Mono Shock project posts

Why is that many use suzuki suspension parts. Why not kaw parts for a kaw bike.

jus1975 wrote:

Why is that many use suzuki suspension parts. Why not kaw parts for a kaw bike.

My guess for why so many use Suzuki parts is that they are so much more common. Cheaper and easier to find.

For me, it was a matter of convenience as much as anything. The GSXR 750 that I bought had everything that I needed all together for $250. If I had found a ZX-7 for the same price then I would have used that.

Frankly, they are not technically Suzuki parts except the triple clamps and the swingarm. Forks and rear shock are Showa. Brake calipers are Tokico. Brake master cylinders are Nissin. As a matter of fact those Tokico calipers were used on numerous Kawasaki models. Although Kawasaki has used Kayaba suspension parts for the most part, they have started using Showa forks on the new bikes. I guess that the wheels are made by Suzuki, but I have seen very many mid to late 1990's bikes with the exact same three spoke pattern. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the wheels were made in one factory for all the different OEMs.

heres what inspired me.

All of thoes bikes are nice I am thinking this z 1000 with the see threw clutch cover is what I want to do can any one give me some specks ?????

has anyone ever tried mounting the shock like the orange and black one. its horizontal underneath the bike. that would give you plently of room for electronics and battery under the seat.

jus1975 wrote:

has anyone ever tried mounting the shock like the orange and black one. its horizontal underneath the bike. that would give you plently of room for electronics and battery under the seat.

Most, if not all of the hybrid conversions people do on this site are geared toward improved performance at the lowest possible cost. Thats why we source used parts and do the work ourselves. The only bike I can think of with a shock mount like that is a Harley.....not something I wanna source performance suspension from :whistle: There is the option of a custom shock, but that still requires the proper understanding of suspension and engineering to spec the shock and modify a swingarm/frame so that it all works together. The orange bike referenced looks like it might be a trailer queen, not a rider.
Your original statment is correct though, an under bike shock mount would make more room for batt/elec components, but it would also require a custom exhaust.....there's always a compromise

craigslist it is found me one of them ther swingy thingies with the no shock lol

Any way Omr got a swing that looks like yours off a 636 04 I think also got the brake and braided brake line for about a bill good deal or did I get stiffed???

I am hoping to pile all the parts needed befor doing the swap to minimize down time have been doin my home work and like the 636 omr did thinkin bout lowerin the tail of mine to sit more level tho

ready2ride; the clutch covers are popular with German Z1 & Z1000 builders, If memory serves, I seem to remember a German machinest who built his own and they caught on over there and he started producing them in small #'s.

Porchev914; thanks for the reply, 1 1/2" frame mod to adapt those triple parts is NOT easy to do... looks very interesting & wicked trick!

Jus1975; thanks for those pics, I've never seen the green & black one with the 280 or 300 or whatever he's running. Beautiful bike (crazy hours).

I have a few ? for the mono guys. I am considering doing the same mods to my 2nd KZ1000 later on (USD front & mono rear set-up) But, do you set your sag first, and what numbers do you use? I would think you can't use the same sag as the donor bike as everything has changed. So do you use the original and go from there?

Do you set your compression & rebound dampening in the middle and start tweeking?

How do you factor-in center of gravity (KZ), wheelbase, rake/trail, suspension travel?

Why is the sky blue..... (lol)

I'm just asking to try and learn more. I admire your building skills,

Doug

Zedone, what I have done so far is to get my suspension mounted as close to the same geometry as it was on the donor bike. Then, when I rebuilt the forks and shock, I used this calculator: old.racetech.com/evalving/menu/searchstreet.asp to select the proper springs, and oil weight.

I actually bought front and rear springs from Racetech, and one of their Gold Valve kits. When you purchase the Gold Valve kit, you get a one time use access code to their valving website. This gives you suspension settings for every adjustment based on your setup. I just told the computer that I had a 1995 GSXR 750 which weighed 525 lbs. The website will gives a printout that tells you baseline settings for oil weight, preload, compression dampening, and rebound dampening. Just like setting any suspension on any bike, you adjust from there. Settings depend on the specific conditions present at the time of the particular ride. Any settings for a street bike are a compromise at best. Firmer settings for faster speeds, and softer for slower in general.

If you don't re-spring the suspension, then you can bet that your preload settings will be max firm since the KZ will weigh just about 100lbs more than a modern sport bike. At that, you will still be a little mushy. Unless you adopt parts from a Hayabusa or ZX-14. Their weights are comparable to a KZ1000.

I have learned to set sag first, so it's what I do. Basically, you want to achieve the same sag as you would for the donor bike, but the settings to achieve that will be different due to the different weight.

I set compression and rebound to what Race Tech told me to, and will adjust from there. If I didn't have the Race Tech numbers, then I would obtain the FSM from the donor bike, and use their baseline settings. Then adjust from there based on feel.

Center of gravity, well I left that one to chance. The 1995 GSXR 750 that I used for a donor has a double cradle frame with a transverse mounted inline four cylinder, so the main differences would be the weight and height of the motor. I am not interested in relocating my motor, so I'll hope for the best.

Wheelbase, again left to chance. Longer = slower turning. Shorter = faster turning. You can bet that a KZ1000 will be longer than your donor bike. My KZ1000 with mods measures 60" axle to axle. My 2004 ZX-10r measures 55" axle to axle. To say that the ZX-10r turns in fast is an understatement. At anything short of kneedragging speeds, I turn in, cut across the yellow line, and then adjust out. A little more stable feeling is welcome on the KZ.

Rake and trail will be affected by numerous things related to the front and rear ride height. Again, lower in the back (more rake) will slow your steering. Higher, (less rake) will quicken it. Try to set your bike up level and as close to the normal ride height as possible.

Suspension travel will likely be reduced in the front if you run an upside down fork. The rear will be comparable to the stock suspension. This is one area where the mono-shock setup has a distinct advantage if set up properly. That rising rate linkage means almost no harsh bottoming of the rear suspension. The effective spring rate becomes so high at the limit, that it acts as a soft bump stop.

I believe that the sky is blue because that the gasses in the atmosphere absorb all of the light spectrum except the blue light on the way down to ground level.

You missed one of the most critical adjustments. The ride height. You need to try and get that as close to stock for the KZ as possible. That's why most guys are using the older sportbike forks since they are longer. Zx-9's and older GSXR's are good candidates. Otherwise you have to add spacers to the top of the forks or use gullwing triple trees. I'm about 1" lower than stock, but level. Adjusting the rear ride height on a mono-shock setup is easy. Longer dogbones = lower. Shorter = higher.

You will soon realize when you start this project, that you have many challenges to overcome before you even worry about suspension settings. First, get the bike standing on its own two feet, and then get it going down the road. After that you can get the settings right.

Is this realy a big deal I hoped to find a stiff shock for the rear ( I like fat chicks :blush: ) The weight issue that is.

I did want to go with the gull wing triple for the top.

thought I could block up the bike during mock up and find the top shock mount from there right ????

Does the shock angle need to be exact to the stock aplication??? :dry: :huh: :huh: :silly:

Mabie im in over my head????

Couldent I just lower the hole bike and go with a duel pipe or a header that has more clearence??

ready2ryde1985 wrote:

Is this realy a big deal I hoped to find a stiff shock for the rear ( I like fat chicks :blush: ) The weight issue that is.

I did want to go with the gull wing triple for the top.

thought I could block up the bike during mock up and find the top shock mount from there right ????

Does the shock angle need to be exact to the stock aplication??? :dry: :huh: :huh: :silly:

Mabie im in over my head????

Couldent I just lower the hole bike and go with a duel pipe or a header that has more clearence??

I wouldn't worry about the size of the tail you impail just yet. Just about any shock can be modified with a stiffer spring to handle the extra weight.

Yes, you will be blocking the frame up so you can get your suspension mounts situated.

Yes, you'll want to try and duplicate the doner bikes shock angle...it will have an effect on the rate of compression.

Yes, you could lower the whole bike and use a custom exhaust set up.

Only you can determine if you're in over your head. The good news is there are lots of guys here that have done or are doing the conversion many different ways to help you through it.

jus1975 wrote:

has anyone ever tried mounting the shock like the orange and black one. its horizontal underneath the bike. that would give you plently of room for electronics and battery under the seat.

Have a look at the 2011 Ninjas for another perspective www.dragbike.com/dbnews/anmviewer.asp?a=5988&z=11

I did mine like this. Left plenty of room for larger battery and all the electrics