Hagon progressive fork springs for XBR 500

[xbruby]

Decided to fit Hagon progressive fork springs to XBR forks as I had em in bits.

Hagon instruction say 'insert springs with fork legs fully extended, if fork spring at top of fork leg no spacer required, if below top of fork leg reinsert spacer'. Well spring just below top of fork leg but I would need to be Geoff bloody Capes to compress it far enough to screw the fork top cap on and even if I could manage it the forks would be solid.

Phones Hagon and they tell me that the springs I have are correct and I should reinsert them without the spacer. Problem with this is that when fully extended and the cap is screwed on there is no preload of the spring.

Anybody tried these springs in XBR fork legs and if so was the above scenario encountered and how is it overcome.

Andy

[guest146]

Providing you have the correct springs for your bike it sounds like you need to make spacers of the corrrect thickness to bring the springs level with the fork tops.

Ken

[xbruby]

Yes, I came to the same conclusion. I have just raided the coin jar in search of 2p pieces as a temporary measure. The Hagon springs are 3 mm shorter than the Honda springs + spacers, by my reckoning that's about 4p's worth per fork leg

Hagon were surprised, they told me that with the springs provided I should have had 15 - 20mm of preload. The standard springs were still within tolerance (in fact they had not compressed to any measurable degree) and when reinserted into the rebuilt forks with the spacer they sat exactly where they were when removed.

Very strange.

Off to spend the best 8p my bike has ever seen! 

Andy

[SteveC#222]

I had some Hagon's on my XBR and I had exactly the same problem.No way you can fit the original spacer and about 10mm ( as far as I remember) below the top without.  I made up a spacer to fit on top of the springs which helped, but they always felt very soft especially when you first sat on the bike when the front noticably dropped.  I did mess around a bit with different fork oils but never got it sorted  Downside was that the steering became very twitchy,  probably because the soft inital springing altered the angle of the forks leading to a steeper steering head angle.  In the end I refitted Mr Honda's originals ( which to be honest were not in any way bad in the first place) and the handling was transformed.  If anyone has fitted Hagons sucessfully I like to know as mine are currently sitting in a box in the garage.   :

[bullet350]

if you were as tight fisted as me, you'd just go straight for the coins and not fork out on new springs (pun intended).

other tips for forks are filling them with 10/40 engine oil. this gives no fork movement all winter, then the flat tyre feeling all summer.

bullet350

[xbruby]

Wish I asked for advice on the subject before forking (awful pun I know) out on the progressives.

Steve, did you fit Hagon rear shocks? If so did you notice an improvement? As you may have gather by now I also bought a pair of shocks as well 

Andy

[SteveC#222]

I fitted Hagon rears as the original Honda shocks had badly pitted damper rods ( my bike had been used as a winter bike before I got it and some bits had suffered).  The Hagons are OK, the softest setting gives far too much movement, I use them on middle setting which is a little on the soft side but OK, the hardest setting is best when loaded with camping gear (I'm 13 stone ish) The chrome springs tend to get surface rust quite easily but clean up OK.  I've now got a better set of original Honda shocks which I am cleaning up and repainting to try later this year.

I think the fork springs would be OK with a suitable spacer but it needs a bit of trial & error.. funny that Honda fit their springs taper down - IE tight coils at the bottom of the fork legs - but Hagon tell you to put the tight coils at the top?

To be honest, I've tried various alternative bits over the last few years and most of the time I've ended up refitting the originals..at the risk of sounding very boring, I don't think Mr Honda got it far wrong in the first place.

[xbruby]

Re: the 'tight coils up' advice from Hagon.

I asked the question and they told me it was to 'reduce the unsprung mass'. To be honest I cant see it making that much difference but there we are.

Andy

[themoudie]

Aye Andy,

Erm, shoemakers! To Hagons repost.

More tightly wound coils respond less to subtle undulations, so slight undulations are progressively resisted. Bigger the hole or sleeping policeman the greater spring resistance to compression required, so closer winding toward the 'top' of the spring. Damping is a whole different ball game.

Can only comment that 'Progressive Springs' from USA, work fine in the front forks of the SRX. I have no experience of XBR's.

As for rear shocks, Hagons are not in the same league as Koni or their Oz namesake. Two years and 10K miles on the back of a Duke 450 and 'cream crackered', no damping and damper rod corroding despite washing and applications of 'light oil'. Sebac shocks used to be good and reasonably priced, but I haven't seen them for a while.

I hope this hasn't increased the despondency in the xbruby camp.

My regards, Bill.

[xbruby]

Thanks Bill !

Keep a close eye on eBay, might be a set of Hagon shocks and progressive fork springs for an XBR appearing any time soon 

Oh to hell with it, I've spent the money now so I will try them out and see how they perform, (or don't).

Andy

[guest27]

Hi There

I put Hagon shocks on the arse end of the Triton yonks ago.  Had the wrong spring rate but a quick call to Hagon and a better set were sent on the understanding I sent the originals back when I got the new ones fitter (duly done).

True they were not as nice as the Koni "Dial-a-ride"s on my GS750 but they seemed to do a job for the money.

R

[guest18]

I reckon there must be three patterns of XBR forks out there then(!) That or Hagon sent you the wrong springs?
I fitted their progressive fork springs to mine when it was still a solo and they fitted as per the book, much more responsive on the cr***y Edinburgh roads/cart tracks and didn't bottom out like standard ones either   
(you should see the size of some of the potholes I meet  a friend with a Laverda 750 actually had to go to hospital over what one did to his wrist... with the assistance of 70's Italian clipons/suspension of course  )
But then at 10 1/2 to 11 1/2 stone I find the softest setting about right on the Hagon rear shocks as well...