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V7 C-S Suspension Thread

I've had my Matris rear shocks on for a little bit but still dialing things in and was looking back at the information sheet that came with my shocks, and had some questions.

As you see in the picture, the springs rate is listed at 25 N/mm. Does that seem correct for a 165lbs rider (gear factored in)?

Also, where it says "preload mm: 15," is that a recommended setting based on my specs or is that just what it came with?

Same for the rebound section, where it says # of clicks at 26. What exactly are they telling me here, because there are more than 26 useable clicks, so is this a recommended setting for me?

And lastly, on the right it shows how to adjust length, but really it's an inverted view from what it really looks like, and I'm not quite sure which of those two nuts (or both?) to turn.

I haven't had a chance to specifically dial in sag, etc because of needing others to help, so I've been going off of feel for now, and plus I haven't replaced the front end yet, so it's hard to tell if the back is dialed in correctly since the front is so bad. Thanks in advance for any input.
IMG 3983
 
1. Spring preload looks correct, you've got 2 of them, and you are much lighter than the average rider.
2. 15mm preload relates to the free length of the spring being compressed 15mm when first installed. Matris seem to like a lot of initial load. Adjust according to static/rider sag to suit YOU!
3. Rebound is set at 26 clicks out from hard, but you need to adjust it to suit YOU! Ignore their settings.
4. That photo is upside down - same part used on their mono shocks except it is at the bottom.
 
Thanks Ghezzi. Franco, the most important part is to have the bike balanced as to both sag and damping, front to rear. Ignore the settings, and click/adjust away until the bike compresses and rebounds equally. If you are doubtful, I can have a local friend or shop to you help you out.
Matris shocks must be mounted as pictured, else the shock body will come in contact with the frame. These are IFP shocks, so they can be run either way, up/down.
 
Thanks for the info guys. Thanks Ghezzi, thanks Todd.

Yes I have them mounted as pictured. So, how does height adjustment come into play. I plan on dropping the front a bit, but is it better to raise the rear some and drop the front some, or just drop the front more and leave the rear alone? Trying to get a better understanding of how it all works vs just slapping it on there and ignoring it all like a noob. I understand the sag and rebound, just need a helper with setting sag numbers.
 
tonUPRacer said:
yes, I went with the Matris kit since I have the Kaifa fork. I can't recall offhand what the recommended settings for static sag are, I think maybe btw 20 and 30 mm. There's a lot of online guides for getting setup. here's a link to one: http://www.sportrider.com/suspension-setup-guide?dom=sri&loc=rightrail&lnk=suspension-setup-guide My biggest problem is finding the time and a helper! My winter project is to get some weight appropriate front springs and then re-assess the rear. How much do you weigh?
Sounds good tonup. With Todds guidance, i have got the Kaifa kit on the way to help bring some good feel to the front. That is where I have been having the most complaint with the bike. Once I get the front installed, i plan on trying to get the bike properly set up. At that point I think I will be in a better position to decide how the rear suspension is working.
Thanks for the link to the set up information. That should help out a lot.
I weigh about 165 geared up and ready to ride.
Alan
 
Sounds good tonup. With Todds guidance, i have got the Kaifa kit on the way to help bring some good feel to the front. That is where I have been having the most complaint with the bike. Once I get the front installed, i plan on trying to get the bike properly set up. At that point I think I will be in a better position to decide how the rear suspension is working.
Thanks for the link to the set up information. That should help out a lot.
I weigh about 165 geared up and ready to ride.
Alan


I weigh exactly the same geared up Alan. Todd suggested that the OEM fork springs are fine for my weight. I have the kaifa forks as well.

If those of us who are around 165lbs with gear, why is the front still so bad if we are at a good weight? Is it simply the lack of adequate travel and oil weight?
 
I weigh exactly the same geared up Alan. Todd suggested that the OEM fork springs are fine for my weight. I have the kaifa forks as well.

If those of us who are around 165lbs with gear, why is the front still so bad if we are at a good weight? Is it simply the lack of adequate travel and oil weight?
For me, It came down to the fork just feeling cheap. The rest of the bike worked fairly well but it truly feels like some corners were cut when it came to the forks. I'm hoping for a feeling of quality and functionality after i get the Matris kit installed.
 
For me, It came down to the fork just feeling cheap. The rest of the bike worked fairly well but it truly feels like some corners were cut when it came to the forks. I'm hoping for a feeling of quality and functionality after i get the Matris kit installed.

That's what I'm hoping for as well. Yea the front just clinks and clanks and is absolute shit.

I have the standard matris shocks in the back, but honestly need to get the front fixed because right now I can't tell a big difference, and they're supposed to be the shit.
 
Is there any info on the forum about folks who have installed the matris kit up front, and if they went with the recommended settings of air gap, etc? Can't seem to find any. I was reading elsewhere that some folks found better results than what Matris recommended.
 
Yes, start with what is recommended as to oil level and preload. Report your findings. Did you get them installed already?
 
Right. No I do not have them installed. Hoping the OEM springs are adequate like you said Todd. Not many riders on here in my weight to testify though it seems.
 
It finally got cold and snowy enough to put my 2014 V7 stone in the garage for the winter. I bought the Guzzi in April and it split time shuttling me back a forth to work on weekdays and weekends in the mountains and canyons of Colorado. I am 6 feet tall and about 200 pounds in riding gear. The first 2000 miles were on the OM front and rear shocks. When I would sit on the bike it would sink several inches leaving only a small amount of shock absorbing travel before my back was recruited to absorb the remainder. The bike would dive with a fist full of front brake and just never felt like I thought it should have out of the box. The last 2000 miles felt like I was on a completely new bike after talking with Todd and upgrading my suspension. I got the GT Race Tech rear shock with the front fork upgrade and now it feels like I thought it should when I rode it from the dealer’s lot. The bike now settles only about an inch when I sit on it and is solid and balanced over bumps, rough roads and in corners. The front end no longer dives and slides in tight corners or when I grab a fist full of front brake. Now I feel more confident on the mountain roads and in the stop and go Denver traffic. Thanks, Todd. Next up is a set of GT pipes and an ECU remap from Todd!
 
Just a few quick questions regarding the Mupo fork kit installation. I need to confirm the order and orientation of the parts when I put them in. I have the Marchozzi forks, on a 2010 V7 Classic.
When I am installing the cartridge, I assume it goes in the tube with the nut on the cartridge facing up? Also, is there any special procedure to get the cartridge with the packing past the threads in the top of the fork tube?
Or should I dissassemble the fork and install it from the bottom?
When installing the progressive spring, do the spring coils that are closer together go on top when in the fork tube?
Last question, any tips on oil level in the forks? The maintenance manual says the fork tube should be perpendicular to the ground, and the fluid should be 150mm from the sleeve rim, without the spring, and the stem at the end of the stroke. Do they mean the end of the stroke compressed? Or with the stem extended?
I realize these are some pretty basic questions, just want to make sure I'm doing this right when I go together with it.
Thanks in advance for any input!
 
When I am installing the cartridge, I assume it goes in the tube with the nut on the cartridge facing up?

- Yes.

Also, is there any special procedure to get the cartridge with the packing past the threads in the top of the fork tube?

- If you mean that the insulating green plastic strips that are supposed to fit into the grooves on the side of the emulator body are in the way and won't clear the threads on the top of the fork tube, they won't... Throw them away and drop the emulators into the forks without them.

When installing the progressive spring, do the spring coils that are closer together go on top when in the fork tube?

- Most will tell you yes though in practice it really should not matter.

Last question, any tips on oil level in the forks? The maintenance manual says the fork tube should be perpendicular to the ground, and the fluid should be 150mm from the sleeve rim, without the spring, and the stem at the end of the stroke. Do they mean the end of the stroke compressed? Or with the stem extended?

- they mean the fork collapsed. The air gap is a tuning variable that you should experiment with -- probably as a last step once the sags are set and you know your spring rates are in the ball park. I'd start with what Mupo recommends which I believe is 140mm (?) and go from there based on your fork action, feel, travel used, and your preference.
 
When I am installing the cartridge, I assume it goes in the tube with the nut on the cartridge facing up?

- Yes.

Also, is there any special procedure to get the cartridge with the packing past the threads in the top of the fork tube?

- If you mean that the insulating green plastic strips that are supposed to fit into the grooves on the side of the emulator body are in the way and won't clear the threads on the top of the fork tube, they won't... Throw them away and drop the emulators into the forks without them.

When installing the progressive spring, do the spring coils that are closer together go on top when in the fork tube?

- Most will tell you yes though in practice it really should not matter.

Last question, any tips on oil level in the forks? The maintenance manual says the fork tube should be perpendicular to the ground, and the fluid should be 150mm from the sleeve rim, without the spring, and the stem at the end of the stroke. Do they mean the end of the stroke compressed? Or with the stem extended?

- they mean the fork collapsed. The air gap is a tuning variable that you should experiment with -- probably as a last step once the sags are set and you know your spring rates are in the ball park. I'd start with what Mupo recommends which I believe is 140mm (?) and go from there based on your fork action, feel, travel used, and your preference.

Ok, that clears up everything I was wondering about, I really appreciate it!
Cheers!
 
Got the Mupo kit installed, went for a quick ride. All I can say is holy shit!!
Man what a difference in the bike. I live down a three mile dirt and sand road, with some serious washboard and ruts. I usually have to run 35 mph max speed, just to keep control of the bike. Any faster and it would bounce me off the road.
Tonight I ran it at 50 mph no problem, the bike just tracked where I pointed it.
It felt like I had plenty of room left to speed up as well.
Gotta get some rear shocks ordered soon. I have to say, it was like a different bike, a huge improvement over what I had.
 
Got the Mupo kit installed, went for a quick ride. All I can say is holy shit!! Gotta get some rear shocks ordered soon. I have to say, it was like a different bike, a huge improvement over what I had.
Yes, quite amazing right? It is very important to have the bike balanced front to rear as to correct sag, and damping so that the bike compresses and rebounds equally. Once you have this done, you'll be really impressed!
 
Hello everyone,

I have recently read all of the material posted to Todd's original suspension upgrade for the V7 but lost track of it. Thanks to everyone for generating that thread, and to Todd for his inexhaustible support of the hobbyist nature of the motor sport in general, and the fetishist practices of Guzzi-ism in particular.

That conversation started in March, and several of you had projects in the wind that, as far as I can tell, have not been followed up on. I would be very much interested in knowing the current state of affairs as our community understands it.

A Mupo kit for Kaifa forks was mentioned, but as I remember it, the text ran to the discussion of either Mupo/Marzocch (pre-2013) or Matris/Kaifa. I'm curious about that Mupo kit for the Kaifa upgrade (someone I think had used it) before a I make a final decision.

As I recall the thread started out discussing rear shocks (Mupo, Matrix, and Race Tech) and closed with a discussion of the available fork upgrade kits; specifically Matris and Mupo. It seemed that the general consensus was that problems with the front forks should be addressed first.

I have a brand new 2014 Racer with no miles on it and zero time in the saddle. In fact, I have never ridden a Guzzi, ever! It was delivered to my complex late in October, when a surgicalI emergency cut short my fall riding season. There it will sit until spring calls it to blossom with other enthusiasms.

Otherwise, I have a Panigale 899 that every day encourages me to do things that my reason tells me not to do. As 'reason' is my business, I am disinclined to ignore it in a wholesale fashion. I have no intention of returning to the track, and I wanted a way to rediscover the joy of 'sensible' riding.

That being the case, I have no frame of reference with which to add to the discussion at his point myself, and every confidence in the experience of the enthusiasts that log onto this sight ritually. I'm looking to tweak this bike before I ever mount it, and have already done most of the other quick bolt-on mods.

With about 8 weeks to go, I want to get the suspension sorted out before the cherry blossoms bloom in Vancouver. I'm a rider. I bought this 'character' bike (whose limitations are, for the most part, irrecoverably inherent to it, and responsible for its charms) in hopes of escaping the hobbyist trap.

This will likely be the last bike I buy, and the last bike I own. My Panigale will soon be following, as it should, the conceits of youth. This bike is intended to remind me of it, without requiring me to participate in it.

In practice, it is hoped that the Racer will become an honest, representational extension of my present and future self; in both poise and character, as no bike before it has. In this way, we will grow old together; or die trying.

Timothy St. John

P.S. There was also something promise of a review of OEM Olle shocks too. Did that ever happen?
 
Last edited:
Timothy, Congrats on the Racer it is a really fun bike. My last bike was a Ducati 900 SS and while its no 899 I have found myself wanting to upgrade my Racer's suspension. Personally, I would never make changes to a bike until I've ridden it to understand what needs to be changed, but I'll tell you where I'm at with my upgrades.

I believe you have your facts wrong on kits, if you have the Kaifa fork, you would need the Matris kit, which is the kit I had my dealer install last fall. My mistake on that purchase/install was not buying the proper weight-rated springs. The kit ( I purchased from AF1) came with springs rated for a 200# rider, I weigh 135, needless to say I have no sag. So whomever you buy from make sure you get springs that are rated to your weight. So unfortunately, my front still needs springs and I'm planning on doing that job myself during spring thaw which is usually March here in Wisconsin.

As for rear shocks, my plan is to have the rear shocks rebuilt with weight rated springs rather than spend another 1K for new shocks, I realize the BiTubos may not be as good as Todd's offerings, but I'm hoping a proper spring will be enough of an improvement to keep me happy. I wish I had a complete report but hopefully after some tweaking I should have it sorted this year. I know a few folks have finished their upgrades and I'm sure they will be along to chime in.
 
I have recently read all of the material posted to Todd's original suspension upgrade for the V7 but lost track of it. Thanks to everyone for generating that thread, and to Todd for his inexhaustible support of the hobbyist nature... I have a brand new 2014 Racer with no miles on it and zero time in the saddle. In fact, I have never ridden a Guzzi, ever!
P.S. There was also something promise of a review of OEM Olle shocks too. Did that ever happen?
My pleasure. I've combined your post with the Suspension thread referenced here.
Post your weight in street clothes, then I can make a better referral from there.
Andy above has it correct. Mupo is for the Marzocchi forks only, and the Matris Kit is for the Kaifas. I've only seen one set of Marzocchi on a '13 V7R, and that happens to be mine for the RentAGuzzi.com fleet. All others have been Kaifa, so I can't imagine that a '14 wouldn't have Kaifa.
I now have a set of take-off Olle's to test, but of the seat time I've spent on many that have been here at my shop, they are marginally worse then the BiTubos that come on the V7R. I have little time to take to put them on to measure, but I will if I find the time. I was hoping someone could measure them for us and post.
 
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