For my money it goes like this- your bike is 60 years old! All these old "things" are only as good as their last rebuilder. Until you rebuild them correctly you will not be aware of how good they were. The fact that you seek "the latest hot-shoe " parts suggests to me that you have bought a badly maintained charlie horse. I have only been riding my rapide for 4+ years and the only modifications I have threatened it with is a disc brake! p.s my harley f x s has not turned a wheel since I bought the vin!
Roy,
While I can agree with you in principle, as long as the steering head and swing arm bearings are tight, I think that the handling can be improved radically. The Vincent's greatest attribute is its strong handling (particularly with the single.) Few owners are ever in a position to experience this. So, I think it is a worthy endeavor for Steve.
Based on a dozen or so shock dyno tests there is no damper that comes close to the performance of the Thornton (Works Performance.) The closest I came on the front was the Koni which was only 300% stiffer on rebound than the Thornton. 300% puts it in the junk pile. Good damping means superior tire contact. Good tire contact benifits everyone.
The long springs can occaisionally cause bad behavior of the forks, including wobbles. I have found that the short springs have obviated the problem. No wobbles is also a good thing for everyone.
So, I would urge Steve to make the changes, whatever he decides, and the handling will most likely improve. How much it will improve is his choice.
As an interesting note, when I originally installed disc brakes in 1995, the stopping distances increased dramatically!
David
