Kawasaki 250 rear shocks - interchangable?

[Milts]

Hi,

I'm looking to buy a second hand rear shock for my ZZR-250. There seem to be plenty of these on eBay in the US for pretty decent prices (motorad quoted me over $500 for a brand new one, $400 to get my current one fixed, and I can pick up a 2003/4 one on eBay for less than $200NZ incl shipping). However just about all of the ones on eBay come from the EX250F model, known as the GPX here in NZ. My ZZR is an EX250H. Can anyone tell me definitively if the 250F shock will or will not fit fine in my 250H? I know that any off a bike from 2008 on won't fit, but what about the 1988-2007 models?

Cheers

[sil3nt]

Hey mate try asking over here they have a zzr250 subforum http://forums.ninja250.org/

Ask what different rear shocks fit the ZZR someone should know. Quite a few different shocks fit the GPX as you can see here http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Rear_suspension_upgrades

[Milts]

Hey mate try asking over here they have a zzr250 subforum http://forums.ninja250.org/

Ask what different rear shocks fit the ZZR someone should know. Quite a few different shocks fit the GPX as you can see here http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Rear_suspension_upgrades

Thanks,
I've had a look at that FAQ, the tricky bit is that both the GPX and the ZZR are EX250s but not many places seem to specify which shocks will fit the EX250H (ZZR), most talk about the 250F.

[sil3nt]

Yep which is why you go ask over in the forum you can post as a guest

[Milts]

Yep which is why you go ask over in the forum you can post as a guest

Yeah I've signed up and posted (didn't realise guests could post lol), hopefully they know what they're on about...

[Robert Taylor]

Hi,

I'm looking to buy a second hand rear shock for my ZZR-250. There seem to be plenty of these on eBay in the US for pretty decent prices (motorad quoted me over $500 for a brand new one, $400 to get my current one fixed, and I can pick up a 2003/4 one on eBay for less than $200NZ incl shipping). However just about all of the ones on eBay come from the EX250F model, known as the GPX here in NZ. My ZZR is an EX250H. Can anyone tell me definitively if the 250F shock will or will not fit fine in my 250H? I know that any off a bike from 2008 on won't fit, but what about the 1988-2007 models?

Cheers

$500 odd for a new shock is cheap in the scheme of things. If you buy used how do you know that its not going to drop its lunch several weeks later?

[Milts]

$500 odd for a new shock is cheap in the scheme of things. If you buy used how do you know that its not going to drop its lunch several weeks later?

That's always a risk I guess. Main reason is that a not-too-old 2nd hand one will cost me less than a third the price of a new one... not looking to spend 500-600 on a shock for a bike I paid 2300 for. Although there is always the risk it may not work out.

[FROSTY:Me]

My advice--look to option 3. Talk to RT and see if the shock in the bike can be rekitted/reoiled.
if yes then Id suggest its a truck load better option than even buying a factory new shock.
Quite frankly I'd suggest that buying a second hand shock will be a waste of money.

[Milts]

Ok, so I bought a 2nd hand shock from BikeBusters, and was assurred that it would fit my ZZR. Turns out that the one I was sent was from an EX250J (a 2008 Ninja), and it ALMOST fits, but... it's about 1.5cm longer than my current one, and the top is just over a millimeter too wide to fit.
So now my options are send it back and either buy a different shock that was acutally pulled out of a ZZR from there or another wreckers, or get motorad to grind it about a millimeter so that we are able to put it in. The only problem is what will happen if I do that. Will a 1.5cm length difference make it unusable, or will it not be an issue? I don't want to find that I modify it (and make it unsellable) and then learn that it's bad to stretch the chain the extra centimeter or similar...
Anyone have any ideas or experience with this?

[Sidewinder]

Ok, so I bought a 2nd hand shock from BikeBusters, and was assurred that it would fit my ZZR. Turns out that the one I was sent was from an EX250J (a 2008 Ninja), and it ALMOST fits, but... it's about 1.5cm longer than my current one, and the top is just over a millimeter too wide to fit.
So now my options are send it back and either buy a different shock that was acutally pulled out of a ZZR from there or another wreckers, or get motorad to grind it about a millimeter so that we are able to put it in. The only problem is what will happen if I do that. Will a 1.5cm length difference make it unusable, or will it not be an issue? I don't want to find that I modify it (and make it unsellable) and then learn that it's bad to stretch the chain the extra centimeter or similar...
Anyone have any ideas or experience with this?

nah it will jack up the rear which will make it turn in better and keep the front down, so its a win win

[Robert Taylor]

Ok, so I bought a 2nd hand shock from BikeBusters, and was assurred that it would fit my ZZR. Turns out that the one I was sent was from an EX250J (a 2008 Ninja), and it ALMOST fits, but... it's about 1.5cm longer than my current one, and the top is just over a millimeter too wide to fit.
So now my options are send it back and either buy a different shock that was acutally pulled out of a ZZR from there or another wreckers, or get motorad to grind it about a millimeter so that we are able to put it in. The only problem is what will happen if I do that. Will a 1.5cm length difference make it unusable, or will it not be an issue? I don't want to find that I modify it (and make it unsellable) and then learn that it's bad to stretch the chain the extra centimeter or similar...
Anyone have any ideas or experience with this?

As Sidewinder suggests this can in fact be a good thing. Frankly its always like Russin roulette buying off many wreckers. The other thing that is not guranteed is if the spring rate and damping forces in that shock are any where near okay. Shocks are very definitely not ''one size fits all'.