[Generic1776]

There was a Race Tech shock thread a couple weeks ago and instead prolonging the "does it exist" and "what is it" topic, let's start fresh.
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I had the gold valves and springs from RT installed almost 2 years ago, but I was holding off on the rear shock until I could afford to "do it right".

I initially have been looking at either a Penske or a Ohlins, until I saw the G3-S in a Motorcyclist Retro add back in December, and knew at that time, that whatever RT did, I was going to try it.

Thanks to the miracle of having paid far too much in taxes during the year, I received a healthy return and now I'm off the Internet to buy a shock.

The lead time on the order is normally 1 week, but Todd, the guy who leads the custom shock development and shock building was out with an injury half way through the week and had to delay delivery. (hey, it happens... no worries)

So I got the call on Thursday afternoon to bring the bike into their shop on Friday morning to leave it with them for 4 hours.

It turns out they have a new high rate/low rate compression remote reservoir and they needed a bit extra time to complete the final construction and settings.

Friday morning I dropped off my SV and I met Todd to discuss my riding habits and style for the sake of the rear shock and rebuilding the front again to work with the new rear.

After a day of furniture shopping with the wife, I got the call to head back over and pick up my bike. I was so excited, the only way to describe me was giddy.

When I arrived, they waved me on back to the shop floor where my bike sat waiting for me. Todd came out and took me through the basics of where all the adjustments are located.

"For now, everything is dialed in for you. Don't change anything until you get some good seat time, when you're ready to start changing it up, give me a call and I'll guide you on what to do, or stop on by the shop."

Cool!

Since this thread is useless without pictures, here's some shot I snapped in the garage this morning


(I like to think I have a protective coating of grease covering all moving parts. I do not think of this as grime, dirt or filth.)

The two flat head screws are the low rate and high rate compression adjusters

The finger twist nut is the rebound adjuster

The hex nut is the ride height adjuster

twin ring preload adjuster and remote reservoir mounting braket a la Race Tech

Wide Angle shot

 

[DarkMatter]

wow, looks good.

 

[furyskater911]

wow. hot. kudos for "doing it right" i bet there is a wold of difference between your ride and the kids popping on the zx10 shocks

 

[mattjmartin]

wow. hot. kudos for "doing it right" i bet there is a wold of difference between your ride and the kids popping on the zx10 shocks

Are you going to turn into one of those people who run around the forum stating the obvious all of the time? Do you honestly think that people don't know that Ohlins and the like are better than donors? If they do it and get more enjoyment out of their bike as a result, where is there a problem?

[/threadjack]

Generic: How does it feel? Night and day difference? Did you have it set up for light street duty or are you a more aggressive rider? It is in my plans to upgrade from the ZX6R and the race tech looks pretty good. I really wanna find a good deal on something used though.

 

[furyskater911]

sorry to offend you matt, i noticed you swapped one onto your bike - i followed your rebuild (and it looks good as i said in the thread)

but after racing for several years and spending gross amounts of time tuning suspension systems, i really appreciate the difference between these "swap" suspension jobs and getting an aftermarket replacement. Yes there might be an improvement on bikes like yours, but Generic's bike will handle significantly better havin a front and rear suspension set up to work together.

 

[mattjmartin]

sorry to offend you matt, i noticed you swapped one onto your bike - i followed your rebuild (and it looks good as i said in the thread)

but after racing for several years and spending gross amounts of time tuning suspension systems, i really appreciate the difference between these "swap" suspension jobs and getting an aftermarket replacement. Yes there might be an improvement on bikes like yours, but Generic's bike will handle significantly better havin a front and rear suspension set up to work together.

And I did not mean to offend either. I just wanted to point out that arguing the Swap vs. Purpose built shock argument is useless as there is not one person on these boards that thinks a donor will outperform one built for the SV. The ONLY reason anyone here has ever bought one is because it IS an upgrade from stock.

 

[Gerard7aa]

That is very NICE!!!!
Good going.

 

[Generic1776]

Are you going to turn into one of those people who run around the forum stating the obvious all of the time? Do you honestly think that people don't know that Ohlins and the like are better than donors? If they do it and get more enjoyment out of their bike as a result, where is there a problem?

[/threadjack]

Generic: How does it feel? Night and day difference? Did you have it set up for light street duty or are you a more aggressive rider? It is in my plans to upgrade from the ZX6R and the race tech looks pretty good. I really wanna find a good deal on something used though.

As for performance improvement, "night and day".

I live 44 miles from work, traveling between Lake Elsinore, CA and Anaheim, CA. My wife drives a car, but I sold mine about 4 years ago and I only commute via bike, even in rain. So I ride 440 miles per week, 50 weeks a year. (plus or minus a few days when the bike is being repaired, so about a minimum of 22,000mi a year not including road trips.)

The speedometer pick-up was damaged by the previous owner, so the bike doesn't count the miles or tell me my speed any more. I put 76k mi as my current mileage based on calculating my commute, not including fun riding and trips. I ride based on my comfort and skill level for the time and circumstances. Which means, drive as fast as safe.

If you have ever commuted on the 15 fwy, you'll see a 70mph speed limit, with traffic flowing between 80-90mph, or up to 100 at times. As you hit the 91fwy and go through the pass, cars come to a near stop, but bikes continue at their skill level.

So I do about 7000rpm-8000rpm in 6th gear most of my commute. When I hit traffic, I jump between the #1 and #2 (sharing lanes) and continue about 6500-7300rpm.

So I consider myself an "aggressive street rider, mixing hard starts and stops with long distance commuting... but not a stunter".

I like to ride the hell out of the suspension. I enjoy speeding up to jump the bike on speed bumps, railroad crossings and driveways. It doesn't take much air to get the adrenaline going, just leaving the ground makes me happy.

I considered my previous rear suspension a "hard tail", that little old shock may as well not have existed. I'm 6'4" and weigh 250lbs in a towel. Add full riding gear and a loaded tank bag and the old suspension would cry every time it looked at me.

How the new stuff rides:

Bots-dots are history, you know they are there, with the front wheel skating over them, but the rear takes them all away. Everything goes super silky over 6k rpm in 6th. Freeway expansion joints, are undetectable.

If you ride with the sun to your back/side you can see your shadow with the wheels dancing over all the road cracks, while the bike cruises along smoothly.

I took a steep driveway this morning (gutter dip followed by a 5% sloped commercial access road), gunning the engine while sitting in the saddle. The compression was smooth, the rebound had a good amount of "bounce", bumping me an inch off the saddle, but suspension was settled instantly. I think I'll try it again tomorrow a little faster but standing on the pegs.

The ride home from work will be fun to try, there are some rough freeway segments I'm looking forward to seeing if it can get some noticeable bumps or bounces.

I haven't tried any heavy cornering yet, I'm also interested in how that will go.

I can't believe how nice the total ride quality is now. I'm glad I have a full face helmet, to hide my goofy grin.