Best Busa Mod Ever - Catalyst Reaction Suspension Upgrade !

SierraBusa

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Holy crap! I had no idea what I was missing! I took a trip to Catalyst Reaction Suspension Tuning in San Carlos, CA (Bay Area) last week for a front end overhaul. Jim there is a magician. He replaced the front springs with body weight specific ones, new oil, valving and an overall front and rear suspension set up. No need to change the rear as he felt that he stock rear on the GenII was a reasonable and reliable unit. The end result is astounding. Today was the first chance since last week to really ride the bike in the twistys. It is a night and day difference. Compliant yet firm. Planted, but not harsh. It is truely amazing the difference in the bike. Best money I have ever spent. Only one problem......now the Busa handles better than my Ducati 999S...but that will be addressed very shortly, again with Jim and Catalyst Reaction. Really, I wish I could gush more about my pleasure. It really is an amazing difference.
 
Nothing beats a well tuned suspension :thumbsup: I had mine done at Race Tech down here in SoCal and like you said, it was a night and day difference. I've always rode the twisties with confidence, but after the suspension was dialed in I owned the twisties. Did a midnight run through some local canyons a couple of days ago and the guys that always seemed to be in front were in my way for once!! So I took lead on the next run and couldn't believe that I had to wait almost 5 minutes for those slackers to catch up at the end :laugh: You are right though, the response and handling is a huge difference.
 
anytime a noob comes to ask what's the best mod? suspension set-up for rider's weight/riding style is hard to beat :)
 
Suspension can really make the bike more enjoyable. I have Ohlins suspension on mine and tuned for aggressive street and track days.
 
Nothing beats a well tuned suspension :thumbsup: I had mine done at Race Tech down here in SoCal and like you said, it was a night and day difference. I've always rode the twisties with confidence, but after the suspension was dialed in I owned the twisties. Did a midnight run through some local canyons a couple of days ago and the guys that always seemed to be in front were in my way for once!! So I took lead on the next run and couldn't believe that I had to wait almost 5 minutes for those slackers to catch up at the end :laugh: You are right though, the response and handling is a huge difference.

What is the typical cost for a tuning from Race Tech?
 
I upgraded my suspension 3 seasons ago, went with Traxxion AK-20 replacement Cartridges for front forks and complete Penske Racing rear shock setup. Cost was close to $2000 by time was all said and done. Even being stretched and slammed noticed a huge handling difference right away. Actually this year been thinking about removing my stretched swingarm and lowering setup improve handling even more. But seeing I just finished school for last 8 months will have to hold off on swapping swingarms until I can find full-time employment and rebuild savings account. Have a friend that offered me his stock swingarm but will also have to change rear shock setup because it was setup to compensate for the stretched wheelbase and would be way to stiff as is if I go back to stock length.
 
What is the typical cost for a tuning from Race Tech?[/QUOTE]



It cost me $20 to have them set mine up. It's probably better to make an appointment, as I seemed to have caught them right before lunch. Lol.
 
I just had my front and rear suspension redone with Race Tech components. The Gold Valve kits can run you $100- 160 for the front forks and about the same price for the rear shock. Then you will need to buy some of the other components as well such as the right fork springs for your weight and the weight of your bike. You will also need to buy seals, bushings, fluid, and a rear shock as well that is ideal for your weight. None of this includes the labor. They charge $125 to install a gold valve kit in your front or rear so your looking at $250 for them to do both. That's not including the labor to remove these items and reinstall them. I had my local mechanic do most of the work, I live near a dirtbike suspension company so I had them refill the nitrogen in the rear shock for $40 so all in all I searched around the internet for a while and found deals on everything but the rear shock, rear shock adapter, and race tech fluids. Those things I ended up ordering from Race Tech, the rest I was able to find substantially cheaper on other sites and maybe paid half of what they would have charged me in labor. The end result was shocking to say the least.......... hands down the most noticeable mod that Ive done so far for my bike :thumbsup:
 
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