New rider: how can I tell if bike is set up well?

[tvpierce]

Originally Posted by Yakima

. Guys on the nighthawk forum are almost uniformly against adding air.

In my experience that's very bad advice. On my previous '81 CB750, '85 Interceptor, and my friend's current '85 1100 Sabre, if there's no air in the forks, the bikes feel extraordinarily heavy, and will "dive" into turns: meaning once you start a turn, you have to apply pressure to the bars to keep the bike from turning in harder. And God help you if you encounter a bump mid-corner -- that's a show-stopper. Get 6 - 8 psi of air in the forks, and it will feel like a different bike altogether: like you trimmed 100 pounds off it, and it will handle nicely.

The tricky part is getting just 6-8 pounds of pressure. A hand pump works best.

[tvpierce]

Oops... duplicate post.

[Dan-M]

I agree with typierce here. The trouble with air assist is the air pressure squeezes the seals on the tubes and increases stiction.

IMO proper sag outweighs some increased stiction.
If the installed springs allow good sag without air you don't need to add it. Usually though, bikes with air assist were undersprung from the factory.

[Yakima]

I've put new Progressive springs front and rear. But my problem persists: I can read about how a bike should handle, but my butt doen't know the difference.

[O.C.F.RIDER]

I've got a '84 1000 Interceptor with the dreaded "air forks" and I beg to differ with the previous poster regarding air pressure in the forks. I put in stiffer springs and I run ZERO pressure at all times. In fact, I very often will bleed the pressure that naturally builds in them, just like I do on my 525. There are "bleeders"made just for that! The stock springs in these older bikes were VERY lame, and they tried all sorts of (at the time) cutting edge BS like the air and the not so fondly remember "anti-dive" set-ups.

Chris

[tvpierce]

Originally Posted by O.C.F.RIDER

I've got a '84 1000 Interceptor with the dreaded "air forks" and I beg to differ with the previous poster regarding air pressure in the forks. I put in stiffer springs and I run ZERO pressure at all times. In fact, I very often will bleed the pressure that naturally builds in them, just like I do on my 525. There are "bleeders"made just for that! The stock springs in these older bikes were VERY lame, and they tried all sorts of (at the time) cutting edge BS like the air and the not so fondly remember "anti-dive" set-ups.

Chris

To be fair, you're not really differing from what we were saying. With the stock set-up the air is absolutely necessary, but you're talking about taking the soft stock springs/supplemented with air assist, and replacing it with a more appropriate spring-only suspension. I'd agree, that's a better set-up. But will stand by my statement that with a stock suspension, having proper air pressure is critical.

[O.C.F.RIDER]

OK! I'll give you that one on the air pressure with all things being stock. And I'll do that because even with the SMOKIN' deal I got on my 1000 Inter last April ($1000 and BETTER than showroom condition) from one of my old riding friends, I was very hesitant to take it because of my memories of just how poorly these things handled in stock trim. But my buddy had done the springs and put on a Fox Twin-Clicker. Once I got the bike set-up correctly, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at just how much I liked it. The motor, the sound, and even the handling.

Chris

[corndog67]

From what I've seen, probably more than half the people that own bikes don't have a clue about suspension, set up, and everything else. I told some guy his back tire was almost flat, and he tells me it's part of his rear suspension. Speaking of set up, I saw some guy on his cruiser that had his levers rotated up so when he used the clutch, his fingers were straight up in the air. For the few minutes I saw him in town, he never touched the front brake. Many more examples like that. Some kid on a ZX6 or 636 or something of the sort, had about 10lbs of air in his rear tire, he said it was for stunts. That's what I see around here, very few real riders. 650 Nighthawk guy, good for you for trying to find out about your suspension. If you aren't sure, try one of the local dealers that has a racebike, that would be an indicator that they know how to adjust something.

[genespleen]

If you're seeking a fork brace, there's a fellow on Ebay who sells custom machined ones for the 650--something like $25. I used two of them stacked, to create a pretty stout brace. It's Ebay item no. 300725268541 .





There's an "Official Nighthawk Thread" here in ADV Land; worth checking out if you've not stopped by:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=191328

[tvpierce]

O.C.F.RIDER,

That is one SWEET ride. I had a similar 750 that I loved. The 1000 has even more to love.