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

Staffo...good to hear that you had a great ride and are now safely home. Your reporting on the Intiminators has been spectacular and is much appreciated. As it's winter here in Canada, can't ride, so I am in the progress of updating my Speedies rear end. I have the Progressive 440's on the way which will replace the 412's I'm going to sell shortly. The 412's are a good improvement over the stock shocks, but from reading many posts on the Intiminators, the Progressive 440's complete the equation. The following is from the Rat Net....

"The Progressive 440's are made by Edelbrock under license from Ricor. The Ricor IAS (inertia active system) system was first used by Citroen in the '90s to dominate the Dakar Rallies. Citroen won every Dakar rally after switching to Ricor Racing Shocks. Mitsubishi also used the IAS shocks. Delphi Chassis (GM) took notice and engineered a 'street' version which is now the Edelbrock IAS shock for car and truck applications."


http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_...cks_main.shtml

I have the Speedies front end set up with the Progressive fork springs and don't notice any dive effect, but would like to reduce the sharp jarring that my wrists take when hitting pot holes, etc. I was at the Toronto Motorcycle show yesterday and found an Amsoil Dealer, so asked about the 5W fork oil, and sure enough, he had some there. Said I was the second person inquiring about it and he was wondering why....tried to explain as best I could. Gave him a link to Ricor. As a side note here....Triumph was no where to be seen at this major Motorcycle Event.

So, as soon as I can get the new 440's on, I'll make a decision on the Intims and hopefully be out testing my set up in a couple months.

I was the other one who asked the Amsoil dealer at the show Friday. I asked for Amsoil 5w and he didn't know of any until I told him it was for my front shocks. He knew right away what I was after and showed me Amsoil Shock Theraphy #5 which is the same as what Ricor shipped me with the Intims. Now I can just drop by their shop when it's time to change the oil.

Will be installing mine in the spring.

Holy Dooley Don, I didn't know the 440's were made under licence from Ricor? That info has just completely given me a whole new perspective on the 440's. As has the info you just gave on the Citroens using Ricor technology in the Dakar Rallies. Again your research of which I have no doubt is completey reliable (even if you did steal it lol) given your lifetime profession, makes me feel great cos it's put Ricor right up there and sort of given my and other evaluations more credence. It also explains a lot more of where this technology has grown from as I had no idea Ricor had such a high pedigree.

So thanks for the history lesson Don. Put you right back there in front of all your students didn't it? Well, for me you've put much of the puzzle together so thanks for that.

Staffo

Just for info, the 440's are 2nd generation IAS, Ricor's new rear shocks are 3rd generation IAS.

+1 for the 440s and intiminators.
Makes one h*ll of a differance to the handleing.
Nice Write up on the intiminators there Staffo. If I didn't already have them, that might just have persuaded me to try them.

This was a mild week here in the Northeast. Had a chance to install Intims on my Speedmaster. Used 1" PVC as spacers with the length of the original less 5/8". Measured the original oil level without the springs to make sure I pour back the same amount of 5W Amsoil.

I wasn't after a plush or less jarring ride. I was after improved handling and braking similar to what I was used to back in the 60s & 70s with my BMW R50.

THE INTIMS DID IT!!

With stock, I always felt the fronts to be very tentative specially on turns and curves with little twitches caused by the smallest road imperfections. Even turning from a stop light (left or right) I found the stock footing to be unsure. The Intims eliminated all the twitchiness. It's now surefooted and planted on turns and curves. I can take these at much higher speed now. I can now bank and launch easily when turning from a stop.

Dive is not completely gone but much reduced. With the dual disc on the Speedmaster, it always threathened to take you down each time you make the smallest mistake of putting too much when your wheels are even slightly turned. Braking is greatly improved.

Overall, it's a much safer bike as a result of the above. I really didn't pay too much attention to the ride quality as far as plushness or jarring rides since this was not really what I was after. I'll try some rough roads sometime but it's not really my priority for getting the Intims.

I didn't really experience much wrong with my rears but I won't be surprised if some twitchiness remains there. I plan to get the Progressive 440s for good measure or maybe even the new Ricor rear shocks.

I just don't understand why I have to make these mods to make a 2009 bike perform as well as a 1960s bike. This handling should just be about standard on all bikes after 50 years.

Very nice write up there. I think you nailed it really well. This type of description isn't easy to do and like myself you just start getting used to the better handling and can quickly forget just how different the ride was like. I hope shutterbug reads this cos it's spot on and now he's got both front and back progressives, the intim's will finish his suspension off nicely.

Thanks for the excellent report. Now some nice rear shocks and you'll be riding a different bike.

Regarding Our bike's cheaper components, well our bikes aren't that expensive to start with and more than half the fun is researching and buying components that when fitted, that first ride feeling with them on just can't be compared.

Staffo

Thanks Staffo. I also installed the Rivco Risers and it made my riding stance a lot more comfortable and relaxed.

I will be removing my AI Tubes. From what I understand, this should get rid of the jerkiness associated with EFI accelaration and bring it more in line with the carb models in terms of a smooth and linear throttle. This was actually one thing that aggravated the situation with the stock front forks. While you're twitching and turning on the old forks, you could throttle on with the EFI just slightly too much to jerk you off a turn. I know we're suppose to maintain a smooth throttle through turns but there are times you might just want to give it slightly more and with the EFI, it's hard to judge if your going to pour just the right amount.

PM sent....over at Rat Net.

I finally installed my 440s. I was thinking of getting the Ricor rear shocks but for around $200 less, I decided on the 440s. Besides, I'm pretty much regular weight (160lbs) and ride mostly solo. I know Ricor rears has 3rd generation intims but I figured 2nd generation is good enough for the dough.

It completes the front fork Intims. My butt doesn't get trashed around anymore on rough roads. I feel like I can take any type of road with this combination of front and rears. The bike feels confident on twisty roads and they're as easy as straight ones (really no difference anymore).

For those that have 440s, what setting do you find ideal? I tried different soft and stiff settings but I don't know what the best setting should be and the shocks didn't really come with any instructions.

The best preload setting is the one where the majority of times your backside stays put. That is, if you hit bumps or dips, your suspension will absorb one or the other and keep you and your wheels firmly in contact with the surface they are sitting on.

It takes trial and error with adjustments of preloading both the springs down or up until you feel confident you've found the best setting possible depending on the shocks you have.

Btw, if you're happy with the front it'll make getting the rears sorted that much easier as I believe both work together to achieve optimum performance.

Just remember, this can sometimes take time to sort out but Keep in mind the importance of keeping your butt as firmly in your seat as possible which will mean your shocks are adjusted properly and doing their job.

Staffo

Here's a starting place for setting your rear shock preload (pretty much regardless of shock type) for street bikes (abbreviated from Total Control by Lee Parks)...

He recommends that street bike preload should be set between 28% and 33% of total travel. Road race bikes are firmer at 23 - 27% and off-road bikes are 30 - 33%.

How to work it out.
You will need a bike lift, tape measure, pen and paper and someone to measure for you. You will also need to know the total travel of your shocks. This will be figure A. In the case of my Hagon Nitros the total travel is 80mm according to the manufacturer.

Step 1. Measure the fully extended shock by putting the bike on a lift and having the rear hanging. Measure from the axle to some point on the bike vertically above the axle. This is figure B.

Step 2. Take the bike off the lift. Get you, the rider (not your friend) to sit on the bike. Get your friend to measure from the axle to the same place vertically above the axle. This is figure C.

Step 3. Subtract your figure C from the figure B. This is your preload (static sag). As a percentage of figure A (the total travel) it should be between 28% and 33%.

Mine works out to be 35% which is slightly on the soft side and I really should tighten up my preload a bit more.

B (fully extended)
- C (with rider onboard)
= D static sag

D divided by A (total travel) = preload %

Thanks Staffo and Richard. I'll start playing around with the pre-load. So far I'm enjoying the ride and lovin it. It's a huge change from when I first picked-up the bike.

My Intiminators (with the 5w oil) arrived the other day and the Hagon Nitros are on order (hopefully they will arrive before the end of the month). I'm going to set some time up with Zmilin to install them (plus the Scottoiler w/slipperblock), since he's got a wee bit of experience with the Intiminators & Scottoiler. Plus, I suspect his garage set-up is way better than mine.
Can't wait. But at least I finally got the old Bubs back on. Now she sounds respectable.

Who's Christmas's are happening all at once then mmm???

I can see another happy chappy in the making lol

My Intiminators are on there way.I have a couple of questions.
What is the distance from the top of the fork tube to the fluid level supposed to be.140mm?
Will one bottle of Amsoil #5 oil do both forks?
Is there a torque figure for the triple tree fork clamp bolts?
Cheers
Chris.

Oil level is measured from the top of the tube with the spring removed and the leg fully compressed - 166mm
For America Torque settings
Top yoke- 20 Nm
Bottom yoke- 45 Nm
Oil capacity 484cc.
All this info available in the Haynes Manual.

Yes 166mm with intims in situ.
I cut my spacers by 15mm, and I think the bike rides perfect now.

Heres my update:

Got 500 miles on this combination(Ricor and Progressive fork springs).
500 should be a fair break-in period.

First thing noticed is there is no "pre-load" on the forks, even after i sit on the bike.
There were a couple of times when the forks max-ed out(full extend) on medium bumps.

I now replaced the Progressive's with stock springs.
The ride is the same and there is no max-ed out conditions.

anyone interested in a set of progressive springs?
$45 plus shipping.
still got the box with all the fix-ns.

thanks

I cut my PVC spacers so they were sitting about 3mm's above the lip of the fork ends. That was where the original springs had them.

Fwiw, I have the Hagon progressive springs which are the same length as oem. Also, I found my ride a bit better with a 155mm air gap as opposed to the oem spec of 166mm and of course 5 wt fork oil.

I think I'll just have to lay the original springs next to the new progressives and then measure and cut the spacers to suit.
I fitted my Progressive 440's yesterday and all I can say is WOW !! I live at the top of a hill and coming down are some real big dips that would have me out of the seat on the oem shocks.The difference in rebound now is amazing.Smooth as. Coming up the hill I cross over a spoon drain immediately followed by a transition from bricks to bitumen.This bump would have the back wheel bouncing off the deck (engine revs would rise so I knew this was happening)and me off the seat again if I was a bit enthusiastic on the throttle.Yesterday I deliberately gunned it over this bump and the bike rode over it perfectly.No more airbourne antics.Just need to fine tune the preload now.

I finally got a chance to install the Intiminators and Progressive fork springs today.The whole job went relatively smoothly.A few gripes.The Intiminators were ****** tight to seat down the bottom of the forks,Took a bit of gentle persuasion but got there eventually.Would not rate my chances of ever getting them out again! Boy those fork caps are buggers to get back on.
To tell the truth I couldn't really tell much difference when I took the bike for a test ride.Yeh the forks have less dive under brakes.Didn't really notice if the bike handled bumps any better but that may be the whole point!I didn't notice the bumps!
My biggest disapointment was the wobbles from the front end when taking my hands off the bars.Hands on the bars front end was stable at 140kmh.
So all up a mixed bag of opinions about the worth of the install.
Cheers

Are you sure they shipped you the right set of Intiminators because mine slipped in easily and I think there is space around it that you almost have to guide it in to make sure it doesn't sort of tilt.

Lester, I'm interested on your what you believe are the differences both with and without the progressive springs when using them with the intiminators.

From memory I think Ricor suggested using the stock springs but don't hold me to that.

Any comments good and bad will be appreciated as I've found the front suspension with the intiminators in lately not to be as good as when I first used them traveling with a load.

Hi all,

I wanted to let you all know my experience with replacing the front progressive springs back to the original oem's with the intims in place.

Whilst I haven't been able to test the difference on a road trip, I have ridden a couple of hundred K's on long highway type roads mixed in with urban tar.

There is no doubt in my mind the intims and with it the front suspension works even better with the OEM springs. This is a good thing as my suspension is now what I always hoped I could get it to be like. That I have some progressive front springs in a box isn't what I expected though, but whatever, my bike is riding even better than before and I'm very happy with the outcome.

I should mention that when I wrote my initial report I had a load for travelling quite a long distance and all my observations were a result of this.

I did think that when I came home and took my load off, the front forks appeared to be stiffer than when on the trip.

Anyway, IMHO the intims work better with the original springs, 5wt oil and a 166mm air gap.

I believe others may have already worked this one out but it's taken me a while to swap over the springs and hence the wait.

I would be surprised if anyone else didn't also think the intims work better with the original springs and fwiw, after speaking to the Ricor staff, they too think the front work better with the oem's.

stacka