front end on an sv is the addition "feel" or front end feedback you get over the stock front end, the better brakes are just a bonus. Thoughts?

yes, braking is nice. the fact that i cant feel the 3 bumps at the apex of 11 anymore made a big difference in how fast i could go through there. i have all but forgotten that they are there until i ride a bike that isnt "set up".
i can still feel the bumps in 3 but they arent as bad as they were with the stock front end.
it may not have been that drastic of a change for chuck, only because he had a built stock front end before the gsxr switch. i jumped from a stock front end with heavier spring and thicker oil (both of which probably had at least 40k on them) to a stock GSXR front end which is night and day.

[The Snowman]

yes, braking is nice. the fact that i cant feel the 3 bumps at the apex of 11 anymore made a big difference in how fast i could go through there. i have all but forgotten that they are there until i ride a bike that isnt "set up".
i can still feel the bumps in 3 but they arent as bad as they were with the stock front end.
it may not have been that drastic of a change for chuck, only because he had a built stock front end before the gsxr switch. i jumped from a stock front end with heavier spring and thicker oil (both of which probably had at least 40k on them) to a stock GSXR front end which is night and day.

Correct assumption on the swap from the built front end to the GSX-R front end. ask KB, who took the bike for a ride in 2012, before I swapped it over. That thing was awesome. I just wanted the better braking.

[Chippertheripper]

Whaddya have for brakes before the gsxr swap?

[The Snowman]

Stock SV 2 pistons calipers. The brake feel is better wot the R6 calipers I have as well. I tend to brake late and wasn't feeling confident the stock brakes. Jen I look at how Pete does with his stock calipers and scratch my head.