Opinion about Engine tuning

bioman wrote:

Ghezzi,  also related to your other post re suspension: what would be your advise to improve performance and riding pleasure for an average rider on curvy roads that are not "billiard table smooth"?  Please take into account budget constraints....

Here is a good starting point.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Ohlin doesn't make a specific unit for the GRiSO, Waterbottle is about to install an Ohlin off a Tuono 1100 Factory to his tracky GRiSO. We had to have it modified to fit.
Matris R is top notch but is very track focused, meaning it will be set up on the hard side. I bought mine off another GRiSO owner, had it re-valved and re-sprung twice along with other bike mods that required changes.
If not Wilbers you could try Penske as they also build to your requirements.

Get that book from Wilbers and read it.
Hi and Lo speed compression adjusters mean you can fine tune it for your comfort. Hi & Lo speed relate to shock piston speed, not MPH.

"Riding pleasure for an average rider on curvy roads that are not "billiard table smooth"
Compliance is the key, but a soft spring is not the answer. Its all in the dampening.

A single compression adjuster works predominately on Lo speed compression, the Hi speed controlled mainly by internal shimming.
Hi speed damping controls all those finer ripples, as well as the initial travel on a big hit. Stock shock feels like a constant jack hammer on the little ripples, then felt rock solid on big bumps.
Very tiring and sometimes painful. It would also bounce the bike sideways off line in bumpy corners. Meaning your corner speed and line were controlled by road conditions.

Lo speed damping does three things;
1. In conjunction with the correct spring weight, it controls squat in the rear as you throw it into corners, as well as when you power out of corners. Squat in the rear is what causes your GRiSO to run wide on corner exits. Ever feel like a cup of tea mid corner, waiting ... waiting ... for the bike to turn so you can get back on the power?
2. Lo speed damping controls those drops and rises, undulations that you don't even feel, but believe me your suspension is working. If you had a rigid frame chopper, you'd slow down.
3. Lo Speed also works in conjunction with the Hi speed, along with the rising rate suspension rocker/linkage, together they offer a progressive action that make a patch work quilt of potholes and repairs feel like the smoothest road you've ever ridden.

The real value in a good shock is your safety. From a bike that would bounce my ass out of the saddle, and my feet off the pegs mid corner on bumps I could not even see. To a bike that is poised, smooth, controllable, comfortable, rideable, enjoyable, safe not scary. That puts a huge smile on my face regardless of how bad the roads are. You asked about "improved performance", this is it. Stock bike would require backing off and slowing down to maintain control, you will just keep riding off into the distance in perfect control.

Budget will always be your choice, its a compromise. Once you've had great sex, masturbation is a poor alternative. A GRiSO on stock suspenders is pre pubescent, if you go the cheap alternative of modifying the Sachs or a cheap basic upgrade, it will make you feel good but you're only pulling yourself. The best is yet to come (npi).

ghezzi wrote:

its a compromise. Once you've had great sex, masturbation is a poor alternative.

I get it now!!  Thanks for this excellent explanation!  

I will start by reading the Wilbers book, and go from there.  USD 1000 is a lot of money, but seems cheap if I get great sex in return!!

I should have mentioned Bioman, a quality brand of shock that only has one compression damping adjuster, will still be a vast improvement over the stock Sachs shock.

If they have their internal valving/shimming in the ball park you shouldn't need a separate Hi-speed compression adjuster. In the event you feel the need for improvement with your new "Name" brand of quality suspension, you can have it fiddled and fettled with when you get it serviced.

Just like your forks, a shock will benefit from an oil change every 20,000km or so.