Which Fork Spring?? Race Tech or Progressive?

[fastkatanaboy]

Which is best for back roads w/ bumps?

[Cassius086]

I have racetech 1.0kg springs and cartridge emulators...very nice combo of smooth ride (soaking up bumps), but good handling when things get tight in the corners. Much improved over progressive springs....

[isleoman]

I have the Progressives in my GS and the Traxxion straight rate springs in my FZ1. They both are much better than stock. Japanese bikes seem to come from the factorys set up for 160 lb riders and 95 pound passengers.

There's no way to compare the FZ1 handling to the GS though, there are just too many other important variables like radials and 20 years of technological advancement. The straight rate springs are excellent in all situations and the high end suspension tuners seem to select them for most applications.

The progressively wound springs make a lot of sense for general purpose, all around applications. Don't forget that you can tailor the results with the fork oil weight also. Lighter weight oil might make the response to bumps more compliant and cushy however you may bottom out more often if you go too light. There is also another progressively wound spring company called Hyperpro, but I don't know if they have a product for the GS. You can also adjust the fork oil height and the aluminum tube pre-load spacer to tailor your results. Takes time but doesn't cost much.

I originally bought Race Tech springs for my GS but when I received them they were the wrong diameter (too big). At that time Race Tech customer service left a lot to be desired. Probably because GS sales are a pimple on the ass of the elephant, compared to GSXRs and CBRs for Race Tech. After all the hassles I had with them I suggested that they should change their web page to correct the bad info. They never did for at least a couple years. It may be right now. I think the modern GS500 springs are what they sell for the GS1100.

There have been some other threads where GS owners have had similar problems and have finally figured out the right Race Tech spring for our application, make sure you do a search. I personally gave up on them.

Once you sort out the front your going to want to sort out the rear shocks too. Especially if you carry a passenger.

[49er]

Hyperpro is a Dutch company. They don't list any progressive springs for the early GS range. They cover the GSX & GSXR models and the later GS 500. Some of these may fit our models with some adaption.
I haven't looked into the cost of their product. They give a 1,000,000 mile guarentee against sag or breakage on their springs. Their kits include the damping oil.

[Mike McNaney]

Im glad someone else thinks race tech service sucks.
Ok thats two of us that I know of that have played the GS1100 game with them. I'll bet they acted indignant on the phone too huh?

Their sales staff, all girls, have NO clue.
Their application says GS1100. So I asked the sales person what model and when she kept saying GS1100 over and over again as an answer she got mad and told me I should figure out what size my bike was. They put someone else on that told me it was for my bike so I bought the kit.

After I returned their stuff to them. I suggested they change their catalog and website also but got a dismissive answer from them.

I suggest that you know your plunger head size and spring length before you call them and order by size, not application. They dont make an emulator for the 82'-83' E model forks. I think their application may be for the G model but I dont Know. Just a guess.

Ive ridden race tech equipped bikes and the ride is great. Their springs are not progressive and you are supposed to use them and the emulators as a set.

After all that crap I just studied my forks, completely renewed them, removed my air bung system, used 15w40 oil and they ride great.

The emulators do the same thing as the adjustable damping system that is already on the 82'-83' E models except to change damping rate on the emulators you have to take things apart. With the stock setup all you do is turn a knob on the bottom of the fork.

The 83' E model came from the factory with heavy progressive springs. Not sure about the 82'. I read up on the fork system and found that the 83' forks were the best for their day. the next improvements were inverted forks, then cartridges as they use today.

[AOD]

From what I'm finding the 80-82 GS1100E had different forks than the 83 GS(X)1100E. They look the same though in pictures...

I replaced my stock springs with Progressive front springs and it's noticeably firmer.

~Adam

[AOD]

used 15w40 oil and they ride great.

Isn't fork oil supposed to be straight weight?

[Mike McNaney]

I know the 82'-83' E models have the same forks with only small differences. They are completely different bikes from the 80'-81'.

Fork oil recomendations are different for different bikes. It depends on weight distribution and performance level.

My Suzuki Corp.service manual lists 5 different weights for 5 different bikes
and one of them is 15w-40 for the 82' Katana. It has the same front forks as the E so I figured it would be fine and it is.

They also suggest different weights for different climates, including mixing auto trans fluid!! Go figure.

[denydog]

They dont make an emulator for the 82'-83' E model forks. I think their application may be for the G model but I dont Know. Just a guess.

After all that crap I just studied my forks, completely renewed them, removed my air bung system, used 15w40 oil and they ride great.

The emulators do the same thing as the adjustable damping system that is already on the 82'-83' E models except to change damping rate on the emulators you have to take things apart. With the stock setup all you do is turn a knob on the bottom of the fork.

Hey Mike, thanks! I think you just removed any temptation I've had to try and upgrade my forks with Racetech or something.

I installed progressive spings when I had the seals done, and I'm perfectly happy with how the forks are doing. Maybe it's because I don't ride as hard as I used to. I'm not even longing for a fork brace anymore.

Sometimes I just think I need something just because I hate to miss out on something good, but in reality the old bike's not so bad:-D

[Guyver]

Sometimes I just think I need something just because I hate to miss out on something good, but in reality the old bike's not so bad:-D

You know I get caught up in wanting to play the update game and have thought about upgrading the stock fork springs, the entire forks and the brakes. Then I ride the bike and it feels good, it corners good, it brakes good for everything I do and I wonder why bother?

[Nessism]

Cheap guy (like me) trick is to remove the stock springs and cut off a couple inches of coils from the top. Next, fabricate some new spacers (pvc pipe works well) that are longer thus making up for the missing coils. Result is an increased spring rate in the front end - same result as spending money on new springs.

[dalknob]

whiich spring do you cut, the little one at the top or the long one?

[Nessism]

whiich spring do you cut, the little one at the top or the long one?

I've never messed around with cutting coils out of a two spring setup so I'm not sure what to recommend. You want the cut coil to be at the top, next to the spacer (assuming you have spacers) so use this as a guide.