Newbie om Perth WA

[1olbull]

No much buddy, still a tractor! LOL I thought that red go fast!

Don't be listening to that Hanso!

 

[Alex]

Welcome Alex, from Texas, USA. Would be interested in your thoughts in comparing the M109 and the Beast once you have a chance to ride and form some impressions.

We trudge on.

Hiya Mate, just did my first country ride today around 360 kms. Regarding a comparison between the 109 and the R3, I must say that I like more the 109 on the corners :-( It handles better IMO. The rest is pretty much the same, love the cruising at 120 kms, it is very smooth, and practically you don't even feel the bike. I reckon that it can do better with another gear perhaps same as the boulevard.

 

[zimtuff]

What a crew these WA guys are .. bloke signs up Monday and he's invited on a ride on the weekend. Alex you lucky bugger .. and good onya fellas.

Yes ,we get the new guy to take us to the pub for the day
Welcome Alex. As the other guys have stated ,we like to get together for a ride now and again.Dont worry about the beer thing,we'll give you time to save up the dough.

 

[zimtuff]

Regarding a comparison between the 109 and the R3, I must say that I like more the 109 on the corners :-( It handles better IMO..

See if you still feel that way in a few months. The R3 will lean over further than 109,but it takes some getting use to. If you still have the stock suspension it will be all over the place on big sweepers,a kind of wallowing feeling where it rocks back and forth between the front and rear.
It really is the 1st and best mod you should/can do.
At 140 it sings in 5th gear and convinces you the gear is right,my impressions after 4 years

 

[Alex]

See if you still feel that way in a few months. The R3 will lean over further than 109,but it takes some getting use to. If you still have the stock suspension it will be all over the place on big sweepers,a kind of wallowing feeling where it rocks back and forth between the front and rear.
It really is the 1st and best mod you should/can do.
At 140 it sings in 5th gear and convinces you the gear is right,my impressions after 4 years

Hiya mate, thanks for the advise. Do you mind to tell me what sort of suspension mod is the one to go for? and $ value if you have any ideas. Not very mechanical minded here, appart for the normal change oil and spark plugs :-(, but you are spot on, that "wallowing" feeling is a little bit scary sometimes :-( as you reckon that you are going to fall! Any suggestions really appreciated. cheers. Alex.

 

[CanberraR3]

Alex, I changed out my front springs for Progressives and simply fitted Roadster shocks to the rear. Still rides a bit firm but a huge improvement over stock and no wallowing in corners. Unless you have your heart set on spending many hundreds, even thousands, this is reasonable, low cost option (cost me around $300 all up - including the new fork seals that were needed anyway). I was lucky enough to score the Roadster shocks from a friend/member for free but you should be able to pick some up pretty easily for reasonable cost. Most Roadster owners don't seem to realise how much better their set-up is than on the pre 2009 models. There's a couple of sets on offer right now.

I'll let others talk to you about the more expensive options.

 

[zimtuff]

Hiya mate, thanks for the advise. Do you mind to tell me what sort of suspension mod is the one to go for? and $ value if you have any ideas. Not very mechanical minded here, appart for the normal change oil and spark plugs :-(, but you are spot on, that "wallowing" feeling is a little bit scary sometimes :-( as you reckon that you are going to fall! Any suggestions really appreciated. cheers. Alex.

I have the Progressive suspension front and rear ,probably $700 in parts from ebay +,labour. There is also fournales ,hagons ,Ikons and others. It ALL depends on the budget.
IMO progressives is good value.

 

[zimtuff]

Ounce the wallowing is fixed it becomes much more fun.It hugs the road and encourages you to go faster

 

[Alex]

I have the Progressive suspension front and rear ,probably $700 in parts from ebay +,labour. There is also fournales ,hagons ,Ikons and others. It ALL depends on the budget.
IMO progressives is good value.

Did you do it yourself or you took the parts to a dealer and let them do the fitting for you?. Also if I go direct to the dealer and ask them to change the suspension for progressive, how much I can expect to pay? Quite frankly I'm leaving in a month pretty much, and will be nice to do it before I go. I will be willing to spend around the 1400.00 mark with parts and labor. Is that unrealistic?

 

[zimtuff]

Hi you can do it much cheaper than $1400. The rear shocks(progressive 444) will be about $600 delivered and the front spring kit is around $100 ,these are ebay prices.
I got the dealer to put the front kit on because I was unfamiliar with the job and you need a special tool which costs $200 approx.
I think any bike mechanic could do it and would be cheaper than the dealer.
I have the 440 shocks which are no longer made and have been replaced with the 444.
They are available in black or chrome and they have oversizes also to raise the height of the seat.Stock size is 12.5 inches.

You might want to do a search for Progressive Springs home site and have a look at all the options.