Suspension upgrades.

Discussion in '1st & 2nd Generation 1983-1989' started by Dlancer, Dec 28, 2013.

  1. Dlancer

    Dlancer New Member

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    Here we are right smack in the middle of winter here in Ohio. I'm ready to upgrade my front forks and rear shock on my 85' VF700F. I thought I would post to see what others have to say about different products. I'm looking for reviews on fork springs and rear shocks from Daugherty Motorsports. and I think Race Tech. If anyone has used componets from other companies I would love to hear about them also.
     
  2. nih

    nih New Member

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    where in ohio? i talked to a guy from http://mphohio.com/ and he seemed pretty knowledgable. going to ride it over there and leave it when it warms up abit.
     
  3. Dlancer

    Dlancer New Member

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    I'm in Cincinnati.
     
  4. nih

    nih New Member

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    http://fcrsuspension.com/ these guys have a place in london, ohio, not exactly close to cinci but better than cleveland. i didn't talk to them.

    from what i've read ohlins is best rear and racetech is best front springs but for just riding a vfr around, i really don't know if other products are just fine or not. the guy at mph did say he just had springs he would fit on rear if it needed it.
     
  5. OOTV

    OOTV Insider

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    I have had Daugherty Motorsports do work on both my VFRs (09&01). Jamie rebuilt my '09 OEM shock and supplied me with the front fork internals (springs and valve shims) which I installed myself. For my '01 he rebuilt both the forks and a Penske shock I sent him. I was very impressed with what I got from the '09 upgrades, and even more so with the '01 updates. I can whole heartedly recommend using him or at the very least talking with him.
     
  6. Badbilly

    Badbilly Official VFRWorld Troll Of The Year!

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    Somehow an Ohlins setup on an 85 VFR is like real mag wheels on a 78 Pontiac.
     
  7. JasonWW

    JasonWW New Member

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    If a front end swap is out of the picture, the standard front upgrades wound be stiffer front springs and a fluid change. The next step up would be to add cartridge emulators (RaceTech or Ricor). Then you have the tire. Swapping to a newer rim and fitting a sticky radial tire is another improvement in handling, braking and ride quality.

    If your budget allows, I'd ship the forks to Jamie for emulators and springs and buy his replacement rear shock.

    I've got a different design rear shock than the 1st gens, but I had Daugherty revalve my stock shock and I installed it last night. It's a big improvement. It feels much smoother and more stable at high speeds and it soaks up the bumps just great. And that's with my stock, hard riding, bias ply rear tire. I know once I swap to a radial rear, it will be smooth as butter. The only down side is my 2 week turn around turned into 5 weeks, so keep that in mind.


    Just for extra info, here is a neat thread talking about rebuidling the stock shock. (It's hard!)
    http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=381537
     
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