[bak613]

Hi folks, I just purchased an 04 DL650 and have been enjoying this forum and learning A LOT!!

I'm new to riding a motorcycle and the V-Strom came highly recommended by the experienced riders in my office.

I live in Northern Virginia, though it’s highly suburban, less than an hour from here are the beginnings of the Appalachian mountains.

As far as the bike goes it has some useful mods. The previous owner(s) were serious enough (bike has 22k) to upgrade to a Sargent seat. I'm a big guy 6'2" and 250 lbs. and the Sargent seat is sweet!

I do notice a lot of front dive on braking or even coming off the throttle...probably a function of my weight. The front forks are adjusted to within 1 notch of the stiffest setting. BTW what kind of tool do you use to turn those, does it take a lot of effort?

I added grip puppies, (my hands match the rest of me) and yes I did make the newbie mistake of backing out the handlebar end screw all the way and yes I did have to fish out the pieces, good thing I had recently purchased a magnetic pick up tool. <g>

I saw in a previous post, that a fork brace is recommended, why? What does it do for the bike?

Glad to be here, seems like a really friendly group of folks.

Bruce

 

[PTRider]

I do notice a lot of front dive on braking or even coming off the throttle...probably a function of my weight. The front forks are adjusted to within 1 notch of the stiffest setting. BTW what kind of tool do you use to turn those, does it take a lot of effort?

You need a screwdriver that fits the groove in this aluminum part as closely as possible. These preload adjusters do not make the spring stiffer or softer. They raise or lower the bike so you're in about the middle of the suspension range of travel. At your weight, you need stiffer springs, cheap ($90) and easy to do. Brake dive is helped with the stiffer springs and greatly helped with suspension modifications. Ricor has their Intiminator damping valves, and RaceTech has their cartridge emulators. Either does a good job.

You'll also enjoy the ride after upgrading the shock and getting the correct spring for your fully loaded riding weight.

More about adjusting the preload:
Suspension Adjustment

The fork brace is a big help. The forks tend to flex very slightly, bind, then release. Without the flex, bind, and release, the bike tracks better and handles much better in crosswinds, over bumps, etc.

 

[warprints]

Welcome to the world of Stroms.
+1 re fork brace.
I've ridden around nrothern VA and WV(see my photo) - great roads. You'll love it.

 

[SV Racing Parts]

Welcome

:hurray: Hi, it always great to have new riders and new members with us here at Stromtroopers so Welcome.

This is a great Forum and a great place for resources for your bike,

Let me know if I can ever help you out in any way,

The Fork Brace is a great addition to your bike, Your bike will thank you for installing it,

Enjoy the ride, and best regards,
Blair

 

[BobbyLee666]

From another Northern Virginia Wee rider, welcome to the group. I think you'll like it.

 

[acududeman]

From another Northern Virginia Wee rider, welcome to the group. I think you'll like it.

Ditto......welcome! :thumbup:

 

[EchoFiveNovember]

another welcome to a NoVa rider! I'm from northern Va, but live in Frederick, MD... I know it's MD, but it's nice MD! Definitely some great riding out here, and a fair amount of getting dirty of you look around. Welcome to the club

 

[bak613]

new to the Wee

Thanks for the welcome and advice.

Which fork brace are you folks using?
Richlandrick's Adventure-Tech LLC has one for $80 plus postage.

Nice to see some other NoVA riders on this board. I'd be up for a group ride sometime.

Bruce

 

[SV Racing Parts]

:thumbup: Hi, I love the original Genuine SuperBrace, They are Stromtrooper Discounted to $139.99 all in wiith Free Shipping. The SuperBrace and its finish are designed to be lifetime quality parts,

SuperBrace is also a great supporter of the Stromtroopers Forum and has been since Stromtroopers began,

You can order at SVRacingParts.com

You will like the way it helps your bikes front end out,

Enjoy the ride, and best regards,
Blair

 

[The Golden Monkey]

Welcome to the forum Bruce!
The general consensus seems to be that all the available fork braces (Superbrace, Richland Rick's, and Murphs) do their job equally well, and it's one of the best mods you can do to the strom. I have the Superbrace Blair recommends, and the fit and finish is definitely top-notch.

Also, if you haven't already, please take a rider course. And practice those emergency maneuvers!

 

[BrokenPoet]

Welcome to the forum and to NoVa riding! I just moved here myself and purchased my first bike (2006 Wee), and am enjoying the riding here immensely!

 

[bak613]

fork brace

Now that I know what a fork brace is and does. I took a close look at the forks and there is a brace there already. After a quick search and looking at a few web pages I found one that matched...looks like I have a KB Fork Brace.

Now those $ can go toward a set of bags. <g>

Nice to see so many NoVA riders here.

Regards,
Bruce
04 DL650