Got Matris!

Got Matris ..........now to fit it and set it up , any suggestions as to ..let me know, the Carc is coming off to do the re greasing as well as the shock linkage..
any baseline setting for the shock would be appreciated
Keener

Start soft and go harder, (the spring! OK). With damping? See what it's like as is and then play.

I left preload as it came shipped. Damping is on 4 clicks for me and I can't remember what rebound is set on.

Not much help, am I?

Oh, adjust the ride height to max.

thank you I appreciate the info
Keener

The Matris I have is THE MM101.02K with the Hydraulic adjuster

Hi Mark, congrats on the Matris. Great shock by all accounts. I can't make out if you've got the -R, the -KE-HYD, or the -KE. Pretty significant spread in price between the 3, at least here in the states. I've wondered if the R is worth the price premium over the KE-HYD and KE. The KE-HYD could be the sweet spot for me, with the hydraulic pre-load adjustment. The R gives you low and high speed compression adjusters, while the other two give you basic compression adjustment. I am left wondering if for street riding all that adjustability could leave me a bit bewildered, though I hear the Matris adjusters are quite effective, with one click giving a noticeable change.

Another option I would consider is the Mupo (AB-1 for the GRiSO), which comes in at about the price of the Matris KE-HYD with similar adjustability and hydraulic preload. There's not a lot out there on the web with respect to the relative merits of the Matris over the Mupo and visa versa- had you considered the Mupo before you went with your Matris?

In any case it would seem they're both excellent shocks (and both companies offer really good fork kits as well, I gather). I imagine that even the least expensive Matris (the KE at around USD 900) would be a significant upgrade over the stock Sachs shock.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

Ron

I've never heard of the Mupo til now. I'm not concerned about the lack of hydraulic preload on mine, as I never ride two-up and I rarely carry luggage.

I believe Ghezzi has experience with the Matris R.


I can say one thing about the Matris. You'll realize how 'ordinary' the front suspension is.

If you are a solo rider, hydraulic pre-load adjuster is a waste of time, space, weight and money.
If you buy your shock thru a reputable suspension technician, he will determine the correct spring weight before ordering.

When installed he will set ride height based on static and rider sag, and of course your preference. If at some later stage you feel it needs a little +/- pre-load, it will be a 5 minute adjustment with 2 'C' spanners.

The technician should be able to also set your compression and rebound statically, but be aware, non of these settings are perfect nor should you treat them as set and forget. Each rider has different accessories on their bike, they weigh & sit differently, they have different riding styles and last of all they have different preferences and perceptions.

What I think is fast, could be your (yawn) cruise speed, what I classify as a maximum lean angle at speed, could be less angle than your car park U-turn. Set your bike up for you.

I recommend the 'R' version of Matris with separate Hi-speed and Lo-speed compression damping. Those 2 speeds are not related to bike speed but the speed of shock shaft travel or, piston speed within the shock. Hi-speed is to handle the big hits or the sharp edged bumps, while Lo-speed is better suited to the undulations and more importantly, the gradual sag of your suspension as you tip into a corner and the G-forces or cornering loads gradually increase.

If you ever get to see 2D Telemetry read-outs as used in Moto GP, you will see the differences in the graphs and the rate/speed of travel between straight line bumps, corner sag and even corner bumps. By necessity, spring rate needs to be firm for upright straight line riding if you want it closer to perfection in the corner, all bumps being equal of course.

Reality is, none of us are of GP quality, even a GRiSO leaves a lot to be desired as a full on sports (race) bike is concerned, and last but not least, public roadways are generally of poor quality compared to any race track I've ridden on. Point being, set it up for your perfect ride, the more tools (adjustability) you have, the better the ride.

Ps. I have a combination of about 12,000 settings on my rear shock, I've got it into the ball park and out of the final 10 possible settings, I will soon find the optimum one.

Good info Ghezzi...for me I ordered the k version Matris lower price and all , for some reason it came with the HPLA ..... It was a $ 200.00 option that I did not want ...but I will take it
I do take on a passenger every once an awhile so I will make use of the speed of the HPLA...
The roads I ride are generally in good shape , but the roads I really like in British Columbia are not so smooth, I really noticed that with the stock suspension, and became pretty good at avoidance or picking lines through the patch ..hopefully now I will be able to ride as you say the perfect ride more often .

The thing with the Showa forks is that they can be very good. I had mine gone through by my local suspension bloke and they are so much better than stock. I can't remember if he re shimmed them but I'm running a lot of spring preload and he's used less and lighter fork oil.

My front end is perfectly OK for me now. I do have a set of Ohlins that I could fit but to be honest, for me, I don't think its worth it apart from willy-waving and I can't really be bothered with that.

Pete

I'm fine with the stock equipment on my bike, I can't see spending money on the suspension really.
My 09 was fine as well until I reached 25000 miles or so... then I re-did the suspension set up from scratch.
No problem after that.
I weight 165/170lbs so the factory components might be short coming for heavier dudes...

Grisonut wrote:

I'm fine with the stock equipment on my bike, I can't see spending money on the suspension really.
My 09 was fine as well until I reached 25000 miles or so... then I re-did the suspension set up from scratch.
No problem after that.
I weight 165/170lbs so the factory components might be short coming for heavier dudes...

yes i wish that were the case for me, your weight is where i think the GRiSO was built for....many bikes are set from factory for riders your weight and lighter.
Price point is obviously a concern for Guzzi as well  suspension counts for a good part of cost , a compromise always works well for the bottom line.
I do know that when i spend the money and time on improving suspension components the motorcycle is much better for the ride and that is money well spent.
My Bandit 1200 is done.. Penske and Traxion  the difference from stock is very impressive ..and probably as good or better than bikes known for their handling capacity IMO..

Keener

Clear furniture. Tie up GRiSO.
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Remove one of these and install one M46R
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Discover road grit in swing arm roller bearings retainers, suspect one of the seals had been dislodged during assembly,clean & pack with grease, repeat with all other bearings.
Thanks for the advice Pete!
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Reassemble back end.
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Remove forks and install Matris F12S cartridge kit.(sent these away for the cart installation) refitted forks.
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Job done!!
Test ride through Oxley ranges to Walcha (again & again & again, it was Soooo good).
Store GRiSO and leave  to work for 5 weeks
It's going to be a long hitch!!

There's also another solution much less expensive than a new Matris or Mupo shock.
ORAM snc in Italy makes a kit that improves the oem shock. For my breva I paid 200 Euros + shipping  and got an ohlins spring, ohlins revalving shims, new alloy gas/oil separator. For another 80 euros I 've had it installed. Total cost 300 euros and I got 85% performance of an ohlins, huge difference, really.
I am not a fast rider but I feel much more confident with bike now and my back stopped hurting over bumps.
I know they do a kit for GRiSO too...might worth taking a look.
cheers