Turp
Member
There were a number of reasons I was a skeptic of the "need" to replace the stock suspension; none excusable or enough to prevent eventually replacing it. In hindsight, had I more foreknowledge and experience, I'd had the replacement suspension waiting at the house the day I brought the motorcycle home.
My rider weight countered the oft complaint of over sprung shocks but the damping was non-existent. I didn't have a huge beef with the front forks but there was some significant dive, but not what I thought was real bad. That said though, on the OEM suspension, I was taking some hard hits, bottoming harshly, and the felt like the bike would wallow cornering. Increasing preload o skip on road surface and transmit quite a bit of vibration from the road.
I went with a "next level" OEM replacement that added a progressive sprung front (IKON) and rear shocks with springs rated for me and better damping that's rebound adjustable (IKON 7610).
With new suspension installed and about 100 miles, the improvement is noticeable on the back country roads I wanted to calm.
As far as ride comfort-
If I had "seismograph" like device charting the bumps and surface of the ride on my OEM suspension, the new suspension seems to smooth the peaks and valleys. The harsh or sharper impacts are perceivably smoothed. The road surface feedback is present but tamer.
Handling-
The ride is tighter, more controlled, but as noted above more compliant. I thought the bike handled well before, but needed higher preload to make the handling feel more controlled. The improved damping and more refined front end response prevents the unsettled cornering I sometimes felt. The bike just feels more confidence inspiring in the corners.
There's a lot suspension flavors and levels available to dial in the a better performance. My experience is it's a worthy investment for a better ride experience.
My rider weight countered the oft complaint of over sprung shocks but the damping was non-existent. I didn't have a huge beef with the front forks but there was some significant dive, but not what I thought was real bad. That said though, on the OEM suspension, I was taking some hard hits, bottoming harshly, and the felt like the bike would wallow cornering. Increasing preload o skip on road surface and transmit quite a bit of vibration from the road.
I went with a "next level" OEM replacement that added a progressive sprung front (IKON) and rear shocks with springs rated for me and better damping that's rebound adjustable (IKON 7610).
With new suspension installed and about 100 miles, the improvement is noticeable on the back country roads I wanted to calm.
As far as ride comfort-
If I had "seismograph" like device charting the bumps and surface of the ride on my OEM suspension, the new suspension seems to smooth the peaks and valleys. The harsh or sharper impacts are perceivably smoothed. The road surface feedback is present but tamer.
Handling-
The ride is tighter, more controlled, but as noted above more compliant. I thought the bike handled well before, but needed higher preload to make the handling feel more controlled. The improved damping and more refined front end response prevents the unsettled cornering I sometimes felt. The bike just feels more confidence inspiring in the corners.
There's a lot suspension flavors and levels available to dial in the a better performance. My experience is it's a worthy investment for a better ride experience.
