Emulator Kit - worth it?

[Glen007]

I'm interested in upgrading my front fork, which seems like the best bang for the buck in increasing handling according to a lot of threads on this site. It also seems like Race Tech springs are slightly more favorable than Progressive's springs, so I think I'll be ordering a set of Race Techs in the next week.

However, I'm wondering if I should order Race Tech's Emulator Kit as well. While trying to increase handling on a budget, I'd like to know if other owners think the Emulators are worth the $170 or if using the springs without the emulators will significantly improve handling alone.

Currently, my 2001 has no modifications other than Supertrapp slip-ons. I've always run the OEM Qualifiers but just ordered my first set of Shinko's (also going up to a 170 on the rear). Any budget conscious handling recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[ninjaneer]

i really like my racetechs. i put them in with Progressive Suspension's progressive rates. they do make a difference. not as much as switching out the stock springs, which is dramatic, but they really help in the "fine tuning" department. cost-to-benefit ratio? well it really depends on you. are you a "princess and a pea" kind of rider? After putting them in and a couple iterations of dialing them up, a lot of the small bumps buttered out, yet, at the same time still retaining a firm feel through the corners.

the downside of racetechs is that in order to change your settings you have to open up the stanchions each time and fish them out.

 

[Barry barker]

I am no expert, but I vote for the emulators and correct springs. They really smooth out the ride, and keep the front tire planted in full lean while hitting the bumps!!! But the best bang for the buck, (if you have good tires) is the Delrin motor mounts. I am assuming that all other components are in good working order.

When my bike was stock with dunlops, my buddies rode a 959 and a FJR, neither of them could believe that a stock vmax could keep up with them in the corners, but it did. Now it did wallow and move around alot, i got use to it. Until the high speed wobble.:th_scared: This scared me to death. Figured it was a worn rear tire. I bought a set of Avon Venoms including a new front as recommended by Avon, even though my dunlop was good(less than 3000 miles). I almost lost the bike in a corner from over steering the turn. The Avon Rep was right, now I had response, it was like a new bike, except for the new found front wheel wobble:bang head:. The new sticky tires had uncovered the loose head bearings that i now know probably caused the high speed wobble. Repacked the head bearings(which were dry from the factory), furbur fix, and bounce tested the forks. Perfect, new bike great handling, oh shit what is that at 85 mph leaned over hard. :th_scared:I was dragging the pegs. The centerstand and exhaust are next. My FJR buddy had warned me numeroous times. Now i figured i needed stiffer suspension. While I am at it maybe we can reduce or eliminate that wallowing in the corners. Quite frankly, i am getting to old for this wild ride stuff. This is where the mod monkey took complete control. progressive springs, 418 shocks, delrin motor mounts, frame brace and a new 18" rear wheel for radial tires. Can we say hold a straight line, it doesn't get any better than this. :biglaugh:
Never under estimate the mod monkey. Less than 2 years later Carrizzera light weight wheels and larger radial tires. Yes i did the wheel thing twice:confused2:
I know, we were talking about the emulators, 4 weeks ago i called race tech and ordered correct springs for my weight and the emulators. Now I will not own a bike without them or a cartridge fork, they are amazing!

Sorry for the novel, but the beer tastes good and you asked!!!

 

[dannymax]

+1 Love my Race-tec front end....little bit of a pain to dial in as ninjaneer said, but nice and smooth and stable....all the things that the OEM V Max isn't!

 

[Glen007]

Thank you all very much for the insight. I think I'm convinced to wait one more paycheck and get the emulators with the springs and have the forks done right the first time. Barry, I have visualized doing exactly what you've done to your max, but thought I'd start with the front fork first (front springs/emulators, 418 shocks, motor mounts, frame brace, and lastly a Kosman converted 18" rear wheel for radial tires). I've put 35,000 miles on my almost stock max. I think it's time for some changes.

 

[ninjaneer]

...I think I'm convinced to wait one more paycheck and get the emulators with the springs and have the forks done right the first time....

Wise choice. I think the wait'll be worth it. I did the same thing, waited for more emulator dough, so that I wouldn't have to disassemble a second time. Think you'll love the results.

...motor mounts, frame brace...

there have been debates with regards to which type of motor mounts, which type of frame brace, the pros and cons of either, however, imho, i don't think you do both as you would start down the path of diminishing returns. i say, save some coin and just do one or the other but not both. although folks report great improvements with the application of either strengthening technique, from what i've gathered, once you put in one of them, the other will not gain you as much as it would have provided if you had put it in by itself instead of the other. hey but that's just my opinion. if it's just to satisfy the Monkey's vanity, don't let me stand in the way. more power to ya--shit i put on a wider tire, not for performance reasons, but rather because the Monkey wanted that "dang, bro, that's tough" look.

 

[dannymax]

I'm not a big fan of solid motor mounts.....big pain to install just to end up with more vibration, bolts loosening, stuff breaking, etc. Put them on my '06 and wouldn't do it again.

Also, do one change at a time, check the difference in ride/hndling, then move on to the next one....sometimes a bunch of changes at once don't quite work out as planned, then you don't know where to look to fix it.

 

[ninjaneer]

Also, do one change at a time, check the difference in ride/hndling, then move on to the next one....sometimes a bunch of changes at once don't quite work out as planned, then you don't know where to look to fix it.

+1. doing one thing at a time will give you more insight into how well the individual mod contributed to the improvement of your ride.

 

[sdt354]

I'm not a big fan of solid motor mounts.....big pain to install just to end up with more vibration, bolts loosening, stuff breaking, etc. Put them on my '06 and wouldn't do it again.

Also, do one change at a time, check the difference in ride/hndling, then move on to the next one....sometimes a bunch of changes at once don't quite work out as planned, then you don't know where to look to fix it.

+1 Dann-0, how can you tell what contributed to the improvement if you put a bunch of stuff on all at once. You can't! I found the fork brace to be worth the $80 when I changed it out then took her for a spin.I used the one from the old VMOA store, same ones Python sells I believe. Then Progessive springs- still a little soft for me, but better under a load than stock,I had to use them they were free with the 440's, from Progressive. Then rear shocks-440's went on and I like them a lot. Then different fork fluid. Then another different fork fluid. I like radials, but they'll have to wait till my pockets fill up again. I'm thinking, from what you all are telling me, the single rate springs are what I'm looking for, I've run out of fluids to try in my forks. Mounts? I'd prolly go Delrin before metal, but too much of a pain to take out if I don't like them. More vibes isn't something I'm interested in. I'll be dialing in my carbs for years (the Taconic State Parkway is my test strip too) be changing jets soon....lol I'm having a blast with this bike!
Steve-o

 

[Thevmaxrider]

Go big or go home! USD front end all the way!! :rofl_200::rofl_200::rofl_200::rofl_200:

 

[[email protected]]

Just adding springs and 15wt oil will make a BIG difference. Emulators or intiminators work well also. I don't think they make as big a difference as springs do but they definitely help.

I can't vouch for USD forks, yet. I've got a set fitted but I am unable to test drive it yet. Still need some important parts like wheels, and a swingarm. I know they look pretty cool. Not sure what to do with all these clickers on the forks though? :biglaugh:

 

[maxcruiser]

I had both the Emulators and Intiminators and prefer the intiminators. Here's a link to the review;

http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=7919



Mike

 

[Glen007]

Definitely planning on one mod at a time as its my only financial option. Thanks for the input. This site is an absolutely amazing resource. I was getting sick of the OEM Dunlops and read a couple hours worth of posts under Wheels/Tires and found a lot of good info there. I currently have a set of Shinkos ready to mount.

Before I throw down on the emulators I do have one more question about how much is involved when tuning them. I don't have a garage to do extensive bike work in, but do have underground parking with a designated space. I've done very minor work on my bike like swapping out the backrest for handles, doing the electrical splice, changing the battery, changing the stator, and routine maintenance. However, anything much more involved than that stuff and I take my Max to a shop. When I order the springs and possibly emulators (if it's feasible for me to fine tune them) I'm going to have my mechanic put them in, but I'm going to have to fine tune the emulators myself. What will tuning the emulators actually involve mechanically wise?

 

[sdt354]

Glen, welcome to the forum also. Great place to be.
Steve-o

 

[ninjaneer]

.. What will tuning the emulators actually involve mechanically wise?

a 6mm or 8mm box wrench and a screwdriver...or was it an allen key..4mm? at any rate, just your basic tools. maybe somekind of long wire to fish out the emulator. but your gonna need to open up the fork stanchion, so a socket wrench and .... well i think that's it.

 

[[email protected]]

As ninjaneer said, its not too hard. Remove the fork cap, fish out the emulator, a couple of hand tools to adjust it, drop it back in, bolt the fork cap back in place.

Hardest part is pushing the fork cap back on and getting the threads started.

 

[Barry barker]

I did not have to adjust mine. I installed them per Race techs recommendations based on the way i ride and my weight. a 10 minute phone call with the rep, i think he had to call me back. The ride improvement is dramatic, not sure what further adjust could help. I did check the adjustment of the emulators before install just to make sure they were set up per recomendations. They were correct. i would check the adjustment before you give them to your mechanic. i also did exaclty what they recommend. new Race tech springs, and 20 weight fork oil. Good Luck

Not sure how old your seals are but you might want to replace them while you have the forks apart. Should be a little cheaper to do. Just a thought.

 

[Rollie]

I did not have to adjust mine. I installed them per Race techs recommendations based on the way i ride and my weight. a 10 minute phone call with the rep, i think he had to call me back. The ride improvement is dramatic, not sure what further adjust could help. I did check the adjustment of the emulators before install just to make sure they were set up per recomendations. They were correct. i would check the adjustment before you give them to your mechanic. i also did exaclty what they recommend. new Race tech springs, and 20 weight fork oil. Good Luck

Not sure how old your seals are but you might want to replace them while you have the forks apart. Should be a little cheaper to do. Just a thought.

+1 to the Race Tech info , and as an add on , per an older guys recommendation , I told Race Tech that I was 15 lbs. lighter than I actually was at the time . Apparently the set up with springs ( and emulators ) & their US-2 Ultra Slick 10 weight medium fork oil would have been too hard if I told 'em my true weight. I weighed about 205 at the time but told 'em i weighed 190 . They recommended their FLEK S3895 kit ( .95 kg. ) , for my '90 max. The kit along with lightcon 17" wheels w/ michelin pilot power radials & works street tracker shocks has made it into a very nice adjustable single & two up muscle cruiser. I have not made any adjustments to the springs / emulators kit since installed 3 1/2 years ago.

 

[Glen007]

So I have a set of Race Tech Springs (.95kg) and emulators on the way. I'm looking forward to having a tighter, more responsive front end. I'll write up my first impressions once I get them installed. Louie at Race Tech gave me a 15% when I asked what he could cut me any breaks on the price (springs, emulators, oil, seals, etc. for $277 including shipping)
I did install a Python Fork Brace early this week and definitely noticed a difference (subtle, but definitely noticeable). I feel like I get more feedback from the road with the brace (even with the stock soft springs). Thanks for the recommendation Steve-o.
I also have a set of Shinko's waiting to be mounted, hopefully next week. I've always gone with the OEM Dunlops, so that will be new as well. I can't believe I waited until now to make these changes. For the same price as a set of Dunlop Qualifiers I now have a new front suspension setup and from the reviews of the Shinkos on this site, they sound better than the Qualifiers (and about $15o cheaper per set).

 

[ninjaneer]

springs = NIGHT AND DAY dif, nothing subtle 'bout it.