Odakyu-sen
1st May 2022, 17:40
I have bought a 2018 Kawasaki Versys-X 300.
The front forks are the el-cheapo push-rod dampened ones, which means that they are both squishy and harsh at the same time. I'd like to fit an emulator or something that has a shim stack instead of only orifices to handle the passage of the fork oil when you hit a bump. Has anyone fitted an emulator kit themselves? Do you need any special tools? Are the supplied instructions adequate? Was it a nightmare or a piece of cake?
Backstory: In 2001 I bought a new R6. The stock suspension was shite. I had Norman Cobb of Suspension Tech fit a shim-stack thingy to the front fork internals that transformed the front end. Eliminated the harshness. Today, 20 years and 165,000 km later, I still love to ride that bike. I'd like to give the harsh forks of my new Versys-X a similar treatment. I plan to keep the bike long-term.
BTW, the little Versys handles the tight corners very well. Neutral handling, with no sensation of "falling into" the corner. Does not self-steer. Light and confidence-inspiring. The front end is harsh, that's all.
Any comments welcome.
The front forks are the el-cheapo push-rod dampened ones, which means that they are both squishy and harsh at the same time. I'd like to fit an emulator or something that has a shim stack instead of only orifices to handle the passage of the fork oil when you hit a bump. Has anyone fitted an emulator kit themselves? Do you need any special tools? Are the supplied instructions adequate? Was it a nightmare or a piece of cake?
Backstory: In 2001 I bought a new R6. The stock suspension was shite. I had Norman Cobb of Suspension Tech fit a shim-stack thingy to the front fork internals that transformed the front end. Eliminated the harshness. Today, 20 years and 165,000 km later, I still love to ride that bike. I'd like to give the harsh forks of my new Versys-X a similar treatment. I plan to keep the bike long-term.
BTW, the little Versys handles the tight corners very well. Neutral handling, with no sensation of "falling into" the corner. Does not self-steer. Light and confidence-inspiring. The front end is harsh, that's all.
Any comments welcome.