[gthang]

Hello all. Wish to share a great mod for all Harley riders out there.

I have been riding my Nightster for about 2 years now, and have clocked ~15k. Been through 2 rear and 1 front Dunlop K401 OE tyres in the process. It's been fun.

Since the last monsoons have ravaged the roads, and due to highway construction in my normal riding route, every ride on the Harley, I kept pondering for an upgrade to the antiquated suspension. Spent many hours browsing forums looking for an appropriate solution. Normal techniques found were changing fork oil viscosity and/or aftermarket springs. My nature to look for oddball things (eg. dynamic wheel balancing ), coupled with high shipping rates for suspension components kept me looking for a "different" solution.

Thus, I landed upon the RICOR Intiminators. Ricor Shocks :: Motorcycle Suspension :: Inertia Active Suspension :: Ricor Suspension through an XL forum.





Details of the Inertia active suspension system are given on the website. The idea intrigued me, and the very positive reviews they were getting added to my interest. Sent an email to Brian at RICOR to see about adding India to their shipping countries list, and it was done the next day itself. Gave Brian my bike specs, my weight, and an idea of the kind of roads I usually ride on. He had the discs in the Intiminators tuned as per my request. Also added some Vibranators (Vibranator.com) to the order for same shipping cost.

Getting the parts from RICOR was the easy part. Getting the job done was a little harder. List of required items:

1. Good Friend/Mechanic. A must-have for any superbike owner here. My mechanic buddy K was the most valuable tool in my garage. Please note that K is a big strong guy and the ease with which he screwed the Fork top seal nut might be hard to replicate.
2. Bike Lift. I didnt have a bike lift, so I used car jacks and tie-down straps to keep bike secure.
3. Socket for above mentioned fork nut. 1 3/8" size. Casually went down to the big tools and hardware store in town, and was damped to find out that the 1 3/8" size is not easy to get. Walked up and down the whole "hardware" street, but no joy. Had to order from here finally: Precision Machine Tools - Electronic Measuring Instruments and Lab & Atmospheric Testing Equipment Importer and Supplier | Bombay Tools Center, Bombay, Mumbai . Not cheap. Rs. 3200 including the 3/4" to 1/2" drive adapter.

Since I was going to remove the front wheels to get to the forks, and the Dunlops were getting slicker than snot in the rains, decided to do a tyre upgrade as well. Ordered a set of Pirelli Night Dragon tires through a great find online: Motorcycle Parts & Gear ? Dirt Bike/MX, ATV, Street Bike & Motorcycle Accessories | MotoSport
Rs 20,000 for a pair including shipping and taxes. You cant beat that with a stick!! And delivers in a week. All SBK owners, jump on this while their shipping and prepaid tax deal works. Why limit yourself to a handful of choice with dealers here when you can get the latest and best for about the same price?

So, my buddy K, not only is he strong, he's a pretty smart fellow as well. I had planned on leaving the fork on the bike, draining the oil with drain screw on bottom, and refilling from top. As most user reviews on forums had shown. Instead, K suggested we loosen the clamps of the triple tree, lower the fork to between the two clamps, re-tighten the bottom one, unscrew the top nut, release bottom clamp, and slide the whole thing out. So, we were able to drain out the forks completely, remove the spacer, washer, and spring easily without any drama.


Attachment 842342



Measured the amount of original oil by draining to a measuring cup, ensured it matched the volume (401ml) as per Service Manual, refilled with Amsoil 5W fully synthetic oil, as recommended by RICOR. Drop the Intiminators in, followed by the spring, and spacer. Screw the fork nut back on, and install back on the clamp.




Installed the new tires with the balancing beads, the Vibranators in the handlebar, and put everything back together.

I kid you not, my bike has been transformed. The jittering on uneven surfaces, the wobble at high speeds, all gone. I dont even scrape my bottom on speed bumps as much either. The dive on the bumps has been eliminated. Please see the before and after videos. Done with duct tape and old N95 on the bar, so excuse quality. Observe behavior on the rippled road at a bend ~00:30 on both videos.

2009 XL1200N Stock suspension - YouTube

2009 XL1200N With RICOR Intiminators - YouTube

Just did a Cbe - Blr - Cbe trip this weekend, and fell in love with my Nightster all over again. No doubt the Night Dragons contributed a big part to the change, but the Intiminators is by far the best mod I have done on my Harley yet. I highly recommend it to all Indian Harley owners.





And the best part: These are hidden mods ( no visual telltale). You only know the difference when you ride

Cheers,

Ride Safe

[Turbanator]

Great job !

Can you suggest something to increase clearance of these bikes ? I own a 883L and the bike touches almost everything .

[gthang]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Great job !

Can you suggest something to increase clearance of these bikes ? I own a 883L and the bike touches almost everything .

Hi there.

The 883L is very low. If you are willing to go through the process of getting the Intiminators, it will definitely improve. You get approx an inch of ride height gain (the height of the Intiminators), if you dont trim the spacers as recommended. But more than the height gain, it is elimination of brake dive that really helps. More often than not, you are scraping bottom because of the front dive.

You could also switch to a 11" or 13" rear shock set up for added clearance.

Cheers

Ride Safe

[shrini78]

@GT
Any pics or video of the vibranator installation?
Do they go in forks or bars?

[gthang]

Originally Posted by shrini78

@GT
Any pics or video of the vibranator installation?
Do they go in forks or bars?

Hi Shrini,

Sorry, by the time I got to the Vibranators, was in full "work mode", and had stopped piddling with the pics.

The Vibranators are great, and works like a champ. I ordered 3 of them, one for the Nightster, for the CB, and a friend's R1.

The Nightster was the easiest to install. Just remove your grips out of the bar completely, size the rubber for a snug fit, slide them in all the way, put your grips back on. The CB comes with a Honda installed damper than can be a little bit of a pain to remove because you have to punch the lock pin out and pull.

Prior to the Vibranators, as I approached higher rpms in every gear, I could feel it in the bars, and would have to shift up. Constant speeds above 100 would have that constant buzz. All gone!! Now I can feel the vibes only on the footpegs. So much easier to cruise at higher speeds now.

The CB, as well, the tingle from long riding is gone.

You should definitely consider it for your Dyna. Very easy install.

Cheers,

Ride Safe.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by gthang

Prior to the Vibranators, as I approached higher rpms in every gear, I could feel it in the bars, and would have to shift up. Constant speeds above 100 would have that constant buzz. All gone!! Now I can feel the vibes only on the footpegs. So much easier to cruise at higher speeds now.

Wow. I need a set for my Ninja too. I've been experiencing some vibes on the clip-on's at high revv's and it causes a tingling sensation is my hands for sometime after a ride.

Where can I source this and how much would it cost approximately? Are they available in standard design or would it require any customization prior to ordering, etc.?

Edit - Couldn't find anything on their site for the Kawasaki's. Any leads?

[gthang]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Wow. I need a set for my Ninja too. I've been experiencing some vibes on the clip-on's at high revv's and it causes a tingling sensation is my hands for sometime after a ride.

Where can I source this and how much would it cost approximately? Are they available in standard design or would it require any customization prior to ordering, etc.?

Edit - Couldn't find anything on their site for the Kawasaki's. Any leads?

Hi Aditya,

Oddly no Kawasaki's on their list. I would suggest writing to don@vibranator.com or brian@ricorshocks.com with your request, and I'm sure they will help you. Since the Ninja 250 is sold in the US as well, it should be easy for them to know.

Cheers,

Ride Safe.

[nvluv]

Hi aditya,

great to hear you experience with the Ricors, i have a Harley 48 and also would like to install these what did it cost you totally and was the front fork Oil available in India or did you order it from abroad.

thanks

[bradhey]

Hi Gthang can you please share how much it cost you for the intiminators, with a mention of shipping and duties separately please. thank you.

[joednazareth]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Great job !

Can you suggest something to increase clearance of these bikes ? I own a 883L and the bike touches almost everything .

I too own a 2015 XL883L and face a similar Ground clearance issue.
I have spoken to my HD dealer and asked for measurements of front and rear suspension in stock condition.
Further how much will the height increase after the upgrade.
1. Stock rear suspension = 11 inch=27.94 mm
2. Stock front fork suspension = 27.874 inch = 708 mm

I will keep you updated. Kindly share info of replacement rear shocks aand front fork measurements.
Kind regards, Joe