Need opinions on front springs

[agp]

I've searched and read previous threads and I am still unsure whether to get progressive or single rate front springs. I also don't want to do the R6 fork mod.

I'm 6' 1" and weigh 255 lbs right now. I used to weigh 215-220 lbs but I quit smoking and the weight gain happened. I've been steadily coming down in weight (was at 270 lbs). I don't know what weight I'll end up staying constant at, but I would like some new springs this year.

I am not sure if I should get the hyperpro or racetech springs. I've been leaning towards the hyperpro because they're not rated for any weight range.

I worry if I get racetechs and I don't get down to the weight they're rated for. Would racetech springs rated 20 lbs less than my weight still perform significantly better than the stock springs?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Hellgate]

If you are over about 165 lbs, any spring is better than the OEM one. If you bought RTs for the 220 weight you'd be much happier than the stock spring at your present weight. Just a thought.

 

[RJ2112]

Even if you bought 'street' springs for 240#, you'd be way better off than you are currently.... If you get lighter than the 'ideal' for that spring, you'd just have a firmer suspension than most street bikes... approaching what would be considered correct for racing.

Do both the front and back. In a perfect world, you would end up with the correct amount of 'sag'....... but it's certainly going to be better than the OEM conditions no matter what.

 

[Hellgate]

^^^ Good point, the rear spring slipped my mind, not enough coffee?. With front and rear springs matched the bike would be nicely balanced. I think I'd go on the lighter side in anticipation of more weight loss; positive thinking right?

The good thing is the front and rear springs are inexpensive ~ $100.00 for each end, and as I've said a million times, the best overall mod value for the FZ6.

 

[Drinky]

I'm getting my hyperpro's installed next month by the hyperpro guys themselves, they even fully adjust it to my weight and preferences :rockon:

 

[Spideyrex]

I am leaning toward getting the Hyperpros as well. I like their all around nature (so I've heard) and since I plan to install them myself, they seem much more straight forward to install than the RaceTechs (no cutting spacers, just drop in and replace the oil).

 

[Dennis in NH]

My Hyper Pros should be arriving "any day now". I've waited (I think at least 2 weeks now and maybe 3). I'm also getting a steer head front paddock stand so I can sweetly do the job myself .

Supposedly (according to the website), the Hyper Pros will adjust themselves to your load. I think it just means that they're progressive and get stiffer as you increase in load (e.g., from two up, hard braking, etc.).

I'm not sure what the new springs will do to the sag. I'm contemplating taking some PVC pipe and making new spacers for sag closer to 30-35mm (where lots of folks think it should be) and may an extra set of spacers for more sag for more touring.

I also lowered my front forks through the triple by 10mm; this made the bike funner for cornering. I did notice recently that the front sag was near 45mm with rear sag at about 25mm (with my preload set to 5). I'm ~185lb with gear and my measurements may or may not be totally accurate. Anyway, I figure lowering forks through the front moved my weight forward. I tried preload of 4 and 3 to make the front/rear sag more even but I tell you I think preload of 5 at my weight makes the bike more fun for corners.

We'll see how it goes with the Hyper Pros -- when they arrive -- I really don't like mail order because I lack patience.

Dennis

 

[RJ2112]

There's a calculator tool on one of the after market suspension sites, that will allow you to get an idea of what value of spring would be right for your ideal weight..... it's a bit of a cr@p shoot in my view for a mfg to state that this or that is 'good' for a wide range of bikes. Rating a spring for a given value of passenger weight does not take enough factors into account. Riding style, road surfaces, race/street, any other suspension mods to the valving etc..... all play a part in how well the final setup works.

The install itself is very straight forward. The biggest issue with the OEM fork is flushing the OEM fork oil and splooge out of the legs. No drain plugs at the bottom, so you have to flip the fork legs to get the stuff out. That's not really good enough to remove the graphite like sludge. Even with pouring out the old stuff, putting some fresh oil in the legs and cycling them 30 or 40 times, I still had a bunch of that schlock in there when I had the shop rebuild the fork.

Their solvent tank and physically scrubbing all of the internals was the only way to really get them cleaned up.

 

[SANGER_A2]

I've searched and read previous threads and I am still unsure whether to get progressive or single rate front springs. I also don't want to do the R6 fork mod.

I'm 6' 1" and weigh 255 lbs right now. I used to weigh 215-220 lbs but I quit smoking and the weight gain happened. I've been steadily coming down in weight (was at 270 lbs). I don't know what weight I'll end up staying constant at, but I would like some new springs this year.

I am not sure if I should get the hyperpro or racetech springs. I've been leaning towards the hyperpro because they're not rated for any weight range.

I worry if I get racetechs and I don't get down to the weight they're rated for. Would racetech springs rated 20 lbs less than my weight still perform significantly better than the stock springs?

Thanks in advance for the help.

The HyperPro springs are good. I'm pretty light and I have the lowering ones. They are definitely stiffer than stock as I had to have the rear shock on a lower adjustment to get the same damping etc. Just changing to 15w oil on the front springs will make a surprising difference. Putting more oil in than the stock level will also mean you get more dampening than the stock springs for heavier weight than the bike is designed for. Just an idea you want to try. It will cost you a few quid for the fork oil and a few hours work. Changing the fork oil is easy as long as you have a centre stand and a weight on the back of the bike to keep the front off the ground.

 

[Dennis in NH]

The HyperPro springs are good. I'm pretty light and I have the lowering ones. They are definitely stiffer than stock as I had to have the rear shock on a lower adjustment to get the same damping etc. Just changing to 15w oil on the front springs will make a surprising difference. Putting more oil in than the stock level will also mean you get more dampening than the stock springs for heavier weight than the bike is designed for. Just an idea you want to try. It will cost you a few quid for the fork oil and a few hours work. Changing the fork oil is easy as long as you have a centre stand and a weight on the back of the bike to keep the front off the ground.

And it is your instructions I will be using to install mine :thumbup: -- thanks . I don't have a center stand but am getting a front steering head paddock stand soon.

I was thinking of trying out just the Hyper Pro springs with stock fork oil (seems easy as maybe I don't even need to remove the forks). Then when I'm in mood for more front end stiffness and getting my hands dirty, I can swap the fork oil. I will get the dealer to put the rear spring on but I will try just the front forks first.

Dennis

 

[Hellgate]

Dennis - I'd suggest a heavier oil to help the damping. Off the top of my head the stock oil is 5wt. Race Tech suggests 15wt. I weigh 175 and found 15wt a little too stiff. I think 10wt would be about perfect. The cool thing is you can mix the oil to get whatever weight you want. You could to 50% 5wt, 50% 10wt and end up with a 7.5wt. The good thing is its inexpensive and just takes a little bit of time to change out. Play with it an see what you like.

 

[agp]

Thanks for all the replys. Good to know that the racetechs are a viable option. I also should of said in my original post that I already planned on getting a hyperpro rear shock spring, thanks to those that suggested it.

 

[SANGER_A2]

Dennis - I'd suggest a heavier oil to help the damping. Off the top of my head the stock oil is 5wt. Race Tech suggests 15wt. I weigh 175 and found 15wt a little too stiff. I think 10wt would be about perfect. The cool thing is you can mix the oil to get whatever weight you want. You could to 50% 5wt, 50% 10wt and end up with a 7.5wt. The good thing is its inexpensive and just takes a little bit of time to change out. Play with it an see what you like.

Wow! I didn't realise the stock oil is so light! I assumed it was 10wt and that 15wt was a small upgrade.

I would recommend changing the fork oil for at least 10wt as well. Hyperpro recommend 15wt oil and I try to follow the experts advice where I can. If you buy the fork/spring kit (which is a massive saving in cost from most places) you also get a bottle of whatever oil is recommended for the forks also. Also, it's not much more work to change the oil also and you will be amazed at how much crap is inside it and the horrible colour it has changed to. Mine was only a year old and I'm really glad I changed it over to the new stuff!

The strange thing is that their fork springs for the FZ1 are exactly the same, but they say to use 10wt oil instead. Weird.