TT behaviour

[HansTT]

Hello all,

I've been a Trophy owner since January this year and i used it almost every day ever since. I really like the trophy together with all the fancy stuff on it, especially the protection against wind and cold. The bike is really good to handle, allthough the weight is quite impressive. I also manage to get it on the centre stand without any problem and i'm really a small guy 
So far so good...

But 2 weeks ago i went on a weekend trip to the German Eifel, which is an area with nice roads, hills, hairpins and everything a biker wants. I know this area rather well and i went there twice a year with all kinds of different bikes, for many years. This year i took the Trophy and i must admit it was the hardest trip ever.

My drivingstyle can be best described as being sportive and perhaps that's something the trophy isn't the most perfect bike to use for, but it worked out well with the V-Strom i had before The weight itself wasn't the biggest problem, but in combination with slow, up hill hairpins and a bad throttle response, i sometimes lost the confident feeling i had before. And the suspension was way to soft, to keep up with the cornering speed.

I wonder if anyone recognizes this kind of behaviour and more important, what did they do to improve it.

Don't get me wrong, i still love the bike and i wouldn't like to trade it for another, but these trips are just a part of the experience.

I consider changing the stock suspension for Hyperpro or something. And i'm sure it will improve the bike's behaviour. But than again, will the bike be as comfortable as it is now, in normal day to day use.

So, a lot of questions and thoughts. But perhaps somebody walked this road before me and would like to share his experience.

[littleade]

I cannot belp you with the answer but it would probably help those who can if you let them know what settings you had the suspension set at front and rear and whether you had a pillion and were fully loaded or not. 

[Zebraranger]

Just curious, do you have the TTSE with electronic suspension? If so, what did you have it set at? As far as slow throttle response, I've never had that issue, actually its almost too responsive...How was your tire pressures, being just a couple of pounds low will adversely effect handling. When I first bought my TTSE, the front tire was 2 lbs low and it handled like crap. I will be taking mine up to Deals Gap here in the Smoky Mountains in about 10 days, its one of the most challenging roads for bikes here in the US. Lots of twisties, hairpins and such, 318 turns in 11 miles. I've had other bikes on this road US Hwy 129, but not the Trophy. I'm looking forward to seeing how it handles and I'll report back.

[HansTT]

I think it's rather usefull to know what the settings were. I used the default settings, the only thing i adjusted was the preload at the back. I gave it 2 full turns.
I had a pillion and was fully loaded, including a passenger at the back seat.

I'm having a TT ABS, so no SE and no electronic suspension. The tyre pressure was ok.

But my TT has a slow throttle response, particulair when i take off. Once i'm on the way, the response is good. perhaps there's some kind of remaping available. I will ask the dealer.

@Zebraranger: I'm really interested in your experience.. Sounds cool, 318 turns in 11 miles 

[neojynx]

My route to & from work is comprised of 16 miles of twisties with a couple of long (high speed) straights.

The Trophy handles it brilliantly..  In fact I have had more fun on the Trophy than I ever did on my Sprint GT

G

[Zebraranger]

My friend, being fully loaded and carrying a passenger will definitely cause the handling to degrade. The Trophy is already a heavy bike and the additional weight will affect its handling. I use to ride a Goldwing and at almost 900 lbs, I was amazed at how well it handled. But once I loaded it up, it was a totally different handling animal (not too good). Since its a 2014 its still under warranty, I'd take it to the dealer and tell them about the slow throttle response, It could possibly just need an ECU software update. Since you asked. Last year I rode the Triumph Bonneville at Deals gap and shot video of the ride. Like you, its such an experience that I take the trip up there every year. All the roads up there in the mountains are just incredible to ride, I couldn't cover them all in a week. Here's the video. The photos that you see of me on the bike in the video are taken by professional photographers who stage along the route. they photograph the riders and then sell them to the riders online thru a website..
Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q26hMiqc7A

[lemuriano]

On the picture below taken at The Tail of the Dragon my suspension was set to sport and preload for two up, the tire pressure was 38/44 and from looking at the picture is obvious that the rider and passenger don't weight 180lbs, also the bike is fully loaded.

On that trip a friend ask me if I scrape the pegs, my answer was "Yes", then, when he approach the bike to actually touch the pegs and look at the tires, I said those don't lie. 

At least in my case the TTSE behave wonderful and steer nicely, but have to said that I might be missing a lot since street riding is somewhat alien to me. My first street bike was just two years ago.

I suggest that you check your suspension settings (preload & rebound) and off course, tire pressure in conjunction with tread wear.  For what you describe, the suspension was not set up properly.

The only thing I notice was that after leaning the bike quite a bit and exiting the curve I have to really get on the throttle in order to get the bike vertical, but my friends said that's normal.   

[HansTT]

Thanks again for the replies, it really helps me forward.

I know that loading up the bike will cause different behaviour, but i compare it to the bike i had last year (V-Strom). As said, i'm small and my wife is even smaller and we carry not much luguage with us. I think all together 125 Kg.

The suspension is definitely not set right for this setup and environment, but it takes time to get it all done. I guess my question is, wether or not it is possible to adjust the suspension in a way it solves my problems, or do i need to replace it by aftermarket suspension.

@Lemuriano: Lean angle isn't the problem, it's more the way the TT is reacting. But i agree, a good suspension setup is the answer.

Nice video Zebraranger, looks like the area i was