Lowering the Front End

[del1150]

I have recently fitted a 35mm rear lowering spring to my F800GSA and raised the forks in the triple clamps 25mm. Despite dropping the front and rear more or less the same amount, the bike feels much more planted (and obviously a little more sensitive as the steering is a bit more direct) and I've found the Hyperpro rear progressive spring more comfortable than the original. The reduced height makes the bike perfect for me and overall I'm very happy (I quite like the compliance at the front as I'm not into really late/hard braking and don't therefore experience too much fork dive).

This raises the question - should I go to the trouble of fitting the Hyperpro lowering springs at the front? Will they make any real difference for road riding (I ride briskly but I'm not pushing anywhere near the limit on corners or anything like that)? Or am I simply such a poor rider than I'm not sensitive enough to the changes?!

I'd be interested to hear from anyone that has changed from raised forks (to balanced a lowered rear spring) to lowered front springs (especially Hyperpro lowering) and whether you noticed any difference ..

If it really is worth the hassle (and cost) to fit the lowering fork springs, is it necessary to go the full works with fork removal and replacement oil (the original oil has only done 4K miles) or could the original springs simply be replaced in situ using the original oil spec/air gap for more compliance than the thicker replacement oil? Anyone tried this?

Anyone got any experience between these two approaches?

Thanks

 

[Schtum]

I'd be inclined to do it properly and fit these...https://www.brooksuspension.co.uk/f...isano-evo-misano-evo-fork-cartridge-kit-08-12

I have them on my MT-09 and they're a good upgrade.

 

[del1150]

Thanks for that advice. I’m not sure I’d really get the value from these on the GSA (tech more competent than me!) and, as it’s a second bike(and 8 years old) I’m probably not going to spend that kind of money. They are proper kit though!!

 

[PIGGLET]

Firstly, you mention steering being more 'direct' but you have lowere the rear more than the front so slackened the head angle which in theory will have the reverse effect and make the bike SLOWER steering.

How has fitting the rear spring altered static Sag? Presumably it was either under or over sprung and that is why you changed it?

I contemplated hyperpro progressive springs on an R9 and was advised against for the following reason: Because they 'ramp up' more than a linear spring it makes achieving correct damping more difficult ie if you set up compression and rebound to be spot on 'off the top' then it will be too lightly damped at bottom out. If you set it up to be controlled at bottom out it will be overly harsh 'off the top' / small bump compliance which as soon as I thought about it made sense. I understand how they can make a quick/ cheap improvement to a very basic fork though such as on an airhead.
Fitting misano carts with springs to suit my weight was a revelation on a fork that I knew was over sprung and under damped and there may be your issue.
If you cant tell what is wrong with the current set up, you may be wasting your money unless you take it to a tuner or someone who genuinely know what they are doing.

If you feel the bike is fine as it is leave it alone and save some cash? Ultimately its your bike and your dosh so do what you think is best. Suspension is very subjective, to get the best out of it it needs to be set up for your weight and riding style. The harder you ride the greater the benefits of proper set up/ custom tuning.

 

[del1150]

That all makes clear sense to me. I was surprised that the steering felt more direct as I did expect it to be slower but for some reason it doesn’t feel that way. With this particular bike I ride it relatively gently (definitely not riding hard) and nowhere near bottoming out. Perhaps that’s why if feels generally more comfortable?

The only reason for changing the shock spring was to lower ride height (which it has done effectively) so maybe, due to the fact it’s always ridden not too hard, I should indeed just leave it “as is” with the forks raised a bit in the clamps.

Still don’t understand why it doesn’t feel the opposite way at the front but as you say - if aim happy enough then maybe leave well alone …?

In the end, probably reasonably gentle riding and me not being good enough to exploit anything better means I can get away with a generally compromised setup ..

 

[PIGGLET]

Its possible that although you have dropped the rear by 10mm more than the front, both static and dynamic sag have been reduced by fitting the hyperpro spring and so the rear is actually riding higher than it was before the change. Also, if the spring is firmer then it will contribute to steering feeling more direct.
I'll point out at thos point I'm no expert, the info given is just based on my own experiances as someone who likes to mess around with suspension setting!

 

[del1150]

Thanks Pigglet, again that makes sense to me. I think I’ll probably keep as is for now and see what I feel after a while …