GP Suspension in Oxnard, CA (formerly OR and WA)

Immediately after WFO-9, Judy and I rode to the Portland area for a ride-in at GP Suspension on Monday. I had roughly 32,000 miles on the Wilbers rear shock and Wilbers springs I had put in the front forks at roughly 5,000 miles, and the rear was undersprung, especially 2-up. So it was time to get my suspension refreshed and done right, especially since I'd been smart enough to sign up for the last group buy last December.

Two things: (1) for three years, I've had a Muzzy 4-2-1 on the bike (supposedly after they fixed the dragging issue), and I have touched it down a few times -- only once 1 up, but it has made me very cautious of overcompressing the suspension on hard right handers; and (2) I have a Traxxion AK-20 front fork set up with a Penske rear on my Blackbird, so I already know that a top notch suspension system makes a big difference. The FJR was markedly better with the Wilbers than stock, but still -- esp. when compared to my Blackbird suspension, it just wasn't "right" and the pipe touch downs sucked.

Not any more -- the FJR suspension is now RIGHT!!!

Ben and Dave at GP are great! If you have ANY interest in how suspension works and why, you MUST do a ride in and see it done (and the lengths to which they go to make the parts necessary to make it spot on, perfect and right). Honestly -- the education is worth FAR more than what they charge ($0) for the friendly, no questions unanswered tour you get of the insides of your suspension. You will not be bored for a moment. Ben took me through the whole process as he did it. (And this is not something you can do yourself at home!!) Fascinating, and you come away knowing why suspension works or doesn't, and why what he just did for you works.

Among the interesting things was Ben measuring the spring rate of my undersprung rear Wilbers. It was a "10", which was supposed to measure 580 lbs. But instead, it tested 522 lbs at 1" and 542 lbs at 2" IIRC. Then he showed me evidence of my rear shock having bottomed out (probably a lot, considering Judy's discomfort on many occasions from getting hammered over hard bumps). Compare that to the 800 lb spring that Dave and Ben decided would be right after consulting me on weight of typical load and how I use the bike.

I also got an education on Wilbers' preloaded front replacement spring vs. GP's recommended spring with the proper rate without all that preload. In fact, Ben cut down the spacer on the lathe while explaining what he was doing and why he was doing it. This gave me the slightest, precisely tuned preload on the new spring, which I found out does exactly what he told me it would: give me a plush initial reaction to sharp hits, while having the new spring's stiffer spring rate take up the work when needed -- i.e., the best of both worlds.

And that's what the ride since has proven-- this is a night and day improvement. I now have heavier springs, but I have a plusher ride on the roadways, yet a much more stable and precise feeling carver of twisties. Judy is not getting hammered in her cervical spine anymore by what we now know was a spring that allowed the rear suspension to bottom out. Expansion cracks and potholes are no longer the jolt they were before. But best of all, the thing is really planted and predictable in hard twisties when I have to throw it around. I tried, 2up and packed for the 9 day trip, to touch down the Muzzy collector in the turns. Didn't happen. I'll try to slam it on a hard (less precise) line through a compression corner more, but I doubt I'm gonna be able to compress it enough to make it touch down again. And amazingly -- this does not seem to come at the expense of a harsher feeling ride, whether one up or two. The overall ride is actually MORE comfortable. These guys are GOOD, and they know what they're doing.

Can't say enough good about the suspension GP Suspension has given me, the guys at GP or the ride-in experience with the free education. Top notch folks who will be doing all my suspension work for as long as I ride and they decide not to retire.

They do good work for sure. While I can't do a ride in I do send them my Wilber rear shock when it needs to be rebuilt and they do a SUPER job!

Tom

Here is another happy GP customer. I dropped off my Feejer with Dave a week ago Saturday for a fork rebuild, and he would have had it ready last Friday, but I couldn't go and get it until today, when a friend drove me down to Oregon City from work and dropped me off there. The difference is incredible, thank you Dave for a job well done!

Just had Dave re build my Wilbers shock prior to a 2-up ride next week to the Kalispell, MT area. I cannot say enough about the great work and suspension education he provides whenever I use him. He advised me to upgrade my Wilbers spring to a stiffer Eibach spring after showing me evidence that the current unit was bottoming out at times. Happy to take his advice. I will offer the lighter shock spring on the 'for sale' section in a day or so. It would perfect for a smaller rider or one who usually rides one up.

+1 to all the good things said above. In addition, I thought their pricing was very fair.

They've done business with a lot of FJR riders and are pleased to treat us well. They even gave me a ride to a restaurant for breakfast, and then back, while I waited.

At 36k mi. "Madison Ivy", my 2013 Gen III has been long in the tooth for a suspension upgrade. As a 37 year old rider with 250,000+ miles and 14 years of saddle time, I have worn out a handful of dual-sport and liter bike suspensions. After some investigation, I discovered that GP Suspension is a favorite among FJR riders, so I figured I would give them a try.

Recently I took advantage of the 15% discount offered by GP to FJR Forum Members in order to to upgrade the rear shock and forks on Madison Ivy. Working with Brisa, via email and on the phone, she worked with and took great care to ensure my rear shock was set up correctly for my riding style, and managed my numerous mod's and changes in my rear shock order. I took delivery of the rear shock and installed it myself. However, in order to have the best utility, I chose to ride down to Oxnard, Calif and visit GP in person for the forks.

I finally scheduled the ride-in service and made the trek down to their new location in SoCal. Upon first arrival I was greeted by the informed, professional, knowledgeable and lovely Brisa White who was ready to receive Madison for her appointment. Work on the forks began immediately, just minutes after my arrival, while I was literally still in my riding gear. Soon I was introduced to Dave and "Fuzzy" who are the masters in the shop. I was then escorted to one of the most organized, clean and professional motorbike shops I have ever been in. It was an immaculate collection of shop grounds, quality fabrication machinery and buzzing tooling equipment and tuning hardware, showing me these veteran suspension technicians take their profession seriously.



Dave provided hands on support to both lead and assist fuzzy in getting the forks fully serviced. As much as fabricating necessary parts to make the fork guts function properly. Lastly, during my time in the shop, I had brought up a noted issue of less than ideal performance with the rear shock. After a little investigation, Dave determined I needed to downgrade my spring (from a 1,000lb to a 900), as well as making a few minor tweeks. I was at the shop for a couple of hours, but the whole time Dave, Fuzzy and Brisa took great care of me. Finally, I was sent on my way to continue the rest of my 2,400 mile journey through the American South West with my bike loaded up with all my camping gear and supplies. During that trip I took a wrong turn while in Arizona and ended up for two hours on a 60 mile rocky, rutted, bumpy "county maintained" road, more suitable for a dual-sport or BMW GS. LUCKILY, my new FJR suspension was expertly set up, and I was easily able to manage these road conditions with little effort, and with as much comfort as to be expected for a super-sport touring bike could be on a road more suitable for an ATV. Madison gracefully leaped and pranced over pot-holes and drainage ruts like a fairy in a garden, while I chuckled and laughed, thinking to myself how my back and bottom would be jolted and slammed had I been running the stock suspension. At speed on the asphalt, the bike is firmly yet comfortably planted, and in the twisties (even loaded with gear) the suspension gives me the confidence to increase my speed and lean angle thus improving my riding experience in a safe and inspiring manner. Truly a splendid thing.



Because of my experience with multiple vendors and professional services in my line of work, I have had many years of poor to substandard customer service from a variety of entities. HOWEVER, GP Suspension in Oxnard, California falls WELL outside of that standard, and FAR FAR FAR exceeded my expectations in ALL REGARDS. Communication, keeping track of my order, and general customer service from Brisa was OUT-FREGGIN'-STANDING, and MOST PROFESSIONAL. Dave and Fuzzy provided sound expertise, parts, and service WELL ABOVE AND BEYOND anything I had expected. Far beyond. It was like I was Dave and Fuzzy's brother, and they were hooking me up with the best service possible to ensure I was one happy guy. And I certainly am.

I would have ZERO qualms about recommending GP Suspension in Oxnard to anyone who needs sport, touring, super-sport touring suspension needs. If you have a cruiser, they can most certainly hook you up as well. Like any mail in service, sure, you can have your shocks and forks serviced and mailed back to you, but I cannot highly recommend enough that you make the trek to the shop IN PERSON and have them pamper your ride.

From this experience alone, I will be a lifelong GP Suspension. Dave, Fuzzy and Brisa are true assets and know how to take care of their customers.