What Shock To Go For?

[yorkie_chris]

The sort of middle ground is to get proper cartridges fitted.

Call Hagon's a temp fix while I save and decide weather to cartridge, voodoo or gixxer the front end.

[yorkie_chris]

Voodoo is cartridge conversion.

"Those nitron track/race ones, piggyback res? That seems daft to me, if you are making custom shock put it on a hose so owner doesn't have to chop bits up."

Although I am very pleased with my nitron track piggyback res shock with hindsight I would have gone for the remote reservoir. As Chris points out, the piggyback version can be a bugger to install (I had to cut off the tool box in order to allow enough space for the shock). I was also a little annoyed that nitron decided to change the position of the compression damper from the more accessible left hand side to right hand side of the bike. When you receive your nitron shock it would be interesting to know which side your comp adjuster is facing? Whatever, you won't be disappointed with the build quality while it will transform the handling of your bike. Enjoy!

Originally Posted by Seggons

The issue I have currently is budget. The choice I have is Hagon springs and oil or stick with what I have and save. Considering the bikes done 30k miles you can imagine what the front end must be like. I'd rather stick the Hagon's in, run it to see how the bike feels and if it doesn't feel great then I'll decide between emulators and a gixxer frontend.

ive just fitted the hagons in mine along with a zx636 rear shock, not ridden yet but will give a review later if i manage to get it all back together today and the road drys up a bit. first impressions from sitting on it in shed thou, give a hard front end and a low back end. not sure if this rear shock has height adjustment, but at the mo it feels a lot lower the before. which should make for easier knee downs . loads of adjustment things on the shock but thats way above me at the mo.

Originally Posted by curvy custard

it feels a lot lower the before. which should make for easier knee downs

When you've managed to get it to turn that is. A lower shock is increasing your steering head angle, and so increasing the rake of your forks and trail angle on the front wheel. It will slow down your steering, an extreme example of this being a cruiser.

I THINK your shock is 330mm, and the standard curvy is 337mm (somebody correct me if I'm wrong). You could do with getting some brackets made up to lengthen it. PM Icanopit, he has a Kwak 636 shock too and has done this, he may be able to give you his design, and the details of the people who made his for him.

[mikerj]

Originally Posted by curvy custard

ive just fitted the hagons in mine along with a zx636 rear shock, not ridden yet but will give a review later if i manage to get it all back together today and the road drys up a bit. first impressions from sitting on it in shed thou, give a hard front end and a low back end. not sure if this rear shock has height adjustment, but at the mo it feels a lot lower the before. which should make for easier knee downs . loads of adjustment things on the shock but thats way above me at the mo.

Have you correctly set up the preload on the rear shock?

[yorkie_chris]

What year 636 shock?

05-06, ive put the shock on as it come to me with a view to adjust it as needed, the preload is set with the coil right near the top(is this min or max). its not 'that' low but enough to feel the difference to standard

[yorkie_chris]

Adjuster rings at the top is minimum preload. You'll need to wind it down a fair way, try get to about 10mm of bike sag.