Help upgrade the suspension on my Gen4...

Hey guys. I am looking to upgrade the suspension on my 1996 Gen4 but the more I read up about the topic, the more confused I get! So here I am asking for your suggestions/help.

Background: I got the bike with 35,000 miles on the clocks (currently has 40K) from Germany. There was no service history regarding the suspension so I have absolutely no idea if anything has been done to it.

Problems: The main issue is that the front end is very soft and dives a lot.
Also, when lifting the bike from the side stand, the front forks compress a bit under the bike's own weight. What is this???
The back seems OK with my weight (about 150 lbs) but if I ride 2-up or with baggage then the rear seems to wallow and bounce around.

Even as it is, I have had no trouble throwing the bike in the twisties (riding solo), but the whole ride is very soft and there is plenty of room for improvement.

My aim is to firm up the suspension all around but not so much as to ruin the silky-smooth ride of the VFR. My main usage for the bike is touring and the odd spirited rides.

After doing my homework I've decided to upgrade the front end with springs/valves/whatever and possibly just swap the rear shock for a 929 unit.
I will probably go with RT front bits but I am totally lost on the various options there.

- So what would you guys suggest? Type 1 gold valves kit? G2R gold valve kit? Only springs & oil?

- What about the rates I will be needing? (I realise I need to keep the front/rear balance the same, but judging from what I have now this balance is not so good to begin with (v. soft front, medium hard rear).)

- If I do get the rear shock off a 929, will I lose the ability to adjust the preload with the special tool that comes with the VFR?

- Will I need to have it rebuild / change the spring? If so, wouldn't I be better off just upgrading the OEM VFR shock?

- Can the suspension gurus give me a working solution? (eg, Kit #1, X kg front, 929 rear, X kg rear)

I know these are a lot of questions, but the more I read up, the more I am lost, and any help will be greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

 

IF you look AWAY back in the archives, i think you'll find that the lower fork bushings on gen 4 fit too loosely to the outer tubes, causing some slop. I found this to be the case on my '97. You can either buy upgraded bushings (RaceTeck ??) or place thin shims behind the stock bushings.

Another inexpensive improverment is the use of VFR 800 front springs.

Fork oil deteriorates with use and time, and changing it is always a good idea on a bike you recently bought.

It's normal for the bike to sink a bit on its springs when off the sidestand, but not more than an inch.

Carrying passangers? Boost up preload and increase tyre pressures.

Fasten a ziptie around one of your fork legs to see how much suspension travel you're actually using.

You'd probably have better results using an aftermarket shock that was specifically designed for the VFR rather than a 929 shock, which wasn't.

 

there are tons of mods out there ranging from SQman's advice all the way up to RC51 forks (there is an active thread). I would take it in pieces to see how you like the improvement and be easy on the wallet.

Given the age, a fork oil change is in order. Stock is 5wt but you can get 7.5, 10 15 and 20. Most folks think 10wt is the place to be to put some dampening in the front - $24 upgrade
You can go to racetech and put in springs - $140 or so and a "gold valve" (from memory) $75 or so
you can have racetech do a complete overhaul - guessing $250 - Bubba_Zanetti can clue you in
next step is a full on replacement of the forks - $300-500 from fleabay and a junk RC51

 

I have just put 10wt in my '97. The front end on mine was diving a bit under quick braking and I didn't like that. I only have 16K miles on it, but the oil looked a little dirty. When draining the forks, it is best to remove them drain by removing the top cap and turning the fork upside down. Then replace the top cap (about hand tight) and pump the fork about 5-10 times (be sure to put a rag on the floor so you don't scratch the bottom of the fork), then remove the top cap and tip the fork upside down again. If you do this about 3 times, you are assured that you will get almost all of the oil out. Also, only remove one fork at a time, so you can use the fork on the bike as a guide to see how high to locate the removed fork. A couple of other things: once you have put new oil in the fork, install top cap and pump the fork a few times so that the oil works through the system. Lastly, when you put the wheel back on leave your pinch bolts until last and make that axle bolt hand tight. With the brake calipers installed, pinch bolts removed, and axle bolt hand tight, pump the brakes a few times. This will center the wheel based on the calipers and you won't have any brake drag. Once you have pumped the brakes, go ahead and tighten all the remaining bolts and install the pinch bolts. The whole job shouldn't take more than an hour or hour and a half. Good luck!

 

Good advice; i offer a similar but slightly different suggestion:

AFTER axle is tightened and b4 left side pinch bolts are secured, it helps center wheel and calipers to bounce the forks up and down a few times forcefully while holding the brake......then tighten left side pinch bolts.

 

+1 on roger_roger

I pumped mine into a mason jar and measured the level by drawing a line on the jar. Washed out jar, refilled to level and whammo - new suspenders