Race Teching the 5th Gen

Well, I've finally taken the plunge and am sending my forks to Race Tech tomorrow to have gold valves, new springs, oil, seals, bushings, etc. installed. I'm sick of the crappy stock suspension. I'm also buying an Elka shock or refurbishing a 929 shock (new spring, valves, and oil). Haven't decided that yet. Here are some pics of the neutered bike.

The foreman was present to make sure that I was doing things correctly


From the front

 

Good luck with it. let us know how it all goes. Just bought a Gen 5. I havent got that far with it - Still dicking around with the stator/rectifier, the odd loose wire and waiting on a toolkit.

 

I'm doing the same with the my 6th this year. Race Tech and valve up front and an Elka in the rear. Can't wait to be able to brake without massive front end dive. Loosing the "shifty" rear end will be nice too.

 

I've decided to go with a rebuilt 929 shock. Jamie Daugherty is going to install a new spring for my weight, upgrade the valves, and do all the other stuff. He says it's just as good, if not better, than some aftermarket shocks because a lot of the aftermarket shocks aren't valved for the rider, only the springs are set up for the rider's weight.

Anyways, this should make the ride vastly better than stock.

 

Will do. Hope you enjoy the bike.

 

Yeah, I experience both of those. Good luck with yours.

 

You'll be very happy once dialed in brother!

BZ

 

Thanks. That's what I'm hopin'. I'll let you all know how it goes because I know there are a lot of us contemplating the same mods.

 

I was getting ready to make a post on this myself. Hope you don't mind if I piggyback your thread, jaime?

I'm going to do the Racetech up front as well, but was still debating on what to do with the rear. I know that Racetech will also rebuild the rears. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Also need suggestions on what I should do based on my riding level. Its unlikely I'll do a track day. I seldom if ever ride 2 up, and my touring would be an overnight trip at best (no week long trips). I'm 6' 2" and 235lbs. It seems that Racetech recommends the 1.05 springs, but I'm thinking that may be a little to tight?

Is someone willing to share what the price is to do this? I was budgeting in the $1,000 to $1,500 range, but I'll be paying my shop to do this. I'm not any good with wrenches. (My Honda mechanic rides a 4th gen VFR, and he's a great guy. He'll be dialing it in with me once the work is complete).

Good luck Jaime, and again, hope you don't mind me tagging along on this one.

 

Pliskin:

Follow Racetech's spring weight advice.

If you are only a road rider then have the front forks done and only have your rear shock re-sprung for you weight, nothing else! Pull the shock out and ship it to Race-Tech and be explicit you only want the rear re-sprung. Should be about 150-200 bucks for the rear work.

Save yo'self some nickels my friend.

My 2 cents.

BZ

 

I want to rebuld the front forks of my 4th gen. My girlfriends dad is a mechanic and going to do all of the work but I was wondering what I would be spending on springs, valves, oil and other needed things. I was hoping about 300-350 is that a low ball guess?

 

No problem!

Race tech quoted me about $630 for the fork rebuild.

Here's the breakdown:
-$109 for springs
-$169 for gold valves (rebound)
-$169 for gold valves (compression)
-$30 for oil
-$22 for seals and bushings
-$135 for labor

$135 for labor is very reasonable to me.

Jamie Daugherty quoted me $485 (with shipping) for a 929 shock rebuild as discussed in an earlier post on this thread. So, I'm looking at a little over $1,100. A worthy investment, IMO.

Yes, as BZ mentioned, Racetech does rebuild the stock shock, but for a little more $, I prefer the option of adjustability with the 929 shock, which is still at least $200 cheaper than many low-end aftermarket shocks (that I've been able to find).

 

More like $500. Don't know if Traxxion or Sonic Springs have better prices. I went with Race tech because it has a great repution for quality, and a mechanic I trust very much uses their products on all his suspension upgrades (at least for the front end).

 

The RaceTech calculators are very good, but this is one case where they are not. The spring rates they calculate for the VFR800's are much too low. I calculate everything specifically for each rider based on their exact application, but here is a general guide that you can use for rear shock spring rates:

110-145lb = 1100lb/in (19.6kg/mm)
146-180lb = 1150lb/in (20.5kg/mm)
181-235lb = 1200lb/in (21.4kg/mm)
236-307lb = 1300lb/in (23.2kg/mm)

The values are rider weights in street clothes, do not include jacket, helmet, etc. If you carry gear, bags, etc. you'll want to add the weight of those parts to your weight then read the spring rate from the chart. I hope this helps!

 

okay help me out here Jamie... isn't the stock rear spring around 15kg. Given your numbers above that means that the stock spring is way to low for any rider and the basic Honda test rider would fall in the 20.5kg territory. Your the pro Jamie but the numbers seem high. Are they "Race" numbers or what kinda end result do they provide? or.. is the stock spring actually higher than 15kg?

Most that I have talked with recommend around a 19.5kg for my 220lbs.

edit: I should say that was for a less race and more everyday road type riding.

 

Yes, the stock spring is way light for all riders. These numbers are not race, they are 100% street. For track use they are even higher. To give you another point of reference, Traxxion would most likely recommnend a 1300lb/in (23kg/mm) spring for your weight. I think they are on the high side. It's taken me some trial and error to get to the numbers (a mathmatical formula, actually) that I use but now I rarely have a problem with guys achieving the correct sag and riding performance.

As you have illuded to, even going to an 1100lb/in (19.5kg/mm) spring would be a big improvement over stock. Moving in the right direction makes things better, my goal is to try and hit the optimum right off the bat.

 

Interesting Jamie, now I know why I had to turn my front end up a little after we set the suspention. I wasn't wearing my suit and gear.

I like the 929 shock idea.

Had I known you did the 929 shock mod I would have gone with that Jamie. However, I am still happy with Race Tech's complete rear shock rebuild though.

Lots of good options out their folks.

BZ

 

I agree, it's nice to have options. When it comes to suspension there really isn't one single 'right' answer. You have to work with the rider, even if just a little bit, to figure out what their needs and wants are. That's why I like it so much!

 

Jamie,

How about for the fork springs? The racetech calculator calls for .90 springs for my 170# body. Is that too low in your opinion?

 

That's right on the money. It's only the rear shock spring rates for the 5th and 6th gens that is bad, everything else is fairly good.