Suspension upgrades, first world problems

maxredline · Post by **maxredline** » Thu Sep 24, 2026 4:31 pm

I will start with "if you want a bike with great suspension buy one" or at least has been upgraded already.
All years of VFR are not known for great suspension compenents. Some will argue that and there are years that are better then others which is true but I have found they do not deliver the experience along that individual tuning can achieve from highley adjustable parts.

5th gens have a special spot in my sole. In the past I bought Dougherty Motorsport fork valves and a converted 929 shock for a 5ht gen. This was a lower cost upgrade at the time. There was a bit of a difference but I could have done more tuning if truth be told. DMR motorsports today has some nice stuff for sale which is bike specific as a starting reference on prices.
I told myself I would stick to the stock set up and just live with it as it was the bike of the year in 98 amont others.

My black 98 is my collector plated bike that can be insured all year for cheap. I am going to keep this one so I plan on a suspension upgrade. I feel the bike needs it or at least I do. I am not a spring chicken anymore. Quality used aftermarket components are very hard to find. I have stopped placing "wanted" posts on marketplace or forums as it begs scammers to take a swipe at you. They can be very cleaver!

So here I am, call me crazy. I really don't want to spend thousands on new parts but it just may come to that. I supose I am good to spend around $1500.
If I want the crazy good handling I will buy a newer Ducati but I am enjoying the BMW R1200rs for its creature comforts and grunt.
Oh the rabbit hole......

TerryS · Post by **TerryS** » Thu Sep 24, 2026 8:09 pm

I'm in the same mindset as you. Once you've had some custom-tailored suspension it is hard to accept the stock stuff especially when the shock is now 28 years old...

If I was starting over, I would replace the fork springs, replace the compression valve and then replace the rebound valve, in that order. I have recently bought parts direct from Jamie, he's been perfectly willing to send me specific bits like valve bodies and shims. AFAIK he has also bought Sonic Springs so can presumably supply those direct. For the shock I have used YSS in the past and they seem to be a decent item for the price, but I recently bought a Nitron shock for my VFR1200 which has been awesome.

tbzep · Post by **tbzep** » Thu Sep 24, 2026 9:17 pm

I bought a complete internal kit from DMr several years ago for my 2008 bike. It was fun to rebuild the shock and get full adjustability out of it when I was done. I don't specifically remember everything that was in it, but it included springs, shims, and his valves. I also got a rebuilt CBR shock from him. Since I split riding time between that bike and the 2007, the suspension still works great and is easy to notice the difference in performance compared to the stock bike.

bmart · Post by **bmart** » Thu Sep 24, 2026 9:53 pm

I hate my Bimoto shock and dislike my Race Tech Gold Valve fork kit in the '00.

LOVE my Penske 8981 shock and Thermosman fork mods. It is magical to ride, street or track.

mello dude · Post by **mello dude** » Fri Sep 25, 2026 2:00 am

I have the same Penske shock and Traxxion Dynamics valving in the forks.... works pretty good (for me)

maxredline · Post by **maxredline** » Fri Sep 25, 2026 3:23 am

It looks like the Penske and Ohlins are not available anymore but at DMr the shocks look good and price look even better compared to others.

tbzep · Post by **tbzep** » Fri Sep 25, 2026 3:56 pm

Another good thing about DMr for me was talking directly to Jamie and getting my shock and fork packages set up for my weight and my riding style. He sent the shock with settings preset for me and the only tweaking I did was to see how close he nailed it. I ended up going right back to where he had it set. With the fork build I received instructions on initial settings, which were also close. I didn't have to change them much at all. His business seems to have grown quite a bit from my last purchase, but I bet the personal touch is still there.

mello dude · Post by **mello dude** » Fri Sep 25, 2026 4:38 pm

maxredline wrote: Fri Sep 25, 2026 3:23 am It looks like the Penske and Ohlins are not available anymore but at DMr the shocks look good and price look even better compared to others.

Check Traxxion Dynamics
https://traxxion.com/?make=3258&model=3 ... vpf-search

maxredline · Post by **maxredline** » Sat Sep 26, 2026 5:58 am

All US manifaturers or importers are off the list. Unfotunately that includes Jamie.
I'll looking for Europen or Japanese products if I can't find what I need at home.

I am not going to pay tariffs that Mango Mussolini started.

tbzep · Post by **tbzep** » Mon Sep 28, 2026 4:03 am

Is Van Isle near Seattle? You need a USA riding buddy in that area with a garage. Have him purchase the goodies. Ride down and swap the stuff out in his shop, go for a few good rides together, and head back across the border. I did a shock swap and rebuilt my forks separately, but I could have done both in 1/2 a day. If I turned around and did it again right after that, I could have done them in a couple hours.