Triumph Rat Motorcycle Forums banner

T120 Suspension ..ugh

11K views 18 replies 16 participants last post by  RobinRich 
#1 · (Edited)
I'm afraid after after over 1000 miles on my T120, I am being painfully convinced that the actual ride quality of the bike is really poor.

My 40 year old 77' KZ1000 is much more comfortable when it comes to just general hard edge bumps and knocks.
All I heard in 2016 was how superior the shocks and forks were to earlier models of the Bonneville.
I don't buy it.
Shocks springs are at the lightest setting. Air pressure just a couple-few pounds under book.

So, is the TEC progressive fork springs and their piggy back shocks my next big purchase.... for what amounts to a $12,000 + $1000 in taxes and fees motorcycle that should have already had a superior ride to it then my 40 year old UJM with stock fork springs, 10w oil and Boge-M shocks with 120lb progressive springs?

I mean really... Triumph couldn't spend an extra frickin' $100 on better suspension parts!!?

The jolts from this thing, even when riding two up, is quite astonishing at times.
 

Attachments

See less See more
1
#2 ·
You're riding two-up with springs set to lightest setting? Have you experimented with other settings? Can it be you need to put more mileage on them to break them in some more?

I found on the AirCooled T100 that setting it lower than max (which was how the dealer sell the bike) gave a fairly cushy ride but risked bottoming out on big bumps while full hard setting tended to throw me off the seat when hitting a decent bump at speed.

I rode my buddies T100 with TecBike Gas-charged shocks. It seemed quite solid, even harsh. He is heavier than me so perhaps it's tunable to my weight.

I now run Hagon Classic III's (fully shrouded old-school look) set at the recommended range for my weight. Ride is much better than OEM's...firm, not harsh, have not been bounced off seat yet. Got them used with 100 miles on them for $200.

If you go for aftermarket shocks, check with the retailer/manufacturer to see if they are available with the correct spring rate for your fully-ride ready weight. Hagon & presumably others will sell you the correct springs for your ride weight.

As for fronts...upgrading them will not affect ride harshness as much as rears. You can get better performance as far as front end dipping during braking with a correctly tuned front set.
 
#3 ·
Find a dealer or vendor who can custom set-up your suspension. That means direct face-to-face or at very least, via phone to discuss you specific needs. It is so worth the added expense (if any). Beyond your tires, the suspension is the main link between you and some very hard ground.

Do you shop for the cheapest Dentist when your teeth hurt?

/M
 
#4 ·
Same exact experience except I came from a different UJM of the same vintage, and I ride a Street Twin now. The UJM feels like a luxurious feather pillow compared to the modern Triumph. Then again, the Triumph out handles and out brakes the UJM by a wide margin.

I'd suggest that harshness is just the way it goes - you went from a terrible handling, softly sprung vintage bike to something modern. Modern will feel more harsh, but will provide vastly better handling.
 
#7 ·
The T120 is harsh for my liking. At 300lbs, it's down right bone jarring.
I've added Hagon 2810's with the correct spring rate and 20mm taller for better turn in. Because the front is somewhat of a hybrid, I'm leaning towards a pair of Matris cartridges, again with the proper rate springs for my weight. Having come off a bike with a completely adjustable suspension, there really is no other option for a comfy ride.
I suggest everyone check your sag measurements. That should tell you if it's time to add preload or respring. I think the T120 only has about 4 1/2" of travel and you don't want to use that up just sitting on the seat.
 
#5 ·
1,000 miles? The bike's not even broken in for 5,000 miles or so. Maybe best to make decisions then.

My "superior ride" is a slightly firm suspension, impossible to bottom out, with really good damping and absorption of normal bumps and jolts. My T120's suspension is all of that. I'll stand pat.
 
#6 ·
Ditto for me. Have almost 6500 miles on my T120 and find the stock suspension just fine for my 200 lbs. But then I thought the stock suspension on my '08 T100 was pretty good, so perhaps I have a numb butt. I am belatedly replacing the stock shocks on that T100 with some Progressive units - I'm expecting a nice improved ride. I've found the stock T120 ride to be so much better than the stock T100 I have, that I am quite pleased with it.
 
#9 · (Edited)
I weigh about 145lbs.
With my wife on, we add about 260lbs to the bike.
I don't think I have ever felt the suspension bottom out anywhere.

Been riding since I was 16.
I have literally hundreds of thousands of road miles in the bank over the last 49 years with various motorcycles.
I am quite familiar with the other manufacturers offerings, including Triumph..... and how they feel on the road.

Solo, my T120 is a rather stiff ride with hard edged bump jolts that are quite unpleasant if I'm not paying attention.
Two up is better and that's why I think it's simply the suspension parts Triumph chose this year.

My son's 1015 Speed Triple has a terrific suspension and it does not have this sharp edged bump jolting sensation.
(I know that's comparing apples to oranges, but what a great bike.)
My buddy's T100 is a nice ride too and compliant.... although it does wallow a slight amount in wavey-bumpy turns.
The T120 does a little too but not as much and it recovers quickly.

However, I can't imagine my jolting T120 getting a lot better after 2 or +3 thousand more miles.

I love this bike and it is a beauty but I admit, I am disappointed in the overall ride.
I was hopping to find some others who have tried a different fork spring and rear shock... maybe it will fix this annoying niggle I have.

I know 1100 miles is not much and I also thought it would loosen up after a few more hundred miles of two up riding, which we do a lot of.
So I probably won't do anything right now, but for $12,000.00, I don't think any of us should have to wait 3 or 5 thousand miles for suspension compliance or invest another $400-$500 in new after market suspension parts in the first place....
 
#10 · (Edited)
I was at a Ducati shop today for MotoGP viewing and the was a new black Thruxton with a fairing parked next to me. Something just didn't look right besides the riding jacket lazily thrown over the seat & cowl. The back looked too low.

In what I can only imagine was a dealer's doing; the bike had a set of lowered Progressive Suspension Harley shocks on the back. It made the back sag like it had a flat tire and the Harley-esque looking shocks were totally out of place. Might as well have painted flames, skulls and Maltese crosses on them.

Mind you, I never met the rider who may very well be short in stature. But from a style & performance standpoint... yuck.

/M

PS: You can have shocks built that sag to the point that you are flat-footed to the ground, but when you get off the bike, it pops back up to a more stock looking stance.
 
#11 · (Edited)
I weigh 180 lbs so probably 190 lbs with gear. I am perfectly happy with the OEM suspension on my T120, I find it a little harsh but ok 95% of the time and I find the handling superb 100% of the time. Maybe they had me in mind when they set the suspension criteria. I don't mean any counter to the OP, just to point out that Triumph got it right for me. I am guessing if they got it right for him, I would be the one complaining. The only solution is electronic suspension adjustment, which is getting more common now.
 
#12 ·
I ride two up 95% of the time. My wife and I add up to about 360 lbs naked. I have the rear shocks one down from the firmest setting and the ride seems fine.

I went down the springs, emulators and gas shocks route with my 2013 Thruxton but so far the T120 has not made me feel the need to do it again....which is good for my wallet.
 
#13 ·
I weigh in around 200 lb and am very happy with the suspension on the T120. It is firm, yet compliant. Maybe part of it has to do with what you prefer. Some people like a soft, smooth ride, like they would get in their Uncle's Cadillac. That's not what the Triumph does. Personally, I like to feel the road. Not harshly, but enough to know that the surface is less than perfect. I feel that the bike acts more planted to the road that way. That is what the T120 does.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I'm just testing some new shocks and progressive fork springs IKON has for the T120 here in Australia. Results are promising so far and I feel an improvement over stock in that the bike still feels quite stiffly sprung contributing to its sporty feel, yet more compliant over the potholes etc so you don't get that jarring in the bars you did with the stock front end. I still think the front is overdamped and needs a lighter weight oil, going to swap in 5wt this weekend to see the difference. I still find the front tends to hop over rippled pavement more than I'd like, so hoping less compression damping with the lighter oil sorts this out whilst not affecting rebound too much. I added 3mm of preload to the stock 5mm (total now 8mm) as well with slightly longer spacers, but could probably add a little more as static sag seems more than optimum. The IKON Fork springs are a bit longer than the stock ones necessitating spacer modification. I weigh 86kg/190lb in riding gear.
 
#15 ·
Have a 2017 T120. 200 miles
In over 50 years I've had lots and lots of motorcycles and I'm here to tell you....
The T120 suspension

Sucks. Out. Loud.

Especially in San Francisco which is known for its crappy streets. The bike treats road imperfections as if it had no suspension at all.
Okay, so I've treated myself to what is 7/8ths of a great motorcycle. Any advice for taking the edge off the cheap suspension? It was not a terribly expensive motorcycle so I'm willing to throw a few bucks into it. I weigh about 175, ready to go.
 
#16 ·
Shocks and tires

I replaced the shocks with Hagons for a 160lb rider and Avon tires for the stock Pirellis. My bike NO longer squirms all over the place on concrete with rain grooves. Not sure yet that I'll do anything to the front end. Wish the rear brake was more sensitive and the foot lever had more surface area. My Honda CB1100 was rock solid but too top heavy but no bike is perfect.
 
#17 ·
The preload can't be the same for one and two up. How can you expect to have an ideal ride with no damping adjustment? I haven't had much luck with manual damping adjustment but the Progressive 444 does it automatically. While they offer it for the T100, they don't for the T120.
 
#19 ·
I have four thousand miles on my T-120 and the suspension and engine have certainly loosened up in the last thousand miles. I weigh 210 and I'm on the third preload setting with about 3/4" of sag which seems about right. Coming from a VFR and a Sprint Sport with a set up suspension I still think the T-120 suspension sucks. The first thing I'm going to change is to the Activ tires. The Pirelli Sport Comps are awful with freeway rain grooves and tar snakes on ACH here in So Cal. I'm going with the Activ's rather than the Pilot Road 4s I love because I don't want to go to a 120/80 front and slow down the steering. I'll see how much they improve things and if I'm still dissatisfied I'll order some Gazi rear shocks and if they don't make me happy I'll take the front end to Race Tech. It's not that I ride that hard it's that the suspension is so harsh without being compliant. That's been true since day one no matter the settings. I ordered the Activ tires today and I'll report back as things progress.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top