Thanks Dennis. I did look under the rear fender but did not see a shiny spot
per se. What I did see was a faint half inch trail running dead center the
entire length that was slightly cleaner than the rest of the underside. Is that
normal or indicative of too large a tire. It doesn't appear to be scraping when
I am sitting on it and moving around. Barge
----- Original Message -----
From: Dennis Hammerl
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2010 12:10 AM
Subject: Re: [Nighthawk Lovers] Bounce and Squeal
There's the contradiction... I think most Honda's are too hard in the back.
The issue is not a simple one, the springs are too stiff and the actual shock
absorbers are really poor. The shocks give up after a couple thousand miles and
you're left with a hard ride with little control. The front is easy to change
and relatively cheap. Change springs, fork oil, air pressure (for those so
equipped) damping rate (for those..) {the 700s had all those things} BUT, the
rear is another story. lotsa', bucks to purchase new (after market) assemblies.
Few do. SO, you're riding a bike that smacks your bottom on every bump. The
Japanese used to have an impression that all Americans where the size of John
Wayne. Size 12 shoes, 6'2", 250lbs... Made for some bad suspension choices. The
ergo thing was bad too. The distance between shifter and peg was terrible on
early 70's bikes. Hand span to levers was huge. Modern cruisers and sport bikes
are much better now, but entry level bikes still have poor suspension. There is
spring rate and then there is damping. Up the spring rate to support a load but
without proper damping (control) you just get higher bounces. A great
suspension has lots of travel with control. A higher than needed spring rate
gives up travel. What am I saying ? Mine's at #2, I weigh 145 and ride alone.
#1 too soft, #3 too hard. Since a 700s has damping controls for front and rear,
I get a chance to tailor mine more. The ant-dive makes for a ride comfort
adjustment as well. Again, #1 too soft, #3 too hard. I couldn't get all warm
and fuzzy with the damping adjustments on the forks so I changed the springs
and oil viscosity. The air pre-load in the forks was trial and error. Bike now
rides well with enough control.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: the Bargers <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wed, March 31, 2010 11:39:24 PM
Subject: Re: [Nighthawk Lovers] Bounce and Squeal
Thanks Dennis. Will check. It doesn't sound like something that could cause a
critical event. In in an effort to match the front and rear tire pattern, they
(the dealer) may have put a wider than OEM tire on the back. It also could be a
nuance of this type of Pirelli. I will look for the shiny spot and react
accordingly. So far, it's been more of am irritant than anything else. I've put
2k on it with some lengthy trips on interstates and restricted access 4 lanes
so far without any real handling issues. The major squeaks have occurred on
residential streets with patched up potholes. Unless you think I need to
stiffen up the rear shocks, I will leave them in the #2 setting.
Barge
----- Original Message -----
From: Dennis Hammerl
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 11:05 PM
Subject: Re: [Nighthawk Lovers] Bounce and Squeal
I'll take another guess. But first, I find the late model 750 front end a
bit too soft for me. I have no way of knowing what was done to yours. The rear
at #6 must have been a filling loosener. Now, about those tires... Is the back
one wider than OEM ? Like maybe the sidewall is rubbing the trailing arm when
it gets deformed by impact ? I'd look for a shiny spot somewhere under the rear
fender too. 1/4" is not enough clearance in the dynamic of riding.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: the Bargers <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wed, March 31, 2010 8:30:55 PM
Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Bounce and Squeal
Subject titles can be misleading. After having returned from a lengthy
stint of work travel, I have gotten back in the saddle and am still
experiencing some skid like squeal whenever I go over asphalt patches, manhole
covers, railroad tracks, and any bumps or dips at above 35 mph. I have backed
off the brake pedal adjusting nut to where I almost have to stand on the rear
brake to make it work, and the tires still make that noise. So I don't believe
it's dragging the real wheel. Frankly, I can't even tell if it's the front or
rear tire. The bike is an 03 750 with 6k. The rear suspension is now set at the
#2 setting vs. the #6 setting when I bought it. I weigh 170. The bike's
previous owner had extra large grips put on and I assume was a pretty big guy
(or rode double a lot with that #6 stiffer setting). The only other visible
modifications were the 30-06 bullet shaped tire valve caps.
I put new tires on it before I rode it out of the dealership--Pirelli Sport
Demons. I have also tried dropping the air pressure down from 33 to 28 and that
seemed to help a little.
Could it be simply the tires themselves or is it a suspension problem? Does
the squeal come from a bounce that comes from too soft or too hard a
suspensiion setting. Could the previous owner have installed stiffer springs
and/or heavier fork oil causing the front end to hop more? I had a Honda
mechanic sit on it, pump the front end and ride around iin the parking lot and
he said it seemed fine to him (but he didn't have time to get out on the road
and get over 15 mph.). This is driving me nuts, so Dennis or anybody else who
has some things I can try out please give me some feedback. Thanks, Barge
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