Featured New Hagon Shocks On My T100

Discussion in 'Bonneville' started by Tallaferro, Mar 14, 2018.

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  1. Tallaferro

    Tallaferro Well-Known Member

    Feb 26, 2018
    141
    83
    Catalonia
    Hi,


    Just fitted today some new Hagon Nitro rear shocks and Hagon progressive fork springs plus, after 15000 Kms and having a flat-tyre on the weekend, a well-deserved Michelin Pilot Activ rear one, to fit the front as well.


    Meanwhile just to confirm what many people said: Hagon has an exceptional customer service. I called them explaining my needs and they sprung and shipped the shocks to my hands within one day, already adjusted to my weight and driving. The Nitros looks and feels a great piece of top quality items. Solid, well machined and beautifully strong, really matching the Bonneville style.

    They also warned me the shocks would take up to 500 Kms to settle and break in, meanwhile they may feel slightly stiffer.

    Well, today my first kilometres through the city jam were already showing a much better behaviour on breaking distance (although with a new tyre I did not want to test too hard). Driving over some potholes and irregularities I can say they are noticed through the bike and handle, but not anymore through the spine up to my mouth. Also, the fork is not “kneeling down” the bike in every traffic light.


    Could not really test them yet, but I will try to find a slot of time over the weekend and I will post my first impressions. Meanwhile here you have some pics!

    New Hagon March 14th 2018 I.jpg

    New Hagon March 14th 2018 II.jpg
     
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  2. David Simpson

    David Simpson Member

    Feb 13, 2018
    77
    18
    Boston UK
    Very nice, do they make these slightly shorter than the standard, and has anyone fitted shorter rear shocks (I'm a little vertically challenged in the leg department!).
     
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  3. Winglad

    Winglad Crème de la Crème

    Dec 21, 2016
    2,429
    1,000
    Earth
    That‘s a very classy colour scheme, you have on your bike!
    And I agree: new rear shocks are a great upgrade for the Bonnie!
    I was never really too annoyed with my standard suspension until I got a different bike with an adjustable monoshock and man, what a new world this is...
    :cool:
     
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  4. crispey

    crispey crispey creme de la creme

    Nov 6, 2014
    7,194
    1,000
    Uk
    Give hagon a call, they are easy to talk to and very helpful
     
  5. tcbandituk

    Subscriber

    Apr 8, 2016
    2,763
    1,000
    Reading
    They will, I've just ordered a set but gone the other way to a longer set 10mm higher.
     
  6. Tallaferro

    Tallaferro Well-Known Member

    Feb 26, 2018
    141
    83
    Catalonia
    As they told you, Hagon is well known for their good customer service. Call them and explain what you need.
    In case you are using central stand just beware if shorter shocks would make more difficult to rise the bike on it + potential impact also on side stand? Guess I rode something on this regards somewhere.

    Good luck!
     
  7. Tallaferro

    Tallaferro Well-Known Member

    Feb 26, 2018
    141
    83
    Catalonia
    Thxs! Black and Cherry Red T100 2016 Type. One of the last air cooled made.
    My previous bike was a Norton Commando with stock fork springs and 20 year old Hagons (much simpler ones) and handled WAY WAY BETTER than the Bonnie so far. I expect things will be different now! May have some time tomorrow for a 2 or 3 hrs. ride test on twisty roads and I will tell you.
     
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  8. Kinjane

    Kinjane Active Member

    Oct 15, 2017
    233
    43
    Bristol, Land of Enger
    I had +10mm oversize Hagons on my previous Bonny, the springs had softened a little at around 10,000 miles which dropped the back down. Only realised it when coming back to the bike one day and saw it was almost upright on the side stand. One notch up on the adjuster returned everything back to normal including the initial quicker handling from having a slightly taller rear end.
    The basic shocks were an improvement over stock on my last bike but I'll for the Nitros this time round when I have cash burning a hole in my pocket. I'm happy with the stock suspension on the T120 which isn't bad unless you really push the bike but sometimes you just get an itch to spend money which can't be cured by anything other than spending money!

    The Nitros do need a few miles on them to adapt to any damping changes made, it's not an instant night or day difference like it is with other shocks, more of a night then dawn then day adjustment.

    Black springs really suit :)
     
  9. Tallaferro

    Tallaferro Well-Known Member

    Feb 26, 2018
    141
    83
    Catalonia
    Thxs for the feedback! 10.000 miles is much more than what they told me bu I rode some other informatons around pointing also to such long run-in period. We will see. I guess type of road, conditions and pilot weight may play some role on the result.
    And yes, Nitros made me feek that itch...
     
  10. Tallaferro

    Tallaferro Well-Known Member

    Feb 26, 2018
    141
    83
    Catalonia
    Well ladies & gentlemen,

    Just back from a 100 Km test on back twisty roads and open bend A-roads (kind of 50%-50%), with a small stop for a BBQ bacon and blood-sausage with a small beer (pilot also needs petrol from time to time).

    On the motorway little bumps are more noticeable although that does not disturb the bike's moving vector so much as before. But it is on the twisty road where WOOOOOOW! I can tell you +1 gear on some bends. She feels much more stable and precise through the bends. The old tendency to exit too open from the bends has totally disappeared, also the wallowing when pushing her a little hard on open bends.

    It is just my taste but I would not hesitate if the current stiffness stays. Make me feel much more connected to the road and on command of what's going on. It feels just the same difference when you compare a French and a German car (if you know what I mean).

    The T100 handles now how it should!
    At last... my Triumph is comparable to the Norton handling!

    Honestly, I would say the 4 best upgrades I did to improve the Bonnie handling are (from most noticeable to less):

    1- Block the air injection hose with a metal bearing ball to stop that stupid and dangerous jerking at low speed.

    2- Replacing the complete OEM system by Hagon Nitro shocks and progressive fork springs.

    3- Change the OEM Metzelers by Michelin Pilot Activ

    4- Changing the OEM handlebar by NH M-Bar


    Well, I may come back in some thousand Km to give another update.



    Salut i força al canut!
     
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  11. Kinjane

    Kinjane Active Member

    Oct 15, 2017
    233
    43
    Bristol, Land of Enger
    500kms will be enough to release the initial stiction and by then they will have had enough use where you can start to accurately dial in your preferred suspension settings. But after 10,000 miles the springs will have softened enough form new to affect the sag and you may then wish to adjust the shocks to to compensate for it. I didn't mean to imply it would take that long for the units themselves to settle, and they will get definitely improve with time :)

    I had my last Hagon set up dialled in well enough to keep up with a friend riding a bigger Ducati through the twisty bits, but as soon as we got to the straights he smiled in his mirror and just disappeared, but that didn't touch the satisfaction gained from sitting on his tail for well over a mile knowing he just couldn't get away from me.

    Investing money on upgrading the suspension is sometimes better spent than wasting it on performance - unless you only ever travel in a straight line !
     
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  12. 45Brit2017

    45Brit2017 Well-Known Member

    May 30, 2017
    146
    93
    UK
    Hagons tamed the handling on my Sportster, they know their stuff. Comes from being actual racing people (founder Alf was a world record holding sprinter after a career in speedway and Grasstrack, Martin was no slouch on the grass in his day). Beats any amount of tattoos and curly moustaches.
     
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  13. Colin Morgan

    Colin Morgan Active Member

    Aug 3, 2017
    70
    28
    Portishead
    Snap! Same colour scheme as my Bonnie but I have the slightly higher handle bars and pea shooter pipes. Do the shocks make a big difference?

    All the best
     
  14. Tallaferro

    Tallaferro Well-Known Member

    Feb 26, 2018
    141
    83
    Catalonia
    Hi! You have good taste choosing your bikes' colours...


    As I posted before in this thread the modifications I did to improve m T100 handling are:

    1- Block the air injection hose with a metal bearing ball to stop that stupid and dangerous jerking at low speed --> If you have not done this yet, I would say it is something to really try and takes 5 minutes to do it with instant result (almost no cost and you can go back to original conditions immediatelly also with no cost). Remove seat, remove air hose coming from the top of the airbox. Push a 14mm metal bearing ball into the hose so it totally blocks it. Place the hose back to the airbox hole. After this I started the Bonnie and left it without touching anything (even throttle) for 20 minutes so the ECU adjusts itself. Result no more jerking at low speeds. Before this going through a round-about or going out from a narrow bend it was a nightmare (mostly on wet!) See this post I did on Triumphrat.net
    http://www.triumphrat.net/air-coole.../836226-ai-full-removal-vs-hose-blocking.html

    2- Replacing the complete OEM system by Hagon Nitro shocks and progressive fork springs. --> This is what this thread is about. The difference is highly noticeable! The bike is not kneeling on the front and no more erratically wallowing towards the outside of the bends on twisty roads. Also, more harsh feeling (which I like, but this is my taste).

    3- Change the OEM Metzeler by Michelin Pilot Activ --> Also an instant big change. Feels like you have been carrying a pig on the pillion and suddenly it falls off the bike. Much lighter going down and up and quicker to react to your "body language". I described this as the Metzeler feels like square section tyres (like car tyres) and Pilot Active are round section ones.

    4- Changing the OEM handlebar by NH M-Bar --> Stock high bars gave me the feeling of too light steering, guess by the old "lever law". The longer the lever the more power it applies to the steering. This may be also very much a question of taste and riding style. I was riding a Norton Commando with lower and narrower bars for about 20 years, and the Triumph stock bars are not of my taste.

    Well... In regards of the Hagons I just can say it is worth and it changed the bike (for good).
     
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  15. Mr.JB Bicester

    Mr.JB Bicester New Member

    Jun 1, 2015
    2
    3
    Bicester
    I fitted 320 mm rear shocks (10 mm shorter than standard) and dropped the yokes 20 mm down the stanchions. This was needed after fitting a better seat with much more padding (my inside leg measurement is 29 inches). It also made the bike easier to control at low speeds. No problems with side stand operation, as the bike normally leans quite far over, but I had to run the back wheel up a 20 mm plank to use the centre stand without risking injury. I've also bought a pair of Hagons recently, for another bike, and found them very helpful in providing non-standard length and spring rates.
     
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  16. Yorkie199

    Yorkie199 Well-Known Member

    Jul 10, 2016
    120
    93
    North Lincolnshire
    IMG_0496.JPG I fitted them to my T100 and they make a huge difference in the twisty stuff
     
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  17. David Simpson

    David Simpson Member

    Feb 13, 2018
    77
    18
    Boston UK
    Thanks for the advice, just done exactly the same to my 2012 T100, transformed the bike! As you say, much easier at low speeds, but also feels just right at higher speeds in that I don't seem to be perched on the top, more part of the bike somehow.
     
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  18. Tallaferro

    Tallaferro Well-Known Member

    Feb 26, 2018
    141
    83
    Catalonia
    Hi there,


    After 4.000 Kms. on the new Hagon system (fork springs and Nitro shocks) just a brief update on how they develop.

    Over the last 4.000 Kms my problem was not anymore, the erratical and wallowing vector the Bonnie got me used to, but my long feet touching the ground on the bends. I am seriously considering rear-sets now...

    After a while (could not tell you when but many Kms. ago) some of the harshness disappeared while the bike still feels as in-control as first day I fit them.
    Today I put some little more pre-load on the springs and all seems back to 1st day feeling. I guess the whole shocks took some kilometres to settle down to my (considerable) weight and the adjustment was needed.

    So, all in all, I can keep my initial statement: Hagon progressive springs + Hagon Nitro are the way to go for the Bonneville (unless you leave on Flatland with no twisty road nearby).
     
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