[rodman]

Hi Guys,

I've been thinking about cornering clearence since I scraped my new Carbon Fiber Radiator covers.... :1:

Everytime I walk up to the back of the bike - I see the 'Chicken Strips' on the sides of the 180 tire and wish I could get 'em nice and worn.

Tell me, can you fit a set of longer shocks to the rear of the bike? Will the swing arm rotate down rather than up?

Fitting longer forks would have a neat chopper effect, but probably a bad thing for handling overall .

Any other ideas?

Rodman

 

[mjw930]

Neither of your suggestions are going to give you what you're looking for, a faster bike through the corners. Forget about the chicken strip and see if you can tune the suspension to eliminate the sagging causing your scrapes.

1. increase the spring rate and convert to progressive springs front and rear.
2. Upgrade the fork oil to 15W HD Screamin' Eagle or a 20W aftermarket (if you're really serious)
3. Upgrade the rears springs / shocks to 13" heavy duty progressive springs and set them so the ride isn't overly harsh (we don't want wheel hop) but doesn't wallow.
4. Go out and ride the heck out of it and enjoy.


If all else fails Buy an XB12S

BTW, I ride hard and fast and rarely scrape and I'm no lightweight I still run the factory springs, oil and shocks but I make sure I'm cranked up in the rear and I adjust the lean angles using counter steer to keep the bike slightly more upright even though I'm occasionally drifting the bike. I also enter turns slower than with a sport bike but exit harder, using the bike's tendency to right itself under power to keep from scraping. Try to get all your braking done in a straight line and only use slight taps on the rear brake in the turns (trail brake) if you need to scrub speed. Stay away from the front brake in the turns, the front is so soft you'll lose 10% of your lean angle to compression.

Riding style can compensate for some of the lean angle :diablo:

 

[morey000]

Good techniques to work on. Although, I'm not sure that I want to stiffen up my suspension any more. It's already pretty tight for my 137lb mass.

Hmmm, I've always considered my worn pegs and scraped up tailpipe as part of my bike's customization. :diablo:

Good question though. Given all the VROD's performance and roadholding ability, it's pretty easy to scrape pegs on this bike. I wouldn't mind another 5 degrees.

any other ideas? What about a taller series tire? or a wider tire?

 

[Harleyvrodguy]

Morey, I too was thinking that a wider tire would give you more clearance banking the bike, however it would slow reaction time to whip the bike thru say a series of "S" turns I think??

 

[mjw930]

Good techniques to work on. Although, I'm not sure that I want to stiffen up my suspension any more. It's already pretty tight for my 137lb mass.

That's the beauty of progressive springs. You can keep a smooth ride for the first 1" of compression then tighten it up to prevent bottoming.

Taller aspect tires combined with a progressive rate suspension would probably be the best compromise.

 

[rodman]

MJ?

Thanks for the suggestions- I will crank up my preload to stiffen the ride- heavier fork oil is also on the way. I suppose the other thing I could do is to try and modify the mount for the radiator. The pipes are not a problem...

Rodman