Unpredictable front suspension

[Inked469]

I have PR4's, RaceTech Valve, RaceTech spring and preload adjustable fork caps.
(I haven't done anything to the rear shock yet.)

As others have said, try changing your tire first. The stock ones wear fast, square off and then get squirrelly in turns when you ride on and off that ridge. Mine lasted 6xxx some miles and really should have been changed at 5000. Honda didn't want to raise the price / lose $200, so you got a crap tire. Sorry, budget bike. Just changing tires makes it night and day.

If after that you find you want more improvement, go with the RaceTech Valve, spring and preload adjust. Get the proper spring and sag for YOUR weight. It's like going from a one size fits all setup to one just for you. They're a bit more complicated to install but I did it without ever removing a fork before. (And you don't have to mess with seals or bushings etc...)

Yes tires are the top suggestion. That's my next plan. I didn't know I could get custom valves. That sounds like an awesome upgrade.


2014 nc700x -Rox risers-22in madstad-barkbuster storms.

 

[Inked469]

I have mine set up for dual sporting and the suspension is way to stiff for off road. I feel like I'm riding on a pogo stick. I'm wondering if the prior owner switched out the fork spring for stiffer ones?

I'm the sole owner so no suspension mods yet.


2014 nc700x -Rox risers-22in madstad-barkbuster storms.

 

[Lee Dodge]

When I first got my NC I thought it handled weirdly compared to ALL my previous bikes. My most recent bike was a 650 Vstrom. Perfectly neutral cornering that instilled confidence when leaned over. The NC was not confidence inspiring at all. When you leaned it over on anything less than a smooth road would it set up a wallowing feeling, especially under braking on corner entry. Sort of circular corkscrew motion. My impression was that it was coming from the rear. It seems to be undersprung with little damping. I have since installed a Cogent shock and it is much improved. I am still working on the fork tuning but the Cogent was the biggest piece of the handling puzzle. I also think part of the different feel may be due to the radically lower center of gravity this bike has to most others. I am still working on suspension tuning. Its a trial and error process though.

 

[dduelin]

Installing a Cogent shock and Cogent Drop-in Cartridge emulators made this the best handling bike I've ever owned. I lowered the forks in the clamps about 15 mm and set about 50 mm sag on the shock. I always thought the worst part of a stock NC700X was the fork. It is harsh on compression damping and soggy on rebound. Cogent fixed that.

 

[Inked469]

Installing a Cogent shock and Cogent Drop-in Cartridge emulators made this the best handling bike I've ever owned. I lowered the forks in the clamps about 15 mm and set about 50 mm sag on the shock. I always thought the worst part of a stock NC700X was the fork. It is harsh on compression damping and soggy on rebound. Cogent fixed that.

Cartridge emulators are on the list.... Still in the fence with custom ones for my weight from racetech or and off the shelf style. Need to save up some extra change first.


2014 nc700x -Rox risers-22in madstad-barkbuster storms.

 

[mike5100]

My experience with this bike was similar to yours at first. Part of the problem then was the poor performance of the Z8 tyres. They just didn't suit the NC. I replaced them with PR4's and that greatly helped. Honda can occasionally specify poor OEM tyres on their bikes as I also found recently with my Africa twin.

I also dropped the pressure on the rear from 42psi to around 36 when riding solo. That also helped.

Tyres apart I found that the front end tended to push when well heeled over on some road surfaces. To remedy that I upped the preload on the rear shock to its maximum position. That tended to raise the rear of the bike and it quickened the steering. I also lowered the front end a tad more by raising the forks slightly in the triple clamps. I cannot remember exactly how much I did on that aspect but probably no more than 1cm.

Adding all these actions I ended up with a bike that turned much better than stock and did a lot for my confidence in it. These remedies worked for me but they may not work for everyone. As such others on here will also have some good suggestions and obviously You will chose what works best for you.

I agree with all Griff says, but even so the front forks IMHO crashed dangerously when hitting a bump mid corner. So much so that it often stood me up making me run wide. The racetech valves have almost got the fornt end as good as the pre-2016 bikes
Mike
PS I think ramping the preload at the back up to maximum may change the geometry of the pro-link suspension (as well as putting more weight on the front) which is why it feels so much better when it shouldn't
Whoops - sorry - forget all of the above - just noticed you are riding a pre-2016 bike

 

[wideguy]

There's 6" of front suspension travel. What sort of mid-corner bump are you charging into to use it all up? Probably you should try using a lot of throttle in the meat of the powerband through that corner... Bottoming the rear shock (Which has almost 6" of travel) might feel safer to you?

 

[Lee Dodge]

Its not a matter of using up all the travel, its the fact that a sharp bump overwhelms the small compression damping hole in these forks causing it to momentarily hydrolock.

 

[Inked469]

Its not a matter of using up all the travel, its the fact that a sharp bump overwhelms the small compression damping hole in these forks causing it momentarily hydrolock.

You nailed it in your last post. That circular motion is what I'm dealing with. It's only under very specific conditions. It's definitely just something that keeps me weary.


2014 nc700x -Rox risers-22in madstad-barkbuster storms.

 

[Lee Dodge]

I usually got the circular motion on corner entry under braking. The cogent fork valve kit and the cogent rear shock pretty much take care of both of those issues.

 

[mike5100]

Its not a matter of using up all the travel, its the fact that a sharp bump overwhelms the small compression damping hole in these forks causing it momentarily hydrolock.

yep - that was the impression I got And if there were a few bumps in the corner I think it overwhelmed the rebound damping as well so the fork locked up well before it was using most of it's travel. And I'm talking about the Showa Dual bending valve system here which isn't available in all countries but is fitted to many 2016 bikes.
Mike

 

[wideguy]

Its not a matter of using up all the travel, its the fact that a sharp bump overwhelms the small compression damping hole in these forks causing it to momentarily hydrolock.

This is typical of damper rod forks, but as damper rod forks go, I like the ones on my NC pretty well so far (200 miles or so). Sitting upright makes it easy to stay light on the controls and keep my elbows bent and arms relaxed, which is the best way to prevent sharp bumps in turns from upsetting the bike, in my experience.
Cartridge emulators will certainly help. I only have experience with Race Tech's product, but I've found their set up recommendations to be excellent. I've put them in five bikes I've owned and only once pulled them back out to make an adjustment from what Race Tech recommended. I like that.

 

[wideguy]

yep - that was the impression I got And if there were a few bumps in the corner I think it overwhelmed the rebound damping as well so the fork locked up well before it was using most of it's travel. And I'm talking about the Showa Dual bending valve system here which isn't available in all countries but is fitted to many 2016 bikes.
Mike

As far as I can tell, my U.S. 2106 NC700X DCT ABS just has damper rod forks... I'm jealous! Is there anything that indicates that the forks are the Dual bending valve system? (That sounds like cartridge forks to me...)

 

[supertux1]

As far as I can tell, my U.S. 2106 NC700X DCT ABS just has damper rod forks... I'm jealous! Is there anything that indicates that the forks are the Dual bending valve system? (That sounds like cartridge forks to me...)

I tore it all apart a few weeks ago to install RT Gold Valves. We (USA) don't get the new fork valve.

 

[Inked469]

Well I upped the preload on the rear shock about 1.5 turns. So far that made a subtle but welcome change to the bike. It was to the point where I didn't even notice the suspension in the normal places on my commute. Appreciate all the help from you guys. Next up.... Cartridge emulators


2014 nc700x -Rox risers-22in madstad-barkbuster storms.