Front progressive rate springs and brakes

T

Twodogs

Street Tracker
I have an 05 thruxton and was wondering if it has progressive rate springs fitted in the front forks forks as standard? If not has any one fitted these and what is the improvement to expect and are the rear shocks compatable or would they need to be up graded. The bike feels ok as it is, I don't push it very hard but it would be good to have any type of improvement that will make the bike perform/handle better. My next question is what do you reckon about the brakes and how good are they on your Thruxton? Mine are as good as they can be, good solid feel (not spongy) good pads (replaced recently with EBC brand) and standard disc (still with in spec and not grooved) but I feel as if they take a while to stop, they just don't feel as positive as I would expect, in fact my bonnie t100 feels a lot better. The t100 is still running the original pads (Due a change soon) but compared to the Thruxton there is the different front master cylinder and the difference in position of the rear brake lever, could this be enough to make a difference or are your brakes good and I have a problem that I should be looking into? I am just wondering if the factory set up is just not up to scratch because there seems to be a lot of aftermarket improvements available and a fellow I work with that has a speed master upgraded his callipers because his opinion was that the brakes were hopeless, different bike I know but it is like the thruxton and t100, sort of the same but different.
 
Last edited:
Easy13

Easy13

Street Tracker
Your OEM fork springs are not progressive-rate, they are constants and leave much room for improvement. I have Ikon springs in my '07 Thruxtonated Bonneville and I'm more than pleased with their performance. For a start, there's not near as much front end dive when braking. It's true that you want some dive to shift weight forward and increase braking efficiency, but the OEM springs overdo it.

As to the rear suspension, go with what you like: there are alot of guys running OEM shocks, and the presence of progressive fork springs does not necessitate a change on the rear. I have no experience with stock shocks, my bike had Progressive shocks on it when I bought it, so I'm not much of an authority, but I do like my Progressives.

As to brakes, floating rotors evidently make a big improvement in braking, and of course 4 or 6 pot calipers will do the job much better than the OEM 2-pots. It's a slippery and expensive slope modifying brakes, there're kits with all kinds of good stuff, but the price is pretty stiff, IMHO. When I swapped the Bonneville foot controls for Thruxton rearsets, I honestly didn't feel much difference in rear braking, though I did switch to organic pads on the rear brake and they give me a much better feel and are less likely to lock up the rear wheel in a "panic" stop.

Hope this helps.
 
Last edited:
ratlab

ratlab

Scooter
don't waste your time with progressive springs-do a racetech or similar emulator-i did both and there is no comparison-go for hagon2810 rear cheap alternative ,but very good-i tried the non-adjustable ohlins and the hagons are better and adjustable for rebound and compression-you also can order them in different lengths if you want to play with your geometry -i also went with the racing ebc rotor and hh pads and that seems to be good enough and less expensive than the brembo or berringer setups-but i'm sure those would be much better-doing these things i think are a necessity to make the bike safe -the stock suspension should be illegal on a motorcycle
 
S

sgt brad

Scooter
i put progressive springs in the front and adjustable kybs off of a kawa zrx on the rear. it's a perfect combo for mild street riding especially if you're on the heavy side like me. the nose doesn't dive as mentioned and the rear stays planted. it was cheap too. i think i picked up a like new set of kyb's for 400 and the front springs for 100. if you're serious about the suspension set-up then go with emulators. if you're just looking to improve the looks and handling on a budget give the progressives and kyb's a try.
 
Sal Paradise

Sal Paradise

Hooligan
whats your weight Brad if you don't mind and do you have a part #? I am probably going to at least do the front springs soon.
 
Last edited:
D

drlapo

Hooligan
I felt no change when I installed progressive springs but did notice a marked improvement with the RaceTech emulators
running Hagons on the back
I can drag the pegs
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top