Well gang, I'm ready to report on my adventures with the W650
suspension. I started this quest about a month and a half ago and can
now report on the results.
Rear: I decided that I wanted to upgrade the rear shocks. I know
Hagon makes some, but I'm partial to Progressive suspension so I went
with them. Josh at Progressive assured me that the shocks were the
same as those used on a Vulcan 750. So I ordered a set of those in
the 412 Series, a midrange shock. Well, the shocks arrived and they
were 12.5 inches - the W has a 13 inch shock. I decided to give them
a try. First I removed the dumb chrome shields to reveal the chromed
full legnth spring. Then I installed the shocks. This is a 15
minute job, unless you have 5-Stars stuff on your bike. Then it is a
1 hour job. Of course I had to lift the swingarm/wheel since the
shock were shorter. Bolted everything back on. To my surprise, the
bike, we me on it, is the same height as stock. I had measured the
shock legnth with me on the bike before and after shock replacement
and they are the same. The stock shock had more static sack than the
Progressive. I was also amazed at how light the stockers were
compared to the beefier Progressive.
Front: Progressive could not help me with fork springs, so I went to
RaceTech. I purchase their W650 spring with a .8 rate (stock
is .6). They sent out instructions, the springs and 18inches of
spacer material. The RT springs are three inches shorter than
stock. If I followed the advice of their tech person, I would have
had to have a spacer almost 8" long and use 20w oil. I have worked
with RacteTech before on KLR650's and I know these guys. They are a
great bunch, but their rule is "The firmer the better" I went with a
7.5 inch spacer and 10w oil. The forks have to come off to drain the
oil. I put in the specified amount from the Kawi manual.
The result: I'm always leery about folks who make a change, go out
for a ride around the block and then run to the computer and say how
great everything is. So I decided I would wait a few days and get
some miles on the mods. So, after 400 miles of city, highway,
interstate, and rutted dirt roads, I'm ready to say that my $270.00
were well spent. I may fiddle with the oil level, but I'd say I'm
pretty close to as good as it gets. I've got a good compliant ride
on the dirt roads and bumpy corners, but enough control and firmness
to keep things from getting to squirrley. SO all in all, I'm very
pleased.
Gino
