Question on race suspension

krolinked · September 3rd, 2014, 10:50 AM

What do you fast guys use? Do you use the recommended racetech spring weight, or do you go just a little harder? I'm about to get some springs but want to make sure I buy the best possible ones.

csmith12 · September 3rd, 2014, 11:08 AM

The front will be hardest to sort to your liking and remember the front and rear work together. The most common problem is a rear that is too stiff in relation to the front. If you don't get that weight off the front at apex your gunna be fighting to keep the front from pushing/tucking. Once you get it really close, things start to feel much, much better....

Both rojo and I went with stiffer springs than what racetech recommended. He create a big thread about it here. But take that with a grain of salt because there are many who have little faith in the racetech calcs and both Jason and I brake crazy hard. We both also did the emulators and I added preload adjuster caps because of the tracks I ride.

My rear is a 08 gsxr 600 oem shock, with some of the low speed compression taken out from the stock setting and preloaded to what I like.

Once everything is installed, set sag and adjust to personal preferences, which includes fork oil weight. You might have to ride it and change it to get the exact feel you want.

Lastly, before you go out and buy a bunch of stuff, you can do some amazing things on the stock bits. My race competition is a 260lb rider on stock suspension and he keeps up really, really well. Hell, he sometimes wins.

csmith12 · September 3rd, 2014, 11:41 AM

Hmmm.... I guess I should have asked. Is this question for a 250 or your Hyperstrada?

krolinked · September 3rd, 2014, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by csmith12

Hmmm.... I guess I should have asked. Is this question for a 250 or your Hyperstrada?

Its for a ninja 250 that i'm planning on racing with.

Trailerboy531 · September 3rd, 2014, 12:36 PM

What? My advice the other day wasn't good enough?

**** YOU THEN

krolinked · September 3rd, 2014, 01:08 PM

lol. Meaaax. I'm just gathering more info. I didn't say your advice wasn't useful! stop being a jealous girlfriend!

csmith12 · September 3rd, 2014, 01:15 PM

Bigballsofpaint · September 3rd, 2014, 01:17 PM

I used sonicsprings and heavier oil in the front. I emailed him first though as it said i should use .80 for aggressive street and .90 for track, we settled on .85 since i use it for both and he recomended a heavier weight than i planned on. Front feels great, i got preload adjusters as well, no emulators though. I didnt want to pull the forks completely apart.

GSXR750 rear shock. Night and day from stock, but i couldnt tell you how it compares to a cartridged front end and an ohlins on the back. I can say that i no longer feel the need to do anything else on the suspension though. Next up ill be working on power adders...

krolinked · September 3rd, 2014, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigballsofpaint

I used sonicsprings and heavier oil in the front. I emailed him first though as it said i should use .80 for aggressive street and .90 for track, we settled on .85 since i use it for both and he recomended a heavier weight than i planned on. Front feels great, i got preload adjusters as well, no emulators though. I didnt want to pull the forks completely apart.

GSXR750 rear shock. Night and day from stock, but i couldnt tell you how it compares to a cartridged front end and an ohlins on the back. I can say that i no longer feel the need to do anything else on the suspension though. Next up ill be working on power adders...

What is your weight without gear? Who did you call? Sonic?

Bigballsofpaint · September 3rd, 2014, 01:52 PM

Im 175-180 without gear. I emailed sonic springs, i think his name is Rich. It doesnt list a phone number on his site. Very friendly, came with good instructions and was a decent amount cheaper than RT. At the end of the day i figured a spring is a spring.

KazMan · September 3rd, 2014, 02:11 PM

Front as others have mentioned. Emulators are pretty good and installed in my forks. You can also play around with oil height/amount in the forks to fine tune.

If you are going to get a rear shock, I highly advise biting the bullet and getting a rear shock in which you can adjust shock length. It will pay off in spades over the time you are riding your 250.

adouglas · September 3rd, 2014, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigballsofpaint

Next up ill be working on power adders...

Best power adderer there is....

This, and the bike that goes with it.

Trailerboy531 · September 4th, 2014, 10:26 AM

Did.... did he just show his face?

Bigballsofpaint · September 4th, 2014, 10:31 AM

Its his way of coming out to the community, as if buying a gsxr wasnt enough.

You're just jealous i have 2 bikes Andy

adouglas · September 4th, 2014, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigballsofpaint

You're just jealous i have 2 bikes Andy

True, dat.

I have visions of an RC390 track toy.....

Foxrider64 · September 4th, 2014, 01:19 PM

I'm running Sonic springs too- no emulators or preload adjusters- but I do have custom PVC preload spacers to replace the aluminum ones. I am using slightly heavier weight oil than suggested.

I bought a GSXR 750 shock for the rear- but I am so light weight that the rear feels decent for me at my pace right now. I am not a super hard breaker either.

September 3rd, 2014, 10:50 AM	#1
krolinked Nerd Name: Chris Location: Tujunga Join Date: Mar 2012 Motorcycle(s): Ducati Hyperstrada Posts: 672	Question on race suspension What do you fast guys use? Do you use the recommended racetech spring weight, or do you go just a little harder? I'm about to get some springs but want to make sure I buy the best possible ones. __________________________________________________ It doesn't LOOK that steep. But you can go first...

September 3rd, 2014, 11:08 AM	#2
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	The front will be hardest to sort to your liking and remember the front and rear work together. The most common problem is a rear that is too stiff in relation to the front. If you don't get that weight off the front at apex your gunna be fighting to keep the front from pushing/tucking. Once you get it really close, things start to feel much, much better.... Both rojo and I went with stiffer springs than what racetech recommended. He create a big thread about it here. But take that with a grain of salt because there are many who have little faith in the racetech calcs and both Jason and I brake crazy hard. We both also did the emulators and I added preload adjuster caps because of the tracks I ride. My rear is a 08 gsxr 600 oem shock, with some of the low speed compression taken out from the stock setting and preloaded to what I like. Once everything is installed, set sag and adjust to personal preferences, which includes fork oil weight. You might have to ride it and change it to get the exact feel you want. Lastly, before you go out and buy a bunch of stuff, you can do some amazing things on the stock bits. My race competition is a 260lb rider on stock suspension and he keeps up really, really well. Hell, he sometimes wins. __________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

September 3rd, 2014, 11:41 AM	#3
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	Hmmm.... I guess I should have asked. Is this question for a 250 or your Hyperstrada? __________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

September 3rd, 2014, 12:36 PM	#5
Trailerboy531 Gear crash test dummy Name: Max Location: South Bay (So. Cal) Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Ninja 250 race bike, 2014 ZX-636r Posts: A lot.	What? My advice the other day wasn't good enough? **** YOU THEN __________________________________________________ CVMA #531

September 3rd, 2014, 01:08 PM	#6
krolinked Nerd Name: Chris Location: Tujunga Join Date: Mar 2012 Motorcycle(s): Ducati Hyperstrada Posts: 672	lol. Meaaax. I'm just gathering more info. I didn't say your advice wasn't useful! stop being a jealous girlfriend! __________________________________________________ It doesn't LOOK that steep. But you can go first...

September 3rd, 2014, 01:15 PM	#7
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	__________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

September 3rd, 2014, 01:17 PM	#8
Bigballsofpaint ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Jay Location: CT Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2015 636 ABS - 69 Honda 305 Posts: A lot.	I used sonicsprings and heavier oil in the front. I emailed him first though as it said i should use .80 for aggressive street and .90 for track, we settled on .85 since i use it for both and he recomended a heavier weight than i planned on. Front feels great, i got preload adjusters as well, no emulators though. I didnt want to pull the forks completely apart. GSXR750 rear shock. Night and day from stock, but i couldnt tell you how it compares to a cartridged front end and an ohlins on the back. I can say that i no longer feel the need to do anything else on the suspension though. Next up ill be working on power adders...

September 3rd, 2014, 01:52 PM	#10
Bigballsofpaint ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Jay Location: CT Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2015 636 ABS - 69 Honda 305 Posts: A lot.	Im 175-180 without gear. I emailed sonic springs, i think his name is Rich. It doesnt list a phone number on his site. Very friendly, came with good instructions and was a decent amount cheaper than RT. At the end of the day i figured a spring is a spring.
	1 out of 1 members found this post helpful.

September 3rd, 2014, 02:11 PM	#11
KazMan ninjette.org member Name: Eric Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): none yet Posts: 228	Front as others have mentioned. Emulators are pretty good and installed in my forks. You can also play around with oil height/amount in the forks to fine tune. If you are going to get a rear shock, I highly advise biting the bullet and getting a rear shock in which you can adjust shock length. It will pay off in spades over the time you are riding your 250.

September 4th, 2014, 10:26 AM	#13
Trailerboy531 Gear crash test dummy Name: Max Location: South Bay (So. Cal) Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Ninja 250 race bike, 2014 ZX-636r Posts: A lot.	Did.... did he just show his face? __________________________________________________ CVMA #531
	1 out of 1 members found this post helpful.

September 4th, 2014, 10:31 AM	#14
Bigballsofpaint ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Jay Location: CT Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2015 636 ABS - 69 Honda 305 Posts: A lot.	Its his way of coming out to the community, as if buying a gsxr wasnt enough. You're just jealous i have 2 bikes Andy

September 4th, 2014, 01:19 PM	#16
Foxrider64 Hello Moto Name: Alex Location: Ft. Myers Join Date: Mar 2013 Motorcycle(s): 1975 RD350; 2001 KX125; 2003 Z1000; 2003 KDX50; 2009 ZX6R; 2011 Ninja 250R; 2014 KX250F Posts: 352	I'm running Sonic springs too- no emulators or preload adjusters- but I do have custom PVC preload spacers to replace the aluminum ones. I am using slightly heavier weight oil than suggested. I bought a GSXR 750 shock for the rear- but I am so light weight that the rear feels decent for me at my pace right now. I am not a super hard breaker either.

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