Bottoming out.

[Kev L]

Just like Tomorrow matey, it's going to happen. Got to feel sorry for the poor nipper though, "why does my Grandad speak so funny?"

[AMCQ46]

Just like Tomorrow matey, it's going to happen. Got to feel sorry for the poor nipper though, "why does my Grandad speak so funny?"

Went on one holiday a while back and we heard the lads in the pool talking about our eldest girl, saying she must be adopted cause she talks like a brummy but her mum and dad are Scottish

So the truth is that its the kids that speak funny, me and mrs MCQ are the normal ones .

[Kev L]

Bizarre as defending brummies is to me, i'm not having that! You, normal, never. As for the delectable and ever fragrant Mrs McQ, her beauty is only exceeded by her bacon rolls!!

[Image]

I wasn't riding beyond my ability Rob. That was a wee bit condescending. Been riding every day for 30 years. The reason for the poor racing line was because of the need to avoid pot holes on the apex which are new. First time I've experienced the notorious VTR bottoming out syndrome. It didn't cause a problem or anything as I just took a wide line close to the kerb but it made me think about improving the forks. My GPZ900R used to do it all the time because of the small front wheel set up and worse suspension than storms and I just got accustomed to releasing the front brake and keeping the rear brake on which would lift the front up and all steering would return. Ideally though I'd like to remove the problem and Hyperpro sounds good. I'm doing an all day track day at Mallory Park in a few weeks with a mate who races the superstocks so I'll put it through its paces and see if I can cure the problem and if not it's Hyperpro. Checked the fluid level and that's ok.

[VTRDark]

so I'll put it through its paces and see if I can cure the problem

You wont be able to cure it. They are just sh1t forks. When I first got mine I bottomed out a few times when going over speed humps too fast and a few big potholes on the streets of London. I have since maxed out the pre-load and rebound settings on the forks which has improved things slightly. But am more aware of how bad the forks are and am preparing to either upgrade the springs or change the forks completely for something else.

(:-})

[popkat]

Braking for the hairpin at Mallory you'll know all about the forks bottoming out, bumpy on aproach and mega hard braking. Imo stiffer progressive springs won't sort the problem, linear ones will do a better job, I've just got some 0.85 linear springs for mine although not fitted them yet i know they'll be alot better (had .875's in my old storm), got them from "reactivesuspension" and they're "racetec" springs.

[cheekykev]

Upgrade the forks, there is no other answer to the problem, the standard forks are s**t.
If you want to keep the bike and you can't do it yourself, then get in touch with Roger Ditchfield, he will sort them out for you, I think he charges about £230.
If you want his nbr text me and I'll send it to you

[Rob]

I really hammered it into the bend and realised I was going too fast. I think I should have hit the rear brake only. My race line was pretty poor as well.
Do you have a link for hyperho?

Was not being condescending at all, just responding to your post I've quoted. If you had explained in the first post that there were unavoidable reasons for your actions then I would have applauded you for handling the situation as well as you did with the bike at the extreme of it's limits.

I admit the VTR has it's limitations, but pushing it beyond that on the road is probably not legal or sensible

[mr.john.coates]

I really hammered it into the bend and realised I was going too fast. I think I should have hit the rear brake only. My race line was pretty poor as well.
Do you have a link for hyperho?

Commenting on others riding is fraught with danger...so I won't.

For me though, I think going into a bend too fast is something we all will do, sooner or later, and probably most days, and so should have other means besides braking to confidently get round. I try to keep my countersteering skills sharp with regular practice so that the action is ingrained in an emergency and can be used to tighten a turn without touching the brakes.

In my 'enthusiasm' with my new toy I went much to quick into a familiar left hander and was faced with a tractor on the apex of the bend and a real risk of running wide. I managed to simutaneously tighten my spintcher and the turn with a push on the left bar and got round - just, but without braking or thinking what to do. I then said a prayer to the Virgin Mary in which I promised never to break the speed limit again and returned home slowly to change my kecks.

[Image]

The culprit turned out to be a slight dent on the brake caliper making the front brake snatch. Sorted

[lumpyv]

i thought the rule for corners was "slow in fast, fast out"

[Image]

But what is 'slow' as it's like saying how long is a piece of string. The braking was done before the corner as I saw pot holes but the caliper wasn't releasing. It happened a few times afterwards even at moderate speeds so I realised there was a problem. Stripped the brakes but I couldn't see a problem but my mate did it and saw it. Who'd have thought such a tiny flaw would make such a dramatic difference. The brake was releasing about 2 seconds late which is a big issue on corners.

[sirch345]

My forks bottomed out on a bend today. Heard about this happening a lot on storms but my first today. Went wide but stayed on road but too close to kerb than I would have preferred. Looking back I think I should have released the front brake and just used rear brake and this would have lifted the fork suspension.
Any suggestions?

As already said the standard Firestorm forks are soft to begin with. My suggestion would be to get Roger ( http://www.revolutionuk.co.uk/ )to re-work the forks with (your body) weight related springs. Mine have been worked on by him, and I can say it's transformed the way the bike handles.

Chris.