Gold valve emulater install

[chasbmw]

Roy/Blitz

Are you running the 15w oil as recommended by RT? And what volume/ height?

I will be home in a couple of weeks and will cut down my BMW springs and see how that works. I have currently got 3500 miles on the trip so far, and should be up to 4000 by the end. The bike has gone really well, hardly had to break open the tools (touch wood) only real work was to get a Surefoot sidestand sent out to Italy as the stock stand was so crap!

Charles

[blitz]

15 weight Silkolene oil. I have my oil height at 150 mm. I also run the SJ BMW billet top triple clamp.

[RichDesmond]

Howdy all, this is Rich from Sonic Springs. I'd like to thank blitz for all his help in getting the technical data we needed to make him a good set of springs. As you all know these bikes have very long travel forks, which can make getting the right rate and a sufficient amount of travel "interesting".
On the length; we made them shorter than stock for use with the emulator setup that blitz has, but it also means that they will work for any setup, be it the Y.S.S or Race-tech emulators, or just stock. You simply vary the spacer length to fit. Means too that you can try just the springs at first and then add the extra valving later and not have to swap springs again.
If you're cutting the stock springs, that will increase the rate, just make sure that you still have enough travel in the spring to avoid coil bind. You'll need about 9" to allow for both the fork's travel and preload.

[Roy Gavin]

Major , I just said that if you measure them there isn't any progressiveness, and not much point telling me I am wrong unless you actually measure them and find different.

The bit I remember on the Ohlins site was I think in the FAQs - why doest Ohlins fit progressive springs?

The answer was that" the technology did not exist to make a spring which is progressive to any meaningful amount."

Easy to check - a variable wound spring only changes rate when some coils become coil bound and effectively shorten the spring.
And for some reason I cant explain there is a great reluctance of the springs to do that - it appears that all the gaps close by the same percentage but very few actually reach zero - less than 1/2 a coil on my Koni shocks over 90% of the travel.

35/30 mm sag are race settings , for use on smooth race tracks to stop attitude changes under brakes/ acceleration , or if you are lucky, on smooth , new, paving machine laid asphalt.

They are totally unsuitable for anything less, which makes them useless 98% of the time for most sport road riders, never mind old bumblers on their airheads or GSs, and I am surprised that someone like you has come up with such arrant nonsense.

[Major Softie]

Major , I just said that if you measure them there isn't any progressiveness, and not much point telling me I am wrong unless you actually measure them and find different.

I'm sorry, but I obviously was not clear. My fault. I was not referring to your statement about Progressive Suspension's springs in any way, and was not arguing about what happens when you compress them. I left that unaddressed. I was referring to your statement about Ohlins' position on straight wound vs. progressive wound springs:

Ohlins web site has a good write up on this - you will note that they fit straight wound springs on everything the sell.

And now:

The bit I remember on the Ohlins site was I think in the FAQs - why doest Ohlins fit progressive springs?

The answer was that" the technology did not exist to make a spring which is progressive to any meaningful amount."

The link I provided (http://www.moto-services.net/products.php?cat=54&pg=2) was one where you can buy a whole array of Ohlins brand progressive wound springs for their products (the second 1/2 of the page). Thus my question about why they would make these springs for their shocks if they think they are useless and do not use these springs on their shocks. The implication is that Ohlins does, in fact, recognize some value in progressive wound springs.

35/30 mm sag are race settings , for use on smooth race tracks to stop attitude changes under brakes/ acceleration , or if you are lucky, on smooth , new, paving machine laid asphalt.

They are totally unsuitable for anything less, which makes them useless 98% of the time for most sport road riders, never mind old bumblers on their airheads or GSs, and I am surprised that someone like you has come up with such arrant nonsense.

Once again, my apologies. I must not have been clear. The "nonsense" I came up with was not mine. It was the numbers published by Sport Rider Magazine(http://www.sportrider.com/tech/146_0006 ... index.html), Motorcyclist Magazine and Race Tech Suspension's Paul Thede (http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/howto ... index.html), all for street bikes. Their numbers for race bikes are lower: 25mm-30mm on forks. You said:

It seems that suspension works best with some pre compression on the spring - Ohlins suggest 18mm + - 2mm , and at the stock 18mm setting the shock they supplied for my GS gave 44/45 mm sag.
It is generally accepted that the front sag should be around 10% more than the rear, and following this gives you around 50 mm sag at the front.
This setting works well on most road bikes, irrespective of the amount of total fork travel available to you, and is OK for reasonable tracks too.

I said this was more than I'd seen recommended by anyone for "most road bikes." That is not nonsense, that is fact, as shown by my links. If anyone is providing arrant nonsense, it is either all the sources I have listed, or yourself. I have provided my sources to you. You have only told us that it is not true, without a source for your numbers other than yourself. This does not mean you cannot be correct about it working, especially for a long travel GS, only that I was completely accurate when I said that it was much more than I had ever heard recommended for "most road bikes."

I have also never seen or spoken with any suspension tuner, dirt, street, or track who recommended any specific sag setting "irrespective of the amount of total fork travel." With Sport, SuperSport, Cruiser, and Adventure bikes out there, there is a very wide range of travel. Your numbers would use up most of the travel of many Cruisers. Since Cruisers currently are (sadly) "most road bikes," that makes the statement even harder to justify.

[beemersanducs]

OK just an update, installation was not to hard, I did use my Progressive springs with no preload spacer and 7.5 weight oil at 130mm, I found that with the springs in they were about 20-25 mm above top clamp. THEN as I was replacing the front wheel I noticed cracks between the holes on the right side rotor! SO now I'm waiting for a new set from EBC to arrive WOW where does this obsession end? I will give another update on the ride after the rotors are on.

[RichDesmond]

...I found that with the springs in they were about 20-25 mm above top clamp...

Wow, by modern standards that's a LOT of preload.

[Chuey]

...I found that with the springs in they were about 20-25 mm above top clamp...

Wow, by modern standards that's a LOT of preload.

What means this word: "modern"?

Chuey

[Major Softie]

What means this word: "modern"?

Chuey

Post Bronze Age. You probably missed the transition.

[chasbmw]

I will be dealing with my own emulator set up over the next week. I intend to cut down the stock HD BMW springs so that when fitted with the fork nuts on, there will be around 18/20 mm of preload. I will then fill with some 10w fully synthetic fork oil to give me an air gap with forks fully extended of around 150mm. Then it will be time to test and see.

My current set up is with 15woil. Unreduced BMW springs and although it was bearable fully loaded on my trip, it is dangerously stiff unladen, I realized yesterday hitting a set of ripples leaned over that it would be all too easy to lose the front of the bike so stiff it is!