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1250 Suspension Mods for Touring?

To get to 1/3 on the front I had to dial in full preload, too. But then that led to an unacceptable harshness in fork response to small bumps in the road, which in turn causes the desire for a more compliant ride. A vicious cycle.:roll:

Dale replied quickly, advising that I ignore RaceTech's recommendation for .95 fork springs and instead use his own custom wound Cogents at 1.1. Any thoughts on that?

I'm 190 [was 220 at last sag check] and plan to tour sportingly [i.e. solo] with Givi V35/46. Going fast in the twisties is part of the past, although pushing a bit in sweepers and open spaces can still be fun.

t110
 
I'm running between 200 and 205 and have the 1.1 springs. I really think they are a bit harsh for our roads and the speeds I ride at. Next time I pull the front apart to change fluid I just might go back to my stock springs and make longer spacers just to see how that works.
 
To get to 1/3 on the front I had to dial in full preload, too. But then that led to an unacceptable harshness in fork response to small bumps in the road, which in turn causes the desire for a more compliant ride. A vicious cycle.:roll:

Dale replied quickly, advising that I ignore RaceTech's recommendation for .95 fork springs and instead use his own custom wound Cogents at 1.1. Any thoughts on that?

I'm 190 [was 220 at last sag check] and plan to tour sportingly [i.e. solo] with Givi V35/46. Going fast in the twisties is part of the past, although pushing a bit in sweepers and open spaces can still be fun.

t110

The harshness has more to do with being overdamped. Changing (and cleaning) out to a quality 5wt. fork oil helps. The 1250 is also under sprung by quite a bit. Dale is correct in suggesting the 1.1 kg. springs. I weigh less than you and the 1.1's are spot on. Just springs and oil made a big difference in the front end.
I have since added Dale Walkers fork brace then installed the Gold Valves in that order. The brace really keeps the front end tracking over mid-corner bumps. The valve install requires some intricate work, drilling the valve body and a micrometer to measure the shims and a inch pound torque wrench to compress the valve stack. Worth the work for me.
Like other members once the front is improved I needed a better shock and replaced it. The Bandit line has always had low end suspension , hence the low price. I waited too long to upgrade the 1200S so I went after the 1250 suspension early with zero regrets.
 
Ordered 1.1's from Dale, who said hanging the forks upside down overnight is good enough for draining and cleaning. Will do that and add 5wt and a spacer of the appropriate length when installing springs. Sag will determine spacer length. I forgot to order the oil from him; can someone please suggest a good source?

Off-topic, but as it was 55 here today I got in a ride and tried out my new Shoei GT-Air. What a treat! It was real quiet compared to the RF-1000's I've been using for a dozen years, and the air flow control is amazing.

t110
 
Guess I was lucky in that one of the bike shops ( 3 within 40 miles ) had some 5 wt in stock.
 
Got the 5wt and Cogent 1.1 springs. Air gap is 135mm and spacers are 3", per Dale's suggestion. With no one around to help, I've only measured the first sag dimension - the one where you steady yourself on the bike. That reads 34mm on the ziptie. To get this I had to raise the preload up to "position 5".

Let's consider the second measurement - where your helper pushes down on the front and then lets up slowly. Paul Thede suggests a range of 15mm to 50mm, which is quite a difference!

Is there a 1250 Bandit rule of thumb on what will be the delta between these two dimensions? If it helps, the bike has 11k miles, has always been stored in a heated building, and still has its bug deflectors. The oil that came out of the forks was dark red. It looked and felt like tired ATF.

Still at least a few days before the snow and damp permit a test ride. If the delta is small enough, I may want to shorten the spacers.

Suggestions welcome, and tia

t110
 
Followup on my own questions: ended up cutting 6mm off the spacers - now 2 3/4" - to get the recommended 39mm front sag. The greatest difference in measurement was only about 3mm. On the one hand, a friend pushed down on the bar and slowly released; on the other, I attached a hoist from center of bar to a roof beam and slowly lowered.
Rear sag was a bit of a surprise. With 188# rider, full gear, all 3 Givi cases and 10kg of ballast, sag was 48mm at the 4 setting, 43mm at 5, and 38mm at 6.
Now comes the wait for decent riding weather. It's currently about 20 degrees with flurries, and there's still snow around from the latest "storm of the century" last month.
Oh, well, the groundhog saw his shadow, so maybe there's hope for an early Spring.
t110
 
Guess I'm getting old and hate being cold more and more. LOL! Both bikes on Battery Tenders till nearer to 70F . Boat too. But, 'spose to get there today at noonish so may break out Bandit. Depends where I decide to go ride to which bike I take off on. We still have many gravel roads to ride on down here so the KLR is the go to for those and really beat up blacktop.
I just did put a new Progressive shock on the KLR and only have about 100 miles on it since.
 
Well I havent been on this forum in a while,like since 2014. But Ive jumped into fixing the suspension on my 08 1250,so far gold valves/springs/oil in the front and deciding which shock to try. I went with a local suspension guy for gold valve installation and tuning,its no charge to take the forks back for revalving. He stuck in the spring race tech spec'd and so far it seems about as soft as stock,almost. I had read most guys just go with the 1.0 spring and that might happen. Im 185lbs with out gear and do like to run the bike through the twisties. But mainly dont want it beating me up on bumps like the stock stuff does.
 
Yeah, I'll probably be hanging onto the Bandit for awhile so I must just keep them. I did check on some other bikes to buy, Ninja 1000, BMW but for the amount they wanted to give for a trade and the Bandits cheap insurance I think I'll stay with the Bandit. That's wy I decided to do the forks. It's really the last thing that I wasn't too happy with.
BTW, Dale told me to sell the PCIII I have and go with his TFI tuning box. Any thoughts on that? Not like the Bandit doesn't have enough power already! I bought the bike with the PCIII so I'm not sure how much oomph it added.
Most guys who are selling stuff will tell you to sell what you have and buy theirs,its a business thing. Not that Dale doesnt know what hes doing but others can tune bikes as well. Mine runs so good stock I wouldnt mess with it.
 
As others have written, you don't know how good your suspension can be until you upgrade. After replacing the stock shock with one from Cogent, I fully agree, as the ride especially is just so much better. The faster you go, the more you realize how big an improvement a new shock can be.

This point was driven home last week as I blazed across the back roads of Montana; the bike felt totally stable with about 100 lbs of luggage - in any conditions and at any speed. Actually, in deference to the luggage I never exceeded 125 but rode most of the miles in the 5000-6500 rpm range with stock gearing.

Honestly, I could never see the need for power upgrades until riding out West. But if you live/ride in Nevada, Wyoming, or Montana you get to use a lot more power. Idaho and Washington, not so much. And South Dakota is just hopeless when it comes to speeding.

t110
 
Holeshot's mods aren't just for power. They smooth out the bike big time especially after you remove the secondaries! Say what you will but I can NEVER ride a stock Bandit again! :)
 
Guys need help.
I had a light vibration in the vicinity of 3000 revolutions after 3500 lost. Maybe who have this problem?
 
Throttle sync and check engine mounting bolts and nuts.

Agreed. I checked my engine mounts and found some were WAY over torqued from the factory...and some had gotten loose.
I've started taking every Motorcycle I buy and loosening all the mounts (while supporting the motor) and tightening to spec in proper order.
I'm on my 4th Motorcycle doing this and it has helped with vibration every time.
 
You're right:
1) I pulled the chain
2) pulled the muffler bolts

Thank you guys helped me
 
Ive banged and bounced around on backroads long enough on my 08 1250,Ive gold valved and re-sprung the forks,nice but the shock really hurts my back over sharp bumps. There's a sale going on full boat Ohlins with remote preload and remote reservoir. 1100.00
I may do that. Theres also the YSS on ebay for 360.00 delivered from UK. I hate to spend even 360.00 if it isnt a lot better then stock. Sumpins gonna happen pretty quick here though. Most aftermarket shocks it looks like reaching the pre-load rings is just about un-doable. Any other ideas?
 
See #136 above. Strongly recommend the Cogent rear suspension unit. Those folks are very easy to deal with; if it helps your decision any, they use Ohlins springs. Preload is very easy to adjust with the bike on the centerstand.
t110
 
hey, t110 my setup for touring less saddle bags.
 

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See #136 above. Strongly recommend the Cogent rear suspension unit. Those folks are very easy to deal with; if it helps your decision any, they use Ohlins springs. Preload is very easy to adjust with the bike on the centerstand.
t110
Thanks for the response! How would you rate the "plush" factor on the Cogent? I like to zing around on backroads some but also do some long rides on the 1250. My lower back wont take the kicking of the oem shock.
 
It's probably best to keep suspension settings close to recommended. Here is a good how-to on that:
[instructions from Metrick Metal]
The rear suspension travel for the Bandit is 5.4 inches and most suspension manufacturers recommend using between 25 and 30 percent of the total suspension travel for rider sag on a street bike.

So to get an idea of where your at you need to first measure from the center of the axle to a referrance point directly above the axle with the bike on the center stand, so the shock is fully extended, then sit on the bike and have some measure from the center of the axle to the same referance point, and the differance between the two is your rider sag.

Use the dimensions below as a guide to see where your at, and remember increasing the preload does not increase the rate of the spring, it only increases the amount of force required to get the suspension moving.

25% of 5.4" = 1.35"
30% of 5.4" = 1.62"

What I made up for the Bandit so that I can check the amount of rider sag by myself is this plug that slips into the left end of the axle, and the slot allows me to hook the end of my tape measure into it which place the end of the tape measure directly in the center of the rear axle.

I then tape a piece of masking tape to the corner edge of the tailpiece directly above the rear axle and I put a felt pen line on it, then i have a small square mirror that I hang from the he back of my stool that I place next to the bike, than its easy for me to read the dimension of the tape measure against the felt pen line to see the amount of sag I have.
[end of instructions]
I haven't strayed too far from the settings Cogent provided for my calculated touring weight. If you're riding around lightly loaded, you can easily back off the preload at both ends: up front you just turn the screws on top of the forks out; in back the included spanner from Cogent works very well. It works even better if you remove the three socket head bolts for the left footpeg.
With my setup I just leave shock valving in one place, going with Dale's and Cogent's advice. It rides better loaded, in any event - could be called "plush" compared to stock. Or even better "controlled, unruffled".
t110



Thanks for the response! How would you rate the "plush" factor on the Cogent? I like to zing around on backroads some but also do some long rides on the 1250. My lower back wont take the kicking of the oem shock.
 
Wow. I finally got the Cogent shock installed on my 08 1250,and the forks done with gold Valves and 1.1 springs. I cannot believe the abuse my lower back and shoulders took for 13,000 miles with the stock "suspension" I tend to ride rougher backroads and enjoy spinning it up around corners. The bike takes sharp bumps Much Better,and turns in to corners like a whole different bike. I had Joe the suspension guru set the gold valves in the forks to the softer end of the settings. Seems good kinda feels like 1 step stiffer springs might be good. I will add 20cc of oil per leg and see what that does.
I weigh 190 usually ride solo. Still need to finalize sag settings,but man o man that stock suspension is by far the weakest point on this bike. So much better and less painful. I think the 1250 is a keeper. With 23,000 miles on it its barely broken in.
 
Since you like to corner, raise the rear 1 to 1-1/4". Makes the bike feel like its 100#'s lighter. No stability issues at all - the Bandit has very conservative steering geometry.
 
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