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08' FZ6 S2 The hardest riding rear monoshock ever..

FZ6 has basic damping rods. Budget suspension.

Damping rod suspension almost always use progressive rate springs because the damping rod is unable to provide rate-based damping.
 
Gary in NJ said:
I think that they are a significant improvement over the stock suspension. In order to implement the conversion you will need to fabricate custom axle spacers. You will likely need new springs.

Here are my thoughts on the FZ6 suspension:

Post in thread 'suspension improvement and adjustment'
https://www.600riders.com/threads/suspension-improvement-and-adjustment.59280/post-649887
Click to expand...
Gary,I read 85% of your post and understand what it says.
Have you tried to install only the correct spring rate Race-Tech linear fork springs w/o doing the procedure of drilling out the OEM damper rods and installing the GV,and then fine-tune the forks using only the oil viscosity/amount ?
I like race-Tech's teflon bushings and synthetic oil products.
I did a pair of 86' Honda VFR750F Interceptor front forks,drilled out the lower damper rods as Race tech directed,then installed their GV's and Straight Rate springs;I thought it was difficult to need to remove the GV and fine-tune it.
I did finally install a full pair of CBR600F2 front forks and triples on it which had adjustable factory rebound damping on them;I installed the Race-Tech's straight rate springs only w/o the GVs,but did use their teflon bushings/super slick oil and was able to adjust the forks from the tops w/o removing the springs,etc.
These 94' CBR600F2 were also damper rod forks.
I feel they worked ok,although that was in 1997'.
 
I despise damping rod forks. They don’t work. So no, I haven’t used straight rate springs with a damping rod fork…as I don’t think it is a good solution. Installing cartridge emulators takes just a few hours of effort, but in return you get forks that are comfortable and predictable every time you ride.
 
grcamna7 said:
Graham,when you cut a bit off the factory Yamaha spacers,was your intended purpose for less preload:to soften the ride ?
Click to expand...

Yes. The OEM setup is for an "average" rider, but I'm lighter than that, hence needing to reduce the preload.
 
@grcamna7: This is probably going to sound like an advertisement, but it's an honest review. I've upgraded both my front and rear suspension with the help of a shop not too far from you. In the front, I had new Racetech springs and Gold Valve Emulators installed along with the necessary alterations to the damping rods; for the rear I bought a shock from Wilbers (Germany) fit for the FZ6 and I installed that myself. All of the components were ordered through Beemershop in Scotts Valley, CA. They've got a ton of experience with suspensions for all kinds of bikes, not just BMWs.

Their process was pretty simple. After speaking with them on the phone, I shipped them my forks along with a questionnaire that asked for my weight with gear on, height, how often I ride with a pillion, etc., and they ordered everything with those specs in mind. They set up the forks completely and shipped them back to me. When the rear shock arrived to them from Germany (it took maybe 5 weeks), they set that up for me so all I had to do was install it. The reason I went with this shop is because they're one of two Wilbers dealers in the USA.

The difference in ride quality is night and day. It definitely wasn't cheap, but it's truly transformed the bike.

Alternately, I could've shipped my forks to RaceTech—they do installations for their own parts too. I just figured I'd do everything at one shop, plus I wanted a whole new rear shock.
 
Veloce said:
@grcamna7: This is probably going to sound like an advertisement, but it's an honest review. I've upgraded both my front and rear suspension with the help of a shop not too far from you. In the front, I had new Racetech springs and Gold Valve Emulators installed along with the necessary alterations to the damping rods; for the rear I bought a shock from Wilbers (Germany) fit for the FZ6 and I installed that myself. All of the components were ordered through Beemershop in Scotts Valley, CA. They've got a ton of experience with suspensions for all kinds of bikes, not just BMWs.

Their process was pretty simple. After speaking with them on the phone, I shipped them my forks along with a questionnaire that asked for my weight with gear on, height, how often I ride with a pillion, etc., and they ordered everything with those specs in mind. They set up the forks completely and shipped them back to me. When the rear shock arrived to them from Germany (it took maybe 5 weeks), they set that up for me so all I had to do was install it. The reason I went with this shop is because they're one of two Wilbers dealers in the USA.

The difference in ride quality is night and day. It definitely wasn't cheap, but it's truly transformed the bike.

Alternately, I could've shipped my forks to RaceTech—they do installations for their own parts too. I just figured I'd do everything at one shop, plus I wanted a whole new rear shock.
Click to expand...
Hi Veloce, Scott's Valley,I see. 😉 👍
How long has it been since you installed all those tuned suspension parts into your bike,and been riding it with them ? My questions are;have you done any adjustments to either the rear shock or front forks since then ? How many different adjustments do your Fr. & Rr. suspension components have that you could fine-tune & adjust yourself w/o needing to open-up the(forks,etc.)components ?
 
Last edited:
Gary in NJ said:
I despise damping rod forks. They don’t work. So no, I haven’t used straight rate springs with a damping rod fork…as I don’t think it is a good solution. Installing cartridge emulators takes just a few hours of effort, but in return you get forks that are comfortable and predictable every time you ride.
Click to expand...
Thanks Gary.

I understand now,after looking again at your post #21.
 
Last edited:
grcamna7 said:
Hi Veloce, Scott's Valley,I see. 😉 👍
How long has it been since you installed all those tuned suspension parts into your bike,and been riding it with them ? My questions are;have you done any adjustments to either the rear shock or front forks since then ? How many different adjustments do your Fr. & Rr. suspension components have that you could fine-tune & adjust yourself w/o needing to open-up the(forks,etc.)components ?
Click to expand...
I did this project back in 2022, and have put ~14k miles on the bike since then.

The shock has adjustable preload and rebound. Wilbers has another model with adjustable compression as well, but I didn’t want to spend the additional money for that.

For the front, I swapped the fork caps for a set with adjustable preload. This is easy to do but you have to find caps with the correct thread pitch, which I don’t recall offhand.

I haven’t had to make any significant adjustments since I installed everything. Beemershop did a really great job setting everything up for my weight and riding style.
 
Veloce said:
I did this project back in 2022, and have put ~14k miles on the bike since then.

The shock has adjustable preload and rebound. Wilbers has another model with adjustable compression as well, but I didn’t want to spend the additional money for that.

For the front, I swapped the fork caps for a set with adjustable preload. This is easy to do but you have to find caps with the correct thread pitch, which I don’t recall offhand.

I haven’t had to make any significant adjustments since I installed everything. Beemershop did a really great job setting everything up for my weight and riding style.
Click to expand...
Excellent,thanks.
Your FZ must handle the road's bumps and curves Great now.
 
Last edited:
I was 'set' on the YSS,but later did some considering.. and decided to instead go with the Hyperpro Type 460 emulsion rear shock(with their progressive spring)and Hyperpro front fork springs from Bryan at EPM in NJ. Just ordered them yesterday.
I really look forward to removing that horrible OEM Yamaha rear shock and install the Hyperpro.
The way the bike rides now:stock,is very tiring,what with hitting all the mess they made these CA. roads into. CALTRANS ! :mad:
 
grcamna7 said:
The shock was on 3 when I first got the bike;I put it down to 1 and it's still very hard. :(
Seems like too much compression damping?

I was speaking with a Yamaha guy from Partzilla the other day and he recommended an 05' R6 rear shock,the one with the red spring;he described how it has adjustable damping.

I want a rear shock that's fully adjustable and comfortable,and handles great.
Click to expand...
I put a YSS on mine 2 years ago.i also fitted the Hyperpro fork springs and oil.Transformed the bike. It handles beautifully now.
 
IMO with totally stock suspension the bike is basically unrideable above 75mph. The first thing I did was install the Race Tech Gold valves and springs on the front, this made the bike ridable. However, I was finding it was pretty squirrely above 100mph, and bumps at any speed were super harsh on from the rear. I just modified and installed a $100 Ebay 2015+ R1 shock. It is a night and day improvement. I was able to use the Stock spring, and modify the shock to match the stock height. It is so good now I wanna do more on the front end so it matches the comfort of the rear. But not sure I can justify the cost, the race tech stuff works, and was easy to setup. You can see my shock detailed install on reddit here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/fz6/comments/1p88i5h/the_perfect_replacement_diy_guide_for_2015_r1
 
TownsendsFJR1300 said:
No chain / shock / rear wheel cover (that attaches to the swingarm)?

I'd be concerned about road debris getting at the shock as well as the chain (at least)....


.
Click to expand...
The rear wheel cover fits with the R1 shock with no modifications needed. I just took the picture without it so folks could see the shock installed.
 
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