01-21-2018, 03:50 PM
... One of the main reasons was the suspension. The flaccid forks. I replaced the shocks with Ikons, which helped a great deal. Took me quite a while to get the forks adjusted properly so it would turn the way I wanted it to turn. The bike is very sensitive to front ride height and spring preload, surprisingly so.
Huge dive on brake application (sorry, that's just how I ride
) which I KNEW could be made a lot better. But to start pouring $$$ into the forks seemed like a losing proposition.
...
[/quote]
Agree that there is huge opportunity to improve the front end. If you go down that path on your future CB11 have a look at the Andreani cartridge kits. I've installed them and am delighted with the improvement. Cost was about 60% more than springs and emulators but for the extra investment you get externally adjustable rebound and compression.
[/quote] It's my expectation that the Dual Bending Valve fork is going to be just fine right from the start.
If THAT fork needs work, I wouldn't buy the bike over again.
When I sat on it and pumped the forks (2017 model) they were very firm, almost sportbike firm. They felt very good.
Most of the bikes I have now are equipped with pretty darn good forks. I rode my 2017 SV650 today and was once again impressed that the forks were good enough to really not need any attention. The shock, however, is a different story. That is going to need replacing.
So I have some faith that the forks are a lot better. I believe PowerDubs had good things to say about the upgrade he did to the SDBV forks on his "Gen 1" CB1100.
Another thing I left out of the upgrades were the lights. I expect that LED headlight is a lot better than the halogen piece, which burned out on me during one of my loop rides. Had to run it on low beam until I replaced the bulb. Vibes got it.
Huge dive on brake application (sorry, that's just how I ride
) which I KNEW could be made a lot better. But to start pouring $$$ into the forks seemed like a losing proposition....
[/quote]
Agree that there is huge opportunity to improve the front end. If you go down that path on your future CB11 have a look at the Andreani cartridge kits. I've installed them and am delighted with the improvement. Cost was about 60% more than springs and emulators but for the extra investment you get externally adjustable rebound and compression.
[/quote] It's my expectation that the Dual Bending Valve fork is going to be just fine right from the start.
If THAT fork needs work, I wouldn't buy the bike over again.
When I sat on it and pumped the forks (2017 model) they were very firm, almost sportbike firm. They felt very good.
Most of the bikes I have now are equipped with pretty darn good forks. I rode my 2017 SV650 today and was once again impressed that the forks were good enough to really not need any attention. The shock, however, is a different story. That is going to need replacing.
So I have some faith that the forks are a lot better. I believe PowerDubs had good things to say about the upgrade he did to the SDBV forks on his "Gen 1" CB1100.
Another thing I left out of the upgrades were the lights. I expect that LED headlight is a lot better than the halogen piece, which burned out on me during one of my loop rides. Had to run it on low beam until I replaced the bulb. Vibes got it.