stormin sussies

[MIDLIFECRISIS]

i have had my storm for 2years now,( 98 model ) and am fed up of trying set up my sussies, considering changing the bike . can any one suggest what can be done to improve things on the sussie front, if so at what cost ?
going to the show next sunday, do i buy new bike or new sussies.

[delmeekc]

<<<<<<<<<<YOU BUY THIS

If Wayne don't buy it. (as he has first refusal)

Believe Me You WON'T find one like this at the show

Del.

[essexbloke]

lets see a decent (large) piccy.......looks like loads of "extras"........

[firestorm_al]

i have had my storm for 2years now,( 98 model ) and am fed up of trying set up my sussies, considering changing the bike . can any one suggest what can be done to improve things on the sussie front, if so at what cost ?
going to the show next sunday, do i buy new bike or new sussies.

Give Rodger Ditchfield at Revolution a call ( http://www.revolutionuk.co.uk ). They are the gurus when it comes to FireDtorm suspension. A fork re-sping and re-valve will cost £200 and a new rear shock around £500 but it will totaly transform your bike.

If you have the rear shock replaced then check the rear suspension linkage bearings as, take it from me, they will probably be dry as a bone by now. Unless you have a suitable stand or a set of pullys ro raise the bike you will probably need to put the bike into a shop to have the rear shock replaced anyway so get them to do the bearings while your at it.

Al.

[Masu]

I just put the racetech spring in to my weight (20 stones ) and the new fork oil, ah 7.5W I think, the change in the bike was gobsmackingbloodysuperunreal!!

Over the winter (in January, as I'm too busy now) I will do the gold valve and I may even go for the new rear shock, (Roger says the Penske Unit he can source is head and shoulders above others, and he was so right about the set-up for the VTR forks I'll trust him totally).

I guess it depends what you want to do with the bike, Pro Racer Boy? well then I guess you may need more, agressive track/street rider? I think and hve been told that this is all you should need, any more money spent at gaining speed would be better spent on gaining skill, go to a race school etc.

Track time is worth it's weight in bloody gold!!

BTW I'm going up to Motegi on the 2nd of December for a whole day of HART (Honda Advanced Rider Training) A full day of beatingon Mr. Honda's nice new bikes (Hornet 250s, Super 400 etc.) and in the afternoon we get to do the track!!

Cheers!

[MIDLIFECRISIS]

HI guys
thanks to you who have replied to my post, still a little unsure as to which way to jump, as £700 + seems a lot of money to improve a 4 year old bike, just cannot decide at the moment.
thanks again.

[Robbe]

HI guys
thanks to you who have replied to my post, still a little unsure as to which way to jump, as £700 + seems a lot of money to improve a 4 year old bike, just cannot decide at the moment.
thanks again.

I went the Roger route with my '97 Storm.
Best £800 i spent.
The bike feels so much better, practically turns it into a new bike.
The fact you can actually feel the front end working over bumps in corners and the way it tracks on long sweepers make it money well spent in my books.
Plus the Penske is a top class bit of kit.

Robb

[firestorm_al]

HI guys
thanks to you who have replied to my post, still a little unsure as to which way to jump, as £700 + seems a lot of money to improve a 4 year old bike, just cannot decide at the moment.
thanks again.

It may seem like a lot but what is it going to cost you for another bike? I can tell you that you'll be shocked at how much you'll be offered for your bike as a trade in. So if the rest of the bike is sound then getting the suspensions sorted is well worth it IMHO.

Al.

[Fluffy]

Everyone is right about roger, but nobody says do it all at once mate. Get the forks rogered first and that makes an immense difference in itself. Roger will normally fettle the (limited) settings availible on the rear as well as setting up your static sag etc.

you walk away with a fantastic front end, but also with a bike that is in balance, front and rear. The Penske shock could then come later on down the road.....

Cya

Fluffy

[Masu]

Fluffy is right on target, that is what I'm doing. I got the bike sprung for my , ah, weight and that made a huge diff in the bike, the right oil and air-gap, as well as Roger's advice (via E-mail, I AM in Japan) on setting the static sag, and there you go, $99.95 for springs, about $15 for fork oil and I'm happy. Now I've been told that with the RaceTech Gold Valves I'll be even happier, no doubt I will, but for a start it was a great one. I'm hoping to get the gold valves in the new year and a Penske rear in the Spring, (Xmas and a birthday I can rationalize in there)

for the money try the springs and oil etc. you may be surprised at how much better the bike is, then for about $140 you can have the valves too. When you can out run the VTR, go for the Penske.

My 2 yens worth.

Cheers!

[firestorm_al]

From my limited experience I'd have to say that if you can afford to sort the front and back out at the same time then do it.

I've just put the origonal rear shock back on my bike and the thing feels really strange. I wen from a perfectly ballanced front and rear back to a sorted front but over sprung rear and am not too keen on it.

On that note, I now have a WP emulsion type ( no seperate compression setting ) rear shock up for grabs!!

Al.

[stormcloud]

Masu, thanks for the feedback. As sole bread-winner at the moment, it's hard to justify the complete front end job and I'd been wondering about the value of just putting the springs in for now (I cant use the front brake too hard at the moment or it skips over bumps - no travel left). I'm wary about leaving the damping stock, but I guess the oil wt and amt can be fiddled with.... How did you decide on the oil and how much ? Is there a formula for weight and riding style etc??

Firestorm-al, why are you selling the shock, sound like it's great?? Are you staying stock or going to try another brand?

[firestorm_al]

I have to free up some capital at the moment so the bike has to go

Hopefully it'll just be a blip in my bike ownership.

[Masu]

Get hold of Roger, he will set you up. You are in the UK, ya? if you can go over to his shop (make an appointment) I understand he does very good work and is fast, he should be, I bet he can take a VTR apart with his eyes closed

Roger took my weight and recomended the springs and oil as well as the air gap and the length of the spacer. He then walked me through the static sag setting, which is simple.

I had a huge problem with the front forks on my bike, hit the brakes and it dived like Stukka, made good cornering hard to do

A good mate who is a very good rider took my VTR out on the track for a spin while I was fooling about with my SM RMX, he cam back in and was amazed at how well the bike handled, he said that by the third corner he had his knee down he felt that confident on it. Another mate had a storm back a while ago and threw gobs of cash at it, but not at the suspension. He sold it because it just handled like sh1t. If he had spent half as much on the engine and 1/4 of the rest on suspension he would still have a VTR I bet

Springs and fork oil, you can do the job yourself with modest skills in a few hours. You do need a rear stand, and I used an auto floor jack to lift the front end at the oil pan. Off with the wheel, off with the fairing. Easy to get off, a bit of a bugger to get on, the first time, you have to kind of spread it and put it on, but worth the effort, you have to take the fairnig off to get good measurements, IMHO. Hang the brake calipers on some wire hooks to the bike somewhere, don't let them hang on the hoses. Then off with the clip-ons. next loosen the triple clamps holding one fork. Do it one at a time, that way you cannot mix any parts.

A good table is a must, clean is important too, a sheet of plywood between some sawhorses works well.

Oh, important bit, loosen the top caps on the forks BEFORE you take the forks out of the triple clamps. (trust me on this one )

If you need I'll post what Roger sent me.

It is not that hard to do.

good luck!

PS tell the missus that the springs make the bike much safe in panic stops and just in general, springs are "Safety" items you know

Cheers!

[stormcloud]

Firestorm-al, I hear you mate, my Yoshi's nearly hit the trading post once, until I tried the stockers again for a laugh........ I know I dont really NEED a bike, but looking back, I dont regret making sacrifices to keep one- NEED is such a subjective word....


Masu- thanks for all that. I'm in Australia actually, a bit of a tourist I guess but been a member since day one with my storm, and this is what is so great about the net- no distance barriers.. If you could sent me the info I'd be grateful - jstent@hotmail.com will get to me.
Actually, I'm lucky. Last time I was without a bike, the missus actually told me to get another one. She reckons I'm heaps easier to live with when I can go riding whenever I feel like it......hmmm... Re: the springs, YEP, I've told her how dangerous it is if you cant brake really hard and now she is insisting I get them real soon.

Cheers all,
Stormcloud