jamme61
Parking Attendant
Posts: 6
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posted June 18, 2002 08:07 PM
ZX12 Suspension Set Up?
I have a 2002 ZX12 and have no idea how to set up the suspension for my bike. It has a very comfortable ride on the smooth roads but on the turns if the road is rough the front end starts to hop a little. I am 6'2" 300LBS let me know what I should do and thanks for your time.
  
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kneeburner
Expert Class
Posts: 102
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posted June 19, 2002 12:35 PM
suspension
Set up the static spring sag that should solve most of the problem............your suspension is probably to soft for your weight crank up the preload front and rear and that should help................
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Speed is just a question of money how fast do you want to go
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harryzx-12
Needs a job
Posts: 3643
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posted June 20, 2002 10:17 PM
I weigh 280 and you will need heavier springs in your forks and a heavier spring on your rear shock. I had my front forks revalved and heavier springs by GMD computrack in atlanta.I have a Penske rear shock in back. You can get your stock rear shock modified a lot cheaper than the penske,but you get what you pay for.
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways- Body thoroughly used up, totally worn out...Screaming "WOO HOO, What a Ride !!!"
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jamme61
Parking Attendant
Posts: 6
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posted June 21, 2002 05:57 AM
To fat
Thanks for getting back. I was afraid of being to heavy after reading in the manual that the suspension is set up for a rider of 150 LBS. How much money did it cost to upgrade your shocks? If I adjust the stk shocks all the way up will it help or will it just make things worse. When I go into a bumpy turn the front end acts like a pogo stk.
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Kneeburner
Expert Class
Posts: 102
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posted June 21, 2002 07:10 AM
to fat
I have full race tech suspension. If you set up your static spring sag that should help the front stop pogoing around for you weight I bet you have to crank the preload up all the way to get some usable suspension travel. You will eventually have to get aftermarket springs front and rear to make it custom for your weight. There are a lot of companies out there that you can get suspension components from. Race Tech,Penske,LE,Ohlins. The cost is from mild to wild. If you don't have the cash to go for this type of suspension then try the above mentioned adjustments and see if that helps........................
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Speed is just a question of money how fast do you want to go
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jamme61
Parking Attendant
Posts: 6
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posted June 21, 2002 07:52 AM
to fat
Thanks again, but when you say "static spring sag" does that mean distance the bike sags when I sit on the bike? If so how much sag do I need to adjust it for. Sorry if this is a stupid quetion and again thanks to all you guys for your time on this.
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redelk
Moderator
Please... speak to the hand.
Posts: 3212
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posted June 21, 2002 08:22 AM
Hardly a "stupid" question....
I have a copy of the Sport Rider Suspension Guide that is a very detailed and comprehensive. It's about 14 pages long. E-mail me at adcraft@cei.net and I will send it to you.
Suspension is a "voodoo science" at best and what works with the '00 & '01 models might not apply to the '02. The fork valving and both the front and rear spring rates are different.
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There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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EastBayDave
Needs a job
Posts: 2245
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posted June 21, 2002 01:04 PM
I always shoot for 1.00"-1.25" sag both ends & go from there. Have someone else measure it with a tape/ruler while you sit on the bike. I'm slightly lighter than you @ ~285 in leathers & gear, but the settings shouldn't be that far off. I don't want to give you the actual "clicks" number as they changed the forks on the 02' so they are not "clicker" types now, & go by number of turns instead. I'm sure you going to have to go WAY up on the shock (I went about 1.5" -about as far as it would go.)
I can tell you one thing, if you ride the twisties, & don't stiffen it up, you WILL drag the fairing. Use extra caution if you see a dip coming up in a banked corner, while wicking it up, as the bike will bottom, & drag both sides of the fairing. Don't do TT-like "Agostini jumps" as it will drag the bottom hard! How these other guys are dragging their pegs is beyond me. I think peg dragging only applies to light people?
FYI, I recommend LE-Suspension in San Jose, CA. They have been doing good work for me & many others (including Factory racing teams) since the late 70's. Their prices are competitive with others, & they can even do some trick things like nitride coating of the forks (gold, black, purple, etc.), although that's expensive. (Hello Swft!) I think it's www.le-suspension.com or something like that...
Good luck!
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Enjoy the ride!
02' ZRX1200
00' ZX12R sold
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TReMor
Expert Class
Dazed and Confused
Posts: 115
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posted June 21, 2002 01:14 PM
 Edited By: TReMor on 21 Jun 2002 14:24
Here's an awesome link from Easyrider's page that I used to set up my suspension. It does a terrific job of explaining how each adjustment works, and even has pictures! I keep it bookmarked, and referred to it who knows how many times as I set up my bike. That Ted Edwards is a god in my book. 
Check it out here!
Good luck to you!
Tim
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Tim -- Temecula, CA
2002 ZX-12R -- Mystic Black/ Gold
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TReMor
Expert Class
Dazed and Confused
Posts: 115
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posted June 21, 2002 01:21 PM
By the way, I'm about 220 with gear on, and I have the following settings (for reference).
Front:
3 lines showing on pre-load
Rebound damping ~.75 turn in from fully out
Compression damping ~1.5 turns in from fully out
Rear:
Left pre-load alone
Compression ~1.5 turns in from fully out
Rebound ~1.0 turns from fully out
This are the optimal settings for me and my riding style...YMMV. I ride the same roads all the time, so I would just ride, pull over, make adjustments, ride it again, pull over, etc. etc. etc. until I got them the way I wanted them. The adjustments are very sensitive...a little goes a long way. I ended up making 1/8th turn and smaller adjustments just to fine tune them. It's still not perfect all the time, but it's the best setup for the type of riding I do.
Check that link above and get after it. 
Tim
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kneeburner
Expert Class
Posts: 102
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posted June 21, 2002 03:56 PM
suspension
ya what they said'''''''''''''''
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Speed is just a question of money how fast do you want to go
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