The Vit 701 suspension thread

The rear suspension on my Svart was kind of harsh when new. Different settings did not change much and I was quiet disappointed. After a few thousand km I have the impression that the damping characteristics on rough surface have improved a lot. I don’t know if the linkage was a little stiff or the shock had to run in. Of course it can’t compete with a more developed shock like the Nitron, but at least it is now adequate to my riding skills.
 
svartron said:
After a few thousand km I have the impression that the damping characteristics on rough surface have improved a lot. I don’t know if the linkage was a little stiff or the shock had to run in.
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I agree.

Seems like its workin ok after 3000 miles:

20220524_113929.jpg

Edit: (Off topic)
Anybody else see that picture and start hearing Adina Howard music playing?
 
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So lately I fit an andreani cartridge to my vit.
Just but it in a medium setting and go out for a testride.
My Vitpilen seems so much more balanced as before. What a great ride, and now I can play around with settings and geometry, because fork springs are now in the right ballpark and forks are actual adjustable 😍
I don't know if this cartridge is meant for a touring riding style, because it's harder then original (OEM springs 8,5? - andreani by 70kg Rider are 10), but for active riding its much more suitable.
At the rear I got a modded Duke 3 R shock
 

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I would like your honest opinion about the Andreanis on rough and ruttted canyon roads.

(and from anyone that runs the Nitron cartridges too btw)
 
Has anyone had an issue with the compression settings on the stock fork?
I've move the settings from fully open to fully close and 8t doesn't seem to make the slightest difference in damping. The rebound side works as it's supposed to though.
Are the forks covered in the warranty?
 
mainly i ride tiny curvy roads in the bavarian forrest. the roads are mostly in shitty conditions, because of cold winters, heavy vehicle (agrar and lumberjack).. there is no need to keep those tiny community roads in shape, because tourists and the main traffic are driving at the big national roads..

the andreanis doing good on those roads. At first i was worried, because somebody said, they are to harsh, you can only ride them on track etc.
it's nothing like that! and why should it be?! basically you get a set of springs for your purpose (riding style) and weight, compared with suitable hydraulic adjusters.
but now i have to improve my chassis geometry, because now i actully got some support at the front, wich i have to dail in.

the adjusters on the adreanis aren't much better as the stock ones.. they just do a good job.. but they have no separate highspeed lowspeed adjusters or such things..
i got a close look on the oem cartridge and those needles but i found no shitty parts oder major differences to the andreani ones..

in conclusion:
if money is no issue, i would buy nitron cartridge, because their bigger piston might have a slight advantage over the andreanis?!?
the andreani is a good cartridge, it works well, and you dont have to worry about springing and adjusters - but it's no show and shine one
if money is short, just buy some 9, 9.5 or 10 N/mm springs (depending on weight, riding style etc) and fresh recommended oil.. do a good service and grease up your fork seals to prevent stiction (check out dave moss). there is a good chance, that the oem adjusters arent as bad as everybody says..


the stock vitpilen suspension is unbalanecd for every purpose
maybe the front is good for commuting, but then theres a harsh rear. >>so you want a softer spring at the back
if you like to ride the hell out of it, you'll need much more support at the front.. >>so get harder fork springs

in springing you choose your game to play
hydraulic adjusters are just there to slow down/refine movement. they are not meant to give you major support!

imo best read for setting up a proper road bike is "the racing motorcycle, volume 3 by john bradley" https://www.broadlandleisure.com/
 
I think I am going to mess with the suspension a little this winter and the biggest complaint I have is the stock progressive springs causing an annoying dip with brake application, I got it decently stiff with oil etc but now it does not use close to full travel and still dips annoyingly.

Has anyone replaced their OEM cartridge springs with linear springs? I have changed the springs on all my other bikes to race tech linear ones and they are so much more composed when braking into a corner.
 
Actionabe said:
I think I am going to mess with the suspension a little this winter and the biggest complaint I have is the stock progressive springs causing an annoying dip with brake application, I got it decently stiff with oil etc but now it does not use close to full travel and still dips annoyingly.

Has anyone replaced their OEM cartridge springs with linear springs? I have changed the springs on all my other bikes to race tech linear ones and they are so much more composed when braking into a corner.
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I'm not an expert on motorcycle forks but I've messed around with some bicycle ones, and I think in the case of these the issue isn't the spring, I think is the compression damping, it could be the oil or the valve, but at least in mine going from completely open to completely closed doesn't change the feel at all.
I posted a question referring to this earlier because I wonder if it's just mine that behaves like that.
 
I have had the sensation with other bikes that had progressive springs, they are designed to be really soft initially to absorb all the little bumps that annoy people, the problem is then you go to apply the brakes it takes up that initial softness and is unsettling.. maybe I’ll see if race tech can do some springs for the cartridge, has anyone disassembled one?
 
I’ve had my forks apart a few times, and can’t recall the springs being progressive. The springs are not inside the cartridge, they stand ON the cartridge. Should be easy to change.

In my humble experience the main problem is the damping is just too soft, especially the compression. I changed to heavier weight fork oil, which made a remarkable difference. Midstroke the front still feels a bit underdamped , especially low speed damping.

I may one day swap them for Nitron or Andreanis.
 
Max Kool said:
I’ve had my forks apart a few times, and can’t recall the springs being progressive. The springs are not inside the cartridge, they stand ON the cartridge. Should be easy to change.

In my humble experience the main problem is the damping is just too soft, especially the compression. I changed to heavier weight fork oil, which made a remarkable difference. Midstroke the front still feels a bit underdamped , especially low speed damping.

I may one day swap them for Nitron or Andreanis.
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What oil did you used?
 
ktm has this strong offroad backround..
old duke got those super soft springs.. it's more to ride like a supermoto not like a sports bike..
correct me if iam wrong:
springing
duke III are 8s in front and 75 rear
duke IV got 8s in front and 85 rear

vitpilen got 8s in front and 110 rear.. (and i bet you nitron guys get even harder springs in your shocks?!?)

and now, check via racetech https://racetech.com/VehicleSearch some recommended springs for example 600 cc sports bike..
they all get 9+ at the front, by 110 - 120 rear

beware, shock springs are different because some brands use linear links, but most do not..

i read that ktm uses linear links, but i could not prove it.

it would be interesting to know the springrates of ktm rc8c or krämer gp2r?
i just found some rates for rc8r, wich got 9,5 front and 85 rear (maybe linear link???)
 
Anyone experimented with fork height in the fork clamps? I get a pendulum swing at speeds >~130 km/h while riding with my side baggage. I think about to raise the front by one groove to get more stability through more caster/trail.

Another thing I recognized is slight handlebar wobble on very bad streets combined with acceleration. The wobble don't get heavier and stabilizes by its own if I don't accelerate further. What do you recommend to try first to counteract?
I already tried to reduce the rebound damping but I can hardly tell any difference.
It's just slight and mainly in combination of very bad asphalt and acceleration --> rules of physic and just live with it?
 
Odd actually. I dropped the front by 18mm or so (edit: around 10mm extra from stock), and raised the rear by about the same amount to speed up the lazy stock steering.

B7A554DC-A86E-49C7-8C89-25B66EED3571.jpeg

No instabilities whatsoever at any speed. Zero.

(I don’t use a sidebag however)

Maybe time to check subframe bolts, swingarm play, fork bearings and /or worn tires?
 
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Interesting! Without any comparison I don't find the handling lazy, but as I wrote somewhere esle my riding territory lacks of real and nice corners. I remember you wrote also about bumps from roots or so on your streets.

The pendulum swing is only with the side bag but the slight handlebar wobble with and without the side bag.

The S22 tires are nearly brand new and during the change I couldn't feel any play inside the fork or steering head. The mentioned instabilities were the same with the old original S21 tires. I will check the subframe bolts and the swingarm play.

I think you dropped about 10 mm because the lower of the two grooves is the standard setting/height.
 
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