SquidBusters Archive - Sonic Springs: Great

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Sonic Springs: Great
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Posted by: Oxi-Rider

Background BullSh!t: For those of you who haven't ever touched your suspension setting from the stock position, you're missing out!! Washing, waxing, exhaust systems, fuel system upgrades, carbon fiber, chrome, seats, etc, all pale in comparison with suspension upgrades. A properly set up suspension can transform any bike into what feels like a super light, super stable machine.

"A number one" on most people's lists should be to instantly take the stock flaccid springs and stinky water they call fork oil out of the bike and replace them with springs properly set to your weight, and a good fork oil. For fun, go and look at what your stock fork springs are rated at using racetech's handi-dandi calculator. My SV650 was sprung for a rider weighing in at around 132lbs. With the right springs, your bike will be absolutely better. And its dirt cheap compared to other alternatives. When you go on the updating the rear of the bike(some stock machines are better in this area at least as far as spring rate) but the price goes up for a new rear shock. But, a bike with both up front and out back done with something as simple as proper spring weights for rider weight, your bike will feel like it should, excellent, and 9/10ths of the way to perfection, more than most riders need actually. Changing/updating damper valving at both ends can bring in the last 10% of handling that show up in certain instances when you have the speed cranked way up (wallowing, chattering and the like.)

ANYWAY....Sonic Springs are a small fork spring company. They are racers, and "race what the sell". Like most good small companies, their products are very good, and have excellent quality control. I have never heard of issues with their springs, and they are tested right before shipping with a spring rate measurement device for exact rate. Their customer service is very, very, good, albeit mostly through email. You will get any answer for any bike, along with recomendations of spring rate and fork oil weight to match your spring rate. All of this, and springs are shipped within a day, and you recieve them very fast. Oh, and they sell springs for $79.95 a pair, or $30.00 cheaper than a company like racetech sells their springs. i have now bought two sets of springs from them, and I am very happy. Buy from them!!

Keith

Posted by: Falcn

Sweet! I'll keep that in mind for the next bike.

Who turned you on to these guys?

Posted by: 87hurricane

Oxi turned me on to them, he is dead on, excellent customer service, excellent product at a great price. I got the springs and fork oil for my ZRX from them early this spring, what a huge difference! I'd reccomend them to anyone.

Posted by: 87hurricane

Seriously people, unless you just happen to be the exact right weight for your stock springs, which is highly unlikely, this simple mod is worth its weight in gold. Now that I've lost all the brake dive on my bike, my brakes feel better, the bike is ultimately more stable, and it rides better than it did before too. I did this mod because I didn't quite have the dough for the full Racetech setup, figuring it would have to be better than nothing, and I was pleansantly surpirsed. Is it as good as it could be? No, but its way better than what I expected.

Posted by: JohnC

Yep. And really, even if you do have your stock suspension dialed in properly, the aftermarket stuff tends to make your bike a world better.

I finished putting an R6 together last month, did a pretty comprehensive setup on the stock suspension, and still had bad wallowing at the track. No matter what I changed, couldn't make it stop.

Picked up a Penske rear and a set of Traxxion forks, gonna install them in before the next track day and have either Traxxion or Thermosman set up the bike for me.

Posted by: Oxi-Rider

Quote:

Originally Posted by 87hurricane

Seriously people, unless you just happen to be the exact right weight for your stock springs, which is highly unlikely, this simple mod is worth its weight in gold.

April 13, 2006 Gold price, 601.30 / troy ounce. At the shipping weight of three pounds...that is $26,306.87. What a bargain these springs are at $79.95!!!

Posted by: Falcn

Do they have a website?

Posted by: 87hurricane

www.sonicsprings.com

Posted by: Falcn

Nice website too.

Posted by: Wondertwin

For comparison, how much is a set of Racetech springs? Also, I guess they would, but I wonder if these springs work favorably with Racetech's gold valves? Needing to re-do the Bandit forks...

Posted by: Oxi-Rider

I will be using the springs with racetech's gold valve cartidge emulators in my sprint. For comparison, most sites list fork springs at $100-$109.

Posted by: natrona848

i think i got my hyperpro front and rear springs in a combo (fork oil included) for around $250, fronts were around $100 or a bit more alone.

Posted by: 87hurricane

Yeah, they work fine with Racetech Valves, a spring is a spring, no matter who makes it. RT wants about 100-110 for their springs, and although I've never had any problems with them, alot of people have complained about RTs quality control on their springs.

Posted by: Wondertwin

I ordered a set of 1.1kg/mm springs (basically the strongest available) for my Bandit and should be getting them soon. So who knows the cheapest place to buy Racetech valves?

Posted by: crammer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wondertwin

I ordered a set of 1.1kg/mm springs (basically the strongest available) for my Bandit and should be getting them soon. So who knows the cheapest place to buy Racetech valves?

Speedwerks can get a 1.2mm spring - ask Smokes35, he bought a set of those Freightliner truck springs for his TL.

Posted by: Wondertwin

Well, available from Sonic for the Bandit 1st gen... I weigh 225lbs and ride in a fairly spirited fashion

So, any leads on Racetech Goldvalves for the cheapest?

Posted by: 87hurricane

Unless you have an "in" with a Racetech dealer, you're probably not going to get them for much less than list. Any Parts Unlimited dealer can get you Racetech stuff, so if you can get them for list from a dealer at least you can probably save on shipping.

Posted by: Oxi-Rider

I have looked everywhere for the cheapest, there is a guy selling some on Ebay for 129 rather than 150, search for your rt part number there. Maybe he has it.

Posted by: crammer

I feel that you don't need upgraded valveing unless you're racing competitively. Just upgrade the springs and install an aftermarket shock and you're golden.

Posted by: Oxi-Rider

Quote:

Originally Posted by crammer

I feel that you don't need upgraded valveing unless you're racing competitively. Just upgrade the springs and install an aftermarket shock and you're golden.

Crammer, I thought this as well, but, on my SV650, I came to want for the extra valving. I noticed it more and more as the pace increased, and then, I actually almost ended up off the side of a cliff on 28 in North Carolina.

The springs get you 90% there, the valving gets you the rest suppossedly. I went with better oil, and the right springs. I did not touch the valving. Sure enough, when approaching a turn on the brakes, there was a set of ripples that my bike could not account for. It overwhelmed the forks, and I could not brake without locking up the front tire because it was almost weightless at the bottom of the ripples. I was also doing, tops, 35-40mph entering that turn. I reacted by locking the rear tireand applying almost no front tire braking, and survived without even going off the road. But, I almost crapped my pants. It was a feeling of entering a turn, and your brakes not working! Scary.

I vowed then that when i upgrade a fork, I will change the damping (if it has damping rods).

Posted by: BlackB12

yeah valving is a must to me. Sure no one needs to change valving. then again no one NEEDS a machine that accelerates from 0 to 60 in under 3 seconds. Valving is more control, which in my opinion is justified.

Mike

Posted by: MilleRrrr

In regards to the valving I have heard good things about the http://www.gpsuspension.com/ .

In comparison to the valving for the racetech, the racetech supposedly (ie not 100% positive and read it on a forum) does not account for rebound as well as the GPsuspension. This came from Arron Clark (clarkie49 on the aprilia forum) and he is "THE" guru to the aprilia guys.

As a FYI his built bikes have been shown at IMS (in aprilia's booth) and in the Robb Report.

Posted by: Oxi-Rider

As for valving, I am sure that there are other good alternatives to the racetech cartridge upgrades, like gpsuspension, linedman engineering, and even ohlins. But, only racetech has the patented upgrade to damping rods. Damping rods SUCK. And upgrading them is a larger improvement relatively than upgrading cartridge assemblies.

Posted by: BlackB12

RT sells rebound kits as well. I like RT since they are the only company I know that will sell the customer the parts so he/she can do the work themselves and save money. Traxxion and Lindeman don't do this which drives up the price. I understand their point as some will mess up the install, then hop online and bash their product. But, for those that are capable, it's nice to have an option to do the work yourself like with RT.

Mike

Posted by: Falcn

Ohlins lets you do the install too.

Posted by: Steve

Yeah, but Ohlins doesn't have cartridge emulators...

I can't say enough about the Ohlins valves. They're awesome. There are a number of guys who far exceed my riding ability who prefer the Ohlins valves in the Showa forks of the Aprilias over the Ohlins R&T forks!

You can get the Ohlins valves from Kyle Racing. They keep them in stock.
http://www.kyleusa.com/catalog/ohli...5mm_3192551.htm

Also, be aware that the Ohlins kit includes both compressing AND rebound valves. They turn out to be CHEAPER than the Racetech valves if you were to do both...

Posted by: BlackB12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve

Also, be aware that the Ohlins kit includes both compressing AND rebound valves. They turn out to be CHEAPER than the Racetech valves if you were to do both...

Oh reeeaaaaaalllly. Hmmm....now I have more to think about for the FJR.

Posted by: 87hurricane

How do you know if you have 20mm cartridges? Doesn't seem like too bad of a deal.

Posted by: natrona848

so far i like mine

not happy with the spacer material provided

one it's all sorted, i'll post my thoughts

Posted by: Wondertwin

Holy zombie thread Batman!

Well, over a year on, my Bandit is performing fantastically with Sonic's heaviest springs for the application, coupled with a stock GSXR1100 shock. I left the existing fork oil in the fork, and to date, have not felt the need to get the gold valves (though I could get both front and rear with the GSXR shock). I did have to play around with the spring spacer lengths a little to get it just right with my preload adjusters in the middle of the range though (but that's to be expected).