Racetech Emulator Clarification.

[Flywheel]

Going to try new springs/emulator install over the weekend. When setting the spring tensioned valve, the RT instructions refer to 2 turns (for street), 4 turns (for track) as guidelines. I'm assuming one "turn" is a 360 degree twist of the wrench on the top nut (while keeping the bottom nylock nut stationary).

Are these "turns" applied to the emulators as they ship from the factory, or do you need to set the spring tension to "zero" somehow? Thanks in advance!

[Brian P]

Normally they are shipped with some tension on the springs, but same policy applies here as with many other such things ... never trust, always double check. Loosen the locknut so that it no longer has any effect and count the number of 360-degree turns of the main screw that it takes to completely unload the spring (you'll feel it, it's pretty easy). Then turn it in the number of turns that you want and snug up the locknut. Done.

AFAICT those instructions are generic to all such emulators regardless of design, which might not necessarily be appropriate for your actual forks and your actual preferences.

[Flywheel]

Excellent, thanks Brian P. I'm getting better at asking these sorts of questions BEFORE something breaks or goes skipping under the workbench. Suspension is serious business for sure.

When it comes to specific settings, a few Burgman owners have blazed a trail already, so I shouldn't become too lost. Still, I expect to have to adjust things a few times before it's right for me. After enlarging the damper rod compression holes, how would I go about properly deburring the holes on the rod's interior?

[silverbullet132]

My Dad has a Burgman too. Is yours a 400 or 650, and what internals are you putting in the suspension? (did you do springs too, what oil weight etc) He was looking to upgrade his.

[Flywheel]

My Dad has a Burgman too. Is yours a 400 or 650, and what internals are you putting in the suspension? (did you do springs too, what oil weight etc) He was looking to upgrade his.

It's a 650 and the same 41mm damper rod forks are used on all 2003-2012 models. There's a surprising amount of aftermarket for both Burgmans. There is a selection of rear shocks from Hagon ($), Ikon ($$), Works ($$$), Bitubo (sexy but $$$$) and Fournales (top dollar air shocks).

Racetech and Sonic Springs offer a variety of fork springs for the 650. I went with Sonic this time (used Racetech on the gs500) because they're a bit cheaper and seem to have a good reputation. When contacted, the owner (Rich) replied promptly, answered all my questions and reviewed the results of the website's spring rate calculator. He felt my riding style and weight would probably benefit more from slightly softer springs than suggested by the calculator (0.85 vs 0.90). The well packaged springs arrived in about a week, complete with instructions, PVC spacer tube and instructions. Sonic doesn't ship fork oil internationally. Something about USPS regulations concerning flammable materials, IIRC.

I ordered the RT Gold Valve emulators through Parker Brothers, who suggested a 10 weight oil after considering my specifics. Nothing has been installed yet. Since I did a fork oil change back in February, I plan on being a bit lazy and just swap the springs for the moment. I'm also curious as to how much of a difference the Gold Valves really make.

Otherwise, The Burgman Knowledge Base is the page to bookmark: http://burgmanusa.com/bkb/tiki-index.php It has section of the 2007+ 400s as well. I think you can upgrade fork springs and the monoshock on the 400 with aftermarket stuff. Not sure about the emulators though.

[Brian P]

After enlarging the damper rod compression holes, how would I go about properly deburring the holes on the rod's interior?

I've done it by using a small round file from the outside. There's nothing rubbing over the inside surface, so you only need to get the big chunks off and get any loose cutting debris out of there. Doesn't have to be a precision job.