Work Over Christmas

Technical stuff specific to the Raptor 1000
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sidrat
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Work Over Christmas

Post by sidrat »

I have attached the L brackets and grab rail for the Ventura luggage, i have a rack also. To keep the seat cover on i had to place a couple of small washers under the locking mechanism.
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I took the forks apart and changed the oil to 5W along with putting a 10mm spacer at the top and bottom to increase the ride height/reduce the sag.
forks.JPG
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Finally i have fitted a very low mileage Falco shock. I had already put some trianges to raise the ride height and this takes it to the next level. I have slackened off the spring rate as it was too hard.
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So now just looking for some good weather to try it all out!
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shebee
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Re: Work Over Christmas

Post by shebee »

Well done... very productive... we came to the conclusion that sharing a shed is not the best idea... my woodwork swarf, his kiln and casting kit all in a small space is potentially a fire bomb... so come the spring I’m building a new shed for me! :mrgreen:
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Re: Work Over Christmas

Post by nickst4 »

Hi Shebs,

Funny you should mention mixed-craft accoms as just today I've been trying to find a bit of space in the dirty workshop for Dianne to try wood-carving again. She was good at it years ago before her career got in the way. I've promised I won't get angry if there's wood chips everywhere! It's not as if I'm a tidy worker... :lol:

Happy New year, by the way,

Nick
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Re: Work Over Christmas

Post by sidrat »

ok, so 150 miles out on the Raptor on Saturday, scrubbed in a new rear tyre.

This is what i found. I hate the new bars so are going back to the old ones. It also means i havn't really tested the change to the front as i could not get comfortable, my only positive note is that i didn't notice it so that may be a good sign!.

As for the rear, its awful!!!!! To recap i have replaced the shock with a Falco one and kept the new trianges for ride height, up 25mm, So with the Falco shock its raised the height again.

I have set the spring on the shock to its softest position, but i was getting thrown out of the saddle over bumps, it was way too hard. I had left the combined damping/rebound on the setting it came with, about halfway, so i wonder if the geometry of the triangles and the new shock is not compatible??

I have reverted back to the original trianges, and reduced the rebound/compression (and taken off the the platform boots from the sidestand!!!)

I will try and get out this week to see how it rides, but any feedback is welcome.

Finally any idea what the speedo will read flat out in top gear?
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Re: Work Over Christmas

Post by andybaggies »

I hate the new bars so are going back to the old ones.
What bars did you fit? I used Renthal Superbike Ultra low and found them fine & dandy.
I have set the spring on the shock to its softest position, but i was getting thrown out of the saddle over bumps, it was way too hard. I had left the combined damping/rebound on the setting it came with, about halfway, so i wonder if the geometry of the triangles and the new shock is not compatible??
On a point of pedantry you cannot change a springs rate... if it's too hard it will always be too hard. What you can do is change the preload which effectively changes the point at which the spring begins to move/work.

The damping can certainly make things feel 'harder' and will err... damp out the springs movement quickly or slowly. When on the side stand if you push the seat down firmly watch to see how it returns back to it's rest position. What you're looking for is a controlled "ease" back to it's rest position. If the shock is OK then you should see a difference when changing the damping.

This is why I have never changed the triangles because there's no real way of knowing how it changes the action on the shock. I'm thinking it must change both the speed of movement and ratio wrt to the rear wheel. I have looked online for some calculation on how this might work but haven't seen anything.
have reverted back to the original trianges, and reduced the rebound/compression
This sounds sensible to me.... however try to change only one thing at a time. It does sound like damping.
Finally any idea what the speedo will read flat out in top gear?
Well.... on a private downhill stretch of road I have seen 140.
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Re: Work Over Christmas

Post by sidrat »

andybaggies wrote: 3 years ago
I hate the new bars so are going back to the old ones.
What bars did you fit? I used Renthal Superbike Ultra low and found them fine & dandy.
I tried both the low ones i have gone back to some non renthal ultra lows, they have less pullback, but only just clar the tank.
I have set the spring on the shock to its softest position, but i was getting thrown out of the saddle over bumps, it was way too hard. I had left the combined damping/rebound on the setting it came with, about halfway, so i wonder if the geometry of the triangles and the new shock is not compatible??
On a point of pedantry you cannot change a springs rate... if it's too hard it will always be too hard. What you can do is change the preload which effectively changes the point at which the spring begins to move/work.
No Pedantry required, i understand, and i am not sure the spring rate is too much, as bigger whoop type bumps are fine its the sharp ones, i have let off the the what i assume is the combined compression/rebound damping, to no avail
The damping can certainly make things feel 'harder' and will err... damp out the springs movement quickly or slowly. When on the side stand if you push the seat down firmly watch to see how it returns back to it's rest position. What you're looking for is a controlled "ease" back to it's rest position. If the shock is OK then you should see a difference when changing the damping.

This is why I have never changed the triangles because there's no real way of knowing how it changes the action on the shock. I'm thinking it must change both the speed of movement and ratio wrt to the rear wheel. I have looked online for some calculation on how this might work but haven't seen anything.
have reverted back to the original trianges, and reduced the rebound/compression
This sounds sensible to me.... however try to change only one thing at a time. It does sound like damping.
So out at the weekend and the problem if worse. The rear shock shows no improvement even with orignal triangles and now I have lost all the ride height gains. With the front riding higher becasue of the preloading it has lost its lovely steering. I have seen lots of people recommending the Falco shock, but it does not suit me. I am going back to the original shock and raised triangles then see what the front feels like.
Finally any idea what the speedo will read flat out in top gear?
Well.... on a private downhill stretch of road I have seen 140.
On my private stretch of road 141 almost at redline, the gearing is great from 40mph on the open road you can almost get away with sixth all the time!
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Re: Work Over Christmas

Post by andybaggies »

Perhaps the Falco shock is just knackered and has lost all of it's damping.
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Re: Work Over Christmas

Post by nickst4 »

Am I right in thinking that Sid the Rat is not of this planet, or at least that part of it adjacent to UK shores? If not, there a couple of Aprilia Tuono shocks sitting in my shed that might be worth trying.

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Re: Work Over Christmas

Post by sidrat »

Andy, you could br right, except it works well over larger bumps.

Nick i have now added my location :-)

Anyway, apart from the track day bike, that need a new frame! i will continue to work on the Raptor and beat it into submission. So that i have a bike to actually ride in the meatime, i pick up a new Aprilla Shiver 900 tomorrow as my everyday bike. £6545 for a new bike with all the toys seemed rude not to!
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Re: Work Over Christmas

Post by nickst4 »

Sidrat, you are almost a neighbour, being as I'm in Norfolk! If you do fancy trying alternative shocks, just get in touch.

I'll be very interested to hear what you think of the Shiver. Not that I need, or have room for, any other bikes, but that's a brand I've often wondered about. I had a Moto 6.5 for a couple of years and loved its style. Even more, I loved its character and competence which was way better than the reputation that most moto-journalists gave it at the time. I was sad to see it go, but I didn't ride it much and sometimes I have a change-around. My 2013 Ducati 821 HyperStrada is probably the equivalent of your Shiver 900, but I paid almost the same for a 7-year-old bike with, as it turned out, several inbuilt problems that needed sorting. Good luck with your new bike! :D

Nick
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