The Vit 701 suspension thread

[Max Kool]

While riding (side view)

 

[nampus]

I get it and will post a pic later. That said, you’re not going to change the bike’s geometry for looks, right?

That's the only thing stopping me at the moment.
Just measured mine, 52cm with the bike on the side stand.

 

[Max Kool]

So that’s only 2cm, surprised. Yours ain’t stock either right?

 

[nampus]

And thanks Max!
Your bike looks good with that stance!

While riding (side view)

View attachment 1066

 

[nampus]

So that’s only 2cm, surprised. Yours ain’t stock either right?

No I've got the Duke R shock, but that's the same length as the original.

 

[Max Kool]

And thanks Max!
Your bike looks good with that stance!

Oh did I say I also dropped the front a few mms?

 

[Wanderer]

Max, I just checked mine, sat up on the rear lift stand, it also measures 52cm, and is as supplied out of the crate, your side on pic the swing arm is on the stock angle with you on the bike.

 

[nampus]

Oh did I say I also dropped the front a few mms?

I've seen you mention that indeed.
I might try that this season. I didn't want to do that last year because I was already grinding my toes and brake lever. But with the new front springs the sag is about 25-30mm less at the front, so I can afford to drop it a bit now.

 

[Max Kool]

Yeah, I was running into the same issue, and solved with adjustable pegs.

I also added a little oil (20cc) to each fork leg yesterday, hoping it will make the forks a little more progressive (smaller air gap). Haven't tested that yet though.

 

[BISavage]

Is it typical to go for both rebound and compression at the same time?

Was under the impression its best one after the other.

Have ya treid it yet?

 

[Max Kool]

Not sure what you mean @BISavage , I've been trying to get the forks to my liking for quite a while. They felt very soft and comfy both on the compression and rebound. I already changed the fork oil to a thicker viscosity a while ago (7.5W left, 10W right), which did make some improvement. Less sudden dive when applying the brake, and less bottoming out. But I still felt a front "wallow". I think I have found the sweet spot between control and comfort, I'm just looking for the right balance between front and rear.

I'm hoping this may do it.

(and no, I'm just an amateur that goes by feel, an my opinion on the front is definitely not a professional one)

 

[BISavage]

Yeah, I also do not claim to be specialized.

To recap,
The front clamp is slid down, the rear end is raised.
Then the rebound is stiffer than the compression due to the oil weight left vs right.
And now oil is added to make the bottom 2 inches stiffer.

Maybe the only thing you need is a touch less rebound dampening?

 

[Max Kool]

The front clamp is slid down, the rear end is raised. => that is true, to quicken up steering.

Then the rebound is stiffer than the compression due to the oil weight left vs right. => sorta. Heavier weight oil was used on both legs. So both compression and rebound damping were made heavier. On both sides the adjusters are still only a few clicks open.

And now oil is added to make the bottom 2 inches stiffer. => Not quite. 20cc per leg was added, which translates to roughly 15mm added oil height. This makes the air gap smaller which in turn makes the total spring more progressive at the end of the stroke.

Maybe the only thing you need is a touch less rebound dampening? => huh? I'm still only like 4 clicks open, so I should have more room to reduce rebound damping. Right?

 

[BISavage]

Less rebound can reduce bottoming out in certain conditions, as it allows the suspension to "recover" faster from the little stuff so it can absorb the big stuff.

Maybe the last resort is something like this:

https://www.lainersuspension.com/en/shop/front-fork-kit/kit-fork-husqvarna-supermoto-701-svartpilen-701-vitpilen-701/

 

[Max Kool]

Less rebound can reduce bottoming out in certain conditions, as it allows the suspension to "recover" faster from the little stuff so it can absorb the big stuff.

True, and so does more compression, or a smaller airgap. The rebound wasn't sufficient to begin with so I had to start somewhere else.

And yes, I looked at those Lainer cartridges, interesting. What I don't get yet, they offer the same cartridge for the Vit, Svart and Sumo... Are these bikes that similar in setup?

 

[nampus]

True, and so does more compression, or a smaller airgap. The rebound wasn't sufficient to begin with so I had to start somewhere else.

And yes, I looked at those Lainer cartridges, interesting. What I don't get yet, they offer the same cartridge for the Vit, Svart and Sumo... Are these bikes that similar in setup?

I've emailed lainer about those valves a couple months ago.
And they said they assume the valves work on the Vit because they think the forks are similar.
They never had their hands on a Vitpilen.
They are basically just guessing

 

[Max Kool]

Would you pay over 200 bucks for someone else’s guess?

 

[nampus]

Would you pay over 200 bucks for someone else’s guess?

No chance

 

[BISavage]

I bet these guys would know after transforming the ones in the picture:

 

[Max Kool]

Sooo, after I installed the shock, and pretty happy with it, I decided to do some minor mods on the front. I already changed the stock fork fluid for a heavier grade, but it still dove too much for my liking. So as an experiment I added 20cc per fork leg and took it for a canyon spin (20cc is roughly 15mm added oil height). Which made a remarkable difference. The forks dive much less now, making the bike better balanced between front and rear (the zip tie I have on one of the legs confirms this). I feel I have reached suspension heaven now. At least for street riding.

And then my clutch master cylinder went kaputt....making the clutch slip on full throttle because the lever wouldn't return completely. The plunger wouldn't even pop out... so that's next on the list.



Always something, never a dull moment...