I didn't use zip ties, I just measured the slick looking spot. That's possibly the seal line, and the dust wipers run above that, so, the measured
4.325" travel might be a tad under the true travel.
Is that bottomed? And should I Care? I'm improving the cornering, and I can't point to a problem I'm having because of the suspension, but if it was better I might appreciate the difference.

Jenny Craig

JOG, I think that's referred to as a "hit"

No track stars in this group...they can all run faster than the S40 so they don't need to buy our bikes  

I am wondering if you measured from the "settled point with you on the bike?  How much of that travel was used up there?

I think the first thing I would do is to remove forks one at a time and clean out and make sure they are cleaned out and fresh oil in there.  At that time check springs to make sure they are within specs on the free length length.  If they have weakened over the years then replace.

Be sure to use correct viscosity fork oil and proper amount, too.

This is an easy process to do.

That means he's going to stare at it !

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 06/22/17 at 08:26:52:


JOG:  For that measurement - did you take the weight off the bike so that you measured the full "travel" distance....or just the available travel beyond where the forks go when the bike is leaning on the sidestand?

Gary has provided everything you need to know about measuring sag and setting up the forks for your your weight.

I have a neighbor that has a Suzuki Burghman, and he was complaining about the poor ride quality of the forks.  We started looking at them and discovered that he had very little usable travel, as the forks were sagging and more than half the travel was gone when he sat on the bike.  He contacted Race Tech and got a new set of springs for his weight and a set of the Emulators.  We set up the forks and he rode for a week and felt that the ride was much improved - but he still felt the ride was a little harsh on the small bumps.  We drilled the holes in the brass plates to make the ride a bit more compliant (following the instructions that came with the emulatiors), and also made a small adjustment to the sag height - and the bike had a much improved ride.

Fork springs can get weak over time, the factory springs are not always the best spring rate for "you", and the Emulators are an improvement over damping tubes.  Even if you don't spend the cash on new springs and Emulator plates - doing maintenance and adjustment on the forks can make for a better ride and handling.

pg wrote on 06/26/17 at 13:44:32:

I don't think you'll find anything marketed as such.
But you will find replacements by size and rate.
Here's Gary's thread, he does mention a part number, but you'll have to read to find the correct rate for you.
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1421689358

verslagen1 wrote on 06/26/17 at 15:05:41:


Thanks for posting.  I don't have any first hand knowledge with RaceTech; however, it is supposed to be some real good stuff.  If Gary's thread is not a stickey somewhere, I hereby nominate it.  

Best regards,