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Need Help Help me find a suspension solution for a more comfortable/plushier ride on my 2021

Thomasttom

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Hi to all,

New member here, owner of a 2021 NC750X DCT purchased a few months ago.

I must say that I LOVE (almost) everything about the bike (power, fun, DCT, look, practicality, riding position,...) except the suspension.

I tried a 2020 model before buying mine, and I preferred the 2021, manly because of the for extra power and ride modes. But after riding the 2021 for a few months, and riding a friend's 2020 NC750X back to back with mine on the exact same roads, I find the 2020 suspension way more comfortable (more plush) and my 2021 suspension too harsh for my taste, even after adjusting the rear shock to it's "softer" position. The roads in my area are very bumpy, and if I try to keep a good pace on them, my 2021 suspension gives a hard time to my back and neck, so I'm looking first for a more comfortable and plushier ride. That said, I would not swap my 2021 for a 2020 model, mainly because of the difference in power/fun factor between the two.

I've been searching for hours for a way to upgrade my suspension, but most of the time, the suspension upgrades are for a more sportier ride, and not for added comfort. And very few of them seem to have been done on 2021-up NC's. On top of that, the suspension upgrade world seem to be very complicated, and I'm far to be very knowledgable in that area.

So my question is : is there any suspension upgrade that would provide me with a plushier, more comfortable ride on my 2021 (a comfort comparable to the 2020 suspension would be fine for me)?

The best info I got so far is from a guy named Chris Moss, who upgraded his 2021 suspension to an Hyperpro kit (front springs and rear shock). He says it transformed is bike, but it's still not 100% clear to me if the result he got when he talks about a more comfortable ride was a plushier ride, or just better handling when riding fast...


Thanks for your help.
 
When You suggest that You adjusted Your shock to the "softer" position I suspect that You mean that You backed off the spring preload to its minimum. If so, then You are actually making things worse. The reason for this is that the spring in such a position is not returning the shock back fully from its compressed stroke and as such it is still squatting as it hits the next bump. I found this out thru experimentation initially with my former 2006 KTM 950SM and have gone the opposite direction ever since when I feel the shock starting to feel hard over bumps.

There is not a lot You can do with the stock shock tbh. However instead of reducing spring preload You could try putting it up to at least 75% preload or if You are of the heavier persuasion, to its max preload. This will help, but will not solve the problem because Honda factor in too much damping (both compression and rebound) to their OEM shocks on the cheaper range. I suspect they do this for longevity purposes.

The 2020 model may well have a softer ride as standard than Your 2021, but perhaps also there is considerable mileage on the 2020 bike which will have worn the shock some, thereby relieving it of some of its damping from where it was as new. Accordingly it will feel plusher than Your bike.

The best solution for You may be to replace the shock with a reasonably priced alternative with some damping adjustment as well as spring preload. My go to would be YSS. I have used their reasonably priced products on my CRF's with good results and longevity. Others on here will also recommend other brands of course.
 
As said by Griff the problem is the suspension on previous NCs has been under sprung and over damped. The front fork is very harsh when asked to absorb a large bump quickly and the rear shock rides so low in its range of travel it bottoms out easily. The shock feels harsh because it hits the limit of it's travel with very little travel and the fork feels harsh because it can't move oil through it's damping components fast enough when quickly compressed.

I wouldn't linger too long on the 'sport tuning' vs 'plush ride' question. It's possible to have both when the fork and shock action are modified to reduce high speed compression damping and sag allows the components to operate the full range of suspension travel.

Different markets may have gotten different suspension components so it would be handy to know where "Canasa" is located. It might be a contraction of Canada and USA?
 
Different markets may have gotten different suspension components so it would be handy to know where "Canasa" is located. It might be a contraction of Canada and USA?

LOL... yes, kind of true... I live close to the Canada-USA border, so I'm in the North American market.

To reply to Griff:
1- YSS has a rear shock for the 2021, but does not seem to have the front springs...
2- The 2020 NC I rode was almost new, only 2000 miles
3- I'm gonna try to increase the spring preload and see. Like you said, it may help a bit, but not make the difference I'm looking for...

Thanks Guys.
 
I had a Hyperpro shock on Wiley for a while. It _felt_ distinctly stiffer than stock when riding on ‘normal’ paved roads. I did ask for smooth, not sporty, but I also asked for it to be aimed at 2-up riding a decent portion of the time. I sold the shock before too terribly long because it wasn’t what I was after. Most people who try them love them.

The suspension on Woodstock, my former VF750 Magna, was plush and lovely, probably just as you’d like. It achieved that by being undersprung and underdamped (or at least very not-over-damped).

You might have trouble convincing suspension providers to give you what you want. IME they have a strong tendency to plug weight figures and maybe one or two other parameters into a formula they use, and it yields the kind of suspension feel they target. So, talk to a lot of them.

I agree with Griff’s assessment and suggestion.

A question and thought: Didn’t Honda reduce suspension travel on the ‘21? That alone will make it more difficult to have equal plushness without bottoming.

If you can get a foot of suspension travel like on a good motocrosser, you can have it as plush as can be!
(-:
 
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A question and thought: Didn’t Honda reduce suspension travel on the ‘21? That alone will make it more difficult to have equal plushness without bottoming.

If you can get a foot of suspension travel like on a good motocrosser, you can have it as plush as can be!
(-:

Yes, that is exactly the challenge... and it is so pure logic, that there is maybe to real/effective solution to this. That said, there is a way to improve the suspension that's for sure, but the plushness is something else. I'm in contact with both Cogent Dynamics and Hyperpro about their options. I'll post their answer to this as soon as I get it.
 
Todd at Cogent Dynamics was a major help in fixing the stock suspension on my '20 NC750X. I put the Drop-in-Dampers in the forks and then Todd helped me select a spring rate on their NC700-750 shock that worked with my weight, typical cargo and riding style. I ended up buying an even lighter spring (installed by a local motocross suspension shop) and backing off the damping adjustment and the result has been amazing. PA recessed manhole covers are still a PITA but for the most part, the bike' suspension handles the road WAY better than the OEM shock. Hope that gives you some more direction.
 
Thanks Eric Steele for sharing your experience with Cogent Dynamics. I spoke with Todd. Very nice guy. He didn't know that the travel of the 2021-2022 has changed. They are willing to work on a front and rear suspension prototype for the 2021-up, but they asked me (and another guy that was interested too) if we could send them our components for 2-3 weeks, in exchange for a discount. I'm not a mechanic, so I was not very keen to pay my local bike shop twice for the job... and to leave my bike in the shop without suspensions for 3 weeks. I guess that if they put their hands on 2021-up suspension components, they will proceed, but that doesn't seem to be a short term solution. I'm still waiting for the tech guy from Hyperpro to contact me about what kind of adjustment they can do on the comfy side. To be followed...
 
When You suggest that You adjusted Your shock to the "softer" position I suspect that You mean that You backed off the spring preload to its minimum. If so, then You are actually making things worse. The reason for this is that the spring in such a position is not returning the shock back fully from its compressed stroke and as such it is still squatting as it hits the next bump.

There is not a lot You can do with the stock shock tbh. However instead of reducing spring preload You could try putting it up to at least 75% preload or if You are of the heavier persuasion, to its max preload. This will help, but will not solve the problem because Honda factor in too much damping (both compression and rebound) to their OEM shocks on the cheaper range. I suspect they do this for longevity purposes.

You are absolutely right, and thanks for the suggestion. The "problem" is not solved and I'm still waiting for the Hyperpro answer, but I've put the rear shock spring preload on position 4 (7 is the "hardest" and 1 the "softest") and it makes a very noticeable difference. Surely, a lot of the discomfort was coming from bottoming the rear suspension. I didn't have the tool to do it, so I've stopped at the bike shop 10 min from my home, and we've kind of figured out that position #4 would suit my 200lbs weight with my gear on. I'll try that for a few days, and maybe try also position 5 (or even 6) to see how it goes. Thanks again Griff (followed by MZ5) for your suggestion.
 
Thomasttom: I neglected to remember:) that the 2021-2022 had changed suspension travel so further research is needed. Hopefully Cogent can acquire a bike or shock from those years and develop a good setup for those years. For me, the transformation from stock was incredible. I did a 150 miles today and while some of our crap roads will challenge any suspension, I was truly amazed at how well the Cogent products smoothed out my trip. Continued good luck with the search. The NC750X is a great frame and engine surrounded by budget components, but a few tweaks will make your bike a keeper.
 
what is the part # and price ( of the YSS shock). I am shopping for a more comfy ride also. I recently changed out my rear spring on my CRF250L and it made the bike so much better.
thanks
 
I am far from being a mechanic and my 2020 is my first bike. The NC is not that intimidating to work on and their is plenty of Aussie/British NC lovers that have videos on how to work on them. I used them to lower my bike, install the rear shock, adjust the risers so I had proper counter-steering without manhandling the bars.

I bought my rear Hyperpro shock from EPM and was able to install it from the video below. The only thing of note was the left side upper shock allen bolt needs a pivot head to get to it. And you are really only holding that bolt steady, all the removal or tightening is done on the rear brake side. All this is shown in the video.
 
EPM Performance, mentioned above, can custom build most hyperpro models to your specifications. They’ll walk you through the design elements. Super nice group of associates in that company.
 
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