Suspension Questions

[misadventure]

Is the front suspension adjustable? If so, how?

If not, what would be a good replacement?

I tried to order a service manual from helminc.com - they said they would email me when they got one - that was months ago - does anyone know where I can get one?

Thanks in advance

 

[Agent]

I bought my service manual on ebay from a lady in Wisconsin.

 

[Deleted member 1183]

It is not adjustable as is. Other than that you are looking at suspension specialists to make whatever changes you need.

 

[L.B.S.]

Is the front suspension adjustable? If so, how?

If not, what would be a good replacement?

I tried to order a service manual from helminc.com - they said they would email me when they got one - that was months ago - does anyone know where I can get one?

Thanks in advance

? They appear to be in stock.

2012-2014 NC700X/XD Service Manual - Helm Incorporated



Fork adjustability- No. Unless you count being able to change the fluid type/brand/weight.

"Replacement" No, not really, without some fairly major mucking.

Simply Increasing the stock fork's abilities, is served by some companies with suitable products that I know of: Gold Valve Emulators, Ricor Intiminators, Hyperpro springs, and so on, to name a few.

You can modify the OEM preload spacer tubes yourself, and/or get some replacement fork preload caps from various vendors, and eBay.

HTH a bit

 

[misadventure]

thanks Agent. I will try ebay.

thanks Grump. does that mean i need to replace it or can it be adjusted by suspension specialists?

 

[MZ5]

The specialists have about 2 primary methods of 'adjusting' your forks:
Install cartridge emulators such as RaceTech's Gold Valve, or
Replace the forks entirely.

An individual can buy and install the Gold Valves themselves, or send the forks to Race Tech to do the work, or find a local shop to do the work. Once the Gold Valves are installed, there's some amount of adjustability available, but adjustment requires removing the cap, spring, and the Valves themselves to change tension on a small spring on the Valves.

Replacement forks will cost a LOT, but of course fully-adjustable cartridge forks can be had via this route.

 

[bamamate]

+1 on what MZ5 said.
I installed the Gold Valves myself. Running them on my initial setting before I go through pulling them out to change them.

 

[misadventure]

many thanks, MZ5 - the RaceTech Gold Valves sound like a good idea

 

[Spaceteach]

There are several threads in the mods section of this forum on various supension modifications. If you search the forum for fork or suspension or Race Tech or Ricor or emulators you should be able to find quite a bit of information on the different options.

 

[JDE]

I've got Race Tech Gold Valves and a new set of springs sitting in the garage awaiting time for me to install them.

 

[Deleted member 1183]

thanks Agent. I will try ebay.

thanks Grump. does that mean i need to replace it or can it be adjusted by suspension specialists?

Sometimes they can revavlve the existing damping parts depending on your weight and requirements. Here in Ireland we have an Ohlins specialist who is prepared to do such work. I have no doubt you could get similar work done where you are at. Obviously there will be aftermarket springs available also. I see that a fork oil change was suggested and of course you can do that yourself. Again it depends on what changes you are seeking to achieve.

 

[John Doo]

In Italy there is a cartridge insert available: http://www.andreanigroup.com/en-us/...oId=11243&modelloRepartoId=59209&reparto=moto

 

[dmerc]

I'm curious, what exactly is wrong with the stock set up. I only weigh 150 lbs with my gear on. Is the bikes suspension good enough for me? I want it to be on the soft side anyway. Won't be doing any fast cornering or hard offroad. Just nice easy riding. I have other bikes if I want to go fast.

 

[bamamate]

All depends on personal preference. Some are fine with the stock suspension. I felt the front is harsh on square bumps (quick sharp jolts) and didn’t handle corrugation very well. The NC uses the standard damping rod in the front which isn’t adjustable to user preferences and a damper rod basically has 1 setting that is supposed to cover all situations. It is a common but basic way to do front forks. Adding on something like the RaceTech Gold Valves, you modify the damper rod to basically bypass it and turn over compression control to the Gold Valve which has a way to handle the quick sharp bumps (open up 2-4 holes in it) and then a separate adjustable valve (spring tension on the valve) for larger suspension compression. With the Gold Valves rebound is still controlled by the damping rod and is variable by the viscosity of the fork oil used. You can then go further with purchasing different springs.

Also stock the NC doesn’t have adjustable preload. Ideally there is a certain amount you want the bike to squat on the suspension. The amount of squat you get depends on the weight the bike is carrying. A heavier rider will need more preload to keep the suspension from squatting too much. Someone makes a replacement fork cap that allows for preload adjustment.

 

[dmerc]

Are you happy with the gold valves? How much are they? I put some intiminators in a SV650 I had and they made a nice improvement as I recall.

 

[bamamate]

I’ve only had them in a week. Initial impression is yes I like them. I went with 3 holes for the quick sharp bumps and used the lighter valve spring with about 4 turns. The suspension movements feel more controlled. Square edges are definitely better. I plan on riding like I have it for a while before I make adjustments. Right now I’m thinking I will add the 4th hole and back off the valve spring preload a couple of turns to soften it up a little. I feel like it has less dive under braking but I also added 1 inch fork extenders and removed the slope mod on the seat at the same time which both of those could affect how I’m perceiving dive. I purchased them from powersportsparts.net model FEGV S4101 $125. There are a couple of threads in the mod section on the Gold Valves from those that pioneered the mod.

I beleive LBS went with the intiminators. Should be a thread in the mod section.

 

[L.B.S.]

Note: L.B.S. is way lazier than bamamate.

I do really like the Intiminators. They appear to work awesome, or at least fool me into believing they do. Quite possibly the Racetech items are truly superior, I can't say.

The only reason I chose them over the Emulators, was because I didn't want to have to drill out the damper rods. Which in hindsight, since I was able to do the work in a friend's garage after all, and not out in the side yard in the rain, didn't make any significant difference.

More people have gone with the Gold Valves I think, and most seem to have favourable impressions. In all honesty I would recommend stacking the odds on your side, and going with a known thing. Hard to lose that way.

 

[Spaceteach]

I went the with the Race Tech Gold Valves and springs, but I don't know if they are any better or worse than the other brands. The reason I chose Race Tech was because I didn't have a clue about how to set up suspension mods, and Race Tech provides technical support. I called them up, told them my weight and riding style, and used their recommendation on the best spring rates, emulator adjustments, and fork oil weight.

I've been pleased with the end result. The forks are now better at absorbing sharp bumps and I get less fork dive under braking.

Bob