The Vit 701 suspension thread

Max Kool

Max Kool

pro rider
Joined
Oct 8, 2020
Messages
1,090
Location
City of Angels
Hello friends!

Let's share information on making the Vit's suspension better in this thread.

I ride my bike in canyons mainly, always solo. Winding twisting roads that don't always have the best maintained surface. In general I like the Vit's suspension, it steers light without being nervous. The front is not too bad but it feels like it could do with stiffer springs or more preload, and it lacks rebound damping making the front pop up when you release the brake.

The rear however, is kinda odd. It feels very stiff suddenly when you compress it on mine, even while the preload is only on position 6 (solo rider, 85kgs). Also feels like too much rebound damping even on 20 clicks open.

Anyone experience with tuning the forks?

Anyone replaced the rear shock with a Nitron R1?
 
I've got 7,5W oil in my rebound leg. Definitely improved things! I've still got the adjuster 2 clicks from fully closed, but it's a bit more composed compared to the standard oil.
Changing the oil is an easy job, and cheap enough to experiment with.
IMG_20200410_141543_copy_1382x1843.jpg
I used my bicycle stand to hold the leg and let it drip out for a few hours.
 
That's a clean garage!
I'm waiting for Nitron to deliver me a set of custom rear shocks for another bike, their premises is not too far from where I live.
But they are having a few issues at the moment with getting their shocks built to a timely manner. Their website quotes 3-4 weeks delivery time, but at the moment it's double that, and I'm still waiting... Covid probably isn't helping things :(
 
Max Kool said:
Hello friends!

Let's share information on making the Vit's suspension better in this thread.

I ride my bike in canyons mainly, always solo. Winding twisting roads that don't always have the best maintained surface. In general I like the Vit's suspension, it steers light without being nervous. The front is not too bad but it feels like it could do with stiffer springs or more preload, and it lacks rebound damping making the front pop up when you release the brake.

The rear however, is kinda odd. It feels very stiff suddenly when you compress it on mine, even while the preload is only on position 6 (solo rider, 85kgs). Also feels like too much rebound damping even on 20 clicks open.

Anyone experience with tuning the forks?

Anyone replaced the rear shock with a Nitron R1?
Click to expand...
Think you need to eat more pies !
Im 105kg and the bike feels fine, especially compared to the 790 duke I had. I do find that the ABS kicks in fairly often when braking and hitting some rough patches on the road, still need to have a little play with the fork setting to see if it can help.
 
Little update after I did an oil change on the forks. I stuck to the stock amounts of fluid but changed compression side for 7.5W oil, and rebound for 10W.

This calmed down the front. Less dive on braking (I can see this from the tiewrap around the fork leg, no more bottoming), and no more popping up as bad as soon as you let go of the brake. Perfect it ain’t but it feels more composed than before where it felt like the rear was fighting the front and the forks wallowed a bit on bad roads.

Ride is a bit firmer now, but not harsh

Comp 14 clicks, rebound 8 clicks
 
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Hi all, I was looking up Nitron shocks on google and somehow ended up here, not seen this thread before, so good find and Info.
Max have you done anymore on the rear shock.? Looking on Nitron Australia web pages, they list a R3 for the Vitpilen, at a bear $1500 Aus dollars, so not a cheep exercise to add, Just remembered my dealer owner, whom is racing a Vitpilen 701 in our track classes that suit, has a Nitron shock, so shall have a chat next time in out there, so now I'm wondering about changing fork oils, and I happen to also be 80kg, having come down from 95kg when I got crook a couple years ago, so Max, are you 80kg with gear or bare.? Me its the bare, so plus gear I would guess would go up to 85ish...
I would like to get the harshness and smooth out the small bumps and ripples feedback from the suspension, and am even considering going for the long travel suspension 701 SM at the moment, though a very costly change if I were to do...
 
Have not made up my mind, awaiting a guy that could build a custom shock, but he's kinda busy. If that takes too long I may choose a Nitron shock.

btw my weight is 81.6466kg nekkid, before breakfast. So with gear somewhere between 85 and 90kg.
 
Thanks Max, same weight then... I will report back after talking to my dealer in the next week or so, see what he has to say :)
 
Way cool Max, Look forward to hearing how you get on with it... Is it built to order.? How long.?
Yesterday I went looked at a 2017 KTM Duke 690 R, low kms, and had Ideas of getting bits off it, rear shock, mono block calliper, ect ect, however not decided yet if I will do or not...
 
Nitron are always built to order, I would guess it’s gonna take a month or so. They’re pretty busy.

fingers crossed
 
Ok good to know, do you order direct from them in UK, or go through a local agent.? Dare I ask how much.?
 
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