Ricor Intiminator fork mod

[mcteague]

Anyone use one of these? It appears to be a more sophisticated version of a cartridge emulator. This one claims to tell the difference between movement of the wheel and that of the chassis. Although a little more expensive than the RaceTech gizmo they say most users can stick with the stock springs and you don't have to drill holes in the damper.

http://store.ricorshocks.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=043-20-1001DL650

The DL650 part fits the FZ6.

Tim

 

[FuriousGeorge]

Subscribing. I've tried searching to see if anyone has ever used them in a FZ6 but haven't found anything. The reviews I've read from other bikes have been very positive.

 

[tuningfork]

I see that only as a brake dive controller or as away to provide fimer overall chassis feel while keeping soft springs (ie dualsports).

Without drilling out the damper rod, you are still stuck with the OEM compression curves. By drilling and doing emulators, the emulator now controls the compression curve. It is the crappy nonlinear curve that is the main goal of going to emulators in the first place.

FOX uses a similar type inertia device (ie a heavy weight on the valve stack)in some of their MTB forks, as a way to create a "stable platform".

 

[mcteague]

I see that only as a brake dive controller or as away to provide fimer overall chassis feel while keeping soft springs (ie dualsports).

Without drilling out the damper rod, you are still stuck with the OEM compression curves. By drilling and doing emulators, the emulator now controls the compression curve. It is the crappy nonlinear curve that is the main goal of going to emulators in the first place.

FOX uses a similar type inertia device (ie a heavy weight on the valve stack)in some of their MTB forks, as a way to create a "stable platform".

Thanks, this is just the type of feedback I was hoping to get. Maybe the RaceTech device is more popular for a reason.

Tim

 

[FZ6Hot]

I posted this on another FZ6 web site after having the intiminators installed

Incredible improvement in front shock handling. Smooth, absolutely no dive under heavy braking. I did get heavier fork springs installed at the same time. The bike always felt planted when leaned over at 160kph (100 mph) but now there is a smooth transition to full lean, no more "falling in" to the turn with the michelin pilot power 2 ct's. Also do not feel the need to hang off the bike so much in turns,
The folks at RMR Suspensions did the install. They do all the race bikes in this part of the world as well as a lot of street bikes.

The Rico folks posted this response to a negative comment to my post


Quote:
Originally Posted by mcteague View Post
Looks like a RaceTech Cartridge Emulator for about 3x the price.

Tim
Actually the two products are very different.

The emulator uses a bleed hole then a coil spring blow off for damping. Although it can be tuned to work well it does not know if the wheel is moving or the chassis is moving.

The INTIMINATOR uses shims, the same type of valving you would find in a cartridge, then an inertia valve. By using the inertia valve the INTIMINATOR can sense if the wheel is moving or if the tire is moving. This allows for two different responses depending if the tire is moving or the chassis is moving. Because of this we can give you a more stable chassis and increased bump compliance at the same time. The INTIMINATOR is the only product on the market that can tell if the tire is trying to move or the chassis is trying to move.

Last I checked emulators went for about $159 and INTIMINATORS go for $298. One thing to take into consideration in the price difference besides the technology is that you don't have to take the entire fork apart to drill out the damper rods and most riders do not need springs.

Brian

 

[mcteague]

I posted this on another FZ6 web site after having the intiminators installed

Incredible improvement in front shock handling. Smooth, absolutely no dive under heavy braking. I did get heavier fork springs installed at the same time. The bike always felt planted when leaned over at 160kph (100 mph) but now there is a smooth transition to full lean, no more "falling in" to the turn with the michelin pilot power 2 ct's. Also do not feel the need to hang off the bike so much in turns,
The folks at RMR Suspensions did the install. They do all the race bikes in this part of the world as well as a lot of street bikes.

The Rico folks posted this response to a negative comment to my post


Quote:
Originally Posted by mcteague View Post
Looks like a RaceTech Cartridge Emulator for about 3x the price.

Tim
Actually the two products are very different.

The emulator uses a bleed hole then a coil spring blow off for damping. Although it can be tuned to work well it does not know if the wheel is moving or the chassis is moving.

The INTIMINATOR uses shims, the same type of valving you would find in a cartridge, then an inertia valve. By using the inertia valve the INTIMINATOR can sense if the wheel is moving or if the tire is moving. This allows for two different responses depending if the tire is moving or the chassis is moving. Because of this we can give you a more stable chassis and increased bump compliance at the same time. The INTIMINATOR is the only product on the market that can tell if the tire is trying to move or the chassis is trying to move.

Last I checked emulators went for about $159 and INTIMINATORS go for $298. One thing to take into consideration in the price difference besides the technology is that you don't have to take the entire fork apart to drill out the damper rods and most riders do not need springs.

Brian

That was a response to my question about how the Ricor looked like a more expensive cartridge emulator. Not what I would call a "negative comment".

Tim

 

[FZ6Hot]

Hey Tim, did not mean to insult you. You had nice things to say in your follow up posts.

 

[tuningfork]

I posted this on another FZ6 web site after having the intiminators installed

Incredible improvement in front shock handling. Smooth, absolutely no dive under heavy braking. I did get heavier fork springs installed at the same time. The bike always felt planted when leaned over at 160kph (100 mph) but now there is a smooth transition to full lean, no more "falling in" to the turn with the michelin pilot power 2 ct's. Also do not feel the need to hang off the bike so much in turns,
The folks at RMR Suspensions did the install. They do all the race bikes in this part of the world as well as a lot of street bikes.

The Rico folks posted this response to a negative comment to my post


Quote:
Originally Posted by mcteague View Post
Looks like a RaceTech Cartridge Emulator for about 3x the price.

Tim
Actually the two products are very different.

The emulator uses a bleed hole then a coil spring blow off for damping. Although it can be tuned to work well it does not know if the wheel is moving or the chassis is moving.

The INTIMINATOR uses shims, the same type of valving you would find in a cartridge, then an inertia valve. By using the inertia valve the INTIMINATOR can sense if the wheel is moving or if the tire is moving. This allows for two different responses depending if the tire is moving or the chassis is moving. Because of this we can give you a more stable chassis and increased bump compliance at the same time. The INTIMINATOR is the only product on the market that can tell if the tire is trying to move or the chassis is trying to move.

Last I checked emulators went for about $159 and INTIMINATORS go for $298. One thing to take into consideration in the price difference besides the technology is that you don't have to take the entire fork apart to drill out the damper rods and most riders do not need springs.

Brian

saw this at: Spears Enterprises

"The Race Tech Emulator/Ricor Spears Intiminator Difference

I'd like to state that I have a lot of respect for Race Tech and their products and am not attempting to degrade their product in any way only state how our INTIMINATORS are different.

"The Race Tech emulator uses a disk with a coil spring pressure blow off valve body that controls compression dampening. You have to drill out the compression holes in the damper rod to get enough oil flow to get the emulator to work. "

There is a spring holding pressure on the shim stack which you can loosen or tighten to decrease or increase compression dampening. In order to change REBOUND dampening, you have to change the oil viscosity or drill or fill the rebound holes and then change the spring tension on the emulator to change compression dampening to match.

Once set, the Race Tech emulator provides the same compression dampening throughout the stroke, IF the stroke speed remains the same.

Ricor Intiminator incorporates a newly invented Dakar Rally winning inertia valve. The Intiminator uses no bleeds, in fact we run an additional seal to catch any oil trying to get around the damper rod. We use shims, the same you would find in a cartridge system, for low speed, chassis compression. With the inertia valve, it's like having a brain in the shock that senses when the wheel hits a bump. When the inertia valve senses a bump, it opens the 'comfort', circuit that is valved only for bumps, not chassis control. The inertia valve does not react to chassis inputs (braking, etc). When the inertia valve isn't reacting to a bump, the Intiminator is tuned for maximum stability. It has been race proven/tested to react within a few milliseconds so it's seamless. All you feel is a real stable bike with the bumps being absorbed instead of the jolts. A typical shock absorber cannot tell if the tire is trying to move or if the chassis is trying to move. Typically you want a wheel to move fast and a chassis to move slow, but a conventional shock can only compromise between the two. Our IAS system allows for the best of both worlds. "

Sounds good but it is not clear to me how you can adjust/correct the limitations of the stock compression curve (other than to increase low-speed compression lockout for control of low speed chassis movements). How will this help a fork that has too much high speed compression for example? Seemsto me to really set this up you might need to drill the dampers and adjust the valve stacks/washers.

 

[FuriousGeorge]

Sounds good but it is not clear to me how you can adjust/correct the limitations of the stock compression curve (other than to increase low-speed compression lockout for control of low speed chassis movements). How will this help a fork that has too much high speed compression for example? Seemsto me to really set this up you might need to drill the dampers and adjust the valve stacks/washers.

Would using a lighter weight oil work? I barely know what I'm talking regarding suspension, but that's the only way I can see it working without drilling. Otherwise it seems like you could only increase compression damping over stock and not reduce it.

 

[mcteague]

Would using a lighter weight oil work? I barely know what I'm talking regarding suspension, but that's the only way I can see it working without drilling. Otherwise it seems like you could only increase compression damping over stock and not reduce it.

FWIU they do suggest 5W oil with the Intiminator.

Tim

 

[Ricor Shocks]

FWIU they do suggest 5W oil with the Intiminator.

Tim

That is right, we recommend 5w. This reduces the orfice damping on the damper rod and allows the INTIMINATOR to take over.

After multiple requests we added the actual page for the FZ6.



Thanks,

Brian

KAZZA - Admin will contact you about being a vendor. Please read the site rules

 

[mcteague]

That is right, we recommend 5w. This reduces the orfice damping on the damper rod and allows the INTIMINATOR to take over.

After multiple requests we added the actual page for the FZ6.



Thanks,

Brian

Brian,

Many have said the FZ6 comes stock with 5W oil. The service manual refers to it as "suspension oil 01". Would I still need to replace it with 5W Amsoil? Shops seem to want around $200 to drain\fill the oil so it would be nice if I could just drop in the device w/o the extra bother and cost.

Tim

 

[FinalImpact]

Worthy of a Bump!
ricorshocks.com

 

[Shinn]

I swear I posted earlier about them. I've had them on my bike for a while now and I love them. I actually prefer them to the racetech emulators, and those things are/were awesome. The ricor just give me a little more feed back I find when handling the twisties. I had much stiffer springs in before and right now am running .85's with the intiminators and it is plenty stiff. For the forks on our bike, I think this is the best bang for buck you can get. Feel free to pm me if you guys/gals have any questions about them.

 

[rypsis]

Just ordered a set of these. Yay spontanianity or something!

I wonder if I should also change to the stiffer RaceTech springs? Ricor says "that 90% don't have to change to stiffer springs", but I'm doing these mods for the track....

 

[Hellgate]

The product looks great but by the time you buy springs too you can buy R6S forks instead; getting preload adjustability, compression and rebound damping adjustment.

 

[rypsis]

The product looks great but by the time you buy springs too you can buy R6S forks instead; getting preload adjustability, compression and rebound damping adjustment.

Do you mean price wise or performance wise?

In the US that might be true (regarding the price that is), but here in Finland I'm pretty sure that used R6S forks would be a bit more expensive and also maybe tough to come by. Shipping from the states would also probably run at least 150-200 dollars, plus about 25% worth of customs charges and taxes (thanks Finnish government buttholes).

Also, if you change to the R6 forks, you would also need to update your brakes, right?

 

[Hellgate]

Both, performance and probably price. R6S forks go for $150 to $279 on Ebay in the US.

For early FZ6 bikes yes you'll need calipers too, about $50 to $75 a pair on Ebay.

There are many write ups here on converting to R6 forks.

 

[FinalImpact]

The product looks great but by the time you buy springs too you can buy R6S forks instead; getting preload adjustability, compression and rebound damping adjustment.

Hence the reason ours have R6 parts now.
$125 shipped! How could I pass that up? Well + the fnder kit and Axle are extra - but I think its worth it even if I end up adding new springs. I want choices in how it rides w/out taking it apart so the R6 stuff seems like a good path. I just thought others might want to know there are more options out there (thread revival).

 

[Hellgate]

Hence the reason ours have R6 parts now.
$125 shipped! How could I pass that up? Well + the fnder kit and Axle are extra - but I think its worth it even if I end up adding new springs. I want choices in how it rides w/out taking it apart so the R6 stuff seems like a good path. I just thought others might want to know there are more options out there (thread revival).

Wow! That is a great price. You're going to love them! They are like telepathic over bumps.