ST1100 Race tech kit installed

chesthing

Joined
Jun 6, 2008
Messages
239
Location
Colorado
Bike
R1200RT
Just had to post a ride report on this mod - anyone who's read my posts in this forum over the last couple years knows I've struggled with the suspension on this bike, those days are over. This is the ride that I've been after, I can't say enough about how well the bike (front and rear) takes bumps now.
I bought a Progressive rear shock, Race tech gold valve kit and springs - total is around $850. For about the price of a Penske I got the front and rear done with my labor (job was actually very simple, if you've replaced fork seals you can do this easy).
BIG recommendation.
 
Hi Erik,

Good for you! Details, please! How about some pictures and a step-by-step...?!?! Surely you documented this major mod... [I hope]

Regards, John [fellow SSMSTrider]
 
Great news! I have been thinking about the same thing. Would like more details. Which shock? The new #465? Oil weight. Any info would be helpful.
 
I'll be interested as well. I've done RT to my Wing and F650GS and both were dramatic changes.
 
Sorry John, I barely have enough patience to get through these jobs, much less taking time to take pics.
I bought the 420 shock from JC motors - apparently they are discontinued, which probably explains the $420 shipped price - they probably still have some left, I just got mine a couple weeks ago.
As far as the RT stuff, the instructions are ST1100 specific and pretty easy to follow, after I had a 5 minute talk with Louie at RT to get me started. I'm 170 lbs and ordered the .90 rate springs. You are supposed to use 10 wt oil in the damper side fork (left side for non abs) and 5 wt for the cartridge side. Oil is filled to 5.1" from top of fork tube on both, instead of 7.5" as called for by the Honda service manual.
The left side is a no-brainer, drill the damper rod with 4 additional holes near the bottom, place the already installed rebound valve (cartridge emulator) on top of the damper rod (the spring sits on it) and put everything back together (get new bushings and seals).
The right side had me scratching my head a little. You have a rebound valve and a compression valve that sits inside the cartridge. The compression valve is pre-assembled, that's a no brainer. The rebound valve is on top, attached to the end of the cartridge rod (the long rod with threads at the top in the right fork - many mistake this side for the damper rod, it's actually the cartridge rod). You are given a bunch of shims, the valve, a spring and check-plate (looks like a shim but it's got a bigger hole) and a cup washer. Installing everything as the diagram shows in the instructions is imossible, there isn't any room for the nut on the end. After talking with Louie the cup washer must be omitted, and everything goes together perfectly after that.
Anyone that wants any info or help can pm me or email me at erik_richard@yahoo.com
 
Too bad... pictures would certainly be worth more than a thousand words in this case. :( I guess if I had the parts in front of me it'd make sense/be clearer.

BTW, most ST1100 folks with the Service Manual call the non-abs right fork guts the "fork damper" because that's what the manual calls it (the left side's called "fork piston assembly"). For consistency and clarity on the forums I always use Honda's item descriptor in the manual; and if giving a part number, the noun-nomenclature used in the parts fiches.

John
 
After going through this task I'm confident my last post will be helpful to someone doing a search with all the parts at their feet, as I was.
I did learn some things, not sure why Honda decided to create confusion by mis-labeling. To the rest of the world, a fork damper is a short fat tube about 10" long that lives in the left fork of non abs ST1100's (looks like this) http://www.largiader.com/tech/gsforks/
and the cartridge is what lives in the right fork as illustrated in this thread: http://forks.darladog.com/
Before doing this project I thought the right side was the damper rod side too.
 
I do want to add for the record that the front end feels better than the rear. In other words, I recommend the Race tech set up a bit higher than the Progressive shock. The shock is much better than the stock shock w/ Hyperpro spring I took off, but it's not quite as plush as a more expensive unit would be (like the Penske I had on my VFR800). I would recommend it for the money, although I don't know how a like-priced Works Racer feels - that's about the only aftermarket shock out there priced this cheap.
 
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