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Fork compression units from Hitchcocks.

HimalayanAlan

Getting there...
Location
Washington
Hey Cupoftee, please excuse my ignorance... do those provide you adjustability for the front fork? I've been searching for a way to be able to adjust rebound for the front fork...
Thanks!
 

RotorWrench

Well travelled
Location
USA
Fitted these last night.
Nicely made but could not help marking the anadising even with protection. I have 25mm risers fitted and these clear the tops by a good bit. Not sure if standard height is enough?
I've heard good things about the Hitchcocks preload adjusters. Manchi had posted these a while back. He had risers as well.

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cupoftee

Well travelled
Location
Hampshire UK
Hey Cupoftee, please excuse my ignorance... do those provide you adjustability for the front fork? I've been searching for a way to be able to adjust rebound for the front fork...
Thanks!
I don't think it's rebound, just compression but it will make a little improvement on rebound due to the springs being under more compression.
 

cupoftee

Well travelled
Location
Hampshire UK

RotorWrench

Well travelled
Location
USA
I'm another who doesn't get all the subtleties of people changing the suspension, pardon my ignorance. When and why would you want to add preload the the Himalayan front forks, and when would these fork emulators from YSS/Tec be a better choice?
Some owners prefer the less invasive route of simple preload adjusters if the general OEM performance works for them and they just need a little stiffening depending on load or road conditions. Also many owners are a little intimidated with the subtleties of suspension tuning.

I like the adjusters solely for the quick matching of my loads, which change frequently.

While I do plan on installing different valving, I'm not sure about YSS, as I've read mixed results from their emulators.
 
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Roy Gavin

Well travelled
I fitted the $20-? Ali Express caps and they do the job, let you fine tune the precompression on the fork spring to suit your preference and perhaps better match the rear.
And balance, front to rear, is just as important as any abstract setting.
They are also a quick and easy way to experiment with ride height, which can make a substantial difference to turn in, stability and general feel.
When my rear shock failed I fitted the complete YSS kit, including fork valves, but I preferred the forks before the change.
And the shock was little better than the dud it replaced, even after a good bit twiddling with the adjusters.
With the correct fork springs very little compression damping is required , except perhaps at the extremes, and the forks with YSS springs and valves were simply too stiff in compression, and I could not dial it out with the adjustable caps.
Removing the tank bag and shifting the load to the rear rack made a surprising difference and almost got me there, fine tuning sometimes does not need much of a change!
Ohlins have a fork kit which includes adjustable caps but not valves, full details are on their site so the pricy kit can be replicated much cheaper, but of course it is made to match their shock.
Racetech also have suggestions for the Hima set up, a lot different to Ohlins but again hopefully it will match with their ideas for the rear.
YSS info is hard to find, but what I have seen suggests they are closer to Racetech than Ohlins - that is, stiff and overdamped.
Not a problem if you have the same skill set as Harris Bros and can fine tune the kit to suit you, the terrain you ride on and the load you will be carrying, but most will have neither the skill or the inclination to respring and revalve kit which should be a lot closer.
Stock kit works way above its pay grade, improving it involves not only much more expensive components but also the skill to tune it , and you have to learn that yourself , not much you read/ view is much help!
 

gtmn

Well travelled
Location
MN
there are three suspension adjustment, preload, compression and rebound.
stock fork has no adjustment. adding the caps will give you a preload adjustment thats all
it is used to set sag, plenty of vids for that
you would need a valve to set the rebound or compression
or an entire fork kit
compression is the speed in which the fork compresses and rebound is how fast the fork returns
neither is affected with the caps
 

Roy Gavin

Well travelled
Fork oil grade and air gap can do a lot to compression and rebound damping - Ohlins do it that way , not with a valve, on their Hima kit.
The chamber on the bottom of Moto GP forks behind the leg is actually a pressurised air chamber - air is progressive in compression but springs cannot be made to be to any meaningful way.
You have been viewing to much many junk vids.
Caps adjust the precompression you put on the springs as you fit them into the forks, you load them with the weight of the bike and rider.
Sag is what works for you , any suggested sag is a starting point for fine tuning to suit you, and the caps make that easier.
Managed to get the Ohl;ins Magic carpet on a BMW R100GS with fully adjustable Ohlins shock and HPN cartridge inserts.
Front sag was low 60s mm , rear around 10 % less, which was near 60% of suspension movement on that bike, although in a perfect world it would be around one third of the way into the travel.
Setting sag at 1/3 travel on that bike would be a mile out , the correct sag is not dependant on suspension travel.
Harris Bros must have found a similar sag works for them too, on an all roads cruiser - they have given the Hima 190mm front and 180 mm rear travel so 33% of travel can be a good starting point, but only on a well designed bike, loaded the way you intend to travel.
Final tuning is just patient adjustment, one clue you are getting close is when adjusting one end makes both ends feel better.
A good / bad washboard road tells you a lot too!
My complaint with the YSS gear is simple, it needs more than farting around with the adjusters, it needs different springs and damping, at the front at least!
Rear will depend on how much luggage you cart around, and for some it will be acceptable on a loaded up bike.
 

cupoftee

Well travelled
Location
Hampshire UK
When I spoke to the chap who knows about suspension, he said not to worry too much about sag, its not a race bike!
Just get the correct weight springs for your weight and try it!
I said many thanks to the guys at Hagon and done just that.
The front fork for me are just right now, I've tried many a time to get the sag on a bike but I'm not a racer just a guy who adjusts to a little bit better than stock by which ever means!
 

gtmn

Well travelled
Location
MN
so here is what i know
90% of motorcycle owners will never do anything to their suspension as they dont know any better
most bikes are set up for about a 170lb rider and i am fat so i always change my suspension at 220-250lbs
i have used traxxion dynamics on 4 bikes great people. i have done 3 sets of forks with damper rods with emulators and it transformed all the bikes
when i looked up the yss kit it does not tell you to drill out the damper rods ???
without drilling out the rods you diminish the ability of the valve as you are still pushing the same fluid through the same small holes on the damper rods
i can only assume they want thinner oil so that it flows easier
any way. now we are all talking about just basic suspension and not 30k superbikes with 10k in suspension
for most guys and galls a stiffer spring will help greatly and then preload caps just cause you have the off will be great
i only put springs in my 2018 t100 and it was way better
just remember the more involved you get the more dinking around you will do as you ride
 

Roy Gavin

Well travelled
Problem is knowing what the correct spring is, Ohlins and Race Tech for example have widely different suggestions -Ohlins soft , Racetech stiff.
But soft needs better damping control, which Ohlins have.
You can set a bike up anyway you like. soft, medium or hard as long as the balance, front to rear, is correct, rear just a little stiffer than the front.
And your damping copes!
I have reworked the suspension on every bike I have had, a good shock is usually the best bang for the buck you will get.
As long as you tune the forks to suit.
Progressive springs are snake oil, but at least they identify those who know little.
And some "Pro" shops fit them!
Never found much benefit in any form of aftermarket valving , although if your springs are way out they may mitigate that.
Cartridge inserts can work well, if they are set up to match a specific shock, not usually a problem if you are dealing with a marque specialist like HPN who can tell you what shock they work with, but a gamble if the vendor has no recommendations.
Yes, we are not racing, but a good suspension/ handling can greatly increase the pleasure of riding a bike, and sometimes make it safer too.
 

tom_d

Well travelled
Location
US
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, I’ve learned something new today. I’ll share what filled in the blanks for me in case another finds it helpful. And just to overshare, apparently I am what’s called a whole part visual learner, fancy way of saying details continue to mean very little until I understand the system as a whole and can picture it working in my head. I might need to get the lee park book this is excerpted from.
 

Roy Gavin

Well travelled
Nice write up on emulators- only question it doesn't answer is - do you need much compression damping, and would you notice the change made by emulators in normal riding.
BSA forks before around 1960 had no compression damping , and 70 years ago guys were wrestling 40 ish hp BSA Gold Stars round the bumpy Isle of Man TT road circuity at close to 100 mph average speeds.
I have adjustable compression and rebound damping on my R100GS and the compression is usually dialled to just about zero, with little adjustment required.
Rebound is continuously dialled off road to suit the terrain and ambient conditions, and as the oil degrades between services - on road not so much.
Racetech do things quite differently to Ohlins, Ohlins works for me , and the entire Moto GP field, your experience may differ.
PS , Someone just posted on the Hima thread about his experiences with the Racetech stuff , and he is , er, less than impressed, 25mm rider sag doesn't seem to cut it for him!
 
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tom_d

Well travelled
Location
US
Nice write up on emulators- only question it doesn't answer is - do you need much compression damping, and would you notice the change made by emulators in normal riding.
I should have posted how that info changed my understanding once I understood the system as a whole and what adding preload adjusters or emulators brought to the table.
I now understand that while the front end is made of simple to manufacture components used for many years and that there are add-ons commonly added (preload adjusters) and technology advances (emulators which mimic cartridge abilities/performance) available, most have found the Royal Enfield have done a really, really good job at designing and tuning the suspension for most riders and the conditions expected. So while preload adjustment on the fly is handy, altering the more complex dampening of compression and rebound has not been found necessary or beneficial in most cases.

edited to fix error, I probably made more. ;)
 
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