Suspension Suppliers & Prices

Originally Posted by Blue_SV650S

Here is a similar example to demonstrate what I mean:-

Someone says 'Thinking about getting some tools to do some home spannering as me old ones are shot, what do you recommend and where do I get them from?!'

Its a no-brainer that a company like Snap-On supply the best tools and these would do the job superbly ... but I turn round and say 'I love Snap-On, but I have taken my full bike apart with a Draper set and it worked just fine' ...

Now this analogy interests me because I'm a professional spannerman. In a past life I was a car trimmer who branched out into doing all manner of car accessories, so my tools got used all day every day. Throughout my whole adult life I've rebuilt and serviced my own bikes and countless mates bikes, to the extent that I now work part-time at a Triumph and Yamaha dealership as a mechanic and do all the spannering on Danny Imberg's race ZX10R (currently doing quite nicely in the MRO/Bemsee powerbikes series), and also spanner the Team UKRM GSXR600, which competes in both Hottrax Endurance (1st in class and 3rd overall at Snetterton 6 hour) and Manx GP (115mph laps). (I know sod-all about SVs though, does it show?)

My toolkit is a mish-mash. The regularly used stuff like screwdrivers and sockets/ratchets/ring spanners etc are all Snap-On, but the lesser used items are a mixture of Britool, Kamasa, Halfords Professional, Sykes-Pickavant etc. It all depends on how important that particular tool is to me in day to day use. If I use it once a week then I buy Halfords Pro, if it's once a day it's a Sykes-Pickavant or equivalent, once an hour or more and it's Snap-On all the way.

One of the guys I work with has a Snap-On multimeter - compared to what my old pocket-sized AVO cost me it cost 5 times more and has a very limited range, and only gets used about twice a week. I can't justify spending that sort of money on something that gets used that infrequently, which is why I stick with my AVO and I'll buy another if I break it.

My SV will be an infrequently used track toy - I don't race, I'm no riding god and being the fastest out there on the track isn't that important to me as long as I'm having fun. Therefore I can't justify throwing 600 quid at just buying an Ohlins shock for it. If the SV was my daily used road bike I wouldn't think twice, I'd just buy the Ohlins... just like I bought an Ohlins for my ZX-9R and a Maxton for my GSXR1000.

Originally Posted by Lozzo

...

My god, someone who agrees with me (I think ) ...

I was going to put my opinion on here, but it seems it disagrees with a lot of stuff already posted. Should I bother?

Originally Posted by Jase22

I was going to put my opinion on here, but it seems it disagrees with a lot of stuff already posted. Should I bother?

You can put it down, but it might go unheard!!

By the looks of your bike, you are into tarting it up, so I can probably tell that you simply want the 'bling' .. there is nothing wrong with that!! It's not what I am in to, but spend your money how YOU like!! Coz its bling Innit!

I agree that the stock shocks when tired are probably best replaced, but I just want to make sure that people are not buying race shocks because they think that the ZX conversion doesn't work (as some would have us believe ). I have put video evidence down to PROVE it DOES WORKadn it works very well ... I'd say that fact is indisputable really and I'll defend the ZX conversion to my dying breath!!!

With this fact in the back of peoples minds, it's then down to peoples own cost-benefit and usage analysis!!

Originally Posted by Blue_SV650S

My god, someone who agrees with me (I think ) ...

You think right.

[dirtydog]

The way I look at is this...



I would love to put an Ohlins/WP/Hyperpro/Hagon shock on my SV but i just cant spare that sort of cash so i'm going with the cheap ZX option as even though its not designed for the bike as i'm pretty sure it will be better than the 30k miler on it at the moment.

So for now i'll be running with a zx shock and hten as and when i casn afford it i'll buy a shock specifically for the sv

Originally Posted by Blue_SV650S

You can put it down, but it might go unheard!!

By the looks of your bike, you are into tarting it up, so I can probably tell that you simply want the 'bling' .. there is nothing wrong with that!! It's not what I am in to, but spend your money how YOU like!! Coz its bling Innit!

I agree that the stock shocks when tired are probably best replaced, but I just want to make sure that people are not buying race shocks because they think that the ZX conversion doesn't work (as some would have us believe ). I have put video evidence down to PROVE it DOES WORKadn it works very well ... I'd say that fact is indisputable really and I'll defend the ZX conversion to my dying breath!!!

With this fact in the back of peoples minds, it's then down to peoples own cost-benefit and usage analysis!!

Seems you've gotten me completely wrong. Yes I like my bike to look good, and yes I confess I have a Nitron shocker fitted. Thing is I like my bike to handle well, and the fact it's so clean is only cos I take good care of it.

I had a 636 shock for a while and it did the job FAR superior to the standard SV shock. I liked it, and it gave me the confidence to get my knee down and what have you last year. Thing is,my riding improved and I was fortunate and came into money and I thought why not get a shock that's meant for the job?

Thing is, the 636 was pretty damn good, but my Nitron is awesome. That's the difference IMO. The Nitron feels more planted to me, and I like it. Suppose that's only thing that matters though really, personal preference.

I made my bike (well stilll yet to complete it) into what I wanted (and knew it could) be. Performance mods are minimal on my bike, suspension mods have been a major cost.

Originally Posted by Jase22

Performance mods are minimal on my bike, suspension mods have been a major cost.

My last bike was a GSXR1000K1 with 3500 quid thrown at the suspension and brakes. I rode standard ones with far fewer miles than mine and they felt bloody awful compared to a properly sorted one. It's all about justifying the expense though, and for a seldom used trackbike I just can't.

I've just acquired the almost new stock shock from my old Gixer for pennies, it'll be going in my SV.

Originally Posted by Jase22

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Originally Posted by Lozzo

....

I think we are all in agreement here then?!?!

Oh and although a race shock may feel a bit more 'planted' in certain circumstances (massive bumps - really poo road (why are you riding fast on that anyway )) but its not like a ZX shock is going to spit you off at speed ...

As it happens I actually like a bike that 'moves' a bit on the road ... it makes it feel like I am trying harder for less speed ... hence partly why I have stuck with the stock shock on my road bike as I don't mind the movement and I am not that interested in how well it handles as long as it is not like it is gonna spit me off with no provocation!!! ... if I trip over a 636 shock I ought to get it mind

Any-road, I think all this shock talk is kinda a bit insignificant anyway ... I'd say 80% of my confidence and lap times come from the front end!! ... so if you think about it even if a shock was twice as good it's only gonna make a small amount of difference to the overall confidence ...

So again from a cost benefit analysis, for me this puts a race shock even lower down the scale ... do you lot tend to ride the rear end a lot then?!!? (I can't believe I managed to legitimately put that!! ).