Intruders-Alert

Had the bike on the lift for MC replacement, full front and back caliper rebuilds, new pads and some maitenance, why not put the designer springs in, I was experience slipping in gears 2 - 5 at WOT, why not
Followed evertyhing to a T, torqed to 9ftlbs, everything back on, well, no back brakes, rebuilt set not in yet, but the front is all new! why not take it for a spin?
IN all gears and transition, the shift is smoother and quieter, easier in and out of gears, cleaner and all slippage where is was, was not anymore, the power is to the ground and you can feel it, coming out of 1st is smoother, neutral is smoother, it just feel completely upgraded and makes this bike all the more fun
I didnt put many miles on, but had to see it in action, well worth it for this bike, it makes the clutch feel so tight and connected
I will report back in this thread
Bravo Designer! TY again

That is a great review, where did you find those instructions?

Designer ships out all directions with his springs, makes it real easy

Did you also change the clutch or just the springs?

Just the springs, these plates typically last a very long time unless there is serious damage, largely the clutch issues with the vs1400 are spring related, they are just weaker from the factory than they should be, I have heard a few reasons why, like one that suzuki was trying to protect the user so they made the springs slip a bit so that rookies wouldnt fly off the bike, ive also heard that it was to extend drive shaft life, dont know what for sure, but these are the springs that should be in this bike

Actually the clutch system is called a 'back torque limiter'. If you downshift too far, at speed, it can cause the rear wheel to lock up. This system prevents that by opening up the clutch plates with a ramp system. HOWEVER, in order for this to work the springs cannot be very strong. The biggest issue is that Suzuki spring material is not good enough and loses it's tension after a certain amount of time.

Herb
Is it your view that Designer springs are actually stronger than brand new OEM Intruder springs?

Stronger springs will help most clutches - the 1400 one with that type of slipper clutch does rely on a certain spring strength to operate but most people wouldn't notice if it wasn't there.

This guy sells spring kits as well as a few other bits (adaptor for Tokico caliper upgrade, etc):

https://wintersmachining.com/products/o ... ch-springs

thedaydreamer wrote: ↑

Fri May 10, 2024 3:02 pm

Herb
Is it your view that Designer springs are actually stronger than brand new OEM Intruder springs?

Yes. After installing them you will notice a slight increase in the amount of pressure it takes to release the clutch. Not only that but Designer's springs do not loose their tension from repeated heat cycles.

Before I used Designer's springs I was changing the springs about every 12-15 K miles. The set of his springs I now have are still working fine after over 100 K miles, with a lot of stop and go work on the SOCAL freeways in rush hour traffic and in 2 engines.