G'day all,
Thought i'd put a quick post here regarding the Ricor inserts. They changed the bike immediately. I took a slightly different approach as I had no 5wt oil. After reading the workshop manual listing various things like height and volume for oil replacement, I figured that as I have a new bike the oil shouldn't be contaminated or breaking down, so decided not to drain/replace it.
I read the Ricor instructions a few times then thought I may as well try and sit the the adjusters directly in place without removing the oil. So after taking the top caps, spacer and spring out, I inserted the Ricor into one leg, refitted all the parts then measured the top height difference protruding from one fork leg. I did this to compare with the other untouched one to see if the increased height represented the extra length of the Ricor in the fork leg. It seemed to be so I continued to install the other one on the opposite side. In other words I wanted to make sure the Ricor wasn't sitting on the oil (floating on the oil) and not the damper rod. I figured this approach should work as it's not unlike the intended action of the unit, i.e. let oil flow upwards when the wheel is lifting (or the fork compressing over terrain).
I screwed the top caps back on and went for a ride. Sweet!!!!
The HD workshop manual states using Type E, doesn't specify a grade. I checked Google and a few sites stated Type E is 10w, but then a few list it as 5w, some confusion there. I have an old bottle from my mountain bike that lists 5w as Harley Davidson Type B. From what was left (not enough to replace in the Iron fork legs) I could tell it was thinner than that in the Iron fork legs. BTW, the HD stuff in the forks was red in colour.
So my impression is that the bike rides a lot better, doesn't wallow especially during on/off throttle situations, handles better through corners and generally feels like an improvement to the suspension. The bike doesn't rebound fast enough over undulations like cat's eyes (blue markers on the road) at speed (80-100km/h) but it's not enough to upset the bike handling or throw it off line. I put this down to the fact i'm probably running thicker than 5wt and I have not cut the spacer tube to compensate for the extra length of the Ricor insert. In a way it's kind of like a preload (15mm from memory) leaving the tube uncut, but isn't adjustable. So i'll try the preload adjusters I've ordered from the Speed Merchant site (when they arrive, ordered the same time as the Ricor units) and change the fork oil weight to the reccommended 5wt. I'll leave springs as they are for now as I read on the review Sporty Trace did that she had heard from others the springs didn't need to be repalced. But I guess it depends how long the springs hold up before going saggy. In the future i'll look into possibly a firmer spring rate rather than increase the preload if they start to make the bike sag.
Haven't got a bike stand, I used to use a milk crate for the dirt bikes but the Iron is too low and too friggin' heavy to lift so I used the roof bearer and ratchet tie town. Worked ok. HAve found Repco are doing a deal on bike lifts so I might have to get one....
After reading Sporty Traces' idea to use a clamp to prevent the guts flying all over the garage I did the same, worked a treat, although I had some longer ones which went from the bottom of the fork leg to the top. I used gaffer tape on the chrome part of the top cap to prevent scratching when turning as I only had a 1 3/8" spanner not a socket. I used a smaller socket as a spacer between the clamp and the top cap.
Big thanks to T1, Animall and Sporty Trace for putting up comments/ideas and tips for the fork upgrade.
Now to work on the rear suspension.....looking into the Progressive units....
Cheers
IE
Glad your suspension is getting better mate, i'm surprised you didnt order oil from ricor as well, i got 2 bottles one as a spare. I think once you set the correct preload and get the right oil as it was my understanding that the hd one is 10w and to the touch i'd say it is thicker. With my setup i get no bottoming out and the cats eyes are hardly even noticed at 80-100k's. And i thought i took the long way to getting my suspension right.....lol
The best advise i can give is make one change at a time and exhaust all of its adjustments before adding anything else into the mix. Record your results! Otherwise you will get lost in all your settings and trying to figure out what is causing the problem. T1
Cheers T1, yep one step at a time. I learnt that from MTB riding. I didn't order any oil from Ricor as I thought i'd be paying a premium for freight on a product I can get here in Oz...but it's a good thought, I might check back on their website and see what price the oil is just out of curiosity.
I feel for Animall, having been screwed around but sounds like he is getting there in the end. I don't think my suspension efforts would have been as good if I hadn't read some of the posts on here and gathered people's opinions/experiences.
animall, i havnt fitted them to mine as im happy where my front end is at the moment. Sounds like you have something very weird going on in there mate, Its hard to go from here as you made too many changes all at one from the start, and with the mods you have done to the damper rod who knows what effect you made...... When it all turns to shit and your lost, start over go back to stock which is something you are familiar with then take baby steps from there. You need to work out what every part/change will do/not do for you before adding anything else into the mix. T1
