Has Anyone Fitted an Aftermarket Rear Shock or Done any Fork Mods??

[Scraggydog64]

I like my Tracer and plan on keeping it for a few years yet so I thought it might be worth while doing some suspension upgrades.

The original suspension is okay at present but does not have the ride quality of some of my other bikes and it will deteriorate with age ( A bit like me.).

Has anyone fitted an alternative rear shock or had their forks modified? If so what make or who by and was it worth it?

Cheers Scragg

 

[MJ09]

I have the basic Nitron with a remote preload adjuster on my Tracer. The spring was set for my weight and I ordered a shorter unit to help me reach the ground.This has improved the ride but its not perfect as I have not changed the forks yet...its on the list of future mods. The standard forks seem to have a very harsh action. I ride only on the road and do not brake really hard so do not experience the fork dive reported by some.

I ordered the shock with a titanium coloured spring so its quite subtle and the new shock would not be noticed unless you really looked for it (and for me, that's a good thing!)

 

[UnluckySlats]

I have a Bi Tubo transforms the bike

 

[Shaun64]

I had Andreani cartridges fitted to my front forks yesterday at reactive suspension in York 01347 811529 check his website out he's a top bloke,I have not had chance to try them yet as its pissed it down since,Gareth at reactive is now getting me a k-tech razor R for the rear,if it fares up today I will take it on some local bumpy roads and let you know what it's like if it's anything like the last bike garath did for me it will be a 100% improvement,suspension mods are the way to go you will not believe the difference it makes to the bike.

 

[Shaun64]

I've just been for a quick blast on some bumpy fast twisty roads and the Andreani cartridges have made a big improvement especially at speed I can't wait to get the back done as the front is showing the rear up big style now.

 

[guffter6969]

How much did the work on the forks come to?

 

[Shaun64]

Your best off ringing for a price as it all depends on if you ride the bike there for him to take off or you take the forks in.

 

[boro]

I have a ZX10R rear shock fitted (kept the original spring) with hole drilled off centre to keep the same shock length.
Also Sonic springs with heavier oil fitted and has firmed up the ride without it being too firm.
The biggest difference was the lack of pogo effect and dive at the front.
Bike is now much better without having to spend much.

 

[satan's little helper]

front end

I have a ZX10R rear shock fitted (kept the original spring) with hole drilled off centre to keep the same shock length.
Also Sonic springs with heavier oil fitted and has firmed up the ride without it being too firm.
The biggest difference was the lack of pogo effect and dive at the front.
Bike is now much better without having to spend much.

how much were the springs and what oil?

 

[boro]

how much were the springs and what oil?

Hi I got the springs from Sonic Springs in the USA, after a recommendation from Nick at Stoltec, so was based on my weight and riding style 0.90kg/mm Sonic Springs (31S-090) = $127 USD inc shipping
As for oil I think I went with 5wt , as per his suggestion, was from a local shop think it might have been Yamalube or BelRay
Have to say coming from a long line of sports bikes is really helped the front end.

 

[chump]

Bear in mind that importing from the USA to the UK you will get ass raped for import duty, VAT and post office handling.

K-tech springs can be had for £89 delivered on ebay.

 

[Matt101]

I'm having my forks done by Revs Suspension on Friday. They use Wilbers kit and I've had EVERY bike done there. Great guys and brilliant upgrade.

Will let you know how I get on

 

[Tracertastic]

Hi All,

Hopefully this isn't hijacking this thread. I'd just written the post below to start a new thread but I thought it may be better to put it here!

Firstly let me say this forum has been fantastic and I’ve been lurking in the background reading and learning lots! Your knowledge has helped me get my Tracer to nearly where I need it!! There’s only a couple of things left to do now, ECU flash (already messaged Triple T and will hopefully get down to S-Tec to get sorted soon!) and the suspension which is what I’m hoping you can help with. I’ve bought a ZX10r rear shock and am looking for rear spring suggestions (ohlins/hyperpro etc?) I’m nearly 16stone geared up so the original spring will be all but useless, also does anyone have any base settings for preload/rebound/comp?

Finally I was going to go for the Andreani cartridge upgrade but on another forum a suspension expert doesn’t really rate them so much so that he says the compression is all but useless (only one persons opinion), so I was thinking would I just be better with linear springs for my weight, again ohlins or another brand? Since I’ve bought the bike it’s had the horrendous death weave, I mean it was bad! I’m used to riding sports bikes and sometimes being aggressive in the twisties, throttle and brake action and although I know this bike isn’t the same, I do want to have some fun! I’ve set the suspension up and am very nearly maxed out preload front and rear and still have 50mm of sag, however the weave is nearly all but gone after the last preload adjustment (you can feel it trying to weave but it’s controllable), I think dropping the yolkes 5mm should be enough to stop it, this is the reason I’m thinking maybe just springs are best as I don’t want to spend £800 - £1000 on Ohlins fork internals!!

Any advice would be hugely helpful, sorry for the long post and thanks!!

 

[chump]

Those who have fitted Andreani cartridges to their own bikes will tell you that they are a massive improvement over stock. They may not be perfect, and a suspension specialist may struggle to come to terms with "good enough", but they will be a big improvement.

Other suspension experts will tell you how wrong Ohlins can be, so it may be unwise to take the opinion of one specialist too seriously.

I just fitted an Ohlins shock and I'm so glad I did. What a massive difference. Not only does the bike not squat under power, but I can now accelerate through corners and still hold a line. It's a huge confidence boost and well worth the investment.

My next step is the front end. I will be fitting stiffer springs, probably from k-tech as they're £90 on the bay, and a GP Suspension revalve kit. It will not give me compression adjustment, but compression damping will be much closer to right. Rebound damping will also be much more controlled. Total cost about £250, maybe £300 inc springs.

 

[Tracertastic]

Hi,

Thanks for your input. Sorry hopefully I didn't offend anyone who has fitted the andreani cartridges! I agree btw with one persons view as an ex TT racer who has previously set my suspension up on other bikes rates the andreani stuff!

Where about a are you purchasing the gp valves from and any chance of a link to the k tech springs?

I'd love a fully adjustable rear shock with remote preload but can't justify it on a £6.5k bike, hence I've bought a zx10r rear shock and will fit it over winter. The idea is to do the forks at the same time. Again thanks for your input.

 

[chump]

The Ohlins has the preload adjuster at the bottom, so it's accessible on the bike. Same as Nitron.

Springs: YAMAHA FZ/MT-09 2013 - 2015 36-300- K-Tech Fork Springs | eBay

Valve kit can be bought from Stoltec Moto or direct from GP Suspension.

 

[Matt101]

I have just had Wilbers springs fitted at Revs Suspension. They are wound for your weight and what a difference. Dive has all but dissapeared and it feels SOOOO much more sure footed into and out of the twisty stuff.@£160 fitted. I took the forks in and they sorted them while I waited.

Now to work out how to get the matching back end past the financial director (Wife)!

 

[Tracertastic]

Chump - thanks for that info I'll look into it. That's the issue with the zx10 shock as the preload will effectively be under the tank and incredibly hard to adjust but bang for the buck I couldn't resist and may just have to become an expert in tank removal!

Matt - that's really good to know and lends weight to my thinking I may be able to get away with new springs and 5wt oil and possibly valve upgrade (I need to look into how much experience you need to change these as I want to do the work myself but and a total novice with suspension work!!)

 

[motorcycleboy]

Welcome Tracertastic, here is one of my recent post with your needed infos..It is not a matter of stifness but how the horizontal rear suspension absorves road surface and react friendly to the rider.
KYB zx10r '08-'10 rear shock is equipped with a 14mm nut for adjust high speed compresion dumping, a screw for adjust low speed compresion dumping and another screw for rebound.
It's spring is 90kg/cm, which is ideal for skinny/slim riders as most of the Japanese. To put it on MT-09 you need to unscrew the bolt that connects shock and swingarm and also unscrew the bolt at the top of the shock under the tank. With the help of a mate pull the OEM shock out and put back the zx shock with gas bottle facing front and downwards. Screw the bolts, adjust the sag (180mm spring's height for a 68kg/154lbs rider's weight) adjust compresions in the middle and start to add as rebound is needed for your riding style..
There is no need to cut any plastic at all. The shock of ZX is vertical installed on zx and has to be istalled horizontally on mt-09.
Ohlins has heavier springs for this shock for 60 euros.
For me it is the best cheap mode for a cheap bike..

My suspension specialist suggest's front ride sag 30-40mm and rear ride sag 25-35mm. Before you do it screw the rebound bolt all out. Then, the more rebound you put the more help on bike not to sit back when hard accelerate after exit from corners.
Standard spring of zx is 9kg/mm (90kg/cm) and Ohlins has springs for heavier zx10r riders as i wrote above.

 

[Kinjane]

You don't need to remove the tank to remove the OEM shock. Just place bike on centre stand, undo the front bolt, watch for the nut drop and lay the shock down onto engine casework.

Lift rear wheel up high enough to fully expose the lower nut and bolt and place suitable object under tyre to leave both hands free to remove them.

Lower rear wheel, remove old shock, slide new one in its place, raise rear wheel refit lower nut and bolt.

Move any wiring out of way so you can see from the left hand side when the eye hole of the shock is in the correct position before pushing the upper bolt through from the right.