Which front springs and oil?

[stranger12]

Hi All,

I am rebuilding my forks ready for track days .

I am going to change the dust seal, oil seal and oil plus springs to match my weight.

anything else I should be changing ?

oil I am putting castrol 15w .

re spring , how can I find the correct spring rate for me ?

i took my current springs out and it seems it has a short distant springs at the bottom and then uniform spring on the top. is that what is referred to as progressive ?

do you need progressive spring ?

also would you buy maxton or any brand ?
I probably buy the kit, replace it all and later down the line buy the emulators.

[stranger12]

also not sure where to buy the springs from . I know race tech is a good brand but can only find handful supplier charging over £130 for pair of spring while in US it is only £70

any suggestions?

[jambo]

The springs you have sound like duel rate which work more or less like progressive anyway. I would say for track riding single rate is generally the way to go. I got springs from k-tech but ohlins and maxton do them too. A linier spring is very much a spring. I wouldn't worry who made them. If you goggle k-tech spring calculator you can use a tool to get an idea what a sensible rate would be. Or if you phone these companies they will suggest one for you.

Jambo

Sent without a real keyboard

[stranger12]

using race tech calculator the recommended spring rate was 1kg/mm . what is reasonable to pay for a pair of springs?
as novice to track days, should I get emulators or too soon ?

re emulators, you can install it at later stage by simply opening the cap and remove the spring and then put it there, right ?

[stranger12]

also what model/year os zx10 should I buy that fits my sv650 ? I am referring to rear shock

[jambo]

Depends on what you weigh. Yes emulators can be installed at a later date. All you need to do is make sure you reduce the spacers above the spring do you don't add a load of preload as the springs sit on top of the emulators raising the whole lot up :)

Jambo

Sent without a real keyboard

[andrewsmith]

What year is the sv?
Tbh ktech are 95 quid and I've had them in both of my sv's.

SV650racer maybe worth a pm and see what she gets them for

[stranger12]

2005 , is k tech just as good ?

Re emulators, just curious what is the issue if you add a lot of preload if it sits above the emulator.

Also considering changing my shock (rear) and reading around people say gxr 1000 rear shock is a straight fit but it will lower the bike

Zx10 is another option but not sure if it lowers it.

If gsxr1000 shock lowers the back ,can i also lower the front?

If someone can give me a hint on what rear shocks do fit mine and from what bike and age range that will be fab

I

[andrewsmith]

Paging Bibio
Emulators are separate to the springs. So the springs control the compression and a emulator controls the flow of oil through the system

[stranger12]

Know that just didn't understand what jambo meant by setting too much preload with emulators in

[andrewsmith]

Just re-read jambos post. The spacer tubes have to be shorter as the emulator adds about 20mm at the bottom of the fork assembly

[Bibio]

dont be silly and go with what the racetech site states for 'race' rate, go for the 'street' rate instead. the higher the rate of spring the heavier the oil has to be to control the rebound which in turn means that the compression ends up too stiff and you then have to start messing with the damper rod orifices.

emulators are the way to go but it still requires work to be done on the damper rod like welding up the rebound holes and enlarging the compression holes. with k tech springs and an emulator the top spacer is 30mm. wemoto are now selling emulators (http://www.wemoto.com/bikes/suzuki/sv_650_sk5/05/picture/fork_valves/) but i dont know if they are straight drop in or still require a bush to be inserted in the top of the damper rod.

the rear shock with the least amount of messing about is the ZZR1400 06-08 but the spring rate is very stiff so you might want to budget for a new rear spring as well.