Suspension Problem-Front or Rear?

Hi all,

It's not on an Sv but a ZX6R. It's always had hard suspension so I took the forks to a suspension specialist who increased the air gap and serviced them and told me they would be much better but may now show the shock up (he came highly recommended by a few people). Trouble is now I have the forks back on the ride is still quite bumpy, the bike just feels like it's jumping across the bumps.

Now...I think most of the bumpiness is coming from the front but how do I actually tell what bit needs sorting out (Front or Rear)? Is it just a case of seeing what moves most...bum or arms??

[BanannaMan]

No offense but ....probably the best (easiest) thing to do would be to have someone with more bike experiance ride the bike.

But if that's not an option...

You could try adjusting the forks and see if that helps.
Sounds as if the frt. springs may be too tight. Turn the big /outside nuts counter clockwise 2 full turns and see what happens.
If it doesn't help ..put them back!
If it does .,..keep adjusting till it suits you.
Ideal is as tight as you can get the adjusters without getting the "pogo stick" effect on the bumps.

Push down on the pillon seat...Does the rear of the bike compress and rebound freely???
If it does...See what setting the back shock is on. Try 3 or 4 as a place to start.

Only adjust one end of the bike at a time so you'll know which end the problem is on.

As above really.
You just need to play with the settings.
Does it have adjustable damping etc on the forks?

[yorkie_chris]

Yes they're fully adjustable on them there kwackers.

Wind some rebound off, see what happens, they might be pumping down.

Record the settings you're on now before beginning to mess around.

Got my suspension on my triumph set up at KAIS atherton, set-up was perfect.

If you attend a trackday (well you're on a ZX6 i take it!), for the sum of £20 or so you get your suspension set up all day long with adjustments made for you and then you can test them. The ZX6 is a harsh beast anyway so you won't get it magic carpet like.

Best thing to do imo with suspension is play with the settings and see what it does. If it feels better then find the point at which it feels best then move on to another setting.

[lukemillar]

Also, did you buy the bike new?

If not, check the settings you have on the bike against your owners manual. They maybe way off from stock, set by a previous owner. I'd start at what Kawasaki recommend for that model and go from there.

One bit of advice I was given recently was, if you are unsure of what to do with the suspension to change it dramaticly. This way you will learn exactly what compression, damping, preload actually does. I.e. I doubt if you turn your damping setting by ¼ of a turn you will notice any difference unless you are riding the same bit of road/track over and over again, however if you completely wind it on or off you will soon work out the difference.

Hope this helps

Originally Posted by sweepdoggydog

One bit of advice I was given recently was, if you are unsure of what to do with the suspension to change it dramaticly. This way you will learn exactly what compression, damping, preload actually does. I.e. I doubt if you turn your damping setting by ¼ of a turn you will notice any difference unless you are riding the same bit of road/track over and over again, however if you completely wind it on or off you will soon work out the difference.

Hope this helps

That depends on how sensitive it is... At the moment I can tell the difference between 1/20th of a turn of compression or rebound! But it depends on the stacks used as to how much a turn changes things...

As a rule this will probably be right.