RaceTech upgrade - need your input!

Joined
Aug 11, 2008
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sacramento, ca
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'04 ST1300
I have a 2004 ST and I'm thinking of doing a Race Tech upgrade to the stock suspension. Bottom line, is the difference in the ride/handling etc worth the cost? Also, what would be the point of diminishing returns?

I'm thinking of replacing the stock springs both forks and rear shock and at least the gold valves on the forks. Maybe the caps as well.

I weight about 200lbs and this is my daily commuter in the Sacramento, CA area. I also take the bi-monthly trip to S. CA and also hit the Sierra passes when possible. I'm not sure where I'd rate myself as a rider, I have take the Lee Park's Advanced Class. If it makes a difference there isn't much of a chicken strip if any.

I've never ridden a bike with updated suspension or done and type of track days.

I'd be interested in your experience specifically with a Race Tech upgrade or any shock upgrade. Did you find it worth the cost? Would you do it again?

thanks,
 
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YES, YES, & YES... It is well worth it, I have Race Tech on mine and the diff. is amazing.... you will love it.
Dave



I have a 2004 ST and I'm thinking of doing a Race Tech upgrade to the stock suspension. Bottom line, is the difference in the ride/handling etc worth the cost? Also, what would be the point of diminishing returns?

I'm thinking of replacing the stock springs both forks and rear shock and at least the gold valves on the forks. Maybe the caps as well.

I weight about 200lbs and this is my daily commuter in the Sacramento, CA area. I also take the bi-monthly trip to S. CA and also hit the Sierra passes when possible. I'm not sure where I'd rate myself as a rider, I have take the Lee Park's Advanced Class. If it makes a difference there isn't much of a chicken strip if any.

I've never ridden a bike with updated suspension or done and type of track days.

I'd be interested in your experience specifically with a Race Tech upgrade or any shock upgrade. Did you find it worth the cost? Would you do it again?

thanks,
 

970mike

Mike Brown
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I have the Race Tech springs and gold valves in my ST1300 and they are way better than the stock ones. Still need to replace my rear shock.
 
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RaceTech rebuilt my OEM shock, added their gold valve, and replaced the spring with one to match my weight. One of their dealers rebuilt my forks, changed the springs, and added gold valves. I'm very happy with the results. My stock rear shock was pretty tired, so anything would have been an improvement, but I believe that the RaceTech work yielded better than stock results (at a lower price than buying a new OEM shock.)
 
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After being advised for years that I didn't need to upgrade the suspension unless I used the bike for track days, two days of hard and fast riding at FLSTOC in November convinced me that the "squishiness" I had been experiencing (I have 110,000 miles on the bike) needed to be addressed. Consequently, at the end of December I had a complete re-do of the front (Race Tech GMD, forks, springs, seals, etc.) and rear (Penske 8983 series) at GMD Ft Lauderdale. It took me about one mile of riding on the Florida Turnpike to notice the difference. The bike feels solid and holds the line better than I have ever experienced. I have yet to get out of the flatness and straight roads that we have in South Florida, but I am convinced the new suspension will make a world of difference in the twisties. It wasn't inexpensive ($2,300.00 plus tax - I could have gotten by for much less had I simply had my existing shock re-built), but I am very comfortable with the decision.
 
OP
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Knowing what you do now what would you have done differently? What changed the most in normal daily riding?
 
OP
OP
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sacramento, ca
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Is there anyone out there who looked at doing something with the suspension and decided not to?

What would you consider to be the minimum upgrade? What did you find was the most value for the cost?
 

Appalachian

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My experiences with RaceTech have been less impressive than with others. I would talk to Traxxion, and Moto-Pro before I did anything. They have all given me far, FAR better results. John at Moto-Pro used to be one of RaceTechs biggest shops until he finally dropped them because their specs were in left field and their customer service sucks.
 
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Highrider

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I have only changed the front fork springs to Sonic 1.2's, and the improvement to handling and braking has been significant. I know the rear shock is maxed out and should be rebuilt or replaced. If your looking for a starting point, front springs are the most bang for the buck.
 
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Is there anyone out there who looked at doing something with the suspension and decided not to?

What would you consider to be the minimum upgrade? What did you find was the most value for the cost?
Although I have already commented, I want to add another thought or two.

If you look through previous threads, you will note that this issue has been beaten to death, so I hope you realize you will simply find suggestions, but no answers, to your questions. Instead, I suggest you find a local mechanic (perhaps even a Race Tech authorized dealer) and ride over and talk to him. When I explained my situation to Eric at GMD and asked, whether under those circumstances, he thought an upgrade to the suspension was justifiable, his answer was: "You are asking the wrong guy because I believe EVERY motorcycle will perform better with an upgraded suspension". In addition to his refreshingly honest answer, I felt comfortable with him and decided, on the spot, to purchase the upgrade.

As to whether Race Tech is the right choice (as some have suggested) or not (as another has bemoaned), leave that up to the dealer. Eric at GMD swore by Race Tech for the front, but suggested a better alternative (Penske and another company whose name I can't remember) for the rear. I'm not a mechanic, so I listened to him. He didn't push the more expensive Penske rear shock, but a quick amortization of the additional cost (over the remaining life of the bike and my remaining years of riding) made for an easy decision. Given the type of riding I do (I'm no spring chicken), I suspect I could have been perfectly happy without spending the money for the new suspension. However, I'm not going to waste any of my time justifying the decision. All I know is that the bike feels better, and that's good enough for me.

Obviously, you have given the matter some thought and seem conflicted. In that regard, don't feel like the Lone Ranger. I suggest that if you have a few extra bucks lying around, bite the bullet and do the upgrade - both front and rear. I think you will be happy you did, and even if others may tell you the expenditure wasn't worth it, you will be able to justify it in your own mind. In the final analysis, that's all that really matters, isn't it?
 
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Hi,
I had sonic springs for my weight and gold valves put in the front forks. I had race tech rebuild my rear shock with a heavier spring and a gold valve. This is on a 2005 ST. They also drilled a hole in the shock so it can be rebuilt. The original shock is a throwaway at $400 someting bucks?
I started with just putting in the sonic springs. That was easy. Made a big difference so when I had some "discretionary" cash I waited for the right time. Went to a STOC rally in Nevada and RaceTech gave a talk about suspension and also gave a discount so I did the full monty. I also had Eric at GDM in Ft Lauderdale do the work. I sent the rear shock out to Racetech in Cali to do that work.

I wont say its an earth shaking difference but it is significant. The bike now rolls like it's on a mission.. Toss it into a corner and it's like a willing puppy to do your bidding. Bumps? yes you can feel them but the bike stays on course and the wheels just dance beneath you. Less dive on braking.. Not as "plush" as stock but not uncomfortable on the highway. It just flat works like a suspension should?.. what ever that is.. Gonna do it on the next bike too.
 
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I have the Racetech gold valves and springs up front and Hyperpro shock and springs rear. For normal every day riding there is no more floating or hunting of the front end on the freeway, even following or passing large trucks at speed. The bike sits a bit higher so the ground is slightly farther away at stops. Except for dive, handling didn't change much. The stock bike handles really well, maybe was even better cornering at legal speeds.

Bill
 

Tor

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I just did my front (RT valves and springs), and what a difference it made!! I'm around 205 #, and went with .95 springs.
 
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dduelin

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I am close to the Japanese ideal 150 lbs, 175-180 all geared up. I added 16 mm preload to the stock springs to get the sag right then went to a slightly thinner wt. blend of Honda fork oils. I liked that result and it's fine for my riding style. Later I had Race Tech rebuild my OEM rear shock. Between these changes I haven't felt the need to do anything more. The bike handles better than I can ride it and I ride it entirely too fast.
 

Tor

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I am close to the Japanese ideal 150 lbs, 175-180 all geared up. I added 16 mm preload to the stock springs to get the sag right then went to a slightly thinner wt. blend of Honda fork oils. I liked that result and it's fine for my riding style. Later I had Race Tech rebuild my OEM rear shock. Between these changes I haven't felt the need to do anything more. The bike handles better than I can ride it and I ride it entirely too fast.
Dave did you have to send your rear shock over to RT to get this done? I need to do the same thing with mine.....

Edit....I see "I had Racetech rebuild" and I assume you would have to send it to them :)
 

dduelin

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Dave did you have to send your rear shock over to RT to get this done? I need to do the same thing with mine.....

Edit....I see "I had Racetech rebuild" and I assume you would have to send it to them :)
Tor, yes you figured correctly. RT took about a week to massage my OEM shock and UPS ground was a week each way. I have been very happy with the RT redo for about 50,000 miles now.
 
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Joined
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It all started with a leaking fork seal. I have installed the Race Tech gold valves with adjustable caps and .95kg springs in my 2009 ST1300 in January 2014. I am an average pleasure rider and after the install with no fine tuning, I liked the substantial improvement in the way it handles the curves. Still figuring out the damping and pre-load. I think the valves with adjustable caps are a much better option for non-expert mechanics because the valves are fully pre-assembled by Race Tech and more or less just "bolt on". I would have crashed and burned trying to figure out the custom valving on my own. I am just an average shade tree mechanic and with massive gleaning from this forum got the job done myself. Moderate difficulty. Just today I am trying to adjust the static sag and have run into difficulties. More on that as it progresses. Jury is still out on the value of the upgrade with regard to time and money invested, but.....I am having fun and learning a ton. Do mention being a member of this forum and get 20% off at Race Tech. No final judgement until I figure out the pre-load adjustment on the fork caps. I will try to update.
 

Reginald

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If you look through previous threads, you will note that this issue has been beaten to death, so I hope you realize you will simply find suggestions, but no answers, to your questions. Instead, I suggest you find a local mechanic (perhaps even a Race Tech authorized dealer) and ride over and talk to him.
I too will be making this a winter upgrade after I figure out what I want to do. I don't have $2000 + to throw at suspension. The other threads didn't discuss rider's reliability with the products.

1) So I'm interested in the reliability/ride-ability of the rebuilt rear shocks.
2) I'm also interested in the reliability/ride-ability if the Type 1 gold valve upgrade without the adjustable caps. I'm not sure my meager skills would justify the $400 gold valve upgrade.
3) Also, never discussed in the other threads is using say just sonic fork springs and a rebuilt shock from Race Tech where the front has a progressive spring rate and the rear has a straight line spring rate.
a) Would these different types of spring rate conflict with the suspension?
b) I understand that the sonic springs raise the motorcycle a 1/2 inch. What needs to happen to the rear shock from Race Tech?
c) I'm thinking for my skill level this is where I want to go, just not sure based on Q's a and b.
 
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I have been reading the posts here for information/suggestions on upgrading the ST1300 with Race Tech suspension. There are some issues with the stock setup I have never liked. I just had R&R Racing in Pensacola do the Gold Wing front and rear with Race Tech. New bushings, seals, fork brace, All Balls, gold valves, emulator, etc. He rebuilt the rear shock and replaced the 800# spring with a 1200# Race Tech. He actually keeps a rebuilt GL1800 unit in stock, so he just switches them out. Stainless steel connector from the pump to the shock. The difference is significant and positive. The ride is better, as in firmer and smoother, if that is not a contradiction in terms. Tracks more reliably. All that at a great price. That is pretty much what I am looking for with the ST.
 
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