Evolution Suspension : Part 2

Last time we spoke I was describing to you how the complete Ohlins suspension system along with the Attack Triple Clamps complimented the S1000RR. At the very end of the article I hinted that there is a better solution, and for those of you who waited so patiently, here it is.

With the accreditation of an international magazine (thanks Roadracing World) comes the chance to test multiple components. Two of those parts happen to be at the front and the rear of the motorcycle in the form of a new Bitubo shock from Germany (the very same that Badovini uses on his Superstock S1000RR) and AK Gas forks from Traxxion Dynamics.

Something must be understood when discussing the importance of motorcycle suspension. The size and shape of the contact patch on each tire is the root of how a bike handles, feels, and grips. A rider knows what’s going on by feeling through the suspension, so it is clear that this is very important. These new parts from Bitubo and Traxxion gave Jeremy a better translation. In turn he is able to go faster much more comfortably.

To compliment this, the team has also engineered a new part for the suspension linkage on the S1000RR. The factory engineers were quite ingenious in their OEM design. When they started delivering bikes with such a progressive rate it allowed the stock S1000RR to do two things very well. First and foremost a very light spring can be installed on the rear shock. Since most customers purchasing this bike are going to use them primarily for street riding the softer spring rate will make cruising on the freeway and bumpy roads more comfortable. On the flipside the progressive suspension also keeps the bike off of the bottom when riding at an enthusiastic pace on the canyon roads, or even at a track day.

In racing conditions this progressive nature is not as desirable. When a rider starts to push the limits the shock gets lower and lower in the stroke as the centripetal force increases exponentially. If the suspension is too progressive it will mimic hitting the bottom of a standard linear linkage. A rider needs to be able to use the entire stroke on the shock to get the most out of a chassis. For that reason our development reduced this progression rate, again allowing Jeremy and Gary more speed!

Within the world of motorcycle roadracing there are huge costs, publicity, riders, crews, engineers, fans, new tracks, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera… Fundamentally, this all stems from one very “simple” act, winning. It’s not who can run the quickest single lap, or where you start on the grid, but who can get to the checkered flag first! So one must be curious what does it take to win? Is it whoever has the most money? Is it whoever has the “best” rider? Perhaps it’s the nicest bike with the nicest parts. No. To put it quite bluntly it is whoever has the combination that can run the total distance of the race in the shortest time. Now don’t get me wrong, very often it is the teams with the most money that can build the nicest bikes and pay the best riders, but if any team could complete that laps in less time, underdogs they may, they would be the winners…

See you at Laguna!

Willow weekend race report

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=40901

Another Lap Record Falls to Toye and the S1000RR, while Orr ups his game!




1: Photo provided by RPMGear.com
Friday
We showed up on Friday to set up in typical blustery Willow conditions and give this S1000RR its first shakedown at the tight and twisty Streets of Willow Springs during the Motoyard trackday. It really is a good thing that we did too because the setup that we had on the bike was from the Pahrump test the week prior and didn’t translate very well. Thanks to the information from the 2D data logging system and Jeremy’s rider feedback we were able to deduce where the problems were and adjust accordingly.
We started off with some simple damping adjustments to get the suspension working with the bumpy sections of the technical Streets course and once the bike was rideable, gearing was selected and we could focus on geometry for turn in, direction change, and rider feel. By the end of the day we were well on our way to a good base, but still had a few issues with the bike being harsh over bumps on acceleration and a bit abrupt on the front end. These were all things that we had a game plan on fixing that evening, but would never get around to. It turned out that we would instead have to pick up and move our entire operation to another location in the pits because the places you can park for a trackday and a race weekend are entirely different. This is fine when one is pitting out of the back of their pick up, but when it involves two motor homes, bikes, canopies, carpets, tables, vehicles, and miscellaneous things like tool boxes and chairs you can see how an evening’s worth of work gets pushed back!
Saturday
A few of our team members bit the bullet the next morning, getting up with the sun to finish the “To Do” list. This included swapping the Ohlins forks for the AK Gas forks, making a spring rate change in the shock, and changing the gearing. Practice that day was spent fine tuning the gearing and feel of the motorcycle to match the increase in speed that Jeremy was able to carry as the bike became more comfortable. Gary Orr was also able to improve throughout the day on his bike with the new Attack triple clamps, SDBMW link, and Attack rearsets.
That afternoon both riders were entered in the 20 lap Solo GTO race, but for entirely different reasons. Jeremy went out to put his setup to the test in a race simulation for the 12 lap main event the next day, whereas Gary was there to win! Launching off the line Jeremy was not only able to open up a massive gap, but he was able to smash his own lap record on the second lap, after that he was already into the lappers! Gary got a decent start, but had some work to do as he was caught behind some other fairly quick riders.
Once the 12 laps were up Jeremy pulled off so the team could collect the data and make improvements to tomorrow’s setup, leaving Gary in 1st position! Towards the end of the race Matt Quigely did start to close the gap, but in the end was no match for the S1000RR and Gary took his first win since returning to expert racing!