V7 Fork Upgrade

[bdcfe]

I recently replaced the stock shocks with a pair of progressively wound Ikons on my 2013 V7S. It was a tremendous improvement over stock, but the fork is still too soft for my tastes and my, uh, American build.

The problem is I seem to have Kaifa forks. It definitely isn't an "M" stamped into the stanchions, and I suppose it's a "K" if you squint a bit. All of the fork spring upgrades out there seem to be designed for Marzocchi forks. Any options available for Kaifa forks?

Perhaps this was a question better posed directly to Todd via email, but I think the fork could really be improved with a progressive set of springs.

Thanks

 

[sign216]

Rather than replace the forks, people have used cartridge emulators to upgrade performance. A search should produce an old thread, unless system upgrades have deleted it.

 

[GTM®]

I've successfully installed the fork kits (springs and emulators) on the 2013 (non-Marz) forks. Only the oil level differs. Happy to get you the kit... Yes, it makes a huge difference, especially after the rear shocks are correct.
Email me direct for info; Todd at GuzziTech.com

 

[sib]

I've been trying to determine, without disassembling anything, whether my 2013 V7 Stone has Marzocchi or Kaifa shocks installed. I've read that there is a M or K stamped somewhere on the fork assembly, indicating which, but I sure haven't been able to find any such stamping. Would someone kindly explain exactly where to look? Thanks, Sam

 

[jevincent]

Does anyone know the proper oil level for the v7 stone kaifa forks (#mm air gap as measured from the top of the fork to the top of the oil?

Joe

 

[makarushka]

Does anyone know the proper oil level for the v7 stone kaifa forks (#mm air gap as measured from the top of the fork to the top of the oil?

On a stock Kaifa-equipped V7 with OEM fork internals, as per the manual, it is 120mm.

However, once you start changing things to better suit your weight and riding style, this number becomes an important tuning variable. In [popular] theory, the air gap only affects that last portion of the fork's travel -- like a tunable progressive bump-stop. In practice though, the air gap can affect the fork action all through the stroke -- it all depends. Mupo with their kit for Kaifa forks, for instance, recommend 140mm, and that's with their emulator in place...

The point is this is something one can (and perhaps should) experiment with when fine-tuning the forks. Put everything together as recommended by the supplier, set the sags right, ride, feel, measure the max travel you get on harsh bumps. Then maybe adjust the gap to suit...

And one can't emphasize enough how important is what Todd says about the shock action: it's got to match the forks. It would be futile to try to perfect the forks if the shocks are way off. As always, measuring sags and setting up what you have provides you with a baseline on which to change things or leave it alone.

 

[jevincent]

Thanks for the information! There is definitely a lot to learn.

I just purchased the Racetech Suspension Bible to help get me started!

 

[jevincent]

Interestingly, what I find most difficult for me, is to tell exactly what is occurring when I go over the large bumps. Can't tell if it is an issue with the forks or not. For example, the forks hit, but don't rebound fast enough before the back hits, etc.

Hard to troubleshoot and fix when I am not sure exactly what is occurring.

 

[jevincent]

Does anyone know the difference between the Matris fork kit, the Mupo fork kit, and the Racetech emulators for the v7 kaifa forks?

Looks like the Matris kit only includes a preload adjustment and a new spring specific to your weight?

Do the Mupo and Racetech have emulators, but the Matris does not??

 

[GTM®]

Why not ask direct. Matris is only for the Kaifa. Mupo and RT is only for the Marzocchi. The Matris Kit has a drop in damper spacer that is the emulator, and it works quite well. Both the Matris and the Mupo are better then the RT Kit as to ease of installation, and function/end result.

 

[jevincent]

I just thought many would benefit from the question, since there are so many threads around the forks. I've seen lots of folks with the emulators which seem pretty pleased with the results, and it seems as though the RaceTech's have lots of adjustability (hi-lo compression, rebound, etc.), where the Matris kit looks really good for the preload adjustments, but little to no adjustment for the damping / compression.

 

[GTM®]

I just thought many would benefit from the question, since there are so many threads around the forks. I've seen lots of folks with the emulators which seem pretty pleased with the results, and it seems as though the RaceTech's have lots of adjustability (hi-lo compression, rebound, etc.), where the Matris kit looks really good for the preload adjustments, but little to no adjustment for the damping / compression.

Fair enough. I've been using emulators for more then 25 years, and they work quite well when dialed in. Downside is a timely installation (drilling the stock damper rods mainly), and the only adjustability is manually increasing or decreasing the spring tension on the shim stack, and oil weight, which means partially pulling the forks apart each time to set the valves. There is no external adjustability, and they are not high/low variable.
The two Italia kits I offer are drop-in (no drilling required), and while the Mupo kit is adjustable in the same way the RT's are, I haven't touched any I've installed. I use it on the RentAGuzzi V7R, and it's quite amazing. I have a video of the ride quality in the post/video HERE at the bottom.
The Matris kit is a pre-set valve, and I've been highly impressed (as have others) on how well it works, and the Matris kit offers easy spring preload tuning, where-as the others do not.

 

[jevincent]

Todd, did you use the 60mm recommended air gap for the Matris kit that you've had such good luck with?