Progressive Suspension, Lowered forks 2" - first driving report

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hederstedt

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Jun 14, 2008
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Enh?rna Sweden
Just got back from my first drive with my new suspension up front. I bought a lowering-kit from progressive suspension. I wont lie to you, I only bought it becouse I'm vain. I want me and my max to look good together. A standard front end looks like a 70:s chopper if you ask me. 2" lowering doesent really get it to look low, it just gets it to look like it always should have.
I had a couple of concerns however, 2" lower front will decrease both rake and trail. In my head this would make the wobble and the bad handling to get worse. However, looks come first.
I do have another frame laying around in my garage, thinking, if this gets really ugly I will let my frame-buildeng friend rake out that one a couple of degrees. And then I just move everything over to that one.
And in the future I would like to modify a set of air-shocks for a V-Rod to go in the back. U know, the kind you lower and rise with a push of a button.
So I would really like to get the handling to work with full hight rear suspension. Low and mean on the city streets and high and driveble on the open road. That would be the thing.

Installation:
I have a post 93, And whatever people say on this forum:
YOU DONT HAVE TO DISASSAMBLY THE WHOLE FORK TO GET THE WHOLE KIT ON.
(However pre-93 may differ)
Top nut, spacers, washers and springs first, while the forks was still on the bike (jacked up in the fron of-corse). Then I removed the forks, drained them from oil and then remove the insex in the bottom. (I used a electric impact wrench becouse I did not have a tool to hold the damper a long way down in the tube)
When the Insex was removed the damper and the top-out limeting spring came out the same way as the first lot.
More then this was not nessesary to disassamble.
Then I added the two extra top-out limeting springs (2 in each leg for 2" lower) Reassambled the dampers. And put the forks, wheel callpers etc. back on the bike. Checked clearances and then in with the new springs, washers and the spacers (I had to use the stock ones - that I cut down 2" sense the pwc-tube in the kit was to short to be cut in two pieces. Maby there was one missing in my kit)
And then I filled up 619cc of 15-Weight fork-oil (10 is stock)

Driving
The first laps around the house felt nervous, really like the bike stood on its nose. I thought that this is not going to work. However I had drawn some lines in AutoCad so I knew that the trail at least would not be negative.
(negative trail is the last thing that happen to you). On the dirt-road out to paved roads I felt that the oil was to heavy. It did not feel good at all.
The first turns out on the road felt almost as uncomfortable, like the bike fell in to turns.
I bit further down the road it started to feel nicer, so I tryed to howl ass a bit. It worked fine. I tryed to burst it up to about 60 mph on mid gear then turn off the trottle - no clutch ingaged. No wobble. 80; same result. A burst up to 100 at fourth gear then trottle off as I went in to a bend. There it was, the wobble I was used to, but just a little bit. Defently not sceary.
Me like!
Now I have been out riding the whole day, and sure the wobble is still there, but it has decreased about 60-75%. The uncomfortable low speed carecteristics did not go away, but once I got used to them they was not uncomfortable anymore. The bike was just easyer to handle. Really Great. :) The bike feels much safer and confident. The whole bike feels 60 lbs lighter. This was really worth every penny. Hell, it was a 1000 dollar fix for 250 dollars. In the states it probably just costs 125 dollars sence almost every bike part is twice the price here in sweden.

It looks like the stiffnes in the suspension, incresed wieght on the front wheel and the incresed rigidness due to shorter forks outweight the fact that both the trail and the rake is smaller. And that by much. On top of that, the bike looks like it should look to begin with.

I can also add that I, myself only weigh about 165 lbs (75kg) so I dont add that much weight to the rear. If you are heavyer it will probably work enen better sence your trail and rake will stay in mor conservative regions.

Conclusion: GET IT!
 
I too installed the progressive springs, I also lowered them 2" and I have 15wt oil in them. My initial visual impression was WOW! With the drag barss, smaller windshield coupled with the suspension drop it made redbone look "right". Since I was still waiting for my tins to be painted I had to wait for the first ride inmpression.
Redbone is painted and back on the road, but I have only ridden it now for 3 days (in between rain showers) around 350 miles. The change in the bike is very nice indeed. It tracks straight and true, turns into the corner easily, holds or can change lines at will in corners and best of all it has mostly lost the wanting to wheelie feeling it had. The launch control is much better but I admit it is greatly aided by my new Morley Muscle seat that Sean custom made for me. Thanks Sean and pictures are forthcoming! I also installed HH brake pads so the stopping is much better than before also beacause the front end is not diving 3.5-4" any more!
I would tell anyone still riding on the stock springs, if you want improved ride, steering precision and braking, this is what your looking for. Plus it improves the overall look IMO, which is a bonus!
 
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like the looks of the lower max also..but where i have no high or low speed wobble im not touching a thing...good luck with your kit hows the kick stand working
 
like the looks of the lower max also..but where i have no high or low speed wobble im not touching a thing...good luck with your kit hows the kick stand working
Kick stand is working ok, it's more upright but still works fine, have tested it out in 20 mph winds already. Once I lower the back by 1/2" with new shocks I will have to reconfigure the kickstand. I still have the centerstand and can use that if needed too.
 
After you lower the back, you better be Superman to get it on the centerstand... :rofl_200:
 
I agree it takes a little more UMPH to get it on the c-stand now. It helps that I can step down with 255lbs to help with the lifting part.:biglaugh:
 
I can also add that I, myself only weigh about 165 lbs (75kg) so I dont add that much weight to the rear. If you are heavyer it will probably work enen better sence your trail and rake will stay in mor conservative regions.

Conclusion: GET IT!

You are running the same front end mods as me and we are similar weights. If you really want that front end to behave I recommend you also install a set of Racetech emulators with your existing setup. This will give you greater control over rebound damping.

Conclusion: YOU WILL LOVE IT! :thumbs up:
 
Of course I am running radials and other mods but I have NEVER had an issue with head shake on my Max. If anything it's better to get rid of those soft suspenders for some stiffer ones.

Now I just need to get some real rear shocks... The 412's aren't cutting it!

Chris
 
You are running the same front end mods as me and we are similar weights. If you really want that front end to behave I recommend you also install a set of Racetech emulators with your existing setup. This will give you greater control over rebound damping.

Conclusion: YOU WILL LOVE IT! :thumbs up:

I should have my racetech springs and emulators this week but I'm debating how much to lower 1, 1.5 or 2 inches. I'm only 170lb and suggestions welcome

eventually I want to get some nice rear shocks but they have to be all black probably stock length

Vitek
 
I should have my racetech springs and emulators this week but I'm debating how much to lower 1, 1.5 or 2 inches. I'm only 170lb and suggestions welcome

eventually I want to get some nice rear shocks but they have to be all black probably stock length

Vitek

If you are keeping the rear stock height then I would probably only drop it an inch or so! Mine is 2" and 1.5 rear but I am going to raise the rear 1" I think because with a pillion it is pretty LOW back there with the preload ALL the way up.
 
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I should have my racetech springs and emulators this week but I'm debating how much to lower 1, 1.5 or 2 inches. I'm only 170lb and suggestions welcome

eventually I want to get some nice rear shocks but they have to be all black probably stock length

Vitek

As I wrote ... I only weigh 165 lbs and stock rear/ 2" lower front works really fine.

Wouldn mind lowering it a bit more but for now I settle with this.
My six-pot callipers needs to go on up front and a front four-pot to go back ... And then I have my carburettors that are really F**ked up that I need to get sorted, and my new taillight and ...
 
I will go 2" down when I get the money for this mod. The max needs more weight on the front tire in corners and that means lowering the front end. At the same time when you put weight on the front end for cornering (as in sportbikes) your suspension needs to be stiffer and well adjusted. I've done a little racing amature style and have done a little tinkering with forks and springs. The best I ever did as far as handling was a GS 500. I put progressive springs in that with heavier weight oil (messed around with fluid height) and cut spacers. I put a katana rear shock on it and had some power upgrades. Anyways, the lower front end, heavier weight oil, raised rear end with the katana rear shcok made my corner speed and stability unbeleivable. That GS stuck to the road and was so solid.

So, what you guys are doing with the max sounds right to me and is where I would of started. I can't wait to have money to spend on this thing:rocket bike:
 
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