Springs for rear shock?

[hmurphy]

Hey what have people done to replace springs in shocks for their buckets? I have seen a few buckets with R6 or GSXR600 or ZX6R shocks and I'm just wondering what people have done about them considering they are over sprung for light weight buckets and the low forces we put into them around kart tracks. I can get a new spring made from scratch for $140 plus GST. This is one option.

This is not for my bucket, it's for a mates bucket who has a GSXR600 shock. It is far too hard even on the softest preload setting.

Cheers

[nzspokes]

Tell him to eat more pies and it will be fine.

[F5 Dave]

First off when anyone says that my spider sense tingles. I'd ensure 1 that the compression or rebound is not wound in fully, either can make them miserable. check preload while at it.

Then chock the bike up & check for freeplay at the rear wheel. then pull out the shock & check for ease of movement of sw & of linkages. once sure bearings are not mullered it is worth carrying on.

RT at CKT will be able to sort out a new spring for sure. Spring made at NZ springs is an option, but can't cover all bases due to high grade spring steel often required.

[hmurphy]

Yeah the shock is almost brand spankin' and the damping settings have been tested on their hardest and softest settings. You can tell the differences in compression and rebound damping settings but because there is bugger all travel capable it does make it a little hard to tell (this is simply by bouncing the bike). I rode the bike round Kaitoke and with everything turned down to the softest setting, the bike was painful to ride. It would chatter/vibrate and bounce over the bumps like you wouldn't believe and tried to spit me off while attempting to even slightly push. It was like having no rear suspension.

The wheel might have some free play (can't check this right now) but unlikely as bearings are new. The linkages could potentially be an issue, they did look and seem a little crusty from memory. The shock bearings should be great (and from memory they are) because the shock has almost never been used. Will check over the list of things you mentioned.

I know Fish has a ZX6R shock in his bike and I was meant to ask him what he did to get it to work properly. If you're reading this Fish... what did you do?

The stock shock provides a much better ride at the moment but isn't adjustable and that's what Steve wants.

[Deano]

Would a stock SV650 spring be any good ? I'm pretty sure that stock SV's are undersprung compared with a sports bike.

[Yow Ling]

i had a spring made $160 at Chamberlain Springs in Chch.
What sort of bike? A r6 shock on ebay is about $15.00 thats what we put in Buddhas TZR frame with just a little exrta preload. a dead fxr shock spring maybe

[hmurphy]

Cheers Deano, I measured the SV spring on my Mum's bike and unfortunately it wont work on this shock. It's too long.

This is for an RGV250 frame. The shock was real cheap off ebay so I guess extra money could be spent on getting a new spring made.

[koba]

Cheers Deano, I measured the SV spring on my Mum's bike and unfortunately it wont work on this shock. It's too long.

This is for an RGV250 frame. The shock was real cheap off ebay so I guess extra money could be spent on getting a new spring made.

Can you use the RGV spring?

Maybe try it wit the damping set somewhere in the middle? (just a hunch)

[hmurphy]

Yeah we looked at doing that but the spring wont fit around the outside of the shock, the inner diameter is too narrow on the stock shocks spring. Yeah we played with a few of the settings and none are very good, the spring doesn't let it travel enough

[Buckets4Me]

The shock was real cheap off ebay so I guess the old owner ate to many pies

fixed that statment for you

Tz is using a gsxr600 (1998) shock in his fzr250 frame with the old fzr spring

maby an old fzr spring

[koba]

Yeah we looked at doing that but the spring wont fit around the outside of the shock, the inner diameter is too narrow on the stock shocks spring. Yeah we played with a few of the settings and none are very good, the spring doesn't let it travel enough

Another factor to consider is different linkage actions...

[Ned Kelly]

This is not for my bucket, it's for a mates bucket who has a GSXR600 shock. It is far too hard even on the softest preload setting. Cheers

TZ350 uses a FZR250 chassis for his Bucket and has a GSXR600 (08-09 I think) rear shock with the original lighter FZR250 spring, works OK. Earlier years of 600 have longer fatter shock bodies.

[fi5hy]

lighter spring and money for valving

[F5 Dave]

I'd totally misread that as not for a bucket.

Will be valved for a 200kg (yes really) bike with a different linkage ratio. the 'adjustment' won't be in the area you want -or the right ballpark.

[hmurphy]

Sweet thanks Fish, getting onto that.

Yeah it's got high speed and low speed damping settings (which I have never played with on a big bike... or any bike for that matter) and I have read up about how that all works. I doubted that the shock would be usefully adjustable at the low speed damping settings (let alone high speed damping settings) simply because a 100kg bucket, averaging a speed of 65km/h around tight corners and only putting out roughly 12 or 15hp at the wheel would put enough forces through the shock to get the damping valves working. I'll see how hard and how expensive this all is and let you guys know for future reference. Even I'm interested for my own bucket (but I don't really need it so I wont be silly and buy one until mine stops working someday).

Cheers for the help guys