The joys of spring(s)
Emma’s feeling energised by her GT suspension upgrade
Back in November, I decided to upgrade the GT’s suspension following an attack of the wobbles on track. Although the sports-touring Suzuki was comfy and composed on the road, once I’d replaced the OE Dunlop RoadSmart II for superior current-generation sports-touring tyres and headed out first to Blyton Park and then to Cadwell, I discovered a back end that was seriously wallowy.
Part of the problem, said Richard Adams of Maxton Suspension when I approached them for advice, was down to the GT having too much rising rate in the linkage which caused the shock to get too hard after about 50mm of travel and overload the rear tyre. So, Maxton suggested I try their NR4 shock (£630) which offers less support deeper in the stroke so in theory would work better with the Suzuki’s high percentage of linkage rising rate. I also opted to team the shock up with a front end revalve and respring, too (£450).
Trouble is, I missed the end of the trackday season so haven’t been able to exactly replicate the issues I was experiencing at
Cadwell back in the summer. However, and despite me thinking that the stock suspension was perfectly fine on the road, I’ve not needed a track to spot the difference.
In a word, it’s plush. The new shock and fork revalve have made the chassis feel so much more luxury. There’s firm support without any hint of harshness, likewise it’s soft enough to insulate from jarring bumps and potholes without being a soggy mess, either. Overall, the bike feels much more composed, agile and easier to keep on a chosen line.
Although not strictly a track, I took the newly suspended bike with me to a private airfield to do a bit of aggressive braking and cornering and discovered that the front end mods have had the effect of marginally improving the braking feel, as there’s less dive under sustained lever pulling. The rear, too, feels like it offered more composure, particularly going quickly from one side to the other and winding on the throttle whilst on the side of the tyre.
Overall, I’m chuffed with the improvement. For a little over £1000, this is an upgrade that’s well worth making as it makes the GT feel much more refined as well as offering more control.
LIKES
● Bespoke shock build
DISLIKES
● Lack of trackdays!
‘Firm support without any harshness’