12-09-2014, 09:55 PM
(12-09-2014, 01:51 PM)Motogeezer1949_imp Wrote: I just put a set of Ikons on Eric's CB Sunday. I haven't had a chance to take the bike out to the twisties west of town to try them out on the sweepers and the giant whoops at speed yet, but I can say that they are much better damped than stock. The ride over the ridiculously bumpy brick roads around my neighborhood is much less harsh. The ride is stable and smooth. I think I like them, and the price certainly is right, comparatively. I found the front suspension way too soft initially and not very confidence inspiring. I've been screwing in the adjusters bit by bit and trying it. Damping seems pretty good and I currently am pretty happy lightly scraping the right peg. We have them turned in up to the last ring on the adjusters. I'll try that this weekend. The wallow into the turns has been getting better the tighter the setting. I'm hoping the forks will be able to be adjusted satisfactorily without having to modify them. I'm getting better lean angle through the esses all the time it seems. It's fun playing with the adjustments and getting the bike set up. I've got some stuff to get done on my Yamaha triple, new tires, tubes, fork seals and such, and once accomplished I'm hoping Eric and I can get in some riding together. Currently he's got his nose to the grindstone and I've been the one piling the miles on the CB
My observations of the CB's handling seem to be right in line with yours other than the fork preload. The tighter I went, the harder it was to keep the front end steering where I wanted on rough, uneven pavement. A lot seems to be flex causing the front end to not track correctly. 43mm forks are a little spindly for nearly 550 lbs of motorcycle. Adding a fork brace really brought the front end to life. It goes where you point it and isn't as bad about following grooves and low spots in the road. The forks seem adequately damped, so spending $150-200 on a brace is the best bang for the buck.
Before the fork brace, I could tell the rear shock were under damped. With the front end more sorted, it really shows up. I also feel some of the wallowing felt is going to be ever present due to this being a 550 lb bike with a traditional steel cradle frame and swingarm. The rear shocks must be left at the lower end of the preload range even for me at 200+ lbs. For a bike designed for the Japanese market, I am surprised the rear shocks are so stiff. On the 2nd notch, Bump compliance is good and I've yet to bottom out. Even on that light of a setting, it's a bit of a pogo stick.
The Ikons seem to be the way to go for the money. My only concern is the lack of preload settings. Seems like they could have done more than 3 notches. Despite that, I think this may be my mod.