This past March I purchased the Penske 8983 Rear Shock from Cogent Dynamics and had them install their Ohlins/Cogent 20 MM valve upgrade to the OEM fork cartridges. The shock is a tremendous upgrade that has been well documented in this forum but there is not much information on the ST1300 20 MM Cartridge upgrade offered by Cogent Dynamics. I would have posted about the fork upgrade much sooner but I have been very busy this year testing different tire combos and spent some time experimenting with the suspension between all the tire changes.
Rick at Cogent Dynamics does not market the ST1300 fork upgrade aggressively so when I was ordering the shock from him I mentioned to him that I was preparing to have the Traxxion Dynamics AK-20s installed and was very surprised to hear from him that he had modified several ST1300 forks to great success. Rick let me know the AK-20s are a very high quality and well respected suspension upgrade but the stock Showa cartridges in the ST are good quality and respond well to the Ohlins valve kit that he helped develop when he worked for Ohlins. Rick kindly explained to me the performance differences between the Traxxion and Cogent fork upgrades were less dramatic than the cost difference of the more costly Traxxion Dynamics AK-20s.
After finally spending a proper weekend of mountain riding with a proper set of tires (fresh T-30 GTs) and the suspension dialed in (I added Sonic Springs a month ago) I can safely say that my ST1300 has been transformed into a legitimate (heavy) sportbike that doubles as a supremely comfortable touring bike. The ride is firm but NEVER harsh and when the pace ratchets up the stability and plushness only improves. I ran the ST from Knoxville to North GA, Wolf Pen Gap, Richard Russell, 17 then up into North Carolina where we ran over Wayah to 129 and then the Tail Of The Dragon back home. Yesterday I played in NC on the TOD and 28 with the ST and the only limiting factor I can point to with the ST is the weight and ground clearance (which is greatly improved with the firmer rear and raised ride height).
I was talking with Dave Duelin this Saturday and mentioned I may be trading the ST on a lighter sport tourer but after this weekend I remember why I bought an ST in the first place and it is going nowhere. The ride over Wayah was a revelation, demonstrating the spectacular ability of the Cogent Dynamics forks to swallow huge hits at pace without letting the ST1300 deflect from its intended path, even a little. The plushness of the suspension was addictive. I was accelerating out of the 10 and 15 MPH switchbacks and gracefully floating over the rough pavement as the bike just ignored the corrugated, bumpy surface.
Now I just need to try a Traxxion equipped ST1300 to see if the cost difference is money well spent. I know where I can find one...
KEB
Rick at Cogent Dynamics does not market the ST1300 fork upgrade aggressively so when I was ordering the shock from him I mentioned to him that I was preparing to have the Traxxion Dynamics AK-20s installed and was very surprised to hear from him that he had modified several ST1300 forks to great success. Rick let me know the AK-20s are a very high quality and well respected suspension upgrade but the stock Showa cartridges in the ST are good quality and respond well to the Ohlins valve kit that he helped develop when he worked for Ohlins. Rick kindly explained to me the performance differences between the Traxxion and Cogent fork upgrades were less dramatic than the cost difference of the more costly Traxxion Dynamics AK-20s.
After finally spending a proper weekend of mountain riding with a proper set of tires (fresh T-30 GTs) and the suspension dialed in (I added Sonic Springs a month ago) I can safely say that my ST1300 has been transformed into a legitimate (heavy) sportbike that doubles as a supremely comfortable touring bike. The ride is firm but NEVER harsh and when the pace ratchets up the stability and plushness only improves. I ran the ST from Knoxville to North GA, Wolf Pen Gap, Richard Russell, 17 then up into North Carolina where we ran over Wayah to 129 and then the Tail Of The Dragon back home. Yesterday I played in NC on the TOD and 28 with the ST and the only limiting factor I can point to with the ST is the weight and ground clearance (which is greatly improved with the firmer rear and raised ride height).
I was talking with Dave Duelin this Saturday and mentioned I may be trading the ST on a lighter sport tourer but after this weekend I remember why I bought an ST in the first place and it is going nowhere. The ride over Wayah was a revelation, demonstrating the spectacular ability of the Cogent Dynamics forks to swallow huge hits at pace without letting the ST1300 deflect from its intended path, even a little. The plushness of the suspension was addictive. I was accelerating out of the 10 and 15 MPH switchbacks and gracefully floating over the rough pavement as the bike just ignored the corrugated, bumpy surface.
Now I just need to try a Traxxion equipped ST1300 to see if the cost difference is money well spent. I know where I can find one...
KEB
