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twozzie

Joined Apr 2013
185 Posts | 0+
Tracy, CA
So here's the thing with this damn bike, It looks great, goes like the wind, sounds great, nice and light...however

Front suspension: obviously it is crap so I had it reworked and its miles better, not great but better. I need to have it tweaked some more but it means the whole fork off, re-valve or shim or whatever they do and off we go. It may not be better but it will cost. Leave as is or tweak it or replace with Andreanis?
Front Brakes: obviously crap too, so new rotors from Ducati and new EBC pads, much better but still a grinding at very slow speeds when slight braking due to a slight warpage in the discs. (dealer confirmed this could be an issue with floating discs) Only at slow speeds and the discs are within tolerance. Replace with EBC rotors when they become available? Leave as is or tweak it?
Seat: for some reason i can grip the tank as the seat forces my legs out so I need to rework the foam in the seat a little. No cost but it will take a couple hours. Leave as is or tweak it?

Now the new BMW S1000F (half faired version of S1000R) is due fairly soon which has dynamic suspension, same engine as the S1000RR / R (less HP though) and all of the bits you get with a BMW.

Here's the rub, continue to invest in the Strada to get close to being the pooches pods or wait to see the BMW and save a couple bucks. Even if i do the work, I'll still look at the BMW when it arrives (it'd be rude not to) :confused:
 
I have owned a ton of bikes in 40+ years of riding, i havn't had one, that i didn't have to alter the suspension, and the seat to make them rideable for any amount of distance. For me the hyper is the cats ***, i have the andreanis on the way, i'm 60 yrs old and this bike fits me to a T, the suspension is my only ***** with the bike. i bought a new bmw 1200gs paid 17 grand for it, then spent another 2500 on shocks so i could ride the damn thing, if it's the bike for you, make it fit, if not, send the thing down the road.
 
twozzie said:
Front suspension: Yeah, it sucks. Like Mark says, haven't owned a bike that didn't need tweaking however, we are at a added loss with the non-adjustable legs. I hope in the future they add an upgraded suspension option as I would have plunked down for it.

Front Brakes: The stock rotors are certainly part of the problem. I had stock rotors/pads replaced under warranty and it just masked the noise/grinding for a couple hund miles. Finally got them to buy Brembo race rotors under warranty (this took some trickery on my awesome dealers behalf). But, stock pads on killer rotors still blew goat. Just installed EBC HH's with fluid flush and they are solid. Quiet and actually stop much better than stock. Even though the stock setup sounded like I was chewing on a mouthful of sand and glass, they still stopped like crazy.

Seat: I have a different seat gripe- mine floats a bit on the front securing pegs and shifts/clunks when I'm getting lively on the seat. However, I've bought some aftermarket seats in the past and always regretted it. This is still the best stock seat I've ever come in contact with.

I don't know if you've seen some of the not so good trade in or resale stories. It aint pretty, even if your bike is less than a year old with low miles. Sooooo, if you think there's a chance you might upgrade, I wouldn't sink a dime into it.

Cheers.
Click to expand...
 
gatdammit said:
Seat: I have a different seat gripe- mine floats a bit on the front securing pegs and shifts/clunks when I'm getting lively on the seat. However, I've bought some aftermarket seats in the past and always regretted it. This is still the best stock seat I've ever come in contact with.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

You know what I found with the seat? I never realized it had that bloody front insert / lug section of plastic on the bottom that had to be forced into position, subsequently for the first year or so I sat 3/4" above where I should be and the seat kinda moved a bit, now that its fully seated (pardon the pun) it feels much better.
 
Oh, snap! I discovered that first time I took the seat off and it didn't seat right. I actually had to screw with the cross member that catches a mid seat latch. Give it a tug in the mid section and if it lifts, that's not grabbing right.

Problem with the front tabs is they're plastic. So, they give and you can't bend to adjust. They should be some type of metal and thicker.
 
I'm looking hard at Russell or Mayer for a seat rebuild. My main problem is the loose, too-grippy cover that wrinkles up. I'd also like to be able to slide forward and back just a bit.

The 800GS I rode last May had a Mayer, and it was great. But I'm still looking for a cheap trashed stock seat to send, as I am not willing to modify my OEM parts or go a few weeks without the bike.

As for the BMW naked, it is not the same sort of bike at all. The Strada's riding position is 'sit up and beg' (I call it like sitting at the kitchen table) where all the naked superbikes still lean you forward quite a bit. Also there is not one speck of motard/ADV DNA in those BMWs!
 
I know but here's the rub, I don't use the cases, too wide for splitting lanes, have taken the center stand off as it was catching on the occasional twisty, am about to remove the screen and replace with the std hyper cover. So I'm turning into a std hyper, albeit a tad more comfortable. Should a maybe bought the SP and gone from there. So a naked is OK I guess.
Thing is the Strada, as pointed out, is worthless in the used market so do I put a couple grand into suspension etc or $5k into a new bike?
 
I have owned 37 bikes over the last 37 years, and there is simply no such thing as a perfect bike. They are all a compromise of different pros and cons and I have yet to own only one bike that does it all. That said the Hyper is a real fun bike, I love it, but I would not try and cross Africa on it, or expect it to perform like a superbike on a race track.
In my opinion it's a case of horses for courses, live with it, modify it, do what suits you but if the bike does not work for you then move on.
 
I'm not long back from a 4000 Mile trip across Europe and the only thing I would complain about is the seat. It's the width thats a problem unless you are blasting it round twists motocross style! My solutions as a fur cover and pair of cycling shorts. I never had a problem before, even on 1000 mile weekends, it was the first 400 mile motorway ride that caused most grief...not what the Hyper is made for!

As for the suspension, on all my other bikes I've spent thousands, on the Hyper I think its spot on! The key is to make sure you have sufficient pre-load set and respect the type of bike it is. If I want to rode a sports bike I get on my 748, the Hyper is a different (more fun) sort of ride.

Just my opinion.

R
 
Well after much deliberation (and a blast on a BMW S1000R) I've decided to keep the Hyper. Gonna spend the money on fork upgrades, brakes are liveable and I've already ordered a tail tidy (who knew Evotech and Evotech-Performance are 2 different companies) and this weekend I reshaped the seat so I can better grip the tank with my knees.

Appreciate the input everyone, cheers.
 
Don't like the forward lean position and balls squashed against the tank. Was only a short ride so couldn't really gleen much to be honest.
 
twozzie said:
So here's the thing with this damn bike, It looks great, goes like the wind, sounds great, nice and light... (however....)

Now the new BMW S1000F (half faired version of S1000R) is due fairly soon which has dynamic suspension, same engine as the S1000RR / R (less HP though) and all of the bits you get with a BMW.

Here's the rub, continue to invest in the Strada to get close to being the pooches pods or wait to see the BMW and save a couple bucks. Even if i do the work, I'll still look at the BMW when it arrives (it'd be rude not to) :confused:
Click to expand...

Sounds like you want a BMW. :confused: Yeah, all that dynamic nonsense (I own a 1200GS with ESA, rode the S1000RR with DSA) is great when it's new but it's not going to make you 5x the rider you are now (it's all marketing unless your racing or trying to look like a badass at your local bike stop)......like they say; it's not the bike but the rider. Be fair warned, the S1000RR whether in the R or F is still the same motor.......and it's boring with no character! Yes it's fast......on the track.....but it's no faster then an FZ-09 or any 600cc bike on the street. The Duc has the character and all the things one thinks of when they think Ducati. I'm not putting down either but just suggesting you focus on what you want to ride rather then spend $$$$ on something that will not be what you want.
 
twozzie said:
Well after much deliberation (and a blast on a BMW S1000R) I've decided to keep the Hyper. Gonna spend the money on fork upgrades, brakes are liveable and I've already ordered a tail tidy (who knew Evotech and Evotech-Performance are 2 different companies) and this weekend I reshaped the seat so I can better grip the tank with my knees.

Appreciate the input everyone, cheers.
Click to expand...

I upgraded with the Andreani kit last week. Much better but still soft when compared to a sport bike or even the SP. My neighbor got the SP and THAT is the bike I would upgrade to if I changed from the Strada. I drive an R6 too and the bikes are too different to be able to compare. BMW's are nice too but I like my Hyper more than any GS out there. 1000RR is in a different class altogether.

Let me know what you think of the upgraded adjustable front end. Can't tell if I need to play more with the adjustments or if it sorta is what it is...
 
sullivjo said:
I upgraded with the Andreani kit last week. Much better but still soft when compared to a sport bike or even the SP.

Let me know what you think of the upgraded adjustable front end. Can't tell if I need to play more with the adjustments or if it sorta is what it is...
Click to expand...

Had to chime in.
I did the Andreani kit too. Perhaps you'd seen my posts about it. Hopefully the springs that came with yours were spec'd to your weight. Also gotta make sure you've got the right fork oil, in the right quantity, and then play with the adjustments. From my experience here on NY metro area horrible roads, the adjustments in small increments make big changes. I have got it dialed in pretty good now, and it's sooooo much better than stock. Keep adjusting. You'll find the sweet spot.
 

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