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In search of the perfect ride - Printable Version +- Wanderlodge Gurus - The Member Funded Wanderlodge Forum (http://www.wanderlodgegurus.com) +-- Forum: Yahoo Groups Archive (/forumdisplay.php?fid=61) +--- Forum: WanderlodgeForum (/forumdisplay.php?fid=63) +--- Thread: In search of the perfect ride (/showthread.php?tid=5647) |
In search of the perfect ride - Don Bradner - 09-11-2007 17:05 Back in May I experienced less than wonderful ride on a trip up the Oregon coast. Jolt, sway, porpoising beyond what I considered reasonable. I took Blue Thunder into Henderson's Lineup in Medford at the end of the month for their ride assessment. They recommended Motion Control Units, and adjustment of the front shocks, which were Konis. We agreed to this, and they installed the MCUs, but when they tried to adjust the Konis they would not engage to allow an adjustment. We decided, given that and the age of the rear shocks, to put new Konis on all around. Unfortunately Koni was backordered until mid-August on the FSDs, so we made an appointment for the day after Labor Day and went home to Eureka. I was quite happy with the sway improvement made by the MCUs on 199, which is a good test road for that sort of thing - about as tightly twisty as any road you will ever want to take a 40-footer on. I again was happy with that experience on the return to Medford on Labor Day. We had the Koni-recommended shocks installed (FSDs on the drivers and tag, and regular adjustables on the front). Since then we've been up to Portland, then across Oregon on US26 which has a few good test areas, and on to Boise. Frankly I don't feel much difference made by the new shocks. Disappointing, to say the least. The improvement made by the MCUs was significant, and it is possible that if shocks had been replaced instead of MCUs installed we would have found the shock improvement to be similar, I don't know. If they both had been done at the same time I wouldn't have known what to attribute the improvement to. So, bottom line is that I'm satisfied with the current ride, but had hopes of it being better still, and those hopes were not met. I could have gone without the expense, but I don't know of any way I could have known that without trying, so I'm OK with having done it. At least I know that shocks are probably not something I will ever have to consider in the future. Don Bradner 90 PT40 "Blue Thunder" Posting today by satellite from Boise, Idaho, headed towards Salt Lake City tomorrow. |