SO i have a question how do the new K-tech razor units compare with the race tech and Matris Piggyback units?
I just picked up my bike with a new suspension set-up from Todd. I have a '13 V7R that I've been riding with the OEM racer suspension (Kaifa forks and BiTubo Shocks), and weighing-in at 145# geared-up, I am about 10 lbs lighter than the target weight for the factory set-up. I've always thought that the V7R was 'charming', but in my experience it was common that it could also be frightening at times. A patch of rough road on a fast corner could make things 'interesting'... and perhaps not as charming as I originally contrived.
This afternoon I rolled out of Todd's shop with a set of custom-built
K-Tech V7 Razor IV Piggyback shocks on the rear and the
Matris V7 F15K Full Fork Cartridge Kit on the front.
Whatever Moto Guzzi was thinking with the V7 has always been a bit of an enigma to me. The bike is charismatic like nothing else! And what it leaves to be desired is easily dismissed because it has just so much character! But it does leave some things to be desired.
My original plan after picking up the bike was to ride the 30 miles from Todd's shop to my home in Pasadena while throwing in a few extra miles and taking the scenic route. If done right you can throw in a good number of twisties along the way by routing your way back through the Hollywood Hills. You'll increase the trip by 10 miles but you can make 27 of those mile through some serious turns for a bit of fun! Well... that's what I did to get a feel for the new suspension, and let's just say that that wasn't enough! After dropping 41 miles on the new suspension, I found myself back home in Pasadena, made myself a double espresso and then threw another 128 miles on the odometer! The bike was amazing! Simply amazing.
In general Todd has found the K-Tech shocks to be a bit more plush than the Matris or RaceTech offerings, but before I placed my order we talked about the type of suspension package I was interested in. I definitely wanted something firm and responsive ~ by analogy, something along the lines of a European sportscar suspension. Most of the riding that I do is under 250 miles a day and includes as much terrain and curves as possible, so I wasn't concerned about plush suspension for comfort over the long haul. At the same time, I don't ride like I'm on a Japanese sports bike, but I did want something that would give a lot of feedback and convey some confidence about what the tires are doing. Todd casually mentioned that the piggyback K-Techs were significantly firmer out-of-the-box than the standard K-Techs and that the K-Tech engineers had mentioned that they could be built even firmer - akin to the type of suspension that I would get from RaceTech or Matris. That made it a "go" for me! And although I've not directly compared the K-Tech piggybacks to the offerings by RaceTech or Matris, I can unequivocally say that whatever they did was awesome.
With the new set-up, front and rear, (as has been said by others) it was almost like being on an entirely new bike. From simply riding it I wouldn't have even recognized it as the same bike that I had dropped off (had I not thrown down the cash to make the changes
). And although I've only ridden the bike with the new set up for one afternoon, I can easily say that I no longer found myself regularly and periodically struggling to keep the bike in line and on track as I encountered our typical less-than-ideal road conditions. Instead, at some point, perhaps 120 miles into my ride, I realized, "Oh wow... I'm just 'thinking' this bike through these turns and it's doing what I want. No wonder I'm having so much fun!! I'm not struggling to pull it back in line and wondering where it is!" It was
easy to put169 miles on the bike - 119 of those being serious twisties! (I ended up taking a jaunt up to Crystal Lake/Mt. Baldy, then along the Glendora Ridge Rd to Mt Baldy Village [and then back!] and then down the Glendora Mountain Hwy) . And had I started earlier in the day I would have kept riding!
BTW - If anyone does ride the Glendora Ridge Rd. (and it's definitely worth it!)
be careful up there!! There's no marked centerline, and there are definitely a number of cowboys on the road. For the most part I endeavored to stay well to the right on those corners that are more-or-less blind (which with the new suspension I could now easily do), and on at least three occasions it was a good thing I had: On one occasion (and unfortunately not the closest near-miss) a pack of sports bikes was badly cutting the turn (with the bikes behind the lead having even less of an opportunity to clear the line than the lead bike), and on a subsequent two occasions it was a car that decided to take it's liberty with which side they decided to drive on. Nevertheless, a totally fabulous road!
For those that ride mountain bikes it is also a similar feeling to riding back roads with a hard-tail verses full suspension. Typically you can ride faster as you do not need to slow your pedaling when hitting bumps to absorb the impact.
gtmotocycles.com