hi all , have just fitted my new suspension, YSS fully adjustable rear shocks YSS fork springs and emulators and speed merchant preload adjusters plus XR 1200 front caliper and HEL brake line . first impressions of suspention is very good, nice and smooth no more feeling like a jack hammer , such an awesome improvement over stock set up, still got fine tuning to do so should end up impoving even further , also fitted XR1200 caliper and HEL brake line, by far one one of the best mods so far not just on braking power but feel as well true 2 finger braking .

Nice..... How many k's now til service & dyno?

Slap.

Service booked go 14 th aug , should be going on dyno at same time

Howdy, just a quick question, did you need the preload adjusters when you put the emulators in the fork?

I know a little bit about how the emulators are supposed to act like cartridge dampers, but haven't come accross the preload items.  They seem to be a good idea.

Why did you go for these brands in particular?

I ask because I thought the front forks were ok when I purchased the bike but after having ridden it a short while the front is way too soft for my liking and bottoms out too easily, plus it reaches full travel too early going over choppy bitumen surfaces.  I'd like to improve the front end before doing the rear. I weigh around 85-90kg...

Cheers

IE 

Eddie, you dont need the preload adjusters, but they are a good thing to have, as finding the correct preload on the front springs is very important on these "low" short stroke front ends, being about to change the preload without taking off the end cap is a big bonus and time saver, as trying to change preload spacers every week or so is a mission, i had to do mine 9 times to find the correct setting. Brand isnt important as long as the springs are made for your weight and riding style.

i did do some reading on the ricor intiminators which are much the same as the emulators but have seem to be getting better reviews.

There is also the oldman conversion which involves putting in dyna front fork sliders which will give you much more stroke...

Regards T1

As t1 said you don't need the preload adjusters but the are so handy and preload adjustment is a breeze . I went with yss because I have the emulators fitted to a trick gs 1000 and the worked well for my riding style

Cheers for replies T1 and Animall, 

Yes, I like the concept behind having the adjusters external of the tubes.  This would be a lot quicker and more adjustable if you had a happy medium for most of the time but occasionally found yourself of some crappy roads.  

Would the Speed Merchant units hold much water in their top caps; they seem to have some form of internal dish to them, when looking from above.  Are they aluminium or steel?  I checked out their website but it didn't provide much info. They seem to adjust by screwing the central part, does this force the spring in the fork tube to compress?  In other words how do these units function.

Cheers for your reply.

IE.

They are made from billet aloy and yes the centre screws in pushing on a thin spacer supplied , can't comment on how effective they are because am having major probs with YSS at the moment , the springs they sent me are shit way to hard when I rang him to talk about it all he said was cut the spring down WTF !????? He is a dick ! Plus the rear shocks were to soft so am waiting for replacement springs to arrive , don't know if I'm even goining to use them yet , have lost all confidence in YSS , do not use them stay well clear ! Now got to completely re think my plans as now got no cash left , not impressed !

if you have trouble resolving things, sell it off and get Ikons mate, their service is tops and next day shipping in most cases.

T1

Yeah . I'll see what the shocks ride like when the heavier springs arrive , I've put the stock springs back in for now but left the emulators in . Can't take them out because damper rods are drilled now , mine you they don't seem to make any difference any ways . another waste of money ?

animall, with your springs in and wheel off the ground where do the springs sit (with caps off) ? do they stick out or are they below? if they are below how far down are they? (measure it) and what is the length of the spacer?

I'll help you work through getting the settings right.... as i had issues to start with but it just too 9 times to get it all set right for my weight. (was too stiff for me to start with)


T1

T1 , springs stik out top of forks about 2", When altogether have 15 mm sag with rider . Almost no suspension moovment at all . When I rang him he just said cut the tight progressive part of the spring until you get enough sag , now Ive always been told never cut a spring .

is that without spacers?

Yes no spacers , and he reckons they are the right springs and he's never had a problem before

Yes no spacers , and he reckons they are the right springs and he's never had a problem before

Given how much is sticking out the top, are you sure these springs are for a factory lowered bike such as the iron,48 and low, these might be for the custom which has longer travel than our bikes????
From here i can see only 2 options,
1- return the springs for correct length.
2- cut them as they have said.

Which ever way you go please keep us (this thread) updated as it may benefit others.

Regards - T1

He is adamant that these springs are for an iron , and refuses to do any thing about it so against my better judgment I cut them just to see what happens ( nothing to loose at this point ) and supprise still shit, too hard still not enough sag so I rang him back after 20 mins of heated discussion he just told me to keep cutting the spring untill the correct sag is found so I cut them again 1 3/4 now and well you know the answer already like two broom sticks after a scarey ride was kicking back over ripples and on the brakes if you hit a bump would almost through you off . I put cable ties on fork sliders so I could measure the amount of travel and with hard braking only 40mm max . So here I am with a hole in my wallet and parts ready for the bin !

T1 , they are sitting just level with top of tubes now and are so hard it not funny , oil level is spot on the spring rate is just wrong simple as just got to convince the guy at YSS he is at fault , Eddie your not wrong , am contacting SA trading standards and writing a letter of complaint to YSS and see where we go from there , he ( YSS ) is trying to say I installed them wrong , how do you install a set of springs wrong , I've been working on bikes for 30 years and installed numerours sets of springs not the sort of thing you can realy get wrong , watch this space !

i hope you got what they told you to do in writing!

T1

no !   I'm currently reserching spring free lenths  and rates from  progressive , race  tech and YSS in a bid to proove i have been supplied incorect , got to try something !