Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

It's funny that, the forks were fine till i fitted some decent rears.hahaha
I might try and get my suspension guy to do the same thing to the rex forks as he did to my race bike. The forks on my ZX6 are THE best forks i've ever ridden on. If the fuckers fitted the Rex i'd swap it for sure.

Strika wrote:It's funny that, the forks were fine till i fitted some decent rears.hahaha
I might try and get my suspension guy to do the same thing to the rex forks as he did to my race bike. The forks on my ZX6 are THE best forks i've ever ridden on. If the fuckers fitted the Rex i'd swap it for sure.

Did Trevor do your forks? You have the advantage of the older style internals - much easier to modify . I'm sure Muddy would also be able to sort something out for you - but I guess you already knew that

Yeah mate, muddy's been at me for some Ohlins, he'll be pissy if i don't let him at either end.

Strika wrote:Yeah mate, muddy's been at me for some Ohlins, he'll be pissy if i don't let him at either end.

Only one end left they do come in black as well you know

I have now got some Racetech springs & gold rebound valves for the forks. Just not sure how confident i am in fitting them.
May have to pay someone.
Cheers

ZORDO1200 wrote:I have now got some Racetech springs & gold rebound valves for the forks. Just not sure how confident i am in fitting them.
May have to pay someone.
Cheers

Mick Hams is in Brivegas I think - he comes highly recommended.

Mick Ham's is back living in Germany now.

Strika wrote:They are still almost double the price of the Gazi shocks though. If i was chasing .05 of a second at the Island, I might be fleshing out the additional coin to get the really top end stuff, Ohlins, WP etc., but for the Rex, It's just overkill. I really need to be conservative with the mods on the Rex, as if it gets any faster, NONE of the sportsbike riders will want to come along for a ride anymore!!!

Hey Strika,
I ended up swallowing my national pride & had the Wilbers landed @ my door for less than $1100au inc freight. So they ended up being about $100au under what I could get a set of manual preload (my preference) Ohlins landed for. So they stack up well value wise .

I have spoken with a few guys with Wilbers on both Rex's & racebikes. They all say similiar things. Well controlled with almost infinite adjustments.

I can't wait for my back to come good so i can go throw the lamb into the lions den and see how those poofy lions like having it served up to them. I love ZRX's.

I just went out to the shed and drooled all over my Rex. Fucked if I know why I like this bike so much? It was never a bike I lusted after and in actual fact was bought to use as a touring bike with panniers and top box loaded to cover intertate tours. Sure, it does that a bit and does it better than any other bike I have owned and that includes the beemer. But, it also rides like a sports bike when I want it to and not just an impression of one, but a genuine real life sportsbike which only a sportbike rider with either more ability, or less brains can pass.

I just had another look over the Gazi shocks, checked all the lcok nuts were secure and stood back to admire. I like the look as is blends in well with the silver on the bike. Plus removing the Gazi stickers will only have those who really know them well, not realising that they are anthing but stock.

After my initial ride with the new shocks highlighting the need for some front end changes and without a budget to play with for a litle while, I went out and had a fiddle with the adjusters. I ended up with three rings showing on front preload, one off max for compression damping and max rebond. I am hoping to be strong enough tomorrow to take it for a little 150klm training run with my next door neighbour so I will post the results once back.....if I make it!!!!

I had a seat on it in the garage this morning and found it muc easier than trying to drive a car, as it doesn't bed my legs to the position where it starts putting pressure on the nerves. I might be forced to ride to work for a little while>>

Well it turns out riding is far less painful than driving, with my legs much straighter.
The new rear shocks are awesome. I wound off one more click of compression which felt even better. They really do work brilliantly.

The forks mods also made a huge difference. The bike feels much more even front to rear and is way better balanced through rutted turns. Getting on the gas through rutted turns is now fuss free, with it just biting the tarmac and driving off rather than having to feather the throttle till the road smooths out.

As a recomendation, if you are about the 80kg mark or thereabouts, the spring rates are just on the firmer side if not perfect, which means the addition of luggage or a pillion should keep it all in an acceptable range to work.

The ride comfort, although not a priority to me, turns out to be incredibly comfortable, with small sharp harsh bumps & massive hits no longer transferring the shock forces directly into the frame. The uphot being it tracks better and no longer skips across the road mid corner.

I can't wait to see how well it stacks up on the next MSBRC run. I think a few if the fast guys might be a little surprised at it's increased turn speed.

Another big difference is on bumpy roads. Previuosly when the road gets rough, the Rex sruggled big time. At full lean it would start walking around at the back end. On some dry turns i got really aggressive with the throttle and it just bit the tarmac and drove off the turn without fuss.

The previous shocks would also send my arse into orbit over a pebble. These just soak it all up and return it to where it should.

So, as a summary;

spring rates perfect
Damping adjustments actually work and the range cover 100% road variation (i can't comment on track settings yet, but it has plenty more adjustment so should work well-fade being the only uncertainty.)

I am mightily impressed with the component quality too. Longevity is the only unanswered question.

I had to dink a mate from work to home today. A bump going over a bridge usually sends rider and pillion into orbit. The Gazi's just absorbed it and returned without my arse leaving the seat. I asked my mate who has an 05 blade and rides that bump everyday and was impressed with how well controlled they were.

Coming into my estate there is a downhill constant radius left which has stutter bumps mid turn. With the old shocks i'd have to feather the throttle to stop it skipping across them. Now i can keep it pinned and it does nothing. Absolutely nothing but transfer power having me arrive at the following right a touch faster than usual. The roundabout which follows has a bump right at the point where you turn the bike. With the KYB's it was a wobbly, jiggly unsettling little affair. Now, it just turns.......

Sounds pretty good mate. What are you thinking re the front now?

Nothing immediately, but when the timing's right just a spring n revalve most likely. But something like the racer with high and low comp n rebound just to be different.