Delayed response to my initial thread but as an update, in June I had a conversation with Marc at Brooks and ended up going with a Nitron R1 shock on the rear with Adreani cartridges in the forks.
My logic was that it's a naked bike that is predominantly used on country lanes/back roads at relatively low speeds with the occasional B road blast. I opted for the R1 as I didn't feel there would be a noticeable advantage with either the adjustability or extra oil of the R3 or race shocks given I'm relatively light at 65 Kgs and the intended use. The same with the Adreani carts over more expensive options.
I have often upgraded suspension on bikes over stock as I'm a light rider and tend to prefer lighter than average damping tunes.
While I've always noticed an improvement with after-marked or custom tuned shocks and forks on other bikes, the transformation of the R9 has been astonishing. There are corners on the B1257 between Broughton and Chopgate that on stock suspension I had to fight the bike around at 50mph and it felt like it was trying to buck me off. Now it rails those bends at 60 without any drama whatsoever and feels like it could go significantly quicker if it were allowed........ I normally pick a section of road and spend time bracketing the settings to find the sweet spot but the difference with the R9 has been so radical I haven't bothered so far.
Turn in has been transformed and the bike is now actually rideable on rougher country lanes whereas before it was truly awful. Brake dive is no longer an issue and I can be much later and more aggresive with the braking without it bottoming out and or trying to plough straight ahead. The cost was around £1200 for shock and forks. While I begrudge having to pay that to make the bike rideable, I'm more than happy with the performance of the components and the service and advice from Brooks was superb.
As an observation to anyone doing any work on their own roadster forks, I chose to replace both the wiper and main fork seals when I was installing the carts as I usually do so after a couple of years anyway in case they have started to harden off or need re-lubing. The white grease behind the seals on my bike had dried out and gone hard. I use RSP Slik Kick suspension grease which is a super slippy grease and combined with the new seals meant the fork were that little bit looser 'off the top' so more compliant over small bumps. It's not a huge thing but every little helps and there is now zero stiction in the forks.
Another tip, if you have bicycle work stand, it's ideal for holding and working on fork legs.
My logic was that it's a naked bike that is predominantly used on country lanes/back roads at relatively low speeds with the occasional B road blast. I opted for the R1 as I didn't feel there would be a noticeable advantage with either the adjustability or extra oil of the R3 or race shocks given I'm relatively light at 65 Kgs and the intended use. The same with the Adreani carts over more expensive options.
I have often upgraded suspension on bikes over stock as I'm a light rider and tend to prefer lighter than average damping tunes.
While I've always noticed an improvement with after-marked or custom tuned shocks and forks on other bikes, the transformation of the R9 has been astonishing. There are corners on the B1257 between Broughton and Chopgate that on stock suspension I had to fight the bike around at 50mph and it felt like it was trying to buck me off. Now it rails those bends at 60 without any drama whatsoever and feels like it could go significantly quicker if it were allowed........ I normally pick a section of road and spend time bracketing the settings to find the sweet spot but the difference with the R9 has been so radical I haven't bothered so far.
Turn in has been transformed and the bike is now actually rideable on rougher country lanes whereas before it was truly awful. Brake dive is no longer an issue and I can be much later and more aggresive with the braking without it bottoming out and or trying to plough straight ahead. The cost was around £1200 for shock and forks. While I begrudge having to pay that to make the bike rideable, I'm more than happy with the performance of the components and the service and advice from Brooks was superb.
As an observation to anyone doing any work on their own roadster forks, I chose to replace both the wiper and main fork seals when I was installing the carts as I usually do so after a couple of years anyway in case they have started to harden off or need re-lubing. The white grease behind the seals on my bike had dried out and gone hard. I use RSP Slik Kick suspension grease which is a super slippy grease and combined with the new seals meant the fork were that little bit looser 'off the top' so more compliant over small bumps. It's not a huge thing but every little helps and there is now zero stiction in the forks.
Another tip, if you have bicycle work stand, it's ideal for holding and working on fork legs.
