Forks........the eternal quest for decent suspension

There seems to be more and more members appearing that are racing the ZXR400 so i've created a special section just for you to show off results, discuss meets etc etc.

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lucky77
Posts: 61
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 12:39 pm
My Bike: zxr 400

Forks........the eternal quest for decent suspension

Post by lucky77 »

Alright boys,

lets talk front ends. Rear shocks have never really been a problem for me (currently running a Nitron and quite like it), but front end is a constant issue. I think I was spoilt with my first bike as I had SP forks which were brilliant, but now I'm using standard road forks just with 7 1/2 weight oil rather than 5, and playing with the settings. They just never feel too good. What forks are you boys using? If you have had internals done how much have you spent and with whom......and more importantly are they worth the money?

Also if anyone out there has got some SP forks and wants to sell em let me know. :smt002

Cheers,

Jim
LondonYank
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 11:30 am

Re: Forks........the eternal quest for decent suspension

Post by LondonYank »

I've had my standard forks rebuilt by HM Racing with k-tech internals. After the rebuild they feel lovely, much better stability on breaking and better corner entry. Wasn't cheap mind you, something like £400.
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Ballsout Racing
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Posts: 385
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 11:04 am
My Bike: tomos moped
Location: Most race circuits ;-)

Re: Forks........the eternal quest for decent suspension

Post by Ballsout Racing »

I think standard forks can vary greatly, probably due to age. I used to have 7.5wt oil and a 95mm air gap and they worked fine with standard springs. I know lap records were set a few years ago with that setup. I wasn't using all the travel so went for 8kg linear springs and had the forks bottoming out badly, went heavier and heavier on oil but still had the problem; but in all that time the bike still seemed to handle pretty well with the rebound dieled in. I know this setup can work well for some depending on fork condition, but just not quite good enough for me. As LY has said you can get internals fitted, but at a cost, I went for the ZX6r conversion as it was a cheaper way to get a real decent front end to include decent brakes and discs and fully adjustable forks and a by product of reducing the weight by almost 2kgs, but you'll need to check you clubs regs on that. Good luck.
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