Le Mans MK II - Suspension

[xsgraham]

Hi All,

Upgrading the suspension on my Le Mans in anticipation of a trip to the Picos in northern Spain next summer. Has anyone done similar upgrades on a Tonti frame guzzi and if so, what did you go for. My MK II currently has old Koni Dial-a-Rides on the back (in great looking condition) and what looks like original front forks. I know there are various things you can do to the original set up (Bitubo or FAC cartridges) and I certaily don't want to swap out to something rally modern looking.

Any advice to recommended improvements appreciated.

BTW my Le Mans was owned by Oldrat who I know is an inmate here - if you read this do you know if the front end was improved at all in your ownership ?

 

[cookie]

Konis worked well on my Mk1, seen here in the Picos.

I never bothered doing anything to the front. TBH the standard setup is pretty shit, but it's manageable if it's in good nick. A fork brace is an effective upgrade though as it minimises the forks twisting under hard braking which can be unevenly spread between the discs if you still have linked brakes..

Problem I've seen several times on the early ones is the sealed damper units inside lose all damping or pressurise and act like springs. Mk2 units are slightly different in that the dampers are pressurised anyway

.

Although I had a brace, It's not fitted in the photo. I rarely had it fitted as it didn't look right to me.

 

[mikeyboy]

IMHO the dial a rides( now IKON) are about as good as you’ll get on a twin shock shaft drive bike,
You could spend a fortune on some funky piggy back fully adjustable shocks,but it’s unlikely they’ll be that much better for the average rider.
I’d definitely get them serviced and checked (maybe new damper rods)over prior to the trip as you’ll be pissed off if they blow a seal on the 1st day.
Only advice I can offer regarding the forks would be ,again, get them serviced and a thorough inspection of the chrome on the stanchions.
If the bike has not had much use in the last few years put as many miles on it as you can leading up to the trip,as much to give you peace of mind and confidence in it as ironing out niggles.

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

I remember coming back from France many years ago and there was a young lad in bike leathers at Calais who was bent double and very bandy legged; the poor soul looked crippled and could barely walk.
I asked him if he was okay and he replied that he was cold, wet, knackered and in agony but would be okay once he'd recovered from his one hit ride from Antibes to Calais on his Le Mans.

 

[cookie]

Never found mine that bad. Long arms and short legs are an advantage.

Less so on the bikes I own now though

 

[Oldrat]

Hi Graham,
As far as I’m aware the forks were original. I’d go along with Mikey about not splashing out on exotic shocks. For bang for buck IKON are most likely to be the best match being based on Koni.

As for the front, you have a choice - Gutsibits (used to?) sell a couple of different types Biturbo and another whose name escapes me.

 

[The Other PaulG]

Fabulous looking bike Graham. The black and gold scheme... was that unique to Coburn and Hughes?

I have a vague memory of adverts in Motorcycle Mechanics!

 

[Oldrat]

Here you go Paul. Coburn and Hughes dealer special.

 

[wrinkleyowlie]

Cracking bike Graham. I still regularly kick myself for not buying it when Oldrat was selling. Enjoy. Sorry, I've no suspension tips.

 

[Pukmeister]

Maybe give Denz0 a shout on the forum and see what he can do in the way of both a suspension freshen-up and perhaps improve the internal workings whilst its all apart ?

 

[xsgraham]

Cheers for the replies all.

I've been in touch with the IKON guys and they can get me a rebuild kit for the Konis if they are post 1990 or of course sell me a new set. See how I go on that one, still pondering. As for the forks, looks like I may be busy this winter taking 'em apart and giving them "a coat of looking at" as my dad used to say. I'm not after anything too exotic, but last couple of rides out made me feel it had room for improvement. In good condition outwardly, stanchions are rust pit free and straight looking (although I've had an old Guzzi before with straight looking tubes and were far from it once I took them off !

Part of me is also wondering about getting the brakes back to being linked. I had this on an old T3 California years back and really liked it. The Le Mans has a different bore master cylinder and conventional front brakes but they feel very wooden to me. Checked the master a few times and it looks to be the right one from the cast in size, but not a fan of the 'feel' it gives.

Cheers for the compliments, the bike is the nicest classic I've owned condition wise, thanks OldRat . I have adapted it a little since the above pic was taken.. lower fairing is off and stored away as I love the look of the engine. Also recently fitted slightly higher bars (so it's an "Old Man" model rather than a Le Mans ). The straight bars it came with were exactly right to knacker my back in about 20 mins. Have to sit a bit more upright these days!. Great to see you have 'been there and done that' Cookie, lovely MkI by the way.

 

[ChasF]

I remember coming back from France many years ago and there was a young lad in bike leathers at Calais who was bent double and very bandy legged; the poor soul looked crippled and could barely walk.
I asked him if he was okay and he replied that he was cold, wet, knackered and in agony but would be okay once he'd recovered from his one hit ride from Antibes to Calais on his Le Mans.

Could have been me. I left the Paul Ricard circuit at 13h00 on Sunday and arrived back in Wokingham at 8h00 the following morning (860miles), pissed down from just south of Paris. I found my blue Mk 2 surprisingly comfortable.

Mine had Koni dial a rides (and still has) I’ve never done anything to the front end, always had the linked brakes and never got on with the fork brace which seemed to give the fork action a ‘wooden’ feel.