Hello and I hope someone can help please.
I have recently bought a '99 748BP with a mono tail unit fitted and the standard Showa shock. I want the back end to feel a little more “compliant” than the current rather stiff set up. Was there a softer standard spring fitted to single seat option? Would this improve the feeling of the rear end? There are no markings on the current spring on the bike. The shock absorber is set to factory settings.
Many thanks for any advice.
Hi Domiracer . Being a 98 ,748 owner myself I found the back end of my standard BP far to hard . After reading a supplement in a bike mag a few years ago about 748 and possibly 916 rear end tuning it was stated that all the 2 seaters were sprung to carry 2 . I would probably guess unless you had a sp your spring would be standard and the sp maybe the same.
With this in mind I played with my setting of the spring until I got it quite soft and adjusted the shock until I was happy . I have found no Ill effect in the handling and so have found my own set up I guess. I’m no exspurt so this is not advice just something I was willing to try . Ps my spring adjusters were seized solid so had to remove the unit to free it up .
Many thanks for your reply. Very useful.
Can I ask if you did actually physically change the spring to a different, softer spring or adjusted the shock? If you did change the spring, what rating was it?
I also have a '95 748SP which is totally standard and the rear end of that is absolutely perfect in it’s set up. That has the Ohlins on it of course which may explain the difference.
Thanks again.
Ok . This is why I joined the club mate . To share information . Some good or not .
When I got my 748 bp it used to hit bumps with the back wheel and nearly drive my backbone thro my brain . If I braked into a corner sharp the front would dive and nearly lift the back end off the ground . So I just started checking things . For a start all the fork adjustment was way out . The 2 slot head adjustments. Had both been turned all the way in . I assume as someone thought they were lose . I don’t like my forks to soft or springy so I just worked at this first . I always found the back end to hard so I tried to back off the c spanner nuts that tension the spring . Mine were siezed. So I took off the whole unit and freed it up .I then backed them right off to hardly any tension on the spring. On 're assembly I just sat on the bike and adjusted the c nuts until it felt nice when I jumped my bum up and down on the seat . It is then you have to consider pre load and rebound on the shock . Set both setting to the handbook settings and go from there .
What I done improved my bike loads but you have to consider riding style and weight .I’m about 13 stone , a late braker to set the front up and throttle thro the corner.
Sorry I hope I haven’t gone off in a different direction. I think if you want to go down the spring rating rd you would need to take it to a tuning shop but for the reasons we are riding I was just trying to save you money .