Carlos840
Junior Member
Thanks for the drawing FinalImpact. It was clear from your previous explanation but you illustrated it well. I am not sure if I ever bottomed my fork before. Maybe I did and didn't notice. So right now I am still riding with the current setup albeit more cautiously.
Also thank you guys for the input on the suspensions. I have decided to go with Racetech linear .85 or .90Kg/mm, whichever is available. From my readings so far, it would seem that this is a medium-to-firm setup. I'm around 160Lbs and I ride alone 90% of the time. 2 up with the current setup has become progressively more annoying over the last 2 years. The forks keep diving and diving on braking.
I'm don't track but like I said I enjoy leaning when the roads permit. Basically I just want to get rid of the insecure feeling I get from my bike when doing curves. I like my car's suspension to be on the firmer side so I figured my preferences for motorcycle suspension should be the same. I prefer to sacrifice a bit of comfort for the feeling that the tires stay planted on the road at all time. I'm far from being a skilled rider and the Fz6 is my first bike so educated guessing is part of my learning process.
I do hope I will like the new suspension though and I will know in a week if I picked the right firmness.
Personally i would go for .80 Kg/mm or .85Kg/mm!
I weight 180 lbs without gear and i have the racetech .90 springs and they give me perfect free sag to rider sag ratio.
The spring rate has little to do with suspension firmness, that is controlled by the damping, ie the oil weight or the addition of emulators.
Your spring should be chosen depending on your weight and your sag goal, that's it.
Here is the thread i posted when i did my forks, there is a lot of useful information on it:
http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-performance-mods-section/51901-suspension-setup.html
And this link, which is full of great spring rate info:
Peter Verdone Designs - Motorcycle Springs
And here is the thread i did after adding the emulators and the rear shock:
http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-general-discussion/53102-final-motorcycle-update.html
By the way, if you can afford it i really recommend the emulators, they are great!