Are progressive springs noob-friendly?

[GS Jenn]

Hello all,

I got some money for my birthday so I went out an ordered a bunch of stuff for the GS, including progressive springs, because I have read so much good about them here.

But after ordering, I realized most of you are far more experienced than me, so I was just wondering, are progressive springs a modification that is friendly to new riders? Or should I wait to install them until I have more miles?

[Kerry]

Most will agree that the bike should have come stock with something like Progressives.  They actually make things like potholes and bumps less scary -- definitely put them in!

[Unnamed]

Whats the deal with Straight vs. Progressive? From the writeup on SonicSprings website it seemed like most people were installing straight rates instead of progressives.

[Chris2P]

Jen,

The stock front springs suck.  Replace them.  Regarding the ease of the mod, it's very easy.  If you have any Qs when replacing them, just ask here.


Chris

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

Straight vs. progressive. Uhh.. self explanatory?



Ok.. a straight rate spring compresses at the same rate, no matter where in the length of the spring you use.

F= kx (for anyone who remembers physics.. or calculus)

Where F is the force required to compress the spring, x is the distance you're compressing it, and k is the spring constant. In the case of a straight rate spring, k is a constant number, say .85 or .90, or .7, whatever. In the case of a progressive rate spring, k is a function of x. That is, the spring constant varies with your position in the spring.

For something easier to grasp than my ramblings, look at a picture of a progressive spring next to a straight rate spring. The straight rate has the same distance between each coil, whereas the coils on the progressive spring gradually get closer together.

[Unnamed]

I was wondering more about the decision to use which kind. As I mentioned, Sonic Springs' website says that no one uses progressives anymore.

[scratch]

But after ordering, I realized most of you are far more experienced than me, so I was just wondering, are progressive springs a modification that is friendly to new riders?

Yes.

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

I was wondering more about the decision to use which kind. As I mentioned, Sonic Springs' website says that no one uses progressives anymore.

Straight rate is what racers use. They're more predictable. For street use, most people go with progressives. I'm probably gonna go straight rate racetechs... sorry, didn't quite realize what you were asking, my bad. Didn't mean to come off as an ass.

[Alphamazing]

I was wondering more about the decision to use which kind. As I mentioned, Sonic Springs' website says that no one uses progressives anymore.

Straight rate is what racers use. They're more predictable. For street use, most people go with progressives. I'm probably gonna go straight rate racetechs... sorry, didn't quite realize what you were asking, my bad. Didn't mean to come off as an ass.

Bingo. For everyday street riding and commuting, Progressives are probably idea for the GS. They are MUCH better than the stock suspension, yet still allow good absorption of bumps. For any sort of sport riding though, straight rate is the way to go for predictability and tuneability.

[Altephor]

Sorry for being a stupid noob.. but what exactly are the springs?  Obviously they are part of the front suspension but where are they located and what kind of knowledge is needed to change them?

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

Sorry for being a stupid noob.. but what exactly are the springs?  Obviously they are part of the front suspension but where are they located and what kind of knowledge is needed to change them?

They're inside the front forks. As for ease of replacement.. if you're mechanically minded at all, shouldn't be too bad. I believe there's a how-to in the FAQ.. if not, just search "replacing springs" and you'll get plenty. I'd do the search for you.. but I've had a few, and feeling kinda lazy... 

[mike_mike]

I'd say the bike is more difficult to ride for a noob rider without the progressive suspension mod. If you're a noob and you grab a handful of front brake the thing really really dives witht the stock suspension, and that can be a little bit unsettling. especially if you're comming into a corner too hot and want to grab some brake before you enter the turn. I find the bike behaves in a much more predictable manner since i installed the progressives. I no longer have to worry about what the front end is going to do during emergency breaking, and bumps in the road.

The ride is definately a lot more responsive at highway speeds.

I wish the bike would have came with the progressives. I don't think they would hurt noob riders at all.

With the progressive springs the GS feels like a slow version of the SV650 - at least that's my feeling.. i rode the SV650 and it felt just like a fast GS with better suspension. 

[annguyen1981]

GS Jen:
Alpha gave me a link a while back.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4612582282&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

I think I'm gonna keep the bike for now, so I've got the progressives on order.

[GS Jenn]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! The springs are on order from BikeBandit, it was easier since I wanted a few different things and my boyfriend wanted some stuff for his bike too. He's going to install them for me once they arrive, he's quite mechanical and confident it will be an easy job. I'll let you know what I think after I try them out!

[CirclesCenter]

I went with straight rate, but I'm also more agressive than a starved tiger with anger management problems.



If you're not digging into the corners like you are mining for gold then get prgressives, but if you're a lean angle prospector like me get straight rate.

[Alphamazing]

GS Jen:
Alpha gave me a link a while back.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4612582282&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

I think I'm gonna keep the bike for now, so I've got the progressives on order.

I was wrong on that link, this is the correct one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Progressive-Fork-Springs-Pair-18-28-111138-04029_W0QQitemZ4612582314QQihZ002QQcategoryZ35592QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Search 111138

[GS Jenn]

So I put the progressives on... what a difference!

It's not quite how I expected... I am a noob so bear with me, I thought the bike was going to glide over the bumps and I wouldn't feel a thing.  Instead it's more like I feel the bumps and rough spots, feel them pretty hard sometimes, but it's like it affects the bike less.  I felt more jarring over rough pavement (I commute on a road that's not in the best shape, but I use it because my other option is very dense traffic with bad cross-winds) but the bike didn't feel like it was getting tossed around anymore. I haven't had any reason to brake hard, but I'm assuming there will be much less dive.

Any of the other noobs out there, I would say go for this as your first upgrade! They went on really easy... did the easy version without the fork oil change, bike is new and it's not that warm here so I didn't want to go to stiffer oil.

[Budrick320]

Hey Jenn are these the exact ones you purchased from bikebandit?

http://www.bikebandit.com/partsbandit/product~pf_id~3215906~section_dept_id~1170244~terrain
_dept_id~1186935~cat_dept_id~1187555~product_dept_id~1187917~mfr_name~
Progressive+Suspension~selection_Path~4.asp

[GS Jenn]

Your link didn't work for me... they were the ones that BikeBandit brought up when I put in the details of the bike. They said they were for 1998-2002, I think, but my bike is a 2005 and they went in fine.

[scratch]

So I put the progressives on... what a difference!

It's not quite how I expected... I am a noob so bear with me, I thought the bike was going to glide over the bumps and I wouldn't feel a thing.  Instead it's more like I feel the bumps and rough spots, feel them pretty hard sometimes, but it's like it affects the bike less.  I felt more jarring over rough pavement (I commute on a road that's not in the best shape, but I use it because my other option is very dense traffic with bad cross-winds) but the bike didn't feel like it was getting tossed around anymore. I haven't had any reason to brake hard, but I'm assuming there will be much less dive.

Any of the other noobs out there, I would say go for this as your first upgrade! They went on really easy... did the easy version without the fork oil change, bike is new and it's not that warm here so I didn't want to go to stiffer oil.

Glad you like it.  I was going to suggest thinner fork oil, but
www.peterverdonedesigns.com/introduction.htm
might be more appropriate.