Suspension Upgrade

humber geezer

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Hi guys

Just thought I would share some suspension modifications I have done recently on the Super Tenere just in case anyone was thinking of doing the same or experiencing similar issues as me.

Most of my riding is done two up and although I really rate the bike as a whole I found the suspension a bit lacking when two up loaded with luggage even with the pre-load cranked fully up it still sat very low at the rear and felt harsh at the front end, the suspension sag settings were almost impossible to set correctly.

So a look at various web sites to see what was available and not wanting to re mortgage the house for an Ohlins I decided to go for the Wilbers setup as recommended by others.
A call to Revs Suspension at Halesowen in the Midlands the importers for Wilbers, they explained all the different types and variation available for the S10, I decided to go for the 641 with a hydraulic pre-load adjuster, all my weights were noted (rider, pillion and luggage) and type of riding on / off road ect as the shocks are built individually to these figures.
Whilst on the phone I mentioned that the front suspension was not so good either and was recommended for the type of riding I do to dump the 2 stage front springs and fit progressive springs which Wilbers also make for the S10 without any modifications to the spacers.

A week later all the parts arrived so out came the standard front springs filled up with new 5wt oil set the level at 140mm as per instructions as opposed to the 150mm standard and in went the new progressive springs, front sorted.
Rear shocker fitting was fairly straight forward but I did make a new bracket for the pre-load adjuster knob as I have the pyramid frame infill panel were the adjuster would be normally fitted.
All back together and with 50 clicks of rear spring pre-load adjustment to play with I can now set the bikes ride height (sag) at 30% travel right through the range from rider only to rider, pillion and luggage, so far so good.

Now for a test ride, wow what a difference this has really transformed the bike it just seems to glide over the bumps now and corners far better than it ever used to and just feels generally more planted on the road, even the wife has commented on how much smoother the bike feels which was a bonus when I mentioned how much it all cost.
Having just returned from a 1500 mile trip touring the Highlands of Scotland the new suspension has had a good workout now and we are both very pleased with the results.
Was it all worth the cost – Defiantly.

Anyone interested in doing a similar mod or would like further info you wouldn’t go far wrong in contacting John at Rev’s Suspension www.revsracing.co.uk he has many years experience and a really nice guy to speak too.

Please note I have no connections with rev racing, wilbers or anyone else, I just believe in passing on good experiences, products and suppliers.
 
Not to bad to fit you will need to compress the springs though and will need to buy or make a tool to locate in the top spacer below the cap, I made mine from some pipe I had knocking about 60mm od / 53mm Id and welded two nuts on to it so I could screw some bolts into the spacer holes then compressed the spring using two ratchet straps.
There is a thread on the Yamaha Super Tenere forum showing some photo's of a similar setup, I will see if I can find the post again.
 
Cheers Humber
Not to bad to fit you will need to compress the springs though and will need to buy or make a tool to locate in the top spacer below the cap, I made mine from some pipe I had knocking about 60mm od / 53mm Id and welded two nuts on to it so I could screw some bolts into the spacer holes then compressed the spring using two ratchet straps.
There is a thread on the Yamaha Super Tenere forum showing some photo's of a similar setup, I will see if I can find the post again.
 
Have similar setup on mine.

Originally doing a lot of two-up so the Wilburs was sprung at 150nm and was really good two-up, especially as I could crank up the low speed compression, and it was not too bad solo either if I backed off the compression damping a bit.

When the Mrs got her own bike I had the spring swapped out again, it is now just slightly stiffer than the Yamaha one, but I think the main benefit comes from much better quality damping.

Up front I have linear springs in place of the two-stage ones Yamaha fit, and these work extremely well, it feels much more controlled at the front, rides bumps better and gives more feedback in the turns, I also think it dives less / slower.

I just had MCT do the whole lot, it was not a lot more money to just ride in and let them do all the work and ride out again, all done in a couple of hours with no worries as I do not really go much beyond oil / plug / filter / wheel changes at home.
 
Hi Rasher thanks it was one of your posts that persuaded me to look at changing the suspension in the first place cannot beat recommendations, totally agree with the quality I think most o/e is built at a cost plus every rider and situation are different.
 
Two up Trouble

Love my bike, rarely use two up and in fact only tried it couple of weeks ago.........when I say tried it I mean attempted and failed :blast

Had my son (both of us about 92kgs) stopping and thought to take him out on bike.......100 yards and turned back as front end far too light for safety.....had the rear shock turned up as far as possible but hadn't put extra air in tire! However, regardless of that thought it was very poor which pushes me more towards changing suspension.

Any recommendations on who to buy from and who to fit :thumb2
 
I had my front and rear sorted by MCT.

They ordered Wilburs shock in advance and then I rode in for the work (shock fit / fork service & re-work and setup)

Not cheap, but made it all so much better. For lots of two up a much stiffer spring is needed, but since the Mrs got her own bike I had my spring downgraded and when i needed to use it two-up it was still a lot better than the OE shock as the damping is more controlled and I think the pre-load has more adjustment.

If you only want the shock it is an easy home fitment.
 
I had my front and rear sorted by MCT.

They ordered Wilburs shock in advance and then I rode in for the work (shock fit / fork service & re-work and setup)

Not cheap, but made it all so much better. For lots of two up a much stiffer spring is needed, but since the Mrs got her own bike I had my spring downgraded and when i needed to use it two-up it was still a lot better than the OE shock as the damping is more controlled and I think the pre-load has more adjustment.

If you only want the shock it is an easy home fitment.

thanks Rasher, I've now put some air in the rear tyre.... :blast

still think it's in need of improvement though, so will look at it for a next year job
 
thanks Rasher, I've now put some air in the rear tyre.... :blast

still think it's in need of improvement though, so will look at it for a next year job

Maybe pump up the front for next year, will give you another year to save for suspension.
 
I have a Wilbers sitting in my garage. It will need a service and a respring for the next rider, but I could drop it off at MCT as part of a deal.

Cheers,

Matt :)

Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk
 
BikerZ

I had my rear replaced and front set up by Bikerz of Stoke on Trent.

Had a Nitron rear fitted and front was just a set up..again i mainly ride 2 up so it was worth it..transformed the bike.
 


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