Storm Drift

[voodoo-music]

why does my storm always drift wide no matter how much i lean it back in. Is it the suspension setup or something, im using bridgestone battleaxe tyres which i was told were great

cant figure it out

[AMCQ46]

With out knowing the suspension set up, my 1st answer would be that you need to fit a 3mm spacer on top of the rear shock, or drop the forks in the yokes.

This will steepen the steering head angle, and help the bike turn in faster and hold a tighter line.

This answer may be too much of a generalisation, as the state of your tyres and suspension may be having a big contribution, as could be your riding style and weight. But I can say that with the rear raised and the front dropped, the Storm will turn in fast and hold a line.

I should also advise that if you are running the front forks with standard springs [too soft], the steeper head angle and extra weight on the front end has been linked to tank slappers [if you drop the forks too much]. With reworked front forks this is not a problem.

[voodoo-music]

Well the tyres are nearly new so i dont think it would be the tyres so as you said its possibly the suspension setup

Is there a spacer available like you said or do i have to make this up

[AMCQ46]

there is a bloke sells them on e-bay, but you can make your own real easy.

all you need are 2 big washers, the ones I had were 1.5mm thick, about 20 to 25mm outer dam. with a 10mm hole in ctr.

slot them with a hacksaw so you have a U shape 10mm slot, so you can slip them over the top shock mount bolt with out needing to fully remove it.

To fit the spacer you need to remove the seat, and unbolt the back ov the tank so you can lift it slightly to get at the shock top bolt.

The shock top bolt is the 17mm one on the right of the black steel plate if you look at the rear tank fitting.
Slacken this off [by at least 3mm], then you will need to unload the rear wheel, so with the bike on the side stand pull the rear of the bike towards you so the sidestand is lifting the back wheel in the air. Best if you have a helper for this as you now need to hold the bike there and also slip the 2 U shapes washers on top of the shock mounting bolt so they fit between the lower part of the frame and the top mount.
Once the washers are in place, lower the bike down, thighten the 17mm bolt to 44Nm, remember to re fit the tank, go ride.

It is simple!

[seb421]

why does my storm always drift wide no matter how much i lean it back in. Is it the suspension setup or something, im using bridgestone battleaxe tyres which i was told were great

cant figure it out

Try turning in a bit later than you normally would try for the apex,

are the tires correctly inflated (found this makes a massive difference when changing direction at speed)

How are you with the throttle mid corner?

[Beamish]

Drifts wide compared to what? What bikes are you used to? Are you a nutter that is used to a sorted 98 Blade or ZX6? The Storm on 021's, 016's Pilot Roads, Storm ST's, etc...with serviceable stock suspension is ok to be fair just a bit vague and the forks are too soft by far. Shouldn't really drift too wide unless you are giving it big licks, the rear shock spacer will speed up the turn in but there is always a compromise.

[voodoo-music]

thanks for the replys, well to be honest this is my first bike and dont have a great deal of experience but i feel that even at normal speeds on long sweeping corners the bike starts to drift under light acceleration. Prob best for me to find out if there are any local meets and get someone in the know to ride it and see if anything is wrong. There aint a gtreat deal of meets up in the north east

[voodoo-music]

Up in newcastle upon tyne mate, being a new rider i have no clue where to look for guys in the know lol

[cupasoop]

There aint a gtreat deal of meets up in the north east

[nora2004]

Ive found that really throwing your body weight about makes a huge difference on the storm with stock suspension, you get to the point where you ride through the soft vagueness and it actually handles pretty good, you gotta really muscle it about though!

Where do you ride out? Im always up Hartside on the Storm, next time your out gimme a shout, could maybe have a blast about!

[nora2004]

I haven't been up there for a couple of months on the bike (last 2 were in the car) Shall we organise a bit of a scoot in a few weeks time ?

Your on, be nice to be out riding with a few other Storms, nowt better than some good old V-Twin fun!

[nora2004]

I'll sort it out when we get back from Scotland then.
Meet at Wolsingham, then take the dales run to Hartside, drop down the other side to Penrith, then Shap and Devils Bridge ?

Sounds spot on to me, in all the years Ive been riding up there Ive never done Devils Bridge, bout time I did! lol

[benny hedges]

might join you if it's not a sunday
nice routes up there on a good day, not fun in the fog tho! dont ask/

btw regarding the drifting, i put some progressive springs in mine and dropped the forks in the yokes (maybe a bit too much tbh, would explain the recent unhappy slappy)
wound the rear shock down from 5 to 2 and put some maxxis on - much much better imo, leans in quick, maybe a bit too quick lol, but doesnt wander off over the lines like before.

[nora2004]

TBF I always try and avoid Sundays up there, always end up getting sooooo frustrated with all the traffic!

Love going up there on a nice summers evening during the week, bliss! lol

[voodoo-music]

i would be wel up for this,i can start a meet thread and see how many peoples interested