Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Ricor Intiminators for Dampening Front Forks

Hi all,

I was reading this thread on Rat Net and came across these
Ricor Intiminators

Unfortunately we missed the 50% discount previously offered to the hefty price tag , but if all the thruxton and bonny riders on ratnet can be believed, they might be a worthwhile investment in safer and more enjoyable riding.

Any comments???

They say to just drop their valve in on top of the stock damper rod. It seems to me that you would then have two systems trying to controll the wheel.

In RaceTech's Emulators, the stock damping orifices are drilled out so they don't effect things. I'm sceptical of this one.

It's an intriguing device that requires more investigation. Does make me wonder...I'd like to see someone get two quarts of 5w fork oil in their fork tubes...

After reading through the entire thread on these from ratnet, I wasn't convinced adding them would make any huge differences.

I'm not saying they may not add something but most comments didn't say without all doubt these were a must. In fact many seemed to be still fiddling with oil levels and the like.

Of course I wouldn't mind experimenting but not for the price. I guess we will naturally hear more if they are that good

I installed them in my Thruxton, personally i found them to be a good investment. also very easy to install. I just set my oil level to the levels recommended in the Haines manual. I might play with the preload settings a little more after i find a better pair of rear shocks. ( didn't realize how bad the shocks were untill i got the front working right.) The Intiminators are very good for taking that sharp jolt out of the bars when you hit an expansion joint or sharp edged pothole. The front end doesn't dive under hard braking like it used to either.

Interesting. So for nearly $300USD, you believe they are a good investment do you Gary?

Personally I think like a lot of stock items on our bikes need upgrading which is why I spent some money on good rear shocks. I still think the front forks let our bikes down though and I've even put progressive springs in.

So Gary, do you think you can explain what improvents these intiminators would make to my ride if I put them in?

I believe it would really be hard to compare a Thrux and our bikes forks due to the difference in neck angle. IMO the 32° angle causes some minor striction in the forks operation that can not be overcome by springs or dampers. Having had two different bikes with narrower neck angles, 29° and now 28°, I find the longer angle just naturally compromises the operation of the sliders as a shock absorber. That said, fork dive under hard braking is a different subject and these additions might address that very well.

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That said, fork dive under hard braking is a different subject and these additions might address that very well.

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Progressive springs solved that problem, and 15W fork oil calmed the rebound.
All for about $100.00.

Just ordered a set of Ricor Intiminators.
The discount is still available, type Triumph into the discount coupon box to get it. 50% off
Once I,ve got them I'll post to let you know my opinion of them

Nice work Colin, looking forward to an evaluation when you get a chance. Also well done for finding out about the %50 reduction. Beats me on that one cos all the other ratnet blokes reckoned it had finished. Who cares, if it worked for you it should work for me. At 50% less cost they sound like a much better propositon too.

Improvements after installing the Intiminators.
As i previously mentioned they take the sharp jolt to the wrists out when you hit a square edged pothole. With the stock dampening set-up loose pebbles in corners would make the front jump and skip. I have 4 sets of railroad tracks close to my house, used to get severe headshake crossing them at any speed, (even a full lock to lock tank slapper once). After installing the Intiminators the bike tracks quite well in the corners, loose rocks can still be felt but now the front wheel just tracks over them with no bouncing. (as good if not better than my 07 speed triple). NO headshake at all crossing the railroad tracks at any speed. Originally the front would dive badly under hard braking and twist to one side. The Intiminators help control the front end dive and the bike tracks straight.
For a "drop in" part it makes my forks work as well as the "tuned" forks on my ATK race bike.
My opinion is they are worth the money, if/when i buy another "modern classic" it will get a set of Intiminators before any other modifications.

That's really interesting Gary, thanks for your impressions and write up. They may be just on my next "to do" list

Just fitted Intiminators and Ikon 7610's to my 07 SM. Took it for 100k ride through the Perth hills this afternoon and its a different bike. Hardly any front end dive under hard front brake applications, in fact found it easier to stop on the front brake than the rear. Rode over a bad section of road that always bottomed out the std set up and while there was still a jolt on one of the big pot holes it sort of ironed it out and didn't jar me as much as with std suspension. Conering was noticeably better with the bike feeling easier to steer and able to go through tight corners a bit faster than before. Well worth the effort so far.

Installed Intiminators today. Unfortunately 20 odd miles into test run, the rain started, I mean heavy rain, so had to kill the speed to an acceptable level for conditions. One thing for sure, the bike feels a lot more planted, even riding in very wet (I mean sheet water across the road )conditions. Not so much as a twitch from the front, smooths out pot holes within reason, the dive on front brakeing is all but gone. Definite improvement in cornering seems to be able to go in tighter and hold the line better. Happy so far.

Did you guys remove your forks to fit the Intiminators and did you use the recommended 5w oil? I've been looking into fitting these with a set of Progressive 440's.

Yes. As to removing forks and using 5w oil.
I'm running intiminators front and 440s rear. Go for it, I've got no regrets. the differance in handling is profound.

I to installed the "Ricors" along with "Progressive Springs" and its worth the investment!

Used the Triumph Code and got the discount,,,,$170 with shipping.

I did remove the forks, drained the oil, and rinsed the forks with 5w fork oil. It took almost two quarts to clean out the original oil. I did'nt use solvents to clean'm for fear of damaging the seals.

Also cut 0.590 inches off the spacer to offset the thickness of the Ricors'

$280,,,Oil, Springs, Imtiminators

Well I don't think we've had any adverse reactions to these intimidators yet have we?

In saying that you wouldn't spend the money unless you were expecting an improvement.

My opinion has always been we can fix the rear suspension but by only putting in progressive springs in the front hasn't been as dramatic effect as the back. That's why I started this thread to start with and now that we've had good feedback it might be time for me to look at buying a set.

There also seems to be various opinions on oil grade and sometimes level, and then there's changing the spaceer size as another way of changing the preload. So these are the options we have now which then becomes a subjective opinion from the rider on how well their bike is performing.

I do think there is something in these intimidators though, so thanks all those who have bitten the bullet and are happy with their purchase. I for one appreciate it

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We'll call you the guinea pigs!!

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That's why I started the thread in the first place .

Anyway, I'm going to order a pr myself now so you can call me a guinea pig if you want. I spose it's better than being called a pig

Considering I'm buying them on top of the other $800 worth of stuff from Eddy as my Xmas present(s), I'll put them in prior to riding up to QLD(a 3000kilometre round trip), so that should give me a pretty good idea of how they'll hopefully perform,

btw, for those Aussies interested, the total cost in AUD with freight is $202AUD. Luckilly for us we are getting up there to parity with the USD so now's as good a time as any to buy from the US

Sure beats it when it was 62centsAUD per the $1USD doesn't it, and with Chrissy next month and Summer with us , there's certainly not a
"poor staffo" situation goin on that's for sure

"Better to be a RAT than a HOG!"

Anyone outisde of the U.S. paid almost double the Customs Import Tax due to the USPS declaration from Ricor Shocks showing the original price and not the discounted price?

I specifically mentioned this to Ricor Shocks before shipment but it still went through with the original price.

Got a response from Ricor. They will be refunding any customs overcharge. Thanks Ricor.

In Aus, they only declared the half ie, $149USD.

Mind you, we only have to pay import duties above $1000AUD.

Ok so Santa bought me the intim's but one or was it two have changed the spacer size. Now whilst I intend on using 5 weight oil, can anyone give me a definite reason for resizing the spacer besides it appearing to make sense. I mean was this part of the instructions. Apologies for not looking through them myself.

Staffo,
Nowhere in the instructions did I see it calling out to cut teh spacers. I have two sets waiting for install in mine and Karen's bikes.
There is much discussion over on Newbonnevilleriders.com with some folks who have installed and are tuning by using PVC spacers that they can cut down in steps.
Personally...I bought some PVC pipe to make new spacers. Ill try stock first then a shorter one to see how it feels.
I wont be installing till next week and don't know when Ill test ride.

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Also cut 0.590 inches off the spacer to offset the thickness of the Ricors'

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For the mm crowd that's 15mm cut off. Btw, as mentioned I've already tried pvc spacers for experimenting so if I want I'll cut them down but first I want to look at what the instructions say.

Apologies Zdenko, I just read your post again saying "no where in the instructions does it mention cutting down the spacer". So for me if that's the case plan A) will be leaving the spacers the same size which in effect, if they do need cutting it'll be felt beforehand like the pre-load has been turned up (as in the damping will be lessened or the opposite of screwing down your rear pre-load).

Somehow I think the instructions would have mentioned it if it was required but a bit of fiddling one way or the other wouldn't be a prob given how simple install is. Btw, thanks again to all you pioneers on here for taking the initial risk to see if they work (they better) and giving us your feedback

Staffo,
Im looking forward to your review.

I got mine in with the shortened spacer even though Brian @ Ricor suggested keeping it uncut (see link above, more posted).

I noticed that the bumps were soaked up better and my front end dive on braking was not excessive anymore.
If I can Im going to take it over a section of road I found last week. Its all brick paved for about a mile and feels like a wash board in my truck.

SO far...I like the Intimintator more than the Progressive springs.

Hi Zdenko and others,

I've just about finished installing the intims but did it the easy way. Cos I only changed my fork oil 10k klms ago with 10wt, I just took the caps off, removed the washer, spacers and springs and sucked out the oil with one of those syrige tools.

I'm running out of time to get my bike sorted for a trip north and because of the new screen now being perfect and not wanting to fiddle with it and have to take it with the loweres off, I decided this was the best option for me.

I calculated there was less than 40mils left of oil at the end and considering I still had to put in more than 500mils in each to top up to hagons 140mm air gap, the ratio of 10 wt to 5 wt was negligible ie about %8.

Also, the oil I took out was still clean as a whistle so it just wasn't a big deal imo.

So I'm just about to go out into the garage to now put the cut off pvc spacers in, as after working the forks up and down several times to makes sure there was no trapped air etc, plus to mix the oils up, I left the caps off overnight just to make sure no air bubbles remained in. I did leave a towel over the forks to ensure no contamination too.

So, I hoping I find a nice bit of quality riding is ahead of me with these new gizmos. I will be honest though if I can't seem to notice any difference. Mind you, with the rear hagons and the front forks having progressive springs, my suspension still is blo#dy great anyway.

In saying that, if there was a weakness in our suspension after sorting out everything we know so far, it would still be the front forks imo. These may just be the difference but time will tell.

I would be surprised though if I didn't notice some considerable improvement given all the positive comments mentioned over in the ratnet forum and now here.

cheers
Staffo

Stacka, good luck and have fun on your ride.

mike

Thanks Michael. I wish all you guys could be riding with me. I've got no doubt you'd love it as much as I'd love to be riding over your way.

cheers
stacka

Coupon expired....

FYI, I have just updated my post from yesterday as someone pm'd me wanted to use this report, so considering I was a bit rushed yesterday I have made some minor changes. Of course this doesn't mean I have changed my mind on how good these intimators are. Just wanted to ensure all my comments were exactly how I felt. Btw, I have no financial interest in these but I wished I did. Read on:

Coupon expired?

That's a real shame guys BUT, if having travelled 1400k's using back paved Aussie roads and I said I would still buy them, would you????

Hi all. I'm currently staying in a part of Australia called Queensland near it's capital Brisbane with my daughter and her boyfriend in their new home. It's just 15 mins away from the beach, and the water temp is idylic, just ask Islandbum, he lives there. Fantastic.

Anyway, a couple of blokes have wanted to know how the intims performed for me on my trip up.

Well in a nutshell, not much if anything short of brilliantly.

Now I'm not someone who would say this unless I honestly believed it to be the truth, particularly given some may use this info as part of their decision making to buy them.

I really do not want to be seen as one of those blokes who just because they bought something using the info they had, it then Must be good.

It was the same with the Hagon Nitros where a few blokes looked at my write up and also pm'd me to make sure that I wasn't talking rubbish.

This was particularly relevant given they used my report and appraisal to get the 26kg rated springs and not the 20kg jobs as Hagon reps were pushing for (and btw, my Hagon rep told me they have re-evaluated their ratings because of this).

So the same with the Nitros, I would hate it if someone spent all that money to find out Staffo talks out of his you know what.

In fact I made sure I was spot on the money in how I saw the Hagons and even then was relieved when I was told later I was right.

Anyway, to the real deal and what I think. Well even with the special deal now not on the table, having the front suspension now working as I thought they should have in the first place, has really put a smile on my dial and yes, I do believe I would still buy them. There's no doubt about that.

Of course this stuff is always relative to your own understanding so all I can do is report what I found but now I have to be doubly sure I do think they are worth the money.

It is interesting though cos whilst I wasn't aware this special offer had been withdrawn, I did say to myself along the way I (key word "I") would still have bought them regardless.

That's how good I've found them. Hey, I spent $850AUD on the rear and only $150 (progressive springs) on the front and that's all I could really do.

So knowing this was always going to be a possibility (the offer finishing) I have made sure I continually monitored how they were going as I road up, taking note of the different surface conditions I came across.

Now too try and draw a picture for you all, approx half of my trip was not only the inland route, which is still a good highway to just north of Brisbane, it was also done on other back country roads (not highways).

This means much of the roads were what could be best described as less than smooth. That's actually code for rough at times, but I can safely say the intims made all the difference.

In fact, some of the roads were bad enough to turn you off travelling them if your front suspension wasn't working well. Now these roads aren't a problem. Seriously

So what are we talking about, some Aussie
blokes's subjective opinion or can he be just a little bit more convincing with examples or something?

Well, let me try and explain the ride but again bear in mind I do have my rear suspension sorted properly with Hagon Nitros. I also believe the front and back work together as a unit and when the front for instance isn't working properly, It lets the team down so to speak. So I had already put progessive springs in the forks with 10 WT oil and the proper air gap as suggested by Hagon but the front was still ordinary imho.

For instance, it has always been my opinion that the front suspension even with the updated springs etc was the weakest link in our suspension after sorting the rear (derr-what else was there) .

I mean, have any of you tried to look at the fork's move as you ride along. I don't know about you but given the 33 degree rake I many times looked down to see if the forks moved up and down as they hit bumps etc and I just couldn't see it happening.

Yeah, maybe the bigger bumps would have been absorbed somewhat but unlike the rear where I could feel the shocks doing their job by moving up and down nice and smoothly, most of the bumps in the front just seened to travel up to the handle bars like a push bike.

Now enter stage left the intiminators with the 5 WT oil and the pvc spacers cut so they were just exposed above the top of the forks (see pic in previous post)as would be the normal spacer's position.

Well besides the obvious feel of the front being smoother when I first started my ride, one of the first and best observations I found was watching the forks actually moving up and down and that's even with minor imperfections (bumps or whatever)in the road. In fact, as soon as I saw that happening from the beginning, it was like quantitatively verifying what I felt was the difference with them in.

This to me is simply the biggest difference in the whole equation. In other words the shocks were working as I would expect them too, by absorbing the bumps instead of transfering the shock up the fork stems of the bike's front to the bars.

Ok, so the forks are going up and down. What else Staffo?

Well, again I don't know about you blokes but I found I was always looking for the best area on the road ahead to ride on cos to be perfectly honest the front suspension had been giving me grief on the harsher road surfaces, causing a lot more discomfort than I liked.

Let's face it, when you are riding long distances this stuff is important not just because of the discomfort factor, over time its tiresome and that equates in my estimations to being dangerous. Why? well,

1) because of the fatigue and,

2) because the front wheel was not following the road's surface contour and therefore it making sense to think the tyre was not sticking to the road like good suspension should.

In reality then, before putting in the intims, here I was getting a good ride where I sat over my Nitros but the front was, (I was going to say pain in the butt) letting the me down so to speak.

I just knew there had to be a way to improve the front. Surely you fellas have asked the same quesiton haven't you?

I know I did many times particularly after hitting big bumps or having ridden on poor road surfaces etc. Now the intims just seem to absorb up all those road imperfections and keep me sitting firmly in my Corbin.

To be honest there was only 1 time where I hit what must have been a something else cos it launched me up off my seat qwite wuffly (sri - Monte Python) which probably would have done the same with any bike.

In fact the first day I was riding with a buddy who has a BMW GS 1150cc and most would be aware how long and good their suspension is. Well watching him hit bumps and then as I followed, feeling myself hit the same ones, it was like verification that there had been a gaping hole on how my bike's suspension was before compared to now.

It was just something else feeling the front soak up what before was relentless up and down movement of the bars on many of the roads I had come across.

In saying all this, you might have excellent road surfaces wherever you ride and in that case, the intims wouldn't be as crucial but the best rides for me are the back country roads with their mountainous terrain and curvy lines. They also unfortunately happen to many times have the worst road surface as they aren't highways.

Catch 22 really where you want the excitement and views etc of the back roads but it was coming at a cost.

It's that simple really. Now the shocks are working when before, for me at least I don't reckon they were. Certainly not as they should have been anyway. I also think it's possibly worse on a cruiser too given how our forks sit out further and then with the 10Wt oil stiffening up things.

Another apect is, our bikes are good but for their price, they have come with their limitations that's for sure. Just look at some of our electrics and the wiring or the rear shocks more importantly. Some of it is just junk I'm sorry to say.

So again, for the money being twice as much as before, I still believe they are worth it. Of course I do ride distances ie, 8 to 10 hours a day sometimes, so for me having the intims has and will mean there is a happier Staffo at the end of the day having suffered less fatigue and who knows maybe I'm even riding a safer bike.

Anyway, I don't think there is much more to say really. The intims have worked extremely well and of course the 5WT oil has a lot to do with that as these valves (that's what they are really) allow movement of the forks up and down to absorb bumps , just as suspension should be.

One final thing I should mention. I have had 2 back operations and one of them major so suspension has always been one of the most important functions I wanted working on my bike. Of course the Corbin seat makes things special too but suspension for me is no.1. I guess that's why I have been so passionate about sorting out this aspect of my bike.

Anyway, it's time for dinner and being on hols I've had 3 Vic Bitter stubbies and one bourbon and coke in amongst talking with my daughter etc.

Anywaym If you have any questions, cos I haven't covered something just ask, but I wouldn't be without them and if like me you feel something isn't right with the front. Maybe a bit of savings could help you out there.

cheers
Staffo

Hi Staffo.....Great summary! As I understand it, you left the front Progressive Springs in place. Added the Intiminators and 5 weight oil. Correct? I now have the Progressives up front and assume I can leave them there if I add the Intims. Have a safe ride home.

Hi Don, yes that's right. I kept my progressive springs (they work better) in, used some pvc pipe as spacers and cut them down so they just poked the end above the end caps thread and used 5Wt oil.

For Hagon progressive springs, the air gap is 140mm but I would use whatever your progressive spring manufacturer suggests.

You should be right to go then. Thanks for your comments too mate. It's been an interesting trip so far and looking forward to the ride home as well. My bike is just so comfortable now it gets me excited thinking about it.

cheers
staffo

On the Ricor site.....go to the coupon box and type in Triumph and you can still get 30% off the Intiminators. I'm tempted!

I've just got back fm my trip Don and one thing that I realised is, you really need your rear suspension spot on first IMHO. I unscrewed my rear pre-load for riding without luggage and when I wound them back for my trip home I was a bit out from optimum. This meant my rear was raised higher than I liked, my preload was a bit stiff on the rear but more importantly, bringing the rear up put more downward force on the front springs which made a noticable difference in how well they worked. So it's a balancing act really. What's interesting to me is what a difference 2 revolutions of the Nitro collar made to not just the back but interestingly the front. So get the rears sorted so they are just right and all will be great Don. I believe you still have the progressives on the rear so provided your preload is accurately tuned in the 30% off is still a bargain mate I reckon.

Just one thing should be mentioned to anyone Reading this, the intim's are not a silver bullet for all the ills of our suspession woes but more a way to IMO to finish off getting the optimum ride possible which wouldn't be possible without them. That's what I've found with my setup anyway.

Staffo