May

XR1200 Race Tech makeover

The guys at Race Tech had the bike for 3 weeks, but today it was ready to be picked up.

Cindy and I got to Race Tech HQ around 9am, and as soon as I spotted the bike I noticed things had changed. It had the new Race Tech shocks on it. But the stance was also very different – more aggressive looking with the back raised. As soon as I sat on the bike I noticed the handle bars moved easier. I was expecting to be tippy toed, with the back as high as it was, but was pleasantly surprised to find that I had no problems flat footing. The front forks had been raised in the clamps also.

We then went on a test ride – what a transformation! It turned so much easier and the ride feedback was awesome. It was obvious that I was leaning further forward, which felt a lot better. Todd took me on a loop around the area that included some freeway, some back roads and a particularly nasty patched, potholed section – it was a great test that helped me get a sense of the range of changes that had been made and their effect on the ride. Todd is around my size and height. Consequently the sag, compression and rebound settings were spot on for me.

When we got back to the shop, we talked about the experience. Todd then suggested we fit the Ohlins to the bike and take it out for another spin. While the guys were working on swapping out the shocks, Todd asked if I wanted to take his Speed Triple out for a run – sure, why not. What a great bike – I could really see myself owning one of those one day.

Back from my jaunt on the triumph, it was time to take the XR out again, this time with the Ohlins fitted. It was immediately apparent that the rear was not as high, as a result, the front didn’t turn as sharply. As we rode down the freeway I noticed that the front end now seemed more ‘bouncy’. We pulled off on a side street and Todd made some adjustments – we maxed out the ride height on the Ohlins and backed off the compression and rebound on the forks – much better. The ride was much much more compliant, but the steering was still not as good as it was with the longer rear shocks.

We got back to the shop and talked more about the differences. I discussed with Todd my options for the bike. We talked about the riser block that I had on order that would be used with the Ohlins versus using the longer Race Tech shocks.We also talked about the impact of taking weight off the bike, possibly changing the front wheel to a 17″, and looking at some alternative trees.

Long story short, I decided to go with the Race Tech shocks. Anybody want to buy a slightly used pair of Ohlins?

Overall it was a great experience. The guys at Race Tech are top notch and really know their stuff. I will definitely be going back to them for any future suspension/handling needs.

Here’s a picture of the bike, with a few extra bits and pieces added, several hours after I got it home. Let me know what you think…