Quote:
Originally Posted by dinu2506 Would you mind sharing some details on this on how the fork caps make a difference? Does it reduce the clank sound from the front suspension at times on the A3. Would be really interested in knowing |
Was away from the forum for a while and just saw your post. So chipping in my own recent experience if it helps you in any way.
Few months back I picked up a sparingly used 2015 Bonneville A3 and took the bike out for a longish ride with my wife riding pillion to get to know the bike's shortcomings and also any handling related issues for 2-up riding although this bike will be mostly used for solo riding as I have another bike for my 2-up riding duties.
While I was impressed with the handling of the Bonnie for 2-up, the two major short comings that struck me instantly was - Soft suspension & limited ground clearance (well on my first 2-up ride itself I managed to hit a pothole and puncture my oil filter and came home with a oil leak. Anyways, poured thru past rider experiences, fellow member inputs, expert comments etc and finally decided to do the following upgrades:
1) Better rear shocks. I searched thru Progressive, Hagon and a host of others and while most user reviews reported better performance, the steep prices & shipping just did not justify my purchase at least for the intended use of my bike. Anyway I wasnt going on a RTW trip! Couple of brands from UK also told me they have stopped shipping to India due to high rate of failures and their inability to process warranty claims. So decided to first try out the RE Continental shocks from Paoli that worked out to about Rs 11,500 for a pair. I didnt like the yellow springs, so I had them dismantled (its an easy job) and had them powder coated black. There is a big difference in the ride now when compared to the stock rear shocks and it suits me fine.
2) Tightening up the Front forks: Remembering an old positive review for the Ricor Intiminators from our fellow T-bhp member gthang for his Harley Sportster, I did some more searching and most reviews for the Bonnie were also very positive.
Here is the review:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superb...iminators.html
This is the product link:
http://store.ricorshocks.com/product...41-20-1001.htm
This really tightened up things on the front taking the bike to a different level and the thud is almost fully gone unless I ride it hard like an off road bike over broken pavement.
3) Ground Clearance: Since the RE Shock is longer than stock you get an increased ground clearance since your seat and the rest of the bike (except the rear swing arm) raises up a little. Yes, there is a small adjustment to be done to the shock eyelet. However, once its fixed the chain will need adjustment for the revised geometry and if your bike has a center stand then the not so good news is that the rear tire will no longer stay a few cms above the ground with the center stand deployed. The rear tire will also touch the floor. For future chain lubing/adjustment etc, you will have to put some small wood blocks and deploy the center stand onto that. If anybody here has been able to find a way around it, please do share your experience.
4) Safeguarding the under belly: Although the RE Paoli rear suspension does remedy the ground clearance issue, the oil filter is still vulnerable as the stock bash plate surprisingly ends just before the oil filter and if you hit some really deep pothole, the filter can easily get punctured and leak oil! So you can use some billet aluminum plate as an extension of the bash plate using the stock bolts of the bash plate. Notice in the pic below
If you are in Bangalore, you can head to the mechanic Mr Bali (Motokraft) near the Vijayanagar metro and he will do a brilliant job and charges very nominally. I did my work from him. A very humble person and a perfectionist. Just make sure you fix a day with him and sit with him and finish your work and leave.