kenbike said:
Just to refine my estimate I called Racetech and this their quote
Forks $650
New shock $1100
Shipping $100
upgraded seat top end $600
so my estimate was off this totals $2450 vs $2500
I will do all of the work myself.
Upgrading suspension is very costly, the bike new is $12,500 and upgrade it can range $1200 to $1800. I agree it sure does make the bike better but I will just ride it stock until the shock dies.
Just for the record... RaceTech shocks tend to be some of the priciest around, often even costing more than Ohlins. I didn't pay anywhere near that for my custom-built Penske from Stoltec (over 20% less just over a year ago), nor quite than much for the fork work (about 4% less). That's about $1,500... Add the shipping of around $200 round-trip for the forks and for the shock to me and it's a bit less than $1,700.
As for seats... Well, I've bought two high-dollar aftermarket seats used right off this board - one a re-make by a name-brand seat re-builder and the other a Sargent V2 - and both were a whole, whole lot *LESS* than $600 ($250 for one, or over 58% less, and $210 for the Sargent, or 65% less). I like to try different ones, and as it turns out the $250 one has worked perfectly for me (the Sargent didn't)... So what do we have here... $1700 + $250 = $1,950.
Yep, $1,950 bucks is a lot of coin, but it's a whole lot less than $2,450 (more than 20%). Best of all I did it over a long-time ownership experience. I knew the stock suspension was getting tired, tired, *TIRED* at 21,000 miles, which was when I had the forks done and ordered up the new rear shock. At that point it definitely needed help, and the improvement in handling, ride compliance, comfort, ride quality, etc. was not only noticeable, but *DRAMATIC*. The upgraded suspension performance, quality, and comfort was light-years better than the stock components. More than owrth the money, and made an already nice motorcycle superlative.
Same with the seat... It immediately added hundreds of miles a day to the comfort level of the bike (as did the suspension), so suddenly I was able to cover a lot more miles much more enjoyably. I've literally paid no more than mere pennies per mile for that seat, and since it added miles-per-day to my riding total I've probably gotten to see things I might have missed had I not had it.
What one does to their motorcycle is certainly completely at the discretion and desire of the owner, but for me two of the best things I've ever done to my Super Tenere were the upgraded suspension and aftermarket seat. Both have added miles to my riding, and many more smiles to those miles.
To me, that's what makes 'em a bargain... YMMV.
Dallara
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