ProMechA suspension is in the ZRX

[s man]

Angry Emmet Frank is a wizz with suspensions. He helped sort out my FZR1000 racebike last year. Great guy.
I have .92 weight springs & am 85Kgs. New springs are a given, bit I think the valving is the most important issue with the ZRXs I feel.
I have done a few mods now & am really happy with all so far.
I started this topic some time ago>>> viewtopic.php?f=32&t=29987
It is sort of what your talking about.

[s man]

Just got the chance to get a few Ks [20 between showers] up since getting the suspension in. Remember its only stopped raining for an hour so I just got on & took off & did what I could.

Firstly: let me say its changed the bike for the better.
::The rear I tuned in with ease. Much better control over the crappy back roads I went on. 100% happy with the changes. 2rebound. 2 comp, 3 spring. doubt Id get it much better. [Keep in mind this was just a short ride, on dodgy old backs road.] Im sure with a little time there would be a little left.[the wife will be happy]

::The front is proving more of a challange. Because the comp, & rebound actually do something now, you really need to go 1 click at a time. Anymore & you can go backwards fast. The springing feels pretty much spot on for fast road riding. As its just started raining again I havent had enough time to tune it enough times to work out whats what. Or at the least get a good setup. But its better straight up.
Is it better? 100% YES
How much better can I get it without spending a fortune on aftermarket gear? A little more tuning.
As I am a current racer I could always want a little more. But for road riding, this is as good as I want it.
Is it worth the $640? 100% YES
What could I do to make it better? Spend a shit loads of money. [ But Im not]
Would I recommend this mod? YES.

So thats it so far. With a little more clicking in the front, & some dry roads,I think this was the best $640 Ive spent.
Once it drys up & warms up I'll go to town on some twistys & see how that all goes. But as this is our Sunday ride bike for mostly me & the Mrs, I wont be setting it up for racing. Just a nice road bike you'd be happy to do a few Ks on without the wollows & wobbles you get with the standard suspension.

More to come. [Weather permitting]

[Phil]

Is it worth the $640? 100% YES
What could I do to make it better? Spend a shit loads of money.

+ you have to factor in the law of diminishing returns, the mods you have done will give the most bang for your buck . The improvements from there on in are much less drastic - and still cost.

[s man]

+ you have to factor in the law of diminishing returns, the mods you have done will give the most bang for your buck . The improvements from there on in are much less drastic - and still cost.

Exactly & would it put value on the bike if a future sale ever happens?
I'll have more of a play on the weekend,[weathers permitting] & I should get a pretty good result.
Stay tuned.

[Phil]

+ you have to factor in the law of diminishing returns, the mods you have done will give the most bang for your buck . The improvements from there on in are much less drastic - and still cost.

Exactly & would it put value on the bike if a future sale every happens?

I guess that one only matters if you plan on selling

[s man]

At last Ive had time to tune the suspsnsion.
Front 1 ring in on spring pre load
4 in from full soft on comp
2in from full soft on rebound. [ You have to go 1 click at a time as they make very big changes now]
Feels really compliant on the rough roads, yet well controled at knee dragging speeds. High speeds still upset the ZRX & it will get untidy if pushed, but I think that a lot more to do with the frame rather than a suspension issue.
The rear is a simple affair
3 spring.
3 comp.
2 rebound..
So there you are all smiles from me, & money well spent.

[Angry Emmet]

Hey Sman, good feedback on Promecha, still suffering with mine, I will try a set of front springs first and see how much it improves it.

cheers,
A.E.

[s man]

Hey Sman, good feedback on Promecha, still suffering with mine, I will try a set of front springs first and see how much it improves it.

cheers,
A.E.

Im really leaning towards the mods done to the dampers for 80% of the improvment.
I did some real hard riding on the weekend, & found the damping was so much better than before. As you dont need to change the rear springs, you have to put that improvment down to better damper control.

The front is a different story, as you know the 05 to 08 you have to get the dampers modified as they dont do gold valves.etc for them. But the mods Promecha did are a great compromise.. They arnt fantastic, but they are a heap better then stock. The comp & rebound adjustments really work now, & are very tuneable unlike stock, that did bugger all.
The springs are a little stronger than stock & suspend the front very well. But again I think the damper mods make the biggest part of the set up..
Either way, I couldnt be more happy with the bang for buck ratio.

[Angry Emmet]

G'day Sman, thanks again for the info, its fantastic being able to gain the knowledge from all the guys on here. Now, given the choice, would you go to harder springs on the front??? I am 87kg & was thinking maybe 0.95kg fronts? I am surprised that Racetech recommend a minimum of 1.0kg fronts although that IS with there valving mods & to confuse the issue even more they are now recommending a gold valve for rebound as well as compression- $$$$$$, it's be nice to have a direct comparison between the Promecha setup versus the Racetech on our roads to see if the extra is warranted or not.

[s man]

You'll never get a racetech setup for a 05 & later model so that ends that comparison.
So there is only one way to go if you have an 05 or later, thats mod the dampers.
Im the same weight as you, & Im sure Peter used .93 springs in it. Standard they are .81. So they are a little stronger.

The rear has different valves in it but the springs are ok so, there isnt a lot you can do with them, other than dump them & buy some Ohlins or the likes. I couldnt justify that extra cost.
Give Peter a call & have a chat to him, he'll tell you the short commings in the front forks & rear shocks. He will explain the mods he does & it all becomes very clear then...
http://www.promecha.com.au/project_zed.htm

[Angry Emmet]

Thanks Sman, have had a chat with him, he did some forks for me a few years back, nice and knowledgable guy for sure, but sloooow on turn around, still excellent work and price is good.
Racetech (Terry Hay) will cut the cartridges and modify to take "gold valve" - compression only and fit new springs $800 all up with no mods to rebound, he wants $400 for revalve/oil/gas on the rears so close to double cost of Promecha although 5 days turn around. I think once i can get it off the road Promecha will still get the nod.

Cheers mate.

[Strika]

Maybe gold valves have improved over the years, but when I was racing, no one with gold valves could ever get them to work properly. They all tried then Junked the stuff. I'm sure those brain washed gold valve-aphiles will bring down the big sell on me..........but don't waste yr time, i'll just give my suspension to someone who knows what they are doing modify the internals for me instead.

[s man]

Thanks Sman, have had a chat with him, he did some forks for me a few years back, nice and knowledgable guy for sure, but sloooow on turn around, still excellent work and price is good.
Racetech (Terry Hay) will cut the cartridges and modify to take "gold valve" - compression only and fit new springs $800 all up with no mods to rebound, he wants $400 for revalve/oil/gas on the rears so close to double cost of Promecha although 5 days turn around. I think once i can get it off the road Promecha will still get the nod.

Cheers mate.

Yeah mate Peter is slow, but at half the price of the others, its worth the wait, IMO
Did you give Frank a call?
What model is your bike?

[Neilp]

Maybe gold valves have improved over the years, but when I was racing, no one with gold valves could ever get them to work properly. They all tried then Junked the stuff. I'm sure those brain washed gold valve-aphiles will bring down the big sell on me..........but don't waste yr time, i'll just give my suspension to someone who knows what they are doing modify the internals for me instead.

Seems that a couple of people made them work, Moto GP, Superbikes etc etc, maybe you were just talking to the wrong suspension people marty ???


Neil

[Angry Emmet]

Yeah mate Peter is slow, but at half the price of the others, its worth the wait, IMO
Did you give Frank a call?
What model is your bike?[/quote]

Surely did Sman,

Frank must be in retire-mode, he suggested oil change and springs in front and Ohlins in rear, he is capable of better for sure but like most he would need to make a guestimate on valving if he was modifying mine... i guess! It sounds like Peter Clements is worth the wait in any case, his settings seem well proven, which really is 90% percent of it AND he has plenty of experience with ZRXs, having done yours and at least 3 others i know of, Frank and Racetech dont seem to have much info on Rexxies, i mean they sound positive and all ("yep, just done one the other week") etc but experience counts, even bike to bike and model to model. Racetech just did a Ktm450 for me, & yes used GOLD VALVES in forks, standardsprings, a respring and revalve for the shock using original piston and Terry Hay's telescopic needle and I CANNOT BELIEVE the difference, the forks especially were good before but now they are just superb as is the shock, works well for me at my pace in the bush, bit too soft on motocross which you would expect but just sensational in the scrub, i spose it gets down to how much you want to commit to a bike, they are all relatively good when used for intended purpose, its just when trying to ride a ZRX a bit quickly it gets squirrely. Thanks for all your advice, its great to get the info first hand, i hate being a guinea pig for "specialists" to try their theories on, Ponsy and Terry H. have both done 1st rate work for me over the years but i like to go to the bloke who has first hand knowledge on the particular bike in question so Promecha will likely get the work, just have to be able to do without it for a month i guess!

A.E