Ok, I promised when I had some miles on my new Traxxion Dynamics suspension upgrade, I would post my observations. Keep in mind, I am not a professional racer or a professional rider ? way far from that.
The reason I went this route, is another rider who had his suspension setup by Traxxion Dynamics (did not have their equipment) they just helped him set his shock up? let me ride his ST1100. I was amazed at the tracking through the curves, it literally felt like it was on rails and almost stood up by itself exiting the curves ? it felt a little harsh, but it sure tracked well. Unfortunately, this confirmed my suspension needed some improvement.
I had the bike down for 90,000 mile service, so removing the forks for a while and having them worked on was no biggie. I delivered them to ?Traxxion Dynamics? in Woodstock, GA and talked to them about the possibilities? Little did I know there were sooo many! Long story short, I told them what I weigh, my riding style and how much I usually carry on the bike.
They were not pushy about their own products, explained several different levels of upgrades along with some price points and asked what my desire was. The top fork upgrade was out of my budget range, so I chose to have them select the springs, use their valves (which I sincerely believe are better than a known competitor) and rebuild them with new bushings and seals and the oil viscosity they selected.
The rear shock was probably an overkill for the way I ride? but it was about the top of the line available and my head (ego) was beginning to swell. I settled on the Penske 8975 built for the ST1100. Traxxion ordered the shock and the ?proper? spring for my weight from Penske. It took two weeks to get it as Penske custom builds these shocks when ordered. This shock has preload adjustment, Compression adjustment, and Dampening adjustment.
When I picked up the forks and the Penske shock from Traxxion, the first thing I noticed was the fork shafts were polished to a mirror finish. I also noticed a sealed bag with my old springs, old valves, seals and bushings. There was no doubt about what they replaced. They installed ?Axxion Valve Kit with Showa 8mm Base Valve Holder, Rebound Axxion Valve Kit, Traxxion Dynamics Fork Spring Kit 34x340x1.05kg/mm, Bushings and OME fork seals. They also checked the fork tubes for runout.
Then, Mike handed me the rear shock and said ?Remember to mount it upside down?. When looking at the shock, It has the Penske sticker on it, when mounted on the bike, it is upside down. The rear shock was ?setup? in Traxxion?s shop for my weight. It was tested and graphed on their specialized equipment. (I will include a picture of said graph).
So, now, the good stuff. With the suspension installed, I took the bike out for a little spin. The previous sag when lifting off the side stand was gone! The ride comfort was good? was not as stiff as I was probably expecting, but it was comfortable (Firm, but not punishing). The handling in the curves felt more confident and planted, exiting the curves also seemed better. The more I rode it the more I realized how precise the bike fit ?me?. Traxxion had nailed it!
On a side note, my current front tire (a Bridgestone G547 Exedra) had about 3500 miles on it prior to the fork upgrade and was beginning to ?sing? to me in the curves due to the feathering occurring on the tread pattern. After 3,000 miles with the Traxxion upgrade, the tread is now smooth again! All feathering is now gone! Guess I can expect longer tire life now.
Picture #1 Old shock on the left, new shock on the right.
Picture #2 shows the dampening adjustment not apparent in the last picture.
Picture #3 is the graph showing shock set up for the ST1100 and my weight. The ST in black, full hard in red and Mid setting in green. Needless to say, I am not even approaching the capacity of this shock.
The shock was pricy, but it is rebuildable. Penske makes a shock that is about $200 less than this shock that more than likely would have met my needs or the needs of most ST1100 riders. It does not have dampening adjustment. When ordering, they would fix the appropriate dampening internally by the specifications given (bike and weight of rider). I probably over spent on the rear shock? but I am ok with that.
The ride quality I now have with the increased cornering capability and improved tire wear is a plus in anybody?s book. You may not have to go the Traxxion route, but it is clear to me, now, that a good suspension is worth a little extra coin.
Vinny
The reason I went this route, is another rider who had his suspension setup by Traxxion Dynamics (did not have their equipment) they just helped him set his shock up? let me ride his ST1100. I was amazed at the tracking through the curves, it literally felt like it was on rails and almost stood up by itself exiting the curves ? it felt a little harsh, but it sure tracked well. Unfortunately, this confirmed my suspension needed some improvement.
I had the bike down for 90,000 mile service, so removing the forks for a while and having them worked on was no biggie. I delivered them to ?Traxxion Dynamics? in Woodstock, GA and talked to them about the possibilities? Little did I know there were sooo many! Long story short, I told them what I weigh, my riding style and how much I usually carry on the bike.
They were not pushy about their own products, explained several different levels of upgrades along with some price points and asked what my desire was. The top fork upgrade was out of my budget range, so I chose to have them select the springs, use their valves (which I sincerely believe are better than a known competitor) and rebuild them with new bushings and seals and the oil viscosity they selected.
The rear shock was probably an overkill for the way I ride? but it was about the top of the line available and my head (ego) was beginning to swell. I settled on the Penske 8975 built for the ST1100. Traxxion ordered the shock and the ?proper? spring for my weight from Penske. It took two weeks to get it as Penske custom builds these shocks when ordered. This shock has preload adjustment, Compression adjustment, and Dampening adjustment.
When I picked up the forks and the Penske shock from Traxxion, the first thing I noticed was the fork shafts were polished to a mirror finish. I also noticed a sealed bag with my old springs, old valves, seals and bushings. There was no doubt about what they replaced. They installed ?Axxion Valve Kit with Showa 8mm Base Valve Holder, Rebound Axxion Valve Kit, Traxxion Dynamics Fork Spring Kit 34x340x1.05kg/mm, Bushings and OME fork seals. They also checked the fork tubes for runout.
Then, Mike handed me the rear shock and said ?Remember to mount it upside down?. When looking at the shock, It has the Penske sticker on it, when mounted on the bike, it is upside down. The rear shock was ?setup? in Traxxion?s shop for my weight. It was tested and graphed on their specialized equipment. (I will include a picture of said graph).
So, now, the good stuff. With the suspension installed, I took the bike out for a little spin. The previous sag when lifting off the side stand was gone! The ride comfort was good? was not as stiff as I was probably expecting, but it was comfortable (Firm, but not punishing). The handling in the curves felt more confident and planted, exiting the curves also seemed better. The more I rode it the more I realized how precise the bike fit ?me?. Traxxion had nailed it!
On a side note, my current front tire (a Bridgestone G547 Exedra) had about 3500 miles on it prior to the fork upgrade and was beginning to ?sing? to me in the curves due to the feathering occurring on the tread pattern. After 3,000 miles with the Traxxion upgrade, the tread is now smooth again! All feathering is now gone! Guess I can expect longer tire life now.
Picture #1 Old shock on the left, new shock on the right.
Picture #2 shows the dampening adjustment not apparent in the last picture.
Picture #3 is the graph showing shock set up for the ST1100 and my weight. The ST in black, full hard in red and Mid setting in green. Needless to say, I am not even approaching the capacity of this shock.
The shock was pricy, but it is rebuildable. Penske makes a shock that is about $200 less than this shock that more than likely would have met my needs or the needs of most ST1100 riders. It does not have dampening adjustment. When ordering, they would fix the appropriate dampening internally by the specifications given (bike and weight of rider). I probably over spent on the rear shock? but I am ok with that.
The ride quality I now have with the increased cornering capability and improved tire wear is a plus in anybody?s book. You may not have to go the Traxxion route, but it is clear to me, now, that a good suspension is worth a little extra coin.
Vinny
