1999 Varadero 1000 Suspension

After the failure of my business 2 years ago I was forced to sell my GS but luckily was offered an "almost new" 1999 Honda Varadero that had been sat in a garage for quite a few years at a very gererous price.

After spending some time checking everything on the bike including servicing it, fitting new tyres, new brakes, new chain & sprockets, overalling the electrics and lots of other bits I have now got a very capable touring bike, much better than I would have ever expected, not quite up to a comparable GS but not that far away.

What I havent done is do anything with the suspension and after a recent tour around Belgium, including a fun lap of the Nurbergring, and a trip along the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, I have realised that the suspension is letting the bike down.

I'm considering fitting Hyperpro Progressive fork springs, new fork oil and a new Hyperpro rear shock but am open to suggestions of other suspension makes - can anyone help with advice on what makes are good - Maxton, Wilber etc and where the best place is to get them?

Thanks for your help in advance.

PS I almost always ride with my wife on the back and she always manages to fill the panniers with "essentials" leaving me to make use of the top box and tank bag i.e. the bike is usually heavily laden!!

Choosing a Suspension for your bike.

Hi Bob,
Let me start by being up front by telling you that i run Vmtek motorcycle Suspensions in cork Ireland.
We Supply and Service Wilbers Suspension.
(1) Have a shock Custom sprung and valved for your geared up weight and usage.
You would have to supply information as follows
Your geared up weight including Jacket, Helmet boots etc.?
Your pillions geared up weight ?
% time you carry a pillion (roughly) ?
Do you regularly carry Luggage? What is the average weight of this Luggage ?
Usage? % Road Riding ? % Offroad riding ?

This would make it possible for the manufacturer to build a Shock that will be optimal for your usage.
You then have to decide on how adjustable you want or need the shock to be.
You may also require a Hydraulic preload adjuster. This is very useful when you go from riding solo without luggage to
going on tours with a pillion and full luggage. Adjusting the Spring preload accordingly helps to keep the Geometry of
the Motorcycle as it should be. You avoid having the Bike riding low at the rear which can make the steering slow and have a
tendency to run wide.
Shock choice will also depend on your budget
The most basic Shock will be custom built and manually adjustable for Spring Preload.
An intermediate Shock will be custom built and manually adjustable for Spring Preload & Rebound Damping
The top of the range Shock is Custom built and adjustable for preload / Rebound /Low Speed & High Speed Compression damping.
The intermediate and fully adjustable shocks have the following optional extras: Hydraulic Preload / Ride Height Adjust.

I would recommend the basic shock for someone who is on a tight budget. You still get a shock custom built for you.
It is fully rebuild-able and an upgrade on a stock shock.

The intermediate shock is very popular for riders who spend most of their time on A roads.
You can add a Hydraulic preload adjuster to this shock to make it useful for two up touring.
Rebound damping can be tweaked for maximum comfort and traction.

The fully adjustable shock is great if you ride on a variety of roads.
You can firm up the damping for fast A road riding. You also have the option to soften the High speed and Low speed Compression damping when using your bike Offroad or on back roads and gravel tracks.
the Hydraulic Preload Adjuster and Ride Height Adjuster can also be fitted to these shocks.

For the front you have the Option of fitting Progressive or Linear Fork Springs.
Progressive Springs are great for touring and commuter bikes.
They are soft at the start of the stroke keeping maximum comfort for highway use.
The spring rate increases progressively as you go down through the Stroke.
This helps to control dive under hard braking. They are also useful for two up riding as the rate increases when the bike is more loaded up.
Linear fork Springs are good for sports bikes and bikes which are used mostly for solo riding.
You can choose a the rate to match the riders weight and intended usage.
This may be solely road or road and also some Trackday usage.
Recommended Fork oil weights and Fork Air Gap information is supplied with Spring sets.
This is essential for your Forks to work with your new Springs.

The most popular choice for the Honda Varadero 1000 in my experience is the Intermediate shock fitted with a Hydraulic Preload Adjuster. This is then coupled with Progressive fork Springs at the front end.

I hope this is of some help to you.
Regards
Paul v Mensenkampff
Vmtek Motorcycle suspensions

Varadero suspension

Many thanks for your detailed and very, very useful reply Paul, sorry for the delay in replying but have been a little busy and hadn't seen it until now.

The timing is perfect as I'm off to the NEC bike show on Friday 4th and was hoping to get this sort of info there but now I have all I need and can just drool over the bikes instead!

I totally agree with your "popular choice" paragraph, that would seem to be exactly what I need/want. Nowadays I mostly ride two up with luggage as my wife and I go off on touring holidays (we are now both retired).

In ususal touring mode - about 90+ % of the time the bike is carrying me (120kg fully kitted), my wife (85kg fully kitted) and about 20kg of luggage in the two panniers and topbox, so about 225kg in tota. In "touring mode" I ride quickly but not sports bike fast and as far as possible we use poor A & B roads, particularly in Ireland!

On the rear occasions I get to ride on my own (a recent lap of the Nurbergring for example) and with friends, I ride much faster, generally pushing the bike much closer to the upper limits of it's capabilities - if I even think of riding like that with my wife on board it becomes far too painful as she repeatedly thumps me on my back and screems through the intercom!!

Could you please give me your prices for a Wilbers setup - front progressive springs & oil along with an intermediate rear shock with a Hydraulic Preload Adjuster.

I am quite capable of doing the fitting work myself and would then arrange to call in to see you when I'm over next year (I get to Ireland pretty regularly) to get the setup "tuned". I can also easily arrange to get the kit collected and delivered to me - a good friend, Phil Gunn, lives in Watergrasshill, a little to the NE of Cork, and he comes over to South Wales regularly.

Very many thanks for your advice
Cheers
Bob Jeffries