Race-Tech


	Race Tech “Gold Valve” & Spring High Performance Fork Upgrade


	Race Tech has a long and well-proven history for providing serious performance suspension upgrades for a variety of motorcycles, both on and off-road. The 2001 Bandit is no exception to this history, and Maximum-Suzuki recently had the opportunity to test the Race Tech spring and Gold Valve system.

The 1st generation B12’s were notorious for having mushy front-ends that were far too soft for aggressive riding. Braking was definitely a “puckering” experience due to the excessive front-end dive. This setup drew many complaints, and as a result, Suzuki upgraded the forks on the 2001+ B12’s to alleviate some of the problems. While the improvement was noticeable, the suspension still had some notable limitations. Overall, the stock forks handle mild sport duty and touring without issue, leaving the average rider confident in his abilities and the bike capabilities. Unfortunately, the stock B12’s forks lack any adjustability other than spring pre-load, leaving the aggressive street rider no options to tweak the setup for major canyon carving, or track use.




	Above: The Race Tech Spring and Gold Valve Kits, complete with installation video.


	One of the problems I found with the stock setup during really hard riding, was a lack of good feedback from the front-end. I always found it difficult to tell just how the big B12 was dealing with the road. My biggest objection with the stock forks was the “front-end jitters” caused by especially harsh cornering. This behavior leaves nothing but a vague nervousness that gives the distinct impression the front-end is going to skate. Definitely not confidence inspiring. In several instances I played with the spring pre-load in the hope if finding some improvement, but it was to no avail. Without more (any?) adjustability, the stock forks are hopeless.

	Left: The B12 fork cartridge & damper rod assembly.

Race Tech provides hope and revelation for the Bandit forks with new high performance springs, and a new “Gold Valve” system. The entire system is completely customized for each individual rider, according to his or her type of bike, and riding style. There’s no “one size fits all” stuff here. When I contacted Race-Tech, I was given to a suspension Technician who asked me several questions in order to get an exact setup. I was queried about the year/make/model of bike, my weight with gear, and my riding style. After a few minutes of clarification, the Tech’ had built a profile which included all the specifications for the proper fork setup - for me. In this case, their “c35 Gold Valve” configuration for a “aggressive style” suspension, a .95kg spring, the amount of required spring pre-load, and sag. All of this information was stored their customer database, which I could reference online by using my customer number at any time.

I spent about 5 hours installing the new springs and re-valving the cartridges. The process is not overly difficult, but can be tedious. The Gold Valve kit comes with an instructional video that goes over the basics only (and is done on USD forks, which has several things not applicable to B12 forks). Make it a point to watch it twice if you believe you are capable of handling the install. If you are unfamiliar with forks in general, I do not recommend attempting the install yourself. There are a lot of variables that must be dealt with accurately and done with precision. Your best bet is to send the forks to Race Tech or another qualified suspension professional, and have them done for a reasonable fee.

So, with all the history, warnings and technical mumbo-jumbo out of the way, how does it ride? In a word: Awesome. Normal pavement cruising is plush, and comfortable. Though the suspension is notably stiffer, it does not contribute to a harsh ride at all, quite the opposite actually. Road obstacles are soaked up quickly and efficiently, and the rider is left with little to notice. The coolest thing I noticed was the excellent braking feel and response. Thanks to stiffer springs and the vastly improved valving setup, the front-end does not nose-dive anywhere near what stock would have allowed. The difference is so pronounced, I’d swear someone secretly installed new brake pads.

For the 1st real test of this Race Tech front-end, some high-speed sweepers were in order. While leaned all the way over (making a great footpeg spark show in the process) the B12’s front-end was firmly planted on the asphalt without out even so much as a twitch of uncertainty. Just beautiful flowing curves being gracefully eaten by the B12. At no point in time, did the Race Tech front-end ever transfer harshness, jolts, or any other “rude” road inputs to me, or the rest of the bike. One of the advantages to this was a greatly reduced “bob and weave” effect, leaving only the proverbial “riding on a rail” feel. During one particular long right-hander, I came upon a “crack” that ran across the road that I’ve encountered many times before with the stock suspension. In the past, I had to be prepared, as this crack would always cause the front-end to hop slightly (not a great feeling when youre leaned way over at 80mph). As I passed over the crack, nothing happened – I mean absolutely nothing, it was as if the “crack” wasn’t there. The Race Tech front-end just glided right over it with almost no detectable transition. I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face after that part of the ride – And it only got better.......


		The twisties proved to be far more appetizing. Most of the roads in the Maximum-Suzuki secret proving grounds aren’t well paved in many spots, and tend to generate some “interesting” situations: Cheese-grated switchbacks, off-camber hair pins, pothole infested decreasing radius turns, you name it… its here. The Race Tech springs and Gold Valves swallowed everything thrown at them without a single hic-up. The feedback from the front-end was amazingly clean, precise, and well composed at all times. Despite the multitude of road configurations, and several “surprises”, nothing threw the Race Tech setup off, no front-end jitters, no shakes, and no launches. All that was left was an impressive feel of the road telling me everything I needed to know, and leaving out everything in the realm of distraction.

		Race Tech has a setup for every type rider, be it the die-hard tourer, or the Professional racer. Regardless of your setup, Race Tech stands behind their products, and help is just a phone call away. The suspension Techs are knowledgeable and friendly, and will do what it takes to help you get your fork dialed-in. Race Tech also has a handy online valving search/guide with extensive information on every aspect of your custom spring and valving setup. If you want a spectacular high-performance fork upgrade for your B12 that’s very reasonably priced; Race Tech is the place to go.

	*Griff, Maximum-Suzuki.com*

		Any speeds mentioned in this article which are above the legal speed limit, are complete fabrications, and the author is obviously lying.