The ride on this bike is way too stiff, bordering on brutal. Smooth roads are OK, but any potholes induce a pucker moment, and frost heaves set it into a bucking motion that blurs my vision.
It's probably because the springs in the shocks are for a 750, which is at least 100 pounds heavier than this bike, and it's amplified by the clip ons.
In the rear, the springs have been cut (to lower the 1100F they were on), which only made them worse. That bike, too, is at least 100 pounds heavier than the STF2 bike.
I called Progressive and explained the situation. They recommended their 11-1104 forks springs, which are 19.12" long; about an inch longer than the springs I removed (sorry, didn't take a measurement). They have a spacer that I didn't use and a 35/50 lbs./in. spring rate.
For the rear, they suggested their 03-1394 springs. They have a 75/120 lbs./in. spring rate and are 9.75" long.
You can see in this pic that they're much longer than the cut springs. In fact, I could disassemble the shocks without even using a spring compressor!
The front springs dropped right in. I put a jack under the bike to lift it just enough to relieve a little pressure on the forks and had my Dad steady the bike while I installed the caps.
On the rear, it took us a couple of tries to figure out the best way to use my new spring compressors without them slipping off, and then we realized we left out a spacer ring after getting the first one back together....DOH!
The first shock took us 45 minutes. The second one, maybe 15....
The front feels better but still seems somewhat stiff. I only rode it up and down the street in front of my house (it was 10:30 p.m. by the time we got done). The rear is definitely better. Dad says I actually have some sag when I sit on the bike now. It did raise the rear up a bit, but that makes the bike look better, IMO.
And in keeping with the "Sweep the Floor" theme, I bough the springs from a friend for $40 and found the shock springs on eBay for $50, so..... Progressive suspension for only $90!
The only little head scratcher is that I
HAD to install the shock springs in this direction. Normally, the writing on the springs is on the bottom. Now they're "upside down". The perch on the lower part of the 1100F shocks is too narrow to install them that way. They would have slipped right over the end. This was the only way they fit and these are the springs that Progressive suggested.
Does it really matter what direction they're installed?
(And FYI: I installed the fork springs with the progressive, or tightly wound, section DOWN, at the bottom)
Plans for today are to swap out the master cylinder for a David Silver Spares unit and then ride later today.
