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Tuning Suspension

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Just FYI Sport Rider's recommended settings for my particular bike were not appropriate for our typical choppy and broken pavement. I have mine softened up considerably to take the harshness out. Some bikes require internal revalving or respringing to achieve this. Even with my race bikes, I prefer to have as much compliance as I can get away with.
 
Yup. I was going to mention that John from Accelerated does good work but tends to go on the stiff side, so if you use him make sure he understands what types of roads you’ll be riding.
 
After dong some thinking and research, before getting my suspension properly set up, I am going to get my fork oil changed. I don't think that the previous owner changed the fork oil on the bike as it had 20,000km when I purchased it off him. Now its sitting just shy of 31,000km I think its a good idea to change to fork oil. The forks aren't leaking any oil, but some people on the zx6r forum have mentioned that I should get new seals and a bushing kit due to the age of the bike. It's only about $65 for the seals and the bushing kit on fortnine....not too bad.
How much labour would I be looking at for fork service? $200-$300?
 
Easy to do yourself. Lots of YouTube vids on the subject. Delboys garage is a good.
 
I agree Forks aren't bad to work on yourself. Pretty sure your bike has the Showa big piston forks so search "showa big piston fork oil change" or "showa big piston service" on youtube and see what you think of the job. For tools like seal drivers, fork cap wrench, seal bullets I like the tusk stuff from Rocky Mountain ATV. Affordable and does the job.
 
arogal said:
After dong some thinking and research, before getting my suspension properly set up, I am going to get my fork oil changed. I don't think that the previous owner changed the fork oil on the bike as it had 20,000km when I purchased it off him. Now its sitting just shy of 31,000km I think its a good idea to change to fork oil. The forks aren't leaking any oil, but some people on the zx6r forum have mentioned that I should get new seals and a bushing kit due to the age of the bike. It's only about $65 for the seals and the bushing kit on fortnine....not too bad.
How much labour would I be looking at for fork service? $200-$300?
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Sure, you can do that, but I still recommend setting the sag first - it's all done with external adjusters and you don't have to take anything apart. If you can't get the sag in the proper range, you will need springs, which means taking the forks/shock apart, during which you can replace the oil and seals. Otherwise you might end up taking your forks apart twice, which is waste of time if you do it yourself, or a waste of money if you pay someone else to do it for you.
 
Relax said:
Sure, you can do that, but I still recommend setting the sag first - it's all done with external adjusters and you don't have to take anything apart.


yup^
where to start - set the sag. 30 minutes or less with a helper; set damping at factory recommended settings to start. Cost? Zero.
With your weight (172lbs) I think you should be fine with the stock springs and be able to get equal sag front and rear with them.
EDIT most suspension guys recommend 30mm to 40mm of sag for a street bike. If you want an actual sag number for a street riding ss bike... 32mm to 35mm would be in the ball park for a compliant yet controllable street ride. imo. Don't be shy to experiment with different sag numbers to find what you prefer.
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Your forks ride on the bushings and the oil seals just keep the oil in, if your seals are leaking and the stanchions don't have holes or sharp spots on them then it is past time to inspect or replace the slide bushings. Always drain the used oil into a clear glass container so you can inspect it for stuff that should not be in there, like water or metal particles. Aftermarket slide bushing parts don't always meet spec, watch out for that when you fit new parts on, if the bushings are not as good or better then the original ones be prepared to need to return the goods. Don't switch to thick fork oil assuming your forks will perform better for it, they rarely do. Thin oil makes for a lively suspension, think oil makes your suspension work retarded. Front forks are the most over-looked service item on your average motorcycle.

... is a messy job, clean forks just like you would clean a gun, take them completely apart, make everything spotless, reassemble with care. If you need special tools and they are RSU (conventional forks) then you are probably doing it wrong.

& yes, if you do it yourself you can save hundreds of dollars. Give yourself half a day the first time out.
'Hang' the motorcycle from a sturdy overhead support and it can't fall over on you ;)
 
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Trials said:
Your forks ride on the bushings and the oil seals just keep the oil in, if your seals are leaking and the stanchions don't have holes or sharp spots on them then it is past time to inspect or replace the slide bushings. Always drain the used oil into a clear glass container so you can inspect it for stuff that should not be in there, like water or metal particles. Aftermarket slide bushing parts don't always meet spec, watch out for that when you fit new parts on, if the bushings are not as good or better then the original ones be prepared to need to return the goods. Don't switch to thick fork oil assuming your forks will perform better for it, they rarely do. Thin oil makes for a lively suspension, think oil makes your suspension work retarded. Front forks are the most over-looked service item on your average motorcycle.

... is a messy job, clean forks just like you would clean a gun, take them completely apart, make everything spotless, reassemble with care. If you need special tools and they are RSU (conventional forks) then you are probably doing it wrong.

& yes, if you do it yourself you can save hundreds of dollars. Give yourself half a day the first time out.
'Hang' the motorcycle from a sturdy overhead support and it can't fall over on you ;)
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I don't know if a person with novice mechanical experience should be going into the forks. Lots of places to mess up- perhaps it would be wiser to have an experienced hand with you the first time you do it. imo.
EDIT- I believe an 09 zx6r has upside down cartridge forks ...some specialized tools would be req'd...
 
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boyoboy said:
I don't know if a person with novice mechanical experience should be going into the forks. Lots of places to mess up- perhaps it would be wiser to have an experienced hand with you the first time you do it. imo.
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Awesome if you can get the help, last set I did for a friend he didn't bother to show up and watch so that was an opportunity lost. Whats that saying about give a man a fish and he can feed his family for a day, teach him to fish and he can feed his family for a lifetime?
 
I know nothing about the zx6r online community, but if you own a Honda ST there is a wealth of info out there and very knowledgeable owners who have set up tutorials, YT videos and even specialized loaner no charge tools to walk you through fork rebuilds, valve shim adjustment, head bearing replacement etc.... In April I borrowed the shim kit and pulled 3 of 4 cams to adjust valve clearances on my V4. An intimidating job for me, but made relatively easy by a 60 minute YT video showing the step-by-step process + a kit containing hundreds of sorted shims of various sizes, feeler gauges, a micrometer + a DVD with an Excel spreadsheet to calculate shim selection.

OP should get a shop manual + tap into an online site or other resources specific to his bike. I'm pretty sure he'd find detailed info on how to overhaul his forks and other suspension components.

Took < 5m to find these sites.





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