MikesXS emulators

[Incubus]

I usually try to conceal my ignorance, but just this once I'm going to throw caution to the wind....

Can someone tell me what those things are supposed to do? I've seen them discussed in forums for various bikes, but the most description I've ever seen for their function is "Hey, these things are great!" or "Hey, these things don't work!"

If I installed them and they worked right, what performace improvement could I expect to see?

Patrick

[bikerphil]

I usually try to conceal my ignorance, but just this once I'm going to throw caution to the wind....

Can someone tell me what those things are supposed to do? I've seen them discussed in forums for various bikes, but the most description I've ever seen for their function is "Hey, these things are great!" or "Hey, these things don't work!"

If I installed them and they worked right, what performace improvement could I expect to see?

Patrick

The emulators regulate the compression damping circuit to operate more smoothly. Instead of fixed orifices, the emulator provides a custom flow of fluid via a spring and a shim. It can adapt to different road conditions much better than the fixed orifice. You can expect to see overall handling improvement and much improved tunability. Be prepared to do a little experimenting with their setup and fork oil viscosities to achieve their maximum potential.

[crazy steve]

To expand on what Phil posted, these also offer improved rebound damping control, although that portion of the emulator isn't adjustable. The biggest downside to these is the fact you have to pull the unit out of the forks each time you want to make an adjustment... it's messy and somewhat time-consuming. But if you want to get the best possible performance out of a given set of older, non-adjustable forks, these are what you want.

[crazy steve]

Oh yeah.... the actual benefits. These can give you a smoother ride, reduce 'brake dive' (fork compression when braking), and allow you to adjust fork response to your riding style and weight, all while offering better 'wheel control'. RaceTech had a patent on these, but it's now expired so you're seeing cheaper copies now.

There is a new player in the market: http://www.intiminators.com/
... but these aren't available for older bikes (as yet) and are pretty pricey. But reviews are excellent; I've seen several owner comments on other forums and they've been raves...

[jetmechmarty]

These "emulators" are supposed to emulate a modern cartridge fork, if I correctly understand the concept.

[Incubus]

Good luck with that, guys. I love to tinker with my bike, but that just seems like too much trouble for too little return for me. Perhaps if I was setting off for a ride to the Arctic Circle...

I think I would rather modify a modern fork to fit than face the prospect of tearing down my front fork four or five times until I get the emulators adjusted right.

Patrick

[jetmechmarty]

Patrick,

The emulator is a much easier solution than adapting modern forks. If you go with Race-Tech, they will provide exactly what you need. If not, you have folks here experimenting with the XS650 emulator. Let them work it out for you.

Once the emulator is installed, the fork spring is the key ingredient. Straight rate springs go with the emulator. Among other places, you can source springs from Traxxion Dynamics. Tell them what bike you have, how it's equipped, what you weigh, etc., and they will provide exactly the right spring. I believe Race-Tech can do the same.

[yamahansolo]

Dude its not that hard or time consuming. It was very easy to do I did it in just a couple of hours. I spoke with the guys at racetech on the phone. I gave them my weight and roughly the weight of the bike and they told me how many turns to put on the little springs. I dropped them in and instantly achieved huge amounts of speed in the twisty's. The stock forks were fine for riding arround town but I was getting beat up through the mountains. Now its very flickable like a sportbike. The front end feels 50 pounds lighter!!! If you ride in the mnts this is a must.

[bikerphil]

Good luck with that, guys. I love to tinker with my bike, but that just seems like too much trouble for too little return for me. Perhaps if I was setting off for a ride to the Arctic Circle...

I think I would rather modify a modern fork to fit than face the prospect of tearing down my front fork four or five times until I get the emulators adjusted right.

Patrick

On my Special with the 650 emulators, I'm pretty sure I got them set right the first time. Over 300 miles and I'm very happy with the way she handles.

On my Standard with the FJ forks and 650 emulators, I probably had them apart at least 30 times .

[bikerphil]

Update on this emulator set-up. The only change I've made from the original setup is adding 20cc more 20W oil to each leg, it lessened the front end dive a bit. I also added some low mile S+W street strokers on the back instead of the HD Dyna shocks I had before. I'll ride it like this for a while before any more changes. This bike is firmly planted now. The springs may be just a tad too weak, but we'll see. Also, I tried those cut-off stock springs in there too for a while, NFG.

[crazy steve]

...Also, I tried those cut-off stock springs in there too for a while, NFG.

What exactly was the problem with them? While I'm not surprised by the fact they didn't work as I've had zero luck with shortened springs whenever I've tried them, it's always good good to know why something doesn't work.

[bikerphil]

Steve, they just didn't have enough travel anymore. Shortening them by 20% is too much, seems like 10% is the limit.

[crazy steve]

So the spring rate seemed to be good, but even with the higher rate they still bottomed out...

Don't feel bad; every time I think I've cut a fat hog, it turns out rancid...

[yamahansolo]

Sorry I haven't measured mine yet... I have several projects and I will get them soon. Another way we could find out is to see what the diameter is of the 650 rods vs 1100 rods. If. They are the same then they should fit.

[natemoen]

These are some spacers I used to adapt the Mikes emulators to fit the 41mm forks I have on my Standard. I'm sure something similar could be made up to adapt them to the Standard forks.

Ok, I know this is an old thread but it was linked in a recent thread and I read back though it and have a though.

So if a space like yours is necessary (and it doesn't seem like that has really been determined yet) would it be possible to make the space for the emulators also a preload spacer and then include the holes to disable the original damper circuit in the spacer so that one could revert back to stock if ever one so wanted?