Progressive springs?

[benebob]

Finished up the fork fluid change tonight on my 99 885i and it seems I have progressive forks in there.  Nothing seemed like it was removed prior as far as the forks go so I'm wondering if the factory ones were progressive.  Looked at the spring diagrams in the service manual and they aren't.  Also, when I do ther 24k service towards spring I'm planning on doing the chain and sprockets.  Have read here that the chain is a 114 but Triumph lists it as a 116.  Would probably go up a tooth up front or drop a couple in the rear when I do it just to make it a little less revy on those 85mph highway trips.

[iansoady]

I fitted Hagon progressives to my 04 955i but found like you that the ones that came out were progressive so I probably wasted my money. I couldn't detect any difference but then some on here would say I don't ride fast enough to know......

[JTT]

I fitted Hagon progressives to my 04 955i but found like you that the ones that came out were progressive so I probably wasted my money.

Not if you matched the new spring rate to your weight.  I went to straight rate springs matched to my weight and the difference was outstanding.

[iansoady]

Hagons don't do fancy things like that - one size fits all.....

[Chris Canning]

My Ohlins are as well.

[JTT]

Hagons don't do fancy things like that - one size fits all.....

They don't offer different rates?  If you can't get the rate to suit your weight, no wonder you didn't feel much difference.  Can't imagine selling springs, one size fits all.  Makes me wonder about Hagon.  Kind of like a shoe manufacturer selling only one size.

[Chris Canning]

Rear springs yes,front springsno I've never come across anyone doing variable on those apart from K-Tech for race/track day bikes.

[JTT]

Really?  Guess that's one more reason I have always avoided progressive springs.

[audiododd]

I put straight-rate springs on the front of my '02 Girly. I got them from Sonic Springs and used their calculator to figure out what weight I needed.

The beast used to dive like crazy on braking and would almost bottom out on any large bumps. Now she's much better on bumps and more stable in the corners.

[brianco]

I did the hagon springs on mine. The springs I took out were already progressive and were longer, to the point where the spacers wouldn't even touch the top caps at full extension.

I wasn't sure whether the new springs were a different rate, so I stacked an old spring and new spring on a broomstick. I already had the unloaded length of both, so I compressed the two springs together and had my daughter measure the length of both old and new while I was holding the stack compressed. Since the two springs are pushing on each other, I know they are loaded equally. Turns out the new hagons had a 25% higher rate (which is what I was hoping for). I imagine you could do the same thing with a scale, but compressing them in a stack guarantees they're at the same force.

I ended up needing to make new spacers, the old ones looked like steel exhaust tubing. When I got done the static sag was at ~30% which seems about right. Much less dive.

What are the factory spacers like? I'm assuming someone had already messed with mine, it doesn't seem like Triumph would use exhaust pipe.

[Chris Canning]

Springs ain't even half the job,oil is the majority, weight? and quantity?,the info is on the board,for both the early version and later model.

[dino246]

I have a 2006 model and have installed race tech emulators, 15 weight oil with 20mm more volume and got springs from sonic springs with an increased rate. I'm a big guy and had the Hagon springs which felt like the stock springs. The set I got from sonic are .95kg/mm linear rate. Made a big difference but I'm not quite happy with it. It seams like high speed bumps are harsh AMD low speed fork movement is too soft.

I spoke to Rick at cogenic dynamics and learned that he can convert the front forks to a proper cartridge style fork with compression and rebound adjust and one inch of additional travel. He uses a set of XR650l forks and yours and does his magic and presto, proper forks

[Jon H.]

>>>"What are the factory spacers like? I'm assuming someone had already messed with mine, it doesn't seem like Triumph would use exhaust pipe."<<<

The spacers Triumph use do look like exhaust pipe! 
Dino246.....Does Cogenic Dynamics have a website??  In the UK I presume?

Jon in SC USA