Suspension for Z1000

[tim]

Tim - from where I sit, having had 2 zeds (05 and 09) and having had the suspension upgraded on both, the suspension on the Zeds 'works' but it can be improved a great deal from standard. I think it's got more to do with matching the suspension to what the rider is comfortable with and is used to, rather than that the suspension didn't 'work' in the first place.

Ahhhhhhhhh.

Understand. What I was getting at was that from esie's description the handling sounds terrible - "skittering and vague" and was wondering if that was 100% suspension components, not setup or tyres..... sounds like it probably is suspension then.

[HYPE]

ok i'll add some thoughts & opinion here in the limited time a have atm.

The Zeds weight is biased to the front given it's chassis design and engine placement, hence whilst replacing the monoshock may improve the rear squat & traction it will promote further force distribution to the forks (the weak point of Z750/1000 having the 'deadfork' design). Suspension requires balance to operate effectively otherwise you will experience certain 'wallowing' under cornering forces, diving under brakes and squatting under accelleration.

Whilst valving and spring changes can be a positive way of improving OEM suspension... on certain models it's only marginal and further changes are required.

I've spent much time with James of Zenodamper in researching & developing (see trial & error & success) in finding the most performance & cost effective way of improving on what is a great bike lacking.

The 09Z750 was fitted with a Penske shock valved & sprung to suit which improved the rear... then it was onto the forks which saw ZX636 internals modified, valved and sprung to bring both legs alive.. It's never as easy as a bolt-on drop-in solution...

Front-end swaps? once again it's not an overnight fix and can easily exceed the cost of working with your original parts, not to mention throwing out the designed geometry.

With & without sounding like a good 'plugging' of his services, as many have already suggested.. contact James as he now has a winning formula for these models. i would stake whatever reputation i have on it.

http://www.zenodamper.com.au
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages ... 614?ref=ts

[HYPE]

Understand. What I was getting at was that from esie's description the handling sounds terrible - "skittering and vague" and was wondering if that was 100% suspension components, not setup or tyres..... sounds like it probably is suspension then.

Tyres can immensely affect the handling of any bike - see Rossi's M1 on some half warn Shinkos!

however the Zeds OEM suspension does not have infinite adjust ability, rather limited in fact.. especially when you consider one fork is doing most the work and laboring at that. So whilst a nice new set of profiled rubber always feels better... their contact with the road will ultimately relate to the suspension!

[hoffy]

just buy some gixxer forks and whack em in, then get an aftermarket shock, WP or the like, then sell your stuff on fleabay, (ill buy the calipers )......done for less than 2G large..

[Nelso]

I am a heavy barstage so I had my Z's preload and damping cranked up hard to limit the pogo effect, but I was in the process of sorting my options and was about to perform the sort of mods Hype is talking about before I killed the bike. We were looking at incorporating a ZX10 shock with the rear for the thou and doing similar to the front end. IIRC ttc had something similar done up your way and was very happy with the result.

[Nelso]

That sounds a bit exe... I spent from memory $1200 on the 10 from a reputable suspension guru here in Sydney and thought that was on the expensive side for front and rear.

There's a big difference between the 10 suspenders and the Z. Kawa saved money on the Z making only one fork live and limiting the damping adjustment. For small riders the spring in the rear was a bit hard as well. Much more is needed to be done on the Z's to bring them up to sportsbike standards so will cost twice as much.

1. If the 20 year old technology in my GS suspension and frame, and smaller tyres ,with no front adjustment and only preload in the back (both of yours have rebound as well right?) is able to keep up with the pace, and never skip a beat, and give 100% confidence in different conditions, yours surely shouldn't be worse?

There's keeping the pace and then there's keeping the pace. No offense Tim (and I haven't seen you ride so I could be way off) but I'm not sure you could keep the pace on the old GS with the faster riders around here and they all seem to have had work done to their suspension to get it right for them, even on sportsbikes that were designed to go fast. There is no rebound adjustment on the earlier Z's either, I'm not sure about the new ones though.

3. I just find it hard to believe that Kawasaki are making 1000cc bikes with suspension that can't confidently keep it together on the road..... all I'm saying is a bit of lateral thinking and more opinions before upgrading might lead to a better understanding of what's going on. (unless you already know and you're not telling us)

It does the job and is good enough for the average rider, but starts to lack when you push it. You have to remember there are a lot of above average riders around here so the demands they put on bikes is far greater than what the rest of the market demand.

[Six Addict]

as long as you dont feel ripped off then you havnt been ripped off... it does sound a bit exxy, but like everybody is saying, suspension is key to enjoying the feel of your bike...

ph and tim, you may feel like your bike keeps the pace but im sure even if you spent a couple of hundred bucks on your front end, even you would notice the difference...

[Phil]

Isnt this suspension stuff all abit overrated anyway...........

[6maniac]

Found this ...... hih

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9JXHW_POdg

[ttc]

Anne, the suspension setup in my zed's worth about that amount from Steve.
So you know how your bike will handle afterwards

It's the age old thing.. how long do you plan on keeping the bike for?

[esie]

Thanks for your replies everyone, certainly some foood for thought. Tanya, I'll probably have him for at least 5 years(that's when we tend to turn all our vehicles over), so tthat will be 4 years of happy riding after I get it done. Your bike is magic to ride, which is what I want from mine...so I think that I am just going to have to bite the bullet and have it done, cause other than just poking along, I am certainly not really enjoying it.

[newzthou]

Mines a '04, and has the zxr636 rear shock in it, and the internals from zx9 in the front, came with the bike, so I guess its the springs etc. Gives me full adj. both ends. Even if you sourced a second hand shock for the rear to give you full adj. then did the front end with all new it'd be way better, mine feels really planted on the road, even on the exact bit of tarmac you're talking about. Start by setting averything to one click harder than centre, and tune from there, if its still skippy, then go for your wallet! No point having a bike that shits you.

[tim]

Interesting discussion Esie

I caught up and "get it" now.

Bite the bullet time for sure Lotsa reasons, the cost spread over 5 years, better price and ease of sale on the 2nd hand market, and the pleasure you already know it's gonna be

Know what hardware you're gonna go for yet?

....tim, you may feel like your bike keeps the pace but im sure even if you spent a couple of hundred bucks on your front end, even you would notice the difference...

I would at the drop of a hat........... if I wasn't planning on upgrading soon

[jimszx14]

Have a look at the Ohlin kit on ebay for $1223.00

[Six Addict]

....tim, you may feel like your bike keeps the pace but im sure even if you spent a couple of hundred bucks on your front end, even you would notice the difference...

I would at the drop of a hat........... if I wasn't planning on upgrading soon

wasnt quite my point but anyway