hey guys, real quick, ive got race tech springs in my front end with heavier fluid so my suspension is fdairly stiff, its setup for about a 230 pound rider right now. i put on the ebc brakes last night and noticed i have all of an inch if that left before they brake line will snap off fromeither the caliper or more than likely the master. how much suspension travel is there in the front end of the bike during acceleration, basically from where the bike sits with no weight on it how much higher will it go if im on the gas or if the front wheel lifts? im gonna have to find a longer brake line for it and add it to my winter list and my riding is nearly done for the year as its hitting near freezing over night and not warming up much in the day. i just dont want to go out on the bike and have it rip out a front brake line and make my day that much more exciting

 

That should be more than enough slack in the brake lines. You should have a few mm of free sag (this is with conventional forks, most USD forks now have top out springs which makes things a little different) but the forks are very close to being topped out when the bike is just sitting.

The easiest way to double check is to either jack the front end off the ground and recheck the slack or just put the bike on the side stand and lever the front off the ground and see how much slack is left but you really shouldn't have any trouble with what you have.

 

Perfect thanks buddy. I was worried is rip off a line :-)

 

just took it for a spin, looking from the top down especially while sitting on it it seems to have alot more room to move than i thought, the only problem i see now is that while riding forward the brake line touches the rad hose.

 

cut a piece of rubber hose and plastic tie it to the hose.

I don't think heavier fork oil is the best set up, but I don't know the specifics of what weight you are referring to. I like lighter fork oil for quicker response.

 

You are absolutely right Nath. Heavier oil just makes the harshness of the stock forks even worse. Many people have the perception that stiff is good. In fact, when I look at the dyno sheets for setups I'm working on I like to see a decent amount of damping at the very low speeds but considerably less damping in the high speed range (over stock). The high speed range is where your handling really comes from, and having a good compliant damping action is the key.

 

so what are your thoughts on the fork oil, flush it out and put whats recommended from factory into it over the winter? we only used heavier oil last year because i was alot heavier and race tech didnt have a spring suited for my weight

 

thanks for the tip, very simple and i didnt think of it, jeez man i tell you some days my brain doesnt work, lol

 

Run Honda Pro Oils 5wt fluid and you'll be all set. Many people think that fluid can adjust for incorrect spring rate - it can't. About the only option you have is to run more spring preload. That's also less than ideal but a much better approach than trying to get damping to make up the difference.

 

A big +1 on Honda Pro 5wt.

I used it with the stock set up and still use in in my RC51 w\Ohlins bits front end.

Why? Because Dan Kyle told me too..... after a long lecture about different brands of fork oil. So no real need for the fancy high priced fork oils in our application, the Honda stuff will work well for you.

 

Excellent thanks guys appreciate the info. Can I run the same stuff in my zx6 forks too?

 

Are they Showa forks?

 

dont know what showa forks are. theyre whatever came stock on a 98 zx6r

 

Well they are either Showa or KYB and have a sticker on them somewhere with either name on it.

Kind of like Keihin or Mikuni carbs on a Japanese bike, you have one or the other.

I do a quick search to see if I can find the info...

 

Well they are either Showa or KYB and have a sticker on them somewhere with either name on it.

Kind of like Keihin or Mikuni carbs on a Japanese bike, you have one or the other.

I do a quick search to see if I can find the info...

 

The ZX's use KYB forks, but the Honda Pro Oils 5wt would work just fine in those too.

 

Ok great thanks. I'll order a jug of 5wt from my buddy to use in both. Thanks. For the help guys