Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

What are the advantages, if any to dropping the front end on my ZX6 1/4-3/4 of an inch..



Dan

I haven't done it myself, but from what I've read...

Advantages
Sharper steering

Disadvantages
Reduced cornering clearance
Unstable front end if you take it too far

The main thing they say is to do it in small increments, like no more than 5mm at a time.

Dan
What profile tyre is on your bike ?
Putting a 60 could have the same effect.

mario

It's 1 profile higher than stock from memory... you pointed that out to me, when we inspected the bike.. pre-purchase..

Dropping the front will quicken steering and make it drop into corners easier. You can achieve the same by raising the rear ride height, which your bike has an adjuster for and is reasonably easy to do. The downside, as previously mentioned is the possible loss of stability. Its something worth experimenting with though.
As far as going to a lower profile tyre, this does not have the same effect, the lower profile tyre has a flatter / rounder profile it will actually slow the steering and add stability. A higher profile tyre is usually a steeper/sharper profile and will give better side grip as there is more side..
On my zx7 I had the front dropped 7-8mm and the rear raised 10, lost a bit of stabilty but was a good compromise for track / road. The zx9 has the front dropped 5-6mm and the rear raised 12-13mm (max) I'd drop the front a little more but I hit the engine case on the deck..

i'd go with raising the rear 4mm with some washers and leaving the front alone - which is what i did with my 02 9r, i put it up 6mm with some washers - i noticed the difference right away and it took some getting used to but its good, turns in a lot quicker and easier than before... like dave said, you can raise the rear fairly easily - just requires some manpower to keep the tail up in the air unless you've an overhead beam you can use to hold the tail aloft with straps or chains to the rear pegs...

I just uploaded a pdf file at the old website
"A generic suspension guide set up"
It's basically a guide to what it is, where it is and what does it do.
Plus how to set it up to suit you (most manufacturers set ups are for a rider weighing 150kg!!)

Rossi wrote:I just uploaded a pdf file at the old website
"A generic suspension guide set up"
It's basically a guide to what it is, where it is and what does it do.
Plus how to set it up to suit you (most manufacturers set ups are for a rider weighing 150kg!!)

I think you mean 150lb not 150kg.

150lb is 68kg