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Suspension, Forks, and Chassis Set-up and Mods / Re: Front fork discussion topic« Last post by Pickaxe on Today at 11:43 am »Totally agree with the last post. When manufacturers are developing a bike with less sophisticated suspension, they tend to go for a stiffer setup for adventure bikes or softer for cruisers etc. The CT's suspension is on the stiff side for its intended purpose. Carrying weight and traversing undulating surfaces at speed.
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Suspension, Forks, and Chassis Set-up and Mods / Re: Front fork discussion topic« Last post by BiKenG on Today at 10:28 am »It seems to me that the front fork compression damping is too hard/stiff. This means that over sharp bumps they jar and seem to flex rather than absorb the bump by allowing the forks to compress.
Spring rate always has to be a compromise as it's not something that can be adjusted (only replaced). It is either ok for your weight or it's not. Pre-load has nothing to do with spring rate. That simply alters the ride height. However, for me, the spring rate is probably ok. The trouble with damping is it needs to be balanced between compression and rebound. Whatever you are trying to achieve with suspension, both need to be in balance. If e.g. the compression damping is very low, but rebound is very high, it will act like a ratchet over repeated bumps so the suspension compresses down and becomes very hard, until there is sufficient gap between the bumps and there is time to overcome the high rebound. The inverse can also be true. As I said, the damping of both strokes needs to be balanced. That doesn't mean 'the same', just balanced to work together in harmony. Therein lies the problem. With any cheap/budget suspension with only one damping adjustment (rebound on the CT), it is going to be impossible for the majority of riders to achieve the 'balance' they require. 3
Suspension, Forks, and Chassis Set-up and Mods / Re: Front fork discussion topic« Last post by BeToney on Today at 03:10 am » Originally Posted by Friday ![[+]](https://www.crosstourer.com/vbicons/viewpostright.png "View Post") I ended up using a higher viscosity, BelRay 15w oil which slowed down the springy feeling on rebound. The forks feel very acceptable now, whether I'm taking long runs on the highway or riding it hard in the twisties. I thought the factory shock was just ok, the rebound damping responded more noticeably to adjustment than the forks but the spring felt soft and compression damping felt harsh. I bought a replacement YSS shock and like it a lot, it has a combined adjustment knob for both compression and rebound and the adjustment is very responsive, I add 1 click for more sporty riding where I want it firmer or back off 1 click for a more plush highway run. 4
Suspension, Forks, and Chassis Set-up and Mods / Re: Front fork discussion topic« Last post by Pickaxe on Yesterday at 07:44 pm »With stock settings, the fork action on my 2018 CT felt very hard and non compliant and especially at lower speeds on rough, undulating surfaces. My approach was to back off the preload and rebound to near zero and she now feels fine under all conditions. It maybe that the forks were specified for much harsher use than most of us put the bike to. I don't think you'll ever achieve anything near a soft setting with the stock forks, but you can achieve an acceptable degree of comfort with good performance.
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Crosstourer - General Discussion / Re: Side Stand Lengths X v F ?« Last post by BiKenG on Oct 01, 2023, 06.07 pm »First of all, the F side stand is approx 1.5" shorter than the one on the X. Also, the former is cast/forged, whereas the latter is fabricated from steel tube.
Regarding switching off the bike, whatever the dealer says, I doubt it will make any difference in the long term. However, using the kill switch means 2 operations as after doing that, you still have to turn off the ignition, so seems no point to me. Why not just use the ignition in the first place. I would add that the 'kill switch' was introduced as an emergency measure. An easy way to quickly stop the engine as all bike have one that works in the same way and is in the same place. Ignition switches however can vary between manufacturers and even models and perhaps precious time might be lost trying to figure out how to turn off the engine. Hence the standardised kill switch. So it was never intended to be used as THE way to turn the engine off. That's what the ignition switch is for. However, if you want to use 2 switches every time, I guess whatever floats your boat.  6
Crosstourer - General Discussion / Re: any member had a ride on a nc750x« Last post by hoppicker on Oct 01, 2023, 04.14 pm »Maybe he finally realised that Honda is better 😂 He has an F900 GS as well. Its got to have one of the noisiest engines I have ever heard. When I tried it I found it very bland. no character at all. 7
Suspension, Forks, and Chassis Set-up and Mods / Re: Front fork discussion topic« Last post by BiKenG on Oct 01, 2023, 03.21 pm »Thought I'd mention here, although an old thread, that most Hondas have Showa forks, but both versions of the VFR1200 use Kayaba forks.
May be a coincidence, but seems significant to me. 8
Suspension, Forks, and Chassis Set-up and Mods / Re: Shorty Brake Lever« Last post by BiKenG on Oct 01, 2023, 03.02 pm »I really like ASV levers and have fitted them to several bikes for both brake and clutch and no problems at all with their 'shorty' type as the very ends of long levers tend to not get used anyway.
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Suspension, Forks, and Chassis Set-up and Mods / Re: vfr1200x - vfr1200f wheel compatibility« Last post by BiKenG on Oct 01, 2023, 02.57 pm »Originally Posted by Wardg2 There is no straightforward bolt in front cast wheel in normal road going size (17 x 3.5). Anything will require modifications of one sort or another. 10
Crosstourer - General Discussion / Re: any member had a ride on a nc750x« Last post by Dogfm on Oct 01, 2023, 02.38 am »Originally Posted by hoppicker |