Rebuilding front forks on FI 1500 Nomad

[danb]

I have an 04 Nomad that I've had for 3 yrs now. I put on V&H ex. and Chuckster's BA kit, and a Dobeck fuel controller. I still have the stock rear suspension after reading some of the previous posts of the improvement I would get from a shock upgrade, I will probably put on 412 Progessive's this winter. My question is about the front suspension. I read in some of the previous posts of riders who rebuilt their front forks, and I was wondering what are they changing? From what I have read it is a cartridge suspension, but didn't know what was involved. Thanks for any help.

[Peg]

Check Gadget's pages. Here's a link to all of them.

You'll probably get side-tracked into a lot more interesting ideas while you're in there - I know I always do. The articles you're looking for are in the "harder bolt on mods" section, and deal with installing progressive springs.

Changes to stock suspension usually involves simply using quality oil of a heavier grade, or the addition of progressive springs. I did all that to my Nomad, and then my Voyager, but got far better results by having a shop put aftermarket suspension both ends. In my case, Ohlins down the back, and Race Tech springs & emulators up front.

[danb]

Thanks for the reply. I have read most of the articles on Gadgets site, I was just wondering if there was any other options out there. I'll probably go thru my front end this winter and put in the new progressive springs.

[danb]

With the race tech springs how did you determine what to use?

[Peg]

I had it done by a shop.

For work like that, in a remote location like NZ, it's expensive to buy the parts, and expensive to ship them down here. I had a choice of putting it together myself & hoping for the best (there's no way I can send stuff back half way around the globe economically if it doesn't work) - or getting a shop here to do it.

I'm fortunate to have the best regarded bike suspension shop in NZ in my city, so I made use of them. Doing that, I could keep taking the bike back, several times, until I was entirely satisfied with it. They changed the emulators, and the oil blend, until I had the ride I wanted.

Our roads in NZ resemble goat-tracks... Upgraded suspension is a must have, especially with the riding position of a cruiser.

[andyvh1959]

Hey Peg, after the suspension changes, how can you best describe the difference? My experience with replacing the worn out suspension on my BMW R1100RS was stunning. My 94 R1100RS with over 120,000 miles on it suddenly felt as crisp, as accurate, as controllable as the brand new 2008 BMWs I was test riding weekly while working at the BMW dealership. Also, before the suspension upgrades I'd be lucky to get 8,000 miles out of a set of sport touring radial tires. After the suspension upgrade to Wilbers front and back, out of the same brand of tires and with no other changes I got 12,000 miles from a set of sport touring radials. And that held true for the next five sets of tires of different brands.

[Peg]

In a word... Relaxing. I no longer take the hits in my lower back from uneven road surfaces, and the handling of the bike is miles better.

As you may be aware, NZ has a reputation as "the shaky isles". Constant & regular movement of the earth's crust takes a toll on our roading. They aren't among the best maintained roads in the world either, and weren't really made of durable materials in the first place. The best thing about them for a rider though, is that hardly any of them go in a straight line.

A good riding buddy said it best... He used to be able to tell when the bumps were coming up when he and his passenger were behind us, but after I had the suspension work done he had to find someone else to trail behind. My Voyager no longer gave him that moments notice he needed to brace himself, and the hits were coming as a complete surprise.

[andyvh1959]

One thing about suspensions; from the factory a bike suspension is a compromise of least cost, and the most range of adjustability to suit everything for a 150 lb to 300 lb rider. The least cost way to do that is use higher rate per inch springs and compression rate damping adjustment. So if your weight is about the middle of that range it may suit your riding and loading. But it is going to be a rougher ride quality.

When you go for high quality adjustable suspension, the parts are chosen to put your weight and riding style right in the middle of the adjustment range. That means the spring rates are closer to your needs, and the springs are usually progressive wound, and a LOWER spring rate (meaning softer). But also, quality suspension is adjustable for both compression and rebound damping, with real damping capabilities. So the combination of lower rate springs, with better damping means the suspension can move through more range (to take up the bumps) but still not wallow after the bumps have moved the suspension.

With the exception of those few bike brands that use Ohlins or White Power or other quality suspension parts, all bike brands go cheap on the components because most riders will just accept whatever the bike does. Most riders never set up their suspension properly. Most riders won't ride their bikes the number of miles and years to justify the costs.

[danb]

Can anyone tell me what part # Progessive spring they used in their "01 thru 04" Nomads with the cartridge style in the forks. Are they using the same part # that they call for in the earlier model Nomads without the cartridge.

Dan

04 1500 Nomad