Quote:
Originally Posted by shane liberty
I had emulators and springs in the forks before. I played with geometry on the bike a little and tried to balance out the feel front to back considering I had a built JRi Shock in the rear. I have the bike sitting tall for more ground clearance.
Racing at Chuckwalla the front end was good and gave good feedback. The change to cartridges has been substantial though. The forks "feel" thicker or more solid. The front tire give me a lot more feedback. The front end feels more stable under trail braking and is rock solid when transitioning from upright to full lean. There is a hand-off between the suspension and the chassis when the bike goes to full lean and that transition can be a little unsettling when your suspension isn't dialed. You can ride around it no problem but the luxury of having no issue at all is very nice.
I am planning to race at Buttonwillow in a few weeks so I will keep you posted on how it does on a rough track.
For the cost cutting effect the Emulators are still a good choice. If you're already at the front of the pack in a race and tenths matter, I would consider going with the cartridges. If you're just cruising around town or you're practicing on a track day, they are not mandatory. Really it's just about finding any possible advantage when you're fighting for a 1st place, which I'm always trying for at CVMA or anywhere else I land.
P.S. I had my front forks showing only 8mm above the triple clamp and my rear has been raised a lot. I have ride height adjustment in the back so if you have a GSXR shock thing and run the cartridges you will have to figure out your geometry first before you can benefit from a better front end. Zoran has extended my forks +5mm now so I've slid my forks up to have 13mm showing, which I believe is the stock height. Keep in mind, though, the tail is higher. I will post up my geometry setup when I get the bike back if anyone wants to know the height of my rear. Let me know if anyone cares about such a thing and I will post it.
|
I have the GSXR shock with the dogbones that @
Rexbo made, so my ride height is stock all around right now. I would like to raise it a little, but not sure how to do the rear. But with the new springs(for my weight) maybe it will offer better ground clearance now.