Fellow Thruxton 1200S riders, do you find the handling of your bike is hugely improved if you sit right on the front of the seat? I’ve found that in my normal riding position, sitting toward the back of the seat (over the rear shock) the front feels light and twitchy and the rear feels like a hard tail! Is it just me, am I just too Lardy, is this the way to ride the bike, or is there a problem with the bike set up All opinions greatly appreciated Thanks Nick
OldNick The further back you sit the lighter the front becomes so it would affect the front. Regards Joe.
You could adjust the front forks. Dropping the triple tree/yokes down the fork legs 5 to 20 mm , see what suits your needs / riding style. Lowering the front can sharpen the steering response and change how well your bike tracks through corners.
That makes sense Joe but sitting with the Crown Jewels kissing the tank makes me a little nervous and makes for a slightly odd riding position, looking at the bike geometry this morning the seat does seem to be positioned further back than my previous bikes have been. I’m surprised that quite a small shift in weight position has such a large impact on handling All the best Nick
Thanks Capt I will probably have a look at this solution when it goes in for its next service. Again makes sense to get more weight forward, or do I go for the lower bars and nose fairing now there’s a thought......
Makes no difference where I sit, but I'm only 10.5 stone anyway. Also, I have the lower bars so more weight on the front.
I think that’s it Tony I need to lose about 7 stone I’ve fiddled with the tyre pressures and 36 psi front and rear seems right and sitting tight up against the tank and leaning forward the bike corners lovely, but even slightly sliding back and it gets twitchy again I’m wondering whether cranking up the pre load on the rear might help? Anyone tried it? Thanks Nick
Can you / have you fiddled with the suspension settings? I have the 1200R and in full kit am a solid 15ST, I can honestly say it handles superbly without any nut crunching. Never really given a thought to where on the seat I am, just get comfy & go.
OldNick Yes the firmer you have the rear the less it will affect the front. But if your seat is right you shouldn't keep hitting the tank. Regards Joe.
Unfortunately the S doesn’t have adjustable suspension like the R which is universally praised for its handling, looking around the web it’s probably a mix of the front suspension being too firm and the rear too soft Also the seat position is perhaps a little too close to the rear suspension unit do those of us who are a little larger than average sitting on the suspension will of course push the rear down (sag?) without simultaneously putting weight on the front, which would explain the ‘light’ feeling at the front This all makes sense in my head but please correct me if I’m being an idiot
No you are on the right track. Just get on to some one like Hagon and treat yourself to a decent pair of shocks built around your weight and riding preferences. Regards Joe.
I’m probably going to end going down this route Joe, just trying anything else first before shelling out Thanks for all the advice Nick
You could try cranking up the preload, give it a go and see how it feels. Are the low clip ons out of the question for you?
The low clipons may well help Tony, I find the riding position quite comfortable with the normal bars on and am leaning so far forward that I’d probably find the low bars just as comfy!
I think the low clip ons are less comfortable than standard, but not as bad as you might expect. Certainly seem no worse than any race rep type bikes. I've got K-Tech shocks on mine but haven't actually ridden it yet. I think your problem is more to do with geometry, but you can adjust the ride height with the K-Techs so that might help. But, as you say try the easy things before shelling out for stuff.
I’ve just had a look at the K-Techs and they look pretty good, I’ll be interested to know your thoughts when you try them out! Thanks for the steer
Just cranked the pre load up to 5 max, and what a faff that was! Had to drop both silencers to access the adjustment hole Seat height previously And seat height now Which is about 2.5cm higher, now to take her out for a spin before storm Dennis starts lashing down, again......
Just given her a good blast on the back roads to Pevensey and it’s like a different bike, more ‘solid’ ride, feels firmer in corners without the front end twitch or feeling like a hard tail So I am clearly the same size as Triumphs idea of rider with pillion plus luggage Are Triumph designers all anorexic dwarfs?
I think most bikes assume something like a 10 stone rider! Glad you sorted it out, just need some short Weslake silencers and you might not need to remove them if you adjust the shocks again. Great colour by the way.
Well that be one of my buttocks accounted for What about the other? Must agree that is a nice coloured bike
