Suspension Mods

Hi there

I am looking at getting new boncey bits for two bikes one an sv650s k3 and the other is a z750 04 plate

I have got around £1000-1200 to cover both bikes and i really wanted to do both shocks and forks. Ideally the z i would like to be set up for more bumpy road use and the sv a little bit more track orentaited, but it would be nice to be able to adjust them both ways, what sort of ajustment should i be looking at to achive this.

Has anyone got an recomendation for the oxford area i am willing to travel around 100 miles in any direction. A friend has just used k-tech and the results are fantasitic but there customer service was shocking and the forks need to be returned for ajustments before they were finally fitted

At an average of £600 per bike, you are not going to be able to do much.

The SV is perfectly good with emulators and springs in the front, a GSXR shock in the rear. ~£300 all in if you DIY. If you are serious about track use, you can use a race shock in the SV ~£500 NEW, less 2nd hand.

No idea about the Z750, but probably the same sort of thing won't see you far wrong

Having tried a GSXR shock on my pointy SV, and subsequently getting a bespoke after market shock from WP, I would recommend you spend the extra on a proper shock.

On an unrelated note, I've got a GSXR shock for sale

[Biker Biggles]

Not sure what forks they put on the Z750,but Ive always found Kwak front ends to be really good(on the sports bikes)but a bit let down by rear shocks that you just can't adjust how you want them.The answer seems to be an expensive aftermarket shock.
As for the SV,a search on here will reveal a wealth of debate-------

The 636 (not sure what year) bolts straight onto the Z750.

[northwind]

Is there not a problem with lock stops for that? Or is it just hte Z1000 that uses different stops? How about the bars and clocks? The 636 front's not brilliant but it'd be a good upgrade for the 750 if it's that easy... Then, worth it?

I've not actually tried it, but the Matris fork kit for the SV seems a brilliant deal- proper cartridge internals and even includes new springs, I think, for £300- cartridge forks at emulator prices, and external adjustment too I think. Unless the product's actually rubbish- which I doubt- that's ace.

GSXR shock in the rear of an SV is a good mod. Don't know if there's a Z equivalent.

But, if you're handy then a whole SV front end swap can be cheap, if you buy carefully and sell well- my front end swap would actually have made me money if I'd not gone for some new bits and some powdercoating. That's a real killer edge I reckon.

You have PM

Sorry but bringing this post back as the sv is now running and its time to take the z to bits, or someone else take it to bits.

I'm going to start with the z for financial reason and i reckon it would be an awesome bike if the suspension isnt so soft. The sv turns in and hold a line much better and thats got worm suspension bearings and a old shock.

Looks like it might be a stuggle to get preload caps for the Z, can correct intial setup get round this?

Could anyone answer these basic questions

What are emulators and what do they do?

What is the diffrence between cartridge forks and standard?

What does revalving mean?

Cheers

p.s. didnt forget your pm rob just been a bit busy, cheers

I'm pretty sure Matris now do a cartridge kit for the Z which includes fork tops, can check tomorrow.

Most forks are cartridge type nowadays so they are 'standard' really.

Sv forks use an old style damper rod, which is basically a steel tube with holes in it, the oil is forced through the holes and the size of the holes dictate how much/little damping you need.

A cartridge fork uses two valves in the 'cartridge' one for compression, one rebound, The valves have oil ways in and there is a stack of thin washers in the direction of the oil flow (shim stack), the thickness and size of the shims controls the damping rate, but as there is a number of sizes/thickness's of shims there is a wider range of control and adjustment available.

When you fir emulators to a damper rod fork, the damper rod on the compression side is eliminated and replaced by the emulator which works in a similar (ish) way to a shim stack making the damping more controlled.

[northwind]

To put it in layman's terms, SV forks = same technology used in door closers