Fat Man on ST1300 needs suspension help

So my question is that I bought this ST1300 and the suspension sucks. The front end darn near feels like a rigid bike on the front. It works becasue I can see the shock compress when I go over my curb but it really needs some help. It seems like changing springs and oil is the first place to start. Is this true? What would you recomend for springs and weight. I was looking at the hyperpro and it seems they get good reviews. Anything better? what weight oil? are the hyperpros a one firmness rating? As for the rear, it doesnt seem nearly as bad as the front but I had thoughts of replacing the shock, but then I saw that hyperpro offers a spring replacement. Any recomendations here? A hundred dollar springs seems better than 800 on a new shock. How hard is it to do all of this myself. How hard to pull the rear shock and spring. Will the spring do anythign for me? I weight 300lbs myself and I usually dont have anythign in the cases but I will do some overnight touring trips where I will be loading them. Any help please? My bike rides like a harley rigid...

Well at 300 lbs, the issue is the rear and then the front.

The reason the front feels bad is because the rear most likely is completely compressed and the front is the only suspension you have. Since the geometry of the bike is being altered radically you can't rely upon the "feel" of the front.

For a proper suspension you are looking at around $1250 to $2000. That may seem like a lot but it will last the life of the bike and make it 1000% more enjoyable and safer to boot.

If you are looking for an upgrade today I would suggest you look at the Hyperpro for the rear and Race Tech for the front. You can call both companies directly and they will setup the system for you weight and riding needs.

cali_rider said:

Any recomendations here?

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I'm with Rob that the rear goes first.

Sorry to ask an obvious question, but you didn't mention it: has the preload in the rear been adjusted for the correct amount of sag? 300 pounds one-up should be no problem.

--Mark

I weigh 270 :weights1: and haven't had any problems, even riding with my girlfriend on the back I haven't had any problems. But of course I ride the fast one

+1 on adjusting rear spring preload.

Use the "Search" link at the top, right side, of this page to do searches for "Shock", "Suspension", "Fork", "Fork Spring" and "RaceTech". There are many sides to this question. Read the threads through, then make your choice.

I changed the fork springs first, then the rear shock. Big differences were noted both times.

Cheers,

Marshal

I ride with my wife most of the time and combined we are at 359lbs; plus the bags and top box. I tried both the Sonic 1.2 and the Hyperpro fork springs and ended up using the Hyperpro. The preload on the rear shock is all the way up and that isn't enough. Been saving for a custom made Wilbers instead of changing the rear spring. There is tons of info in the forums, check it out.
Sonny

My load is about the same and if you turn the preload all the way up it should help.
I also am looking at front springs

I weigh about 250 and tried sonic and Hyperpro and wound up sticking with the hyper pro. I used 7.5 oil,but ended up adding a little more than recommended . Check your left fork at axle alignment,if it's off,which isn't uncommon,it can cause the lower leg to bind on the tube. Don't get discouraged and take your time,it may take a little fiddlin' with but when you get it right it's night and day difference. I've had two ST's and they both felt like the forks didn't want to give except when hitting pretty big bumps. Can't help on the rear,I'm still running stock.

280 here, rear shock seems to cope... the "sag check" seems good advice. I'll consider an aftermarket rear shock when this one goes...

Well, my front shock is definately binding. I stopped in at my dealer and compressed the front of the brand new 07 St1300 on the floor and I can compress it a couple of inches. I try the same on mine and maybe a quarter of an inch. Somethign isnt right. So I need to check allingment? What, is the fork leg not in or out far neough? Do I just remove the front wheel and re-install. Anyone have pictures? How hard is it to do springs in the fork? How hard is it to change the rear spring?

Cali, your first move is to get a factory service manual. Google Helms. That will answer all your questions about doing it yourself. You will also need a good set of tools including a 17mm hex socket for the fork caps, torque wrenches, motorcycle stands, and the patience of Job. The forks need to be completely removed to do this.

If you have only done oil changes and tire inflations, I so do not recommend this as a do at home project for you until you have much more experience. Replacing the front wheel even has a specific set of guidelines such as which axle pinch bolts are tightened first, bouncing the forks and finish tightening all the bolts, that if not done properly could result in erratic handling that could take your life. I suspect that something was done improperly previously from your description of front fork compression.

Please get good help with this project.

I have all of the tools except a bike stand. I am a mechanical engineer by trade and on my BMW's I have done head gaskets, rear shaft drive pivot bearings, tire changes, etc... Of course I bought a Honda so I dont have to wrench on it. I dont have alot of time, and patience when i should be out riding.

If you have dropped your bike --no shame in that-- the fork might have become tweeked a bit, causing the problem you see. It's easy to correct.

Loosen the front axle bolts, and those on a fork brace if one is installed. Place the front wheel perpendicular to, and against, a sturdy wall. Mount the bike. Rock forward, pressing downward on the handle bars. This should compress the fork and also twist the fork legs straight. Do not hold the brake. Release the handle bars so that the fork springs return to their full length. Repeat this a few times. Dismount, place your bike on its center stand, and retighten the bolts; torque them to Honda specification. That should do the trick.

Marshal

cali_rider said:

I have all of the tools except a bike stand. I am a mechanical engineer by trade and on my BMW's I have done head gaskets, rear shaft drive pivot bearings, tire changes, etc... Of course I bought a Honda so I dont have to wrench on it. I dont have alot of time, and patience when i should be out riding.

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cali_rider said:

I have all of the tools except a bike stand.

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The center stand, a piece of 2x4 and a floor jack under the oil pan serves that purpose just fine.

--Mark

Combined weight 2up is around 380 here.
Stock 15,000 mile rear caused bottoming out all the time.
That $100 HyperPro rear spring solved the rear problem.
Yes, easy to replace, on ST1100. Hopefully ST1300 will be the same.
I still have 1/2 the adjustment left with proper sag 2up, while stock spring adjustment was maxed out.

How soon are you planning to do it?

cali_rider said:

I have all of the tools except a bike stand. I am a mechanical engineer by trade and on my BMW's I have done head gaskets, rear shaft drive pivot bearings, tire changes, etc... Of course I bought a Honda so I dont have to wrench on it. I dont have alot of time, and patience when i should be out riding.

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You are obviously well qualified to take on this task. I just didn't want someone to get into a situation that could be an endangerment to their riding. Good luck, and please report back on how things worked out.

well, I am going over to a local shop to see if they will do it and an oil change. at this point its more about time. I need to first get the forks not binding. Then I will probably just order the hyperpro front and back to see how that works. I will do the springs myself when i have more time.

sroddy7855 said:

How soon are you planning to do it?

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I need to get the fork legs working asap. I think I need to get that done first then I will re-evaluate the suspension once it actually works. It waqs confirmed by another ST forum member today that the the forks arent compressing at all. So right now I basically have no suspenion.

Marshal_Mercer said:

If you have dropped your bike --no shame in that-- the fork might have become tweeked a bit, causing the problem you see. It's easy to correct.

Loosen the front axle bolts, and those on a fork brace if one is installed. Place the front wheel perpendicular to, and against, a sturdy wall. Mount the bike. Rock forward, pressing downward on the handle bars. This should compress the fork and also twist the fork legs straight. Do not hold the brake. Release the handle bars so that the fork springs return to their full length. Repeat this a few times. Dismount, place your bike on its center stand, and retighten the bolts; torque them to Honda specification. That should do the trick.

Marshal

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Does anyone know the torque on those bolts once i loosen them? I dont have a manual yet. Anything special to doing this other than retightening. Any special pattern to torque?