Restoring Zephanie

That's a decision only you can make based on what you are looking for, performance, visual appeal or both 

My opinion...

Fork springs, stiffer than .7, fresh oil and done

Ikon or Hagon shocks.  Or maybe the Biturbo shocks you found for a good price.  These shocks will provide performance consistent with the limits in the rest of the bike.  

Beyond that, it's mostly fluff.  If you don't have stainless/teflon brake lines, that would be a good investment with some of the money you will save over higher cost options.

YSS rear shocks RE302-350T-19-X, the brand has a good reputation in price and quality.

www.wirth-federn.de/produkt/yss-federbei...0-1100-bj-1992-1999/

ebay.de/itm/332644361940

wrote:

My opinion...

Fork springs, stiffer than .7, fresh oil and done

Ikon or Hagon shocks.  Or maybe the Biturbo shocks you found for a good price.  These shocks will provide performance consistent with the limits in the rest of the bike.  

Beyond that, it's mostly fluff.  If you don't have stainless/teflon brake lines, that would be a good investment with some of the money you will save over higher cost options.
 

I am with Ed (Nessism) on this. They KYB shocks, resprung, rebuilt and Gold valved will be almost as good as a set of Bitubo shocks which are almost as good as the Ohlins. If you want to get deep in the weeds on this issue, there are several extensive discussion threads over at ZRXOA.COM. Guys there have experience with rebuilt KYBs, Bitubos (which is what I have), Ohlins, Wilbers WP, Penske and the rest. One thing I have noticed in those discussions are that the riders who do not do track days and are not aggressive on the street claim to see much less difference than the riders who do those things.
If it fits your budget, I would say, Bitubo shocks out back, Race Tech springs, cartridge emulators and oil up front. Definitely better brake lines. You may also want to look at Traxxion Dynamics.   traxxion.com/
 

Ended up going with Öhlins. 

 

Good choice 

So rebuilding front forks here, and have got stuck on figuring out what my preload measurement is going to need to be. As best I can measure, stock is about 0.896” (22.6mm). See photo below. 

The new RaceTech springs are considerably shorter than stock, but they’ve provided them with a length of PVC tubing to be cut down for spring spacers. And according to their website, the recommended preload is 15mm. 

The new springs are stiffer, so I’m kind of guessing that less preload is required. Is that correct? Like so instead of all this preload making them the appropriate stiffness, the spring itself is now doing that. Yes, no, maybe? 

Just a FYI
 I fix to be full size between 10 and 20 pictures a day. 
So it's not just you
Please follow thru when posting pictures by clicking on the insert all tab as a final step and we will remain friends LOL
I got tired of posting this on every thread so hopefully others will read this here
DD

Oh I use insert all when I want it full size in line, but just attach for when the photo is not necessarily important to view, as in this case, since the measurement is in the text. But I guess saying “see photo below” implies that folks should look at it, haha. But no problem, if you prefer we always use insert all I shall comply. 

I have always been told, and have read in many places that the important number is sag, not preload.

www.penskeshocks.com/blog/how-to-properl...n-sag-why-it-matters

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationYou might want to invest in adjustable preload fork caps-



10000x easier/more convenient than having to remove the caps to dial in the right preload…

This is from Sonic Springs.

 NOTE A: Cutting spacersThe purpose of the spacers is to provide the proper amount of pre-load on the springs. In general, street bikes need about ¾” of pre-load, assuming that the spring rate is correct for the weight of the bike and rider. So the question is, how do we determine the right length for the spacer?
Take the fork cap, and if it has a pre-load adjustment, set it in the middle. Now measure the depth of the cap from the bottom to the base of the portion that sits against the top of the fork tube. Include any stock washer that will sit on top of the spacer. Basically we’re measuring the length of the portion that fits inside the fork tube.
Say for example that this length is 2”. If we cut the spacer so that with the spring, washer and spacer installed it came up flush with the top of the fork tube, when we installed the fork cap the spring would be compressed 2”. Too much. So we need to cut the spacer shorter to get the proper pre-load. In this case 1 ¼” shorter. Easiest way to measure this is to put the spring, washer and uncut spacer in the extended fork leg. Mark the spacer tube even with the top of the fork tube. Pull the spacer out and measure 1 ¼” down from the mark. Mark and cut from that point. Now, when you put the spring, washer and spacer in, the top of the spacer should be 1 ¼” below the top of the fork tube. When the fork cap is installed, the 2” section inside the fork tube will compress the spring ¾”. Voila, correct pre-load!! Just make sure you use the right numbers for you, not the ones in this example. Also, back the adjuster all the way back out before re-installing the fork cap, to make it easier to get the threads started. Re-set the adjuster to the middle position after everything is bolted back up.