Easy suspension question

[stewie]

Hi You,re probably all bored with the same questions so here,s an easy one for you, youve £350 to spend on suspension for a 2001 curvey, what do you recommend, can be combination of front and rear you choose.Ta

[hovis]

i dont think i would spend £350 on suspension for a 2001 curvy

[Luckypants]

Racetec front springs to suit your weight. £75
15Wt oil £15
Racetech emulators £100 (ish)
ZX10-R rear shock £50-80
Front pre-load adjusters if you want em. £46

There you go. Very easy DIY.

Northy will be along shortly to tell you the GSX-R front end can be done for nothing if you sell your bits yadda yadda..... :D

[stewie]

Racetec front springs to suit your weight. £75
15Wt oil £15
Racetech emulators £100 (ish)
ZX10-R rear shock £50-80
Front pre-load adjusters if you want em. £46

There you go. Very easy DIY.

Northy will be along shortly to tell you the GSX-R front end can be done for nothing if you sell your bits yadda yadda..... :D


Sounds good but dont forget how vertically challenged I am , does the shock add much to the height of the bike ?

[northwind]

SRAD 750 front end for free or nearly free (sell standard parts), used aftermarket rear shock for £250, spend the rest on hookers. Or on servicing whichever of the two is most knackered. When you sell the bike refit the standard shock, sell the aftermarket one again for £200.

Only trouble with that that used rears aren't exactly common. So the second best option would be, I reckon, an 05-06 ZX6R or ZX10R rear shock, for £50 or so, and buy some crack to go with the hookers, or a nicer front end.

If you don't fancy a front swap, cartridge emulators and springs (if needed) and a 636/10R rear shock, and either crack or hookers, you can't afford emulators and a rear shock for £350.

[northwind]

In the time it took me to type that, Luckypants succcesfully mocked me :(

[Luckypants]

Sounds good but dont forget how vertically challenged I am , does the shock add much to the height of the bike ?
None at all (OK it's 8mm longer) is practically a straight swap. Can get brand new ones for peanuts on ebay, racer boyos selling them after fitting Ohlins or something instead. I paid £80 delivered for one removed from a bike being prepared to race, about 20 miles in it!

[Ceri JC]

When considering this, one thing to bear in mind is the effect it will have on your insurance. If you are an oldie and insurance is negligible anyway, discount this of course.

Front fork springs and oil change - some insurers charge nothing for this, but even if yours do you could probably get away with not declaring this. (not that I'm advocating this, it's just they're unikely to find out if you don'tl)

Fork internals/aftermarket rear shock - some insurers charge nothing extra on the premium for this, mine don't and mine is declared. Those that do probably won't charge much more.

GSX- R front end swap. You'd be insane not to declare this. They will use this as grounds to try to get out of any claim, claiming that you put parts intended for another bike on it that the frame couldn't handle and that caused the accident, or the USD bling caused it to be nicked. When you do declare it, expect to pay a lot more for doing so than you would for fork internals/a proper rear shock.

For your position/budget (and assuming you're actually unhappy with the current way the suspension is behaving) I'd go for new fork springs and oil and a second hand proper shock (and pay for the inevitable rebuild when you have more cash at a later date). If no proper shock was available, I'd go for a shock off another bike (or a replacement standard SV one of significantly lower mileage) and keep the change.

One option no one else seems to have mentioned is new fork internals, £300, plus £50 on a rear shock designed for another bike. I'd prefer to spend the money on the rear personally though. The squidgy front end is annoying, but unlike my knackered stock shock, it didn't cause me to very nearly crash on more than one occassion when it decided to start pogoing whilst I was going around a roundabout at a reasonable pace.

[stewie]

SRAD 750 front end for free or nearly free (sell standard parts), used aftermarket rear shock for £250, spend the rest on hookers. Or on servicing whichever of the two is most knackered. When you sell the bike refit the standard shock, sell the aftermarket one again for £200.

Only trouble with that that used rears aren't exactly common. So the second best option would be, I reckon, an 05-06 ZX6R or ZX10R rear shock, for £50 or so, and buy some crack to go with the hookers, or a nicer front end.

If you don't fancy a front swap, cartridge emulators and springs (if needed) and a 636/10R rear shock, and either crack or hookers, you can't afford emulators and a rear shock for £350.

How about an 06/07 zx10 shock ?

[vzzzbuxt]

basically. replace front srpinges for progressive hagons/ ohlins springs. uprate fork oil to 15w ( call it 80£ total)

get a hagon rear shock new for the change or source a kwak zx-?? rear shock

so 150£ which should see ya more than happy... then 200£ to spend on other mods etc..

[duibhceK]

I just asked for a quote from a local suspension specialist here in Belgium. He offered me 2 options for the front suspension on my 2001 curvy:

"low budget option": springs and oil adapted to weight and riding style = 160€
resulting in what he calls "way better than stock"

"high budget option": full rework of the forks with Wilbers springs, oil and cartridge = 425€ (about 290GBP)

[northwind]

How about an 06/07 zx10 shock ?

No idea to be honest :D

[Luckypants]

How about an 06/07 zx10 shock ?
Was an 06 fitted to mine. It really is much better than stock. how much you weigh stewie? the Zx10 spring is about 10% stronger than the SV so makes it more able to handle the weight of those over 10st. Has a greater range of pre-load too, so was able to set the rider sag to almost exactly right (for me) of 35mm. A low mileage one for £50 odd quid is well worth it IMO.

[Tim in Belgium]

Or go for linear front springs....

as I did, and combined with a Hagon shock seems pretty good, on track, on road, round the ring a few times hasn't unsettled it. More power needed now, only traction issues are when leant over putting the power down, more due to tyres than suspensions, I'm sure cartridge/emulatoras are great, but newsprings and oil will give you about 85% odf the benefit probably.

You've opened a can of worms, there's never a quick answer on the org :)

[ASM-Forever]

i dont think i would spend £350 on suspension for a 2001 curvy

Worryingly enough i once again find myself agreeing with Hovis.

25%+ the cost of the bike is too much to spend. IMHO save the money, sell the ZZR and the SV and get an overall superior package.

[rob13]

Or go for linear front springs....

as I did, and combined with a Hagon shock seems pretty good, on track, on road, round the ring a few times hasn't unsettled it. More power needed now, only traction issues are when leant over putting the power down, more due to tyres than suspensions, I'm sure cartridge/emulatoras are great, but newsprings and oil will give you about 85% odf the benefit probably.

You've opened a can of worms, there's never a quick answer on the org :)


Tim when did you install the Hagon rear shock?

I still havent had my springs sorted yet.

[markmoto]

depends if your wanting looks aswell as upside downs look so much more purposefull, depends also on your mechanical ability just changing the fork springs and oil is obviously going to be alot easier then grafting a set of srad forks and associated parts to it. the shock just a bolt on mod so no worries there.

[northwind]

25%+ the cost of the bike is too much to spend. IMHO save the money, sell the ZZR and the SV and get an overall superior package.

Mmm... I can't agree with that, if the SV came with good suspension as standard it'd be more than worth the extra £350 or whatever, upgrading the suspenders really reinvents the bike, tuning for power s hard to justify but since the suspension is the limiting factor, sorting it lets the bike fulfil its potential.

[21QUEST]

Worryingly enough i once again find myself agreeing with Hovis.

25%+ the cost of the bike is too much to spend. IMHO save the money, sell the ZZR and the SV and get an overall superior package.
That means I've fecked up big time then I guess.

Lets see....... £425 Technoflex rear shock(to be replaced soon by a Penske---thanks Billy ;) ), £500 plus(not sure on that figure) on GSXR600 K4 front end(includes a bespoke top yoke), over £30 on fork oil so far.

I'm guessing the shocks taken off the GSXRs and ZX?Rs that find their way onto SVs have been replaced by perhaps an after market one? Would I be correct in assumming, those bikes are the "superior packages?"


Ben

[Tim in Belgium]

Tim when did you install the Hagon rear shock?

I still havent had my springs sorted yet.

Had it done at the same time as the front springs, still didn't make the bike fun to ride with you on the back after you ran out of fuel ;)

[rob13]

Had it done at the same time as the front springs, still didn't make the bike fun to ride with you on the back after you ran out of fuel ;)


At least I have an excuse now for slower riding - Im still on the standard stuff! :D ;)

[ASM-Forever]

LOL....i've rustled a few feathers....a nice example of the napoleon complex. :)

I guess its also no coincidence that you two, seem to be the biggest 'mod'ers'.

Each to their own i guess and what you do with your hard earned is up to you, but IMO its madness to spend serious wonga on a budget bike. When i had my SV i totted up the cost of making the changes i wanted and i laughed.

I guess im still not going full out on my R6. I have R&G's,yoshi carbon trc,tail tidy,db screen and a few others things. I considered a full system, but it didnt seem worth it. I'll get one when i get a litre bike somewhere down the line.

[stewie]

Was an 06 fitted to mine. It really is much better than stock. how much you weigh stewie? the Zx10 spring is about 10% stronger than the SV so makes it more able to handle the weight of those over 10st. Has a greater range of pre-load too, so was able to set the rider sag to almost exactly right (for me) of 35mm. A low mileage one for £50 odd quid is well worth it IMO.

Just seen one on Ebay 120 miles on it £69.00 I think, I weigh approx 12st 6 lbs, be about 78 kgs, so thinking of going for that shock or similar and upratings springs and oil in the front, let,s face it anyone who saw me on the N Wales rideout will know Im not the quickest rider around so dont need it to be too cutting edge, but the standard shocks got 27,000 on it so I may as well replace it with an upgrade

[Flamin_Squirrel]

LOL....i've rustled a few feathers....a nice example of the napoleon complex. :)

I guess its also no coincidence that you two, seem to be the biggest 'mod'ers'.

Each to their own i guess and what you do with your hard earned is up to you, but IMO its madness to spend serious wonga on a budget bike. When i had my SV i totted up the cost of making the changes i wanted and i laughed.

I guess im still not going full out on my R6. I have R&G's,yoshi carbon trc,tail tidy,db screen and a few others things. I considered a full system, but it didnt seem worth it. I'll get one when i get a litre bike somewhere down the line.

No co-incidence that the person who thinks modding a budget bike is madness is after a litre bike.

[petevtwin650]

Hagon rear shock set up for your weight. About £220 IIRC

New uprated springs and thicker oil. £110.

Wouldn't bother with the fork top adjusters. -£46 :D

Money left over for a stubby.;)

[ASM-Forever]

No co-incidence that the person who thinks modding a budget bike is madness is after a litre bike.

I'm not after a litre bike any time soon. I've only had the 600 for a few months! I'm not against modding a cheaper bike like the SV. If you can do it cheaply etc. But putting expensive parts(especially on a curvy) seems a bit much to me.

[northwind]

I guess its also no coincidence that you two, seem to be the biggest 'mod'ers'.


It is actually... The rest of my mods are just daftness, I do them because I like doing them, it's an end in itself not a means to an end.

But, a while back I was thinking of getting a second cheap SV purely as a commuter and the very first thing I would have done is fire on an SRAD front end and a 636 shock... To me it's a bit of a waste of money to spend £2000 on a bike that doesn't work half as well as it could if you spent just a little more. It's a bit like buying a GSXR1000 and fitting michelin macadams because they last longer, and subsequently having to ride the GSXR at half its potential- I consider both a false economy. Or alternatively, buying a blue-ray DVD player and connecting it to a 14" portable. A relatively small investment leads to a relatively big improvement and increase in enjoyment.

What's definately not a coincidence is that most of the people who recommend suspension work have done it, and I think it's fair to say that most of the people who don't, haven't. Everyone knows the SV suspension is its weakest point but most folks don't really know what a difference it can make.

[duibhceK]

Everyone knows the SV suspension is its weakest point but most folks don't really know what a difference it can make.

Take it out on the track once and compare it to the already notoriously soft suspension of the TDM 900 and you will know very soon. I know I did ;)

When I bought my curvy I already knew that the (front) suspension would not suite my riding style, and I knew already that I would be spending some cash to fix it.
But the simple truth is that Curvies are extremely abundant and cheap on the second hand market here. And spare parts are relatively easy to come by. So imho it makes sense to do it.

[chazzyb]

Racetech springs, emulators and oil will cost £220 delivered from PDQ. Now, how do I know that?

[kcowgergmm]

i love my 04-05 gsxr 600-750 front end the brakes and handling are amazing

[Flamin_Squirrel]

But putting expensive parts(especially on a curvy) seems a bit much to me.

But why?

You could easily end up with a bike that handles just as well as a sports bike for less money.

[Lissa]

LOL....i've rustled a few feathers....a nice example of the napoleon complex. :)

I guess its also no coincidence that you two, seem to be the biggest 'mod'ers'.

Each to their own i guess and what you do with your hard earned is up to you, but IMO its madness to spend serious wonga on a budget bike. When i had my SV i totted up the cost of making the changes i wanted and i laughed.

I guess im still not going full out on my R6. I have R&G's,yoshi carbon trc,tail tidy,db screen and a few others things. I considered a full system, but it didnt seem worth it. I'll get one when i get a litre bike somewhere down the line.

Have you not considered that maybe some of us like our SV, aren't one of the 'ooh, I must get a new bike cos I've had this a year' brigade, and actually plan to keep it?

We've spent a fortune on ours, and if you consider that makes us fools.............well, you know what, I don't give a sh*t:p

[plowsie]

Have you not considered that maybe some of us like our SV, aren't one of the 'ooh, I must get a new bike cos I've had this a year' brigade, and actually plan to keep it?

We've spent a fortune on ours, and if you consider that makes us fools.............well, you know what, I don't give a sh*t:p
+1 :smt031

[Biker Biggles]

+ another 1

:smt052

[21QUEST]

LOL....i've rustled a few feathers....a nice example of the napoleon complex. :)

I guess its also no coincidence that you two, seem to be the biggest 'mod'ers'.

Each to their own i guess and what you do with your hard earned is up to you, but IMO its madness to spend serious wonga on a budget bike. When i had my SV i totted up the cost of making the changes i wanted and i laughed.

I guess im still not going full out on my R6. I have R&G's,yoshi carbon trc,tail tidy,db screen and a few others things. I considered a full system, but it didnt seem worth it. I'll get one when i get a litre bike somewhere down the line.

Nah, haven't ruffled any feathers here and completely off centre with the Napoleon comment. It's more a case of you missing the point as Northwind said ;)

You'll get a full system once you get a liter bike eh? What if the litre bike actually costs less than your R6? The bits you mentioned surely have set you back an ickle % of the cost of your bike? Myself , I'd say the money spent on those would probably have been better spent on the bouncy bits......

As has been said, it's not always a "numbers" game :D


Ben

[21QUEST]

Have you not considered that maybe some of us like our SV, aren't one of the 'ooh, I must get a new bike cos I've had this a year' brigade, and actually plan to keep it?

We've spent a fortune on ours, and if you consider that makes us fools.............well, you know what, I don't give a sh*t:p
Spoken like the true Lissa :o :p

:smt023


Ben

[Lissa]

Spoken like the true Lissa :o :p

:smt023


Ben

You know me, call a spade a bloody spade:D

[21QUEST]

You know me, call a spade a bloody spade:D

I thought it was, "call a spade a spade" :confused: :mrgreen:


Ben

[northwind]

I used to have a spade, but I replaced the handle with the handle off a more expensive model and now it doesn't work.

By the way, anyone thinking about "spending a fortune"- shocks don't sudden;y become worthless as soon as you fit them, they keep their value really well. I reckon I could sell my Ohlins for exactly what I paid for it, 3 years ago. If you buy new then you do take a hit there, but you'll still get half of your money back on a good shock, most of the time.

[Lissa]

I thought it was, "call a spade a spade" :confused: :mrgreen:


Ben

Depends if you've just bashed someone's head in with it................then it's a bloody spade;)

Anyway, stop making me derail this thread!:D

[ASM-Forever]

As i said in a previous post, "each to their own". I don't have a problem with other people modding their bikes....i dont mind what they do...its their money! I personally decided that it was waste of cash to mod my curvy, when for the money i could buy a sports bike. The crux of the matter is whilst i enjoyed my curvy, i always hankered after a ss600.

I never inferred that anyone who mods their SV is a fool...i merely said it doesn't make sense to me. I don't recycle my bikes on an annual basis....but as i have a sports bike, that cliche must ring true.

21 Quest/Ben....the napoleon complex comment was said in a tongue in cheek fashion, hence the smiley.

As for the mods to my R6, yep they are mostly unashamedly cosmetic. I was actually genuinely surprised how good its stock suspension is. It seems great and i dont currently have any plans to mod it.

At the end of the day a 'don't mod, upgrade instead' opinion is never going to be a popular one, on a SV site. I'm aware of that, but i think its still a valid option for some.

[rob13]

Guys, why let this turn into a slanging match? Individuality is what its all about! Personally, I am in the half-way club with this one. I would be prepared to spend a finite amount on the bike to improve the handling/looks etc however I wouldnt throw loadsa money at it because like its been said, a better bike could probably be obtained for not much more.

What I do know is I'll most likely be keeping the bike for at least another year and for that I'm gonna look to sort the front end this year, and depending on cost possibly even look towards a rear shock. Im just debating whether to spend the extra money on the rear :D

[Flamin_Squirrel]

At the end of the day a 'don't mod, upgrade instead' opinion is never going to be a popular one, on a SV site.

A very defensive comment, and totally inaccurate as well. Anyone who's spent more than 5 mins on this forum will know of the large number of people who've swapped their SVs for SS600s.

In fact, I happen to have a 636 as well as my modded SV so I'm certainly not bias.

[Ceri JC]

I used to have a spade, but I replaced the handle with the handle off a more expensive model and now it doesn't work.


How did you find the pick axe front end swap in the end? Has the breaking improved as much as you anticipated?

[plowsie]

A very defensive comment, and totally inaccurate as well. Anyone who's spent more than 5 mins on this forum will know of the large number of people who've swapped their SVs for SS600s.

In fact, I happen to have a 636 as well as my modded SV so I'm certainly not bias.
I'm doin the same, keeping me SV and gettin summit bit bigger and quicker for next bike.

[weazelz]

How about an 06/07 zx10 shock ?

I've had an '06 & an '05 zx10-r shock on my curvy (in that order). the '06 was too soft for me, but then I'm 14st & only ever ride the bike on track, '05 was about right for track use, '06 would probly be okay for a supple road ride. iirc the '05 is a tad longer that the '06 too

or you could just spend the whole lot on crack & hookers & you wouldn't care about your suspension

[Ceri JC]

As to the question of cost (and people's comments on this, on neither 'side' upset me, how we spend our money is up to this), I justify the cost as this:

My bike's list price is probably now about £2000. £750 on suspension in total (Nitron rear shock and Matris fork internals, the former fitted, the latter to be ordered at the end of the month) seems insane as a proportion of the cost of the bike. The bike is actually worth a lot more to me than the list price, not because of any emotional attachment, but I know its history, trust it, etc. I'd value it to me at about £2700. It needed a replacement shock anyway; replacing worn out suspension is cheaper than crashing. So that'd be at least £40 with no guarantees as to its real mileage and in any event, it'd start perceptibly "going off" at 12K miles if my first one was anything to go by. I'd wanted to really sort the suspension nicely for a long time, but couldn't really justify the cost. At renewals time, I told them about the recently fitted rear shock and my intention to replace the fork internals. They said this didn't effect my premium at all.

I could have sold my bike and bought an SS600 but given how I use my bike (90% mid-long distance commuting, carrying a weeks worth of clothes, laptop, etc. versus 10% pleasure) an SS600 wouldn't really be appropriate. Also, given the value of my bike + £750 (saved on suspension), I'd only be able to buy a second hand one. So; increased running costs and less practicality for 100% of the time, for a bit more power 10% of the time I'd use my bike? No thanks.

When was the last time I really needed more power from my SV? I can't remember, at least 6 months ago though.

When was the last time I really needed better suspension? Oh, all the time. Before replacing the rear shock, it got really bad, I was conciously scrubbing an extra 10mph+ off for NSL/50 zone roundabout because it was wallowing so much. Over bumpy ground it was even more.

IMO, where the SV is concerned, suspension is the limiting factor on the road. Consequently, suspension is a mod that arguably (fender extender aside), gives the best result to the bike for the money.* I mean, some people would happily spend over £750 on fairings, a hugger and a custom paint job, which do little other than alter the aesthetics and hike your premiums. :)

*TPS isn't a mod. It's an adjustment! :P

[philipMac]

A mate of mine bought a S4R and buzzes about on it all the time, loads of other mates have different bikes, but, they have all either kept their SV650s, or are more than willing to swap their (generally far more expensive) bike for my little SV on rides because they really like them.
My mate just rang me up at work cracking up laughing having put his Duc away for the winter and got back on the SV. He just loves it, and is so happy to be back on it.

I know they are cheap, and I know there are better bikes out there, but the SV650 is not a bad little bike.

Putting decent suspension on it makes it better.

If you want to keep the OEM stuff, and throw it back on to sell, thats fine too.

The thing is, its your bike, if you want to put a Penske shock, GSXR front end, with race tech guts in and god knows what else onto it... I dunno, who cares.

If you want to chrome the tank... now thats another matter. I nearly fecking crashed my bike because I was craning my neck around so much to goggle at that.