XII Windshield, SuperBrace, and tires/tire pressure

[OkieTraveler]

I will be replacing the WS on my 2000 Voyager this winter and wanted some opinions. I have searched the internet and there are several choices (Clearview, CeeBailey, Slipstreamer) with Slipstreamer being much cheaper (about $85.00 on Amazon). Anyone with experience with the above?
Also, on a long (5,000 mile) solo roadtrip through the western US earlier this year I became a little nervous with the handling of the bike. I am just getting back into motorcycling and think part of it may be the operator, but some of the mountain curves had me a little jumpy. I am a big guy (6'2" and 260) and I may been a shade overloaded with "stuff" which I won't do again. I have the air pressure on the shocks and tires (Dunlops) maxed out and the rear shock setting on 4. Everything I read about the SuperBrace leads me to believe that it would be a help. Any suggestions or comments concerning any of the above would be appreciated. Thanks.
Larry

[Air Force]

Hello OkieTraveler! My personal opinion and experience tells me you should ditch the stock suspension and opt for progressive suspension front and rear along with the superbrace. The handling of the bike is improved greatly! Also, make sure everything is snugged up to spec on the front end and tire pressure is ok. I went with the extra wide and four inch taller clearview windshield with the vent option. It works for me and I am six feet tall. I prefer looking through the windshield rather than over it. P.S. That would be non-air suspension for the rear.

[debron]

What are the age and mileage of your XII?

When you say you have air pressure in shocks and tires "maxed out" what does that mean? Assuming you have stock shocks in rear and stock springs in front, the air in front should be in the neighborhood of 6-9 lbs. and in the rear s/b about 40 lbs. Tires, suggest 38 front, 40 rear.

Tires make a HUGE difference in handling. If you are running Dunlop D-404's that could very much be a large part of your problem. Not a good tire for the V-XII. Dunlop E-3's seem to be the tire of choice with Avon Venom X and the Metzler ME-880s close seconds.

Three more things to do that combined made a BIG improvement in the handling of my '95 XII:
- Check the tightness of the steering stem bolt. These seem to work loose with use.
- Tighten all frame and engine bolts to specified torque. I found all but one of mine were loose (with about 40k at the time.) Doing this eliminated the infamous "hinge-in-the-middle" effect on my bike.
- Change the oil in the rear shocks. NorCal Voyagers sell an instructional DVD on how to do this for $10. Use a good quality synthetic, 7.5 wt. This made another big difference in ride and handling on my bike and others. The OEM oil was not that great to begin with plus it's very old now. Definitely worth doing. Of course you could always replace the rear shocks with Progressive's for about $250, but changing the oil gives the same performance result for about $25. Of course, with Progressive's you don't need to worry about air pressure if you go with the 412's.

And a fourth to consider - replace the stock front springs with Progressive's. I found this gave a firm but smoother ride, tighter handling, and less bounce and dive.

I reported on these changes in this thread. With these tweaks, I have not felt the need for the Superbrace.

[OkieTraveler]

Bike is a 2000 w/ 18K miles and very good condition (had 13K when I bought it).
Has a Dunlop 404 on the front and Elite II on the rear. It appears that a tire change may be required even though these were new when I purchased it.
Maxed out simply meant the maximum pressure listed in the Kaw service manual.
I will check the items you suggested and do the oil change that is probably needed.
Thanks for your help.

[gearheadfla]

I also have a Clearview 6 inch wider 3 inch taller shield and love it. They are very good people to deal with, go to their web site to the Voyager XII section pictures, that is my 88 on the page, as for springs, PROGRESSIVES are the way to go too, I changed over last year and what a difference, at the advise of Carl Leo I used 15w fork oil up front, I'm also 6'3" and 270's and ride 2 up most the time, I don't have a Superbrace and don't feel I need one unless I come across one cheap on Flea-bay or something, now your tires, E-3's, until I went Darkside I had them front and rear, still have one on the front, the XII's just like them best. Here's a pic of my windshield.

[SgtSlag]

I went with the Cee Bailey's, with the vent -- will never be without a center vent again. Tried cutting holes in, for the snap-in vents offered by Craig Vetter, but the circular saw I bought (odd size, could only find one seller, locally) was both expensive, and coarse -- it shattered my windshield. The Cee Bailey's comes in different models, but I bought the clear, with the rectangular vent, stock size so I can either look over, or through, as desired (5' 11" tall). The vent gives some much needed air flow for the driver, as there is normally very little air movement behind that fairing, which is great in bad weather, or cold, but in Summer heat, it can be taxing.

I, too, went with the Progressives, front and rear. I installed them on my '79 Honda 750, previously, and it suddenly rode, and handled, like a modern bike. It made an amazing difference in the handling, and the comfort of the ride. On the '93 Voyager, it liberated me from having to deal with 7-9 PSI in the forks, and putting air into the rear. Air suspension sounds nice, but it is a major hassle to deal with, especially when touring. You can save money on the fork oil, and install Dexron III-VI ATF Fluid, instead (IV-VI are compatible with III systems, so whichever flavor is least expensive...). It clocks in at around 8W, it's only around $5/quart, instead of $15+ for Fork Oil, and it works. Honda used it for years, in their forks. I went with 15W Fork Oil, and it is too stiff for me, with Progressive Fork Springs. I will be replacing it with Dexron in the Spring.

One technique to dramatically reduce, or even eliminate fork dive, is to lead with the rear brake. It works in all braking situations, and it stabilizes the suspension, improving handling, and safety. Simple, effective, and free.

I run on Pirelli MT66 Route tires on my Voyager, after having run them on two other bikes, with fantastic results on all three. I have not been a fan of Dunlop since the 80's. I may be unfair to Dunlop, but the Pirelli's perform so well that I cannot be bothered to try anything else. I am considering going Dark Side, however. Whatever tires interest you, search the Internet for reviews to make an informed decision -- this forum is good, but other reviews, on other bikes, will give you a broader perspective on the tires in question. Cheers!

[OkieTraveler]

Thanks to all for taking the time to give me your recommendations. We get to do a lot of riding year round here in Oklahoma so I can check things out and see what works best for me before heading out in the spring for another long trip.
Thanks again.

[HMB Don]

I'll second what Ron said to do. I don't have my 1200 anymore but my son rides it, with 182,000 miles on the motorcycle. It still has the stock shocks, the oil has been changed, front forks have Race Tech springs and emulaters installed. The cost to do the Race Tech mods are steep about $300.00 including fork bushing and seals. But with a rider your size you can tune the front forks to your weight. I'm a 5w or 10w fan of fork oil, yes I've used ATF. ATF is some of the best oil made, it has to be stable at all temps, I use Amsoil fork oil 10w. Thick oil doesn't like to flow through small holes and when it does it creates heat, last won't react fast enough on a rough road, giving that choppy feel.

Tires, there are a lot of good tires out there but the E-3 Dunlop is the best! Why; because of the side wall, very stiff, which helps stabilize the motorcycle. In the motorcycle world these are Mack Trucks, which means they need heavy duty tires. The Dunlop E-3 will track much better then all of the others. I ran 40# and 40# which still gave great traction, able to touch pegs to road on even cool days. Mileage Front 24k and rear 21 to 24k, even while pulling a Time Out Trailer.

The superbrace is wonderful, but you won't notice it. You will notice that with the superbrace installed the 1200 does what it should. When you enter a turn there is no lag it just tracks where you want it to go. Why because it ties both fork legs together, it makes the handle bars feel like they're mounted on the tire.

Winshield, I had a clearview windshild on mine W/O vent, i'm the only person that doesn't like the vent. There was a time when Clearview shields were sold at the AVA Rallies, and that's where I got mine. 3 inchs wider and taller, with the light tint to help with night time headlight glare. This is the second Clearview I've owned, the first came with the vent, I sold it. This one has over 100k on it and it's still very clear.

Last are the brakes, you should add Stainless Steel Brake lines and upgrade to better brake pads. EBC are good but the Galfer are equal if not just a tad better. NorCal Voyagers sells both the brake lines and brake pads, we have them in stock.

If you do all of the things that Ron states you'll have a motorcycle that will handle close to a Gl1800 Gold Wing. On slow winding roads or the Interstates.

Don Medina
President
NorCal Voyagers Club
AVA Marketing Director
2012 Voyager 1700 28k

[debron]

While you are tightening things, tighten the bolts on the stock fork brace also. Chances are good these have also worked a little loose....

[FBT]

I bought the Cee Bailey windshield in clear, 2" over and 2" wider with the center vent. Well worth the money. That center vent is a God send in the Florida summer heat.

Progressive suspension front/rear will significantly upgrade your handling. I haven't tried the brace, but upgraded front and rear suspension and it took away any of the "squirrely" nature I felt at times with the way the bike handled.

[biggersm]

Congrats on the big ride, it sounds like fun. We would love to see some photos and a story in the travel forum of this board.

Concerning the windshield, I agree a vent is nice; you can also adjust them to have the air blow straight at you for high temps, closed for cold temps and if you or your passenger has helmet buffeting you can adjust them in such a way to kick the air higher). Concerning windshield hight I would go any higher than what you can see over if you stretch your back straight. There can be occasions where you suddenly fog up (happens often if you are crossing water sources and the water temp about the same or higher than the air temp).

I agree with all the modifications concerning the bike that have already been mentioned.

Concerning being overloaded with "stuff" the worst thing is is any of your stuff shifts in the middle of a turn. Give your gear a test by moving everything around to test of movement and re-securing as necessary.

If your riding solo you should be OK with the weight. We used to ride two up, 195 pounds of me, 135 pounds of my wife (hope she doesn't look in on the forum), plus all our gear for adventures lasting a week or more with no problems.

As far as riding style if you are a re-entry rider it is easy to get bad habits. One of the most common is to not look as far into a turn as you should. While in a turn I'm looking 40 (or more) degrees into the direction I'm about to travel. If you have ever gone to You Tube and looked at really good riders on a test course you will see the head turns to be almost exaggerated.

Also the one of the most important skills to a motorcyclist is to be able to read a road surface and know what sort of traction you will (or might not) have.

If you have a chance to take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Experience Rider Course it is worth the time and fun.

[OkieTraveler]

Thanks again for all of the great suggestions. I am considering a trip to the rally next summer so maybe I will see some of you there.
I am very impressed with the response to my questions. Those suggestions and the tech tips I received in my welcome package will make my life a lot easier.
Larry

[SgtSlag]

Carl's instructional videos are very helpful, on top of the OEM Service Manuals (PDF copies are handy, even if you have a hard copy -- you can print the pages needed, without concern for what happens to them, grease, oil, or otherwise). The booklet you will receive with a paid membership, is also worth the investment, IMO. Cheers!

[Okie34]

Hey Okietraveler! I've got a ClearView 3X3 on mine with the vent installed. Made a HUGE difference. If you're ever up my way, give a shout. Ponca City!

-- JD