| Author | Message | ||
     X1rated |
OK, sorry for the venting above (300 pound white kid can get a little grouchy before he's been fed  ) Calmed down and called Buell back and spoke to Rene...aaaahhhhh Rene. She informed me that it stated right there in the computer that the day after the paperwork was sent, Buell approved the request and faxed the dealer back. Now the dealer told me that it took Buell a week to get back and that it was denied. Thinkin' the dealer should give "Lee" a job. Rene is gonna call the dealer back and straighten everything out. I like Rene. Thanks for all the help, Justin | ||
| Aaron |
 You had me scratching my head there for a minute. I have never heard of Buell breaking that promise. I've many times heard of dealers trying to break it, though  | ||
| Buelliedan |
First time I ever heard of Lee in CS also. I definately would make a complaint if you haven't already. John and Renee have always been great! | ||
| Doncasto |
Ya musta had your call misdirected to one of them Hardley Ableson customer service buffoons. Renee and John have picked up where Deanne left off and brought about the "Golden Age" of Buell Customer Service. Now if the "Golden Age" would some how rub off/filter down/get ram injected into the dealer network would not life be grand? Don | ||
| X1rated |
It amazes me that someone who works in a customer service capacity could care less about the customers concerns. But I guess there's (at least) one at every company. Oh, and guess what? The dealer called me yesterday and told me that everything was being covered! What a surprise huh? 'Course they still made it sound like they had to pull strings and were doin' me a favor. No matter, I'm happy, BMC pulled through. (And I still like Renee)  see ya later kids, Justin | ||
| Henrik |
Motorcycle Handling & Chassis Design: Tony Foale has updated his original book on the subject and is in addition publishing material describing "the Science of Cornering". If MC handling is of interest, then this is the source. Henrik | ||
| Kevinhern |
I would like to install a grease fitting in the stearing head. Looking for comments, suggestions, and concerns. Thanks Kevin | ||
| Newfie_Buell |
9500km and the rear shock has leaked. Luckily its still under warranty and the dealer replacement is on the way. The bike feels like a springhorse. The oil leaked out through the split in the cover. Is this normal for the 98 S1?? Please tell me.  | ||
| Andys |
Kevin, There's no point in fitting grease fittings, for the steering head bearings do not create any heat or friction. The grease we do put on is for trapping dirt and to keep the bearing from rusting. To fill up the whole (not hole) steering head with grease I don't feel is worth the time. I've got 50k miles on my CBR1000 and after replacing the roller ball bearing with tapers at about 15k I've never had a problem. And I only regreased them when the forks were off. I really wouldn't concern myself too much with the steering head except to make sure there is no play front to back and that there is no notchiness when the tree assembly is rotated. The proper adjustment of the steering head entales making sure there is no front to back play, yet it isn't so tight that the front end assembly (completely assembled with wheel) doesn't freely fall to either side when you push the front wheel off center (remember, this is done with the front end off the ground). Watch your cables as you do this for I've seen times when a misrouted cable can hold the front end from moving too. I don't believe these bearings can survive (grease or no grease) if the front end is constantly bottoming. If you weigh over 200 pounds and you still have the stock fork springs installed, you will have steering head bearing problems. Hope this all helps. Andy | ||
| Kevinhern |
Andy, Sounds like good advise. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. Kevin | ||
| Blake |
Andy!!! You have been sorely missed in this topic and just in general my friend! In fact I've got a good question for you myself. My '97 M2 is maxed out on preload. Racetech's site claims the stock springs are ~0.942 Kg/mm. For track use they recommend 1.00 Kg/mm rate for my 210 LB weight sans gear. For street use they recommend 0.935 Kg/mm. Are they goofed, or is the conventional fork suspension of my M2 beefier than its S1/S3 brothers upside down forks and so good to go? Can you recommend a set of springs for me? Thanks man, sure is good to see you back on the discussion board. Break many hearts in Alabama? | ||
| Henrik |
Andy; you old door basher/fork tuner - great to see you back Blake: give Traxxion a call for cross reference. Since they can get you any rate spring you want, they tend to be a bit less "set" in their ways than Race Tech (who only has springs up to 1 kg/mm). Henrik | ||
| Court |
Andy?....Andy? . . . TOTALLY SOFAMATIC MAN ! | ||
| Pammy |
Andy, How the hell is my old roomate? | ||
| Blake |
Actually, I shouldn't have said that my preload was "maxed out", rather, the adjusters' shoulders are just flush with the fork tube top caps, there is plenty more room for adjustment. | ||
| Blake |
Informative fork spring stiffness guide by Traxxion Dynamics. It agrees with the recommendations that RaceTech provides.  My springs should be fine if they are indeed close to 0.95 Kg/mm as claimed by RaceTech. | ||
| Andys |
Wow! I'm totally blown away by all the support. Thanks. "Sofamatic?" That'll cost you! Blake, When I weighed 250lbs+, I achieved a 30mm total sag number (that's with me on board) by installing 1.2kg springs (by cutting 20% off a 1.0kg spring) and adding 15mm of preload. When the spring was new (1.0Kg/nm) my sag number ran into the high 30's, but that was with a lot of preload. So much so, that I always needed help reassembling the forks. Now that I weigh under 200lbs, I'm just going to remove the added preload and see where that takes me. Those graphs bust me up. What happens to the guys whose total weight is outside the graph? My CBR1000 weights about 650lb (with fuel) and then you add at least another 200lbs for me. I've got 1.0kg springs in the CBR now and have 42mm of total sag. And that's with a lot of preload. That's wrong. But the problem with the CBR is that I don't have enough rebound to handle anymore spring than it already has. As I ride the bike I can actually feel it rise after going over bumps as the spring beats the damping. And that's with 15wt fork oil!! You can't easily change the rebound circuit in these forks and I can't put an emulator in them because they are already cartridge type, sort of. What Honda did back in the 1990 model is use the washers for compression damping only and left the drilled holes in the damper rods for rebound. What I really need is a set of CBR600F3 forks (they are the same diameter as mine-41mm-and bolt right up) with adjustable rebound, compression and preload. Then I'd be in shape. So what I'm saying is that this really a black art of sorts. And I love playing with it. Stunned by the support, Andy | ||
| Blake |
Andy: From what I know, it is conservative to say that you've helped over a thousand Buellers sort their suspensions. Whether in person working a track day instead of riding, or on the web. You and Cap sure helped me understand them a lot better just by letting me watch y'all in Daytona last year. Ya modest NJ fack.  | ||
| Henrik |
Andy: I looked into a set of used F3 forks for my SV - they'll run you around $300 for a used set. Not too bad. But then I'd probably have Traxxion install their valves and springs, and that would add some $300+ to the whole thing  Good to have you back  You ever coming north toward Gotham? Henrik | ||
| Andys |
Thank you gentlemen for the high praise, but I just do what makes me feel good and helping people makes me feel good. Forks for $300 ain't bad, unless you're earning only $8/hr. The real trick to the F3 forks is that that internals should be the same, so the springs I have will fit (I'd cut the ones I have, although with the weight loss 1.0's just might be right) and I have all the shims because I have racetech stuff in the CBR, plus spares. Actually I can't complain about the big pig (CBR), for it does everything I ask of it, it never strands me anywhere and it really does go like a bat out of hell if you keep the revs up. It's really a perfect streetbike--for me anyway. As for coming to Gotham; I'll be returning by the end of the month. Things here just aren't coming together as I had hoped. Making money is difficult and the job with the Harley dealer was a total bust. What a boner he turned out to be. But I don't regret coming here. See you real soon, Andy | ||
| Buelliedan |
Andy, I need your help. I have a set of the Race tech 1.0 springs but I am lost as to what to do next. I am pretty good with a wrench but I really don't understand the cutting of springs, spacers and all that. These will be going on a S3 with the Showa inverted forks. Is there an easy way to explain it or a good book that will?? Thanks | ||
| Andys |
Dan, How much do you weigh? You can't cut the springs, a shop will do it for you. When you cut the spring, you need to replace the missing length so that the damper rod is still positioned correctly and so you don't lose wheel travel (Henrik, did I get the right?). So first thing you do is measure the free length of the Racetech spring. If you need a 1.2kg spring then you'd cut off 20% of that 1.0 and you get a 1.2. If I remember correctly, that meant cutting two coils off. Then you make a spacer the exact same length of the cut off piece and install it with all the other preload spacers that might be needed. And done. Hope I got all that right. I'm sure someone will double check. Andy | ||
| Blake |
At what point of added spacer thickness do you begin sacrificing fork travel (bottoming out on the spring itself)? | ||
| Henrik |
Andy; sounded right to me Henrik | ||
| Andys |
Blake, True, you could theoretically cut of enough spring where you'd end up coil binding the spring, but that won't happen by cutting off two coils. If you needed more "spring" than that, then you'd buy a different spring already setup to the proper rate. Intially, Eibach was the only guy in town and they only made springs up to 1.0kg. But Henrik now says that Traxxion Dynamics makes a spring beyond 1.0kg. That's what I would buy instead of cutting a 1.0 Hope that was clear. Andy | ||
| Henrik |
Spring rate: I'm running 1.05 kg/mm Traxxion springs in the S2. Henrik | ||
| Blake |
It looks like I'll be okay with a 0.95 or a 1.0 Kg/mm spring. I just wonder if my stock springs are really 0.94 Kg.mm like racetech claims they are. They do work pretty darn well. | ||
| Shot_Gun |
Getlemen, Have any of you had a problem with the replacement shock?(rear). Right from the dealer it has felt like the shock doesn't work at all. I tried to adjust the little valve to make it harder but nothing works. Any suggestions? | ||
| Bluzm2 |
 Need to replace a fork seal on my 2K M2. No big deal, just a bit more time in the "Crisis Center" and a couple of cold ones. But,,, What weight fork oil to use? I looked through the service manual but can't find out the stock fork oil weight. Found how to measure and all but no weights were mentioned (unless I totally missed it). I'm heavier than I should be (about 235 ready to ride) so a bit heaver oil wouldn't hurt. I'm going to take Andy's advice and get some heavier springs but I need to replace the seal now before it oils my front rotor, it's piddling pretty bad. Soooo, what weight and type is everyone using? Thanks for your input. Brad | ||
| Henrik |
Speaking from memory, I think stock oil is 7.5 wt. That's what I'm running in the S2, but that's after revalving - so not much help to you. Henrik |
