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New/rebuilt suspension options

sfsokc

Guest
Guest
Well, I admit that my 2011 is starting to feel a little less forgiving on the mid-turn bumps and such.  Otherwise, she's running great, and I enjoy doing all the maintenance myself (uh, with the exception of valves--thanks Fred).  Looking at options for the future, I've pretty much decided that I don't want to buy another bike, if for no other reason than I don't want to "re-farkle" the thing, incurring thousands of dollars of added expense on top of the sales price.  This is a GREAT bike, and I think I'll just keep her forever!

Having said that, the one upgrade I've passed on thus far has been the suspension.  Been researching the Traxxion, Ohlins, Penske, etc.  I can tell you one thing-- nobody will EVER convince me that a single shock/spring is worth over $1000!!!  Heck, I just bought four high performance all terrain tires for my truck for the same price!  So here's the deal-- I'd like to know the following from you guys:

1) Has anyone done the "AXXION VALVE UPGRADE" with their stock forks?  I've seen research that says this is definitely the best bang for the buck (http://traxxion.com/product/axxion-valve-upgrade/).

2) Has anyone found a quality competitor to the Penske 8983?

Yes, I've read all the testimonials that say, "it really feels like a whole new bike", etc., but even still, I'm a value buyer and I refuse to pay massive markups.

thanks everyone!
 
I've ridden about 15  C14's, in stock config, and maybe aa half dozen more with modded suspensions, (Penske, Trax, Ohlin, etc), and frankly don't find anything about the modded ones "earthshaking" in change, and regarding the OEM's, have seen them in my rating from zero, to 10, in feel, over the scale, on them all..

I'm pleased with my OEM, even making "tweaks" on the settings when riding 2 up long Days, same with a trailer attached, and solo...

I dunno, I don't race my bike on a track, sooo... I really cant say anything else is better, or worth the money.. nut hey, they look cool, and you can always brag on how much money it cost... like that will ever be seen when the bike gets sold, is to be seen.

I guess my foible, is that every single C14 I have ridden, differed in it's OEM feel to start with.. some good, some horrible.. and I've been told by trusted C10 people, they wouldn't want a C14, simply because it didn't feel right.. (re-inforces my mindset)..
so, it's based on the "complete bike", as assembled, and after you do adjustments and frame part "on off and back on" installs, like during a valve adjust when you remove frame parts, and re-install them...

tough call bro.

I say Hunter S. Thompson's quote... "buy the ticket, take the ride"  tough call.
 
Thanks MOB...  I think for me, I'd like something closer to "earthshaking" if I'm to shell out $2000+.  I don't do track days either, though it would be fun to try one of those classes someday.  Perhaps I'll just change the fork fluid and call it a day, unless someone can convince me otherwise.  ;D
 
I did the Traxxion Dynamic Axxion valves on an 08 Suzuki B-King with a 3-way Penske while a friend did the AK20"s with a 3-way Penske on his B-King.  There was a night and day difference in the front suspension and overall ride between the two bikes.  For that reason I went with the AK20's and a Penske 2-way on my 2013 Concours.  The AK20's are vastly superior to the Axxion valves and well worth the price difference in my opinion.  I still have some tweaking to get the settings exactly to my preferences.  I agree it is an expensive upgrade but in my opinion is vastly superior to the stock suspenders.  I hope this helps.
 
sfsokc said:
Thanks MOB...  I think for me, I'd like something closer to "earthshaking" if I'm to shell out $2000+.  I don't do track days either, though it would be fun to try one of those classes someday.  Perhaps I'll just change the fork fluid and call it a day, unless someone can convince me otherwise.  ;D
thanks for being wise.. seriously, I do thank you...
and Yes, some will come and say "it's earthshaking the difference, when I dumped $2k"...
well, yeah... duh... If I dumped $2k, I'd want to be able to tell my wife she can relax, and not worry about my needs.. just joking, I have no "needs"

I THINK HONESTLY; Yes, you can improve the suspension, but when you do, it has to be based on more than an opinion...so, before tossing the card down, and spending, you might want to ride one of those bikes people tout as "born again" and superior, I'm sure if you were a COG member, many will offer, or even as a forum member, they may, because they are proud of the money they spent.. not saying it didn't improve, just saying do a comparison.. that means a lot... do I need Ohlins... nawww... never gonna happen. Do you need them, ? I can't answer that part, but neither can you without spending $$$, and in the end, as I noted.... would it really make a specific difference in the quality of enjoyment, for your specific bike, and your specific rides...

I always tell people to ride the bike, way down the line if you feel it needs something, make wise changes... as needed.. to suit you... NO person can tell you what YOU will like.. I've tried things people suggested, and found them atrocious.. so I'm not an easy "farkle-maniac" and basically take any "word of mouth" reccomendations from anyone here, with any real sense of understanding/longtime ownership/and other creditablility into my thought process... I've modified suspensions for 40 years, what work s on xxxxx bike, has no bearing on the bike I am servicing, and when it comes from someone I have no idea of, as far as contributions, and viable reliability in this bikes realm.. I just don't bite...
game on,
Ride safe, save money and burn good gas.....
 
Ronald said:
I did the Traxxion Dynamic Axxion valves on an 08 Suzuki B-King with a 3-way Penske while a friend did the AK20"s with a 3-way Penske on his B-King.  There was a night and day difference in the front suspension and overall ride between the two bikes.  For that reason I went with the AK20's and a Penske 2-way on my 2013 Concours.  The AK20's are vastly superior to the Axxion valves and well worth the price difference in my opinion.  I still have some tweaking to get the settings exactly to my preferences.  I agree it is an expensive upgrade but in my opinion is vastly superior to the stock suspenders.  I hope this helps.

so I really have to ask this...

How many miles were put on your "stock" suspension?
how much time was spent attending to all of the adjustments Kawaski applied to this suspension, and did you improve on it's feel during the process of adjustment?
do you ride solo, or 2 up? what is the total "load weight on the bike during both options"?
do you pull a trailer? do you ride mountains? doyou ride freeway?

all around, the bike as made, is really not lacking.
 
sfsokc said:
Thanks MOB...  I think for me, I'd like something closer to "earthshaking" if I'm to shell out $2000+.  I don't do track days either, though it would be fun to try one of those classes someday.  Perhaps I'll just change the fork fluid and call it a day, unless someone can convince me otherwise.  ;D

I totally brain farted, and forgot to say, look at the FSM, and bring it with you, along with a couple wrenches and screwdriver bits, and go for a ride on some technical roads, then stop, and make some adjustements, ride again, and stop again, and adjust.. the system is pretty robust and when adjusted, and tested, back to back with other adjustments.. extremely variable.

I've done this many times,  a couple clicks, a twist on the knob,  and a couple turns on a fork adjustment, can really change a LOT. as will air pressure in tires. Then'addng 2 psi, you gotta do it over again..



it ain't a track bike, ridden the same way, over and over on the same strip. and it ain't a b king...most uncomfortable bike in the universe... sorry ronaldo..


woo hoo...
 
Suspension tuning is 50% physics, 50% voodoo. On the physics side, it’s all about spring rate. For every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction, unless your spring is too soft or too firm. If your spring is too soft the bike bounces and wallows as the spring attempts to damp the mass moving up and down but fails because it’s overloaded. If your spring is too firm it feels like you have no suspension as the spring will not give and absorb the mass attempting to move up and down because it’s stronger than the force being applied against it.  The closer the bike’s stock springs, front and rear, are to the proper rate for your weight, the better the suspension will behave for you as an individual. The further away the spring is from your ideal the worse the bike will behave for you as an individual. Of course, this all assumes that the suspension components are in good working order and you don’t have blown seals, lost charge in your shock, or improper oil levels in the fork. They all make a difference in proper operation as well.

The voodoo side  kicks in when it comes to valving, oil weight, oil level, etc. These are the variables that could be modified, if your suspension tuner is skilled and knowledgeable enough, to suit the preference of the individual rider. There are cheaper options out there than Ohlins, Traxxion, and Penske. Other companies that come to mind are Race Tech, Andreani, etc.  The main difference between the companies is going to be how much R&D have they put into their suspension kit for this particular motorcycle. I think hands-down Traxxion appears to have put the most R&D into their kit, and appear to achieve the best results straight out of the box. Tuning valving is all about the shim stack, and getting the best ride for a particular motorcycle is about building the shim stack with the proper thickness shims to get the desired suspension damping characteristics.  You don’t have to buy an expensive suspension product from a big-named company in order to get a custom set up shim stack. If you have a competent suspension tuner in your area they can take any piece of equipment, including stock, and they can custom build a shim stack for you. Of course, this assumes that the rider has the sufficient level of riding experience to be able to give the suspension tuner the feedback they need to understand how the suspension is currently working, so they know what changes to make to resolve any issues the rider is experiencing. The problem is, your average rider does not have that kind of knowledge. It’s not that they’re incompetent, it’s just that they don’t know what they don’t know. Suspension tuners always ask the question “what’s it doing?“. If you don’t know how to answer that question in a way that is sufficient for the tuner to understand what the suspension is doing, he doesn’t know what direction to go in in making changes. That’s where product R&D comes into play in an effort to provide a baseline set up out of the box that is the closest to correct as possible.

So, what does all of this mean for you? It’s difficult to say. There are real world practical reasons why a properly set up suspension is a good thing. One, it increases the life of tires. Improperly set up suspension wears tires faster because the tires become a more active part of the suspension process than they were designed to be. All tires are designed to serve some role in the suspension process, but if the suspension is not properly set up they end up working harder than intended and wearing out faster. Plus, tires on an improperly set up bike start to take on abnormal wear patterns.  How bad will they be? It depends on how far off from ideal you are, and how you ride your bike.  Another important factor is safety. An improperly set up suspension causes the bike to do things it shouldn’t do, and in severe cases can actually create dangerous situations that could increase the potential for a crash. Fortunately, most people do not see those kind of extreme scenarios under regular riding conditions.

Whether or not you want to make any changes to your suspension, and what changes you want to make, are all dependent upon you as an individual rider. What are your goals? How do you ride? How close are you already to the proper suspension set up in the stock suspension components? Motorcycle makers are notorious for underspringing their motorcycles. People who aren’t really that knowledgeable in how suspension works think softer equals more comfortable, so motorcycle manufacturers underspring their bikes so they feel ‘soft’ when you ride so the customer will feel like it’s “comfortable“. Think about automobiles from the 1960s-70s. If you’ve ever driven one they feel like they’re floating, and not in a good way. Modern automobiles have much more advanced suspension systems so they not only feel good, but they also handle well. Would you want to take a 1970 Lincoln Continental railing through the twisties in the mountains, or a modern Cadillac with its modern suspension? Soft, undersprung suspension causes the poor handling  characteristics of that Lincoln Continental, and it does the same thing for your motorcycle. Now, if you’re a rider who tours at a leisurely pace, and does not spend a lot of time wanting to rip through the twisties, then the stock suspension is likely more than adequate for your purposes. In that case, just take it to a competent suspension technician and have them service what you have. New oil and seals, and potentially a re-charge of the rear shock, will likely make you happy. But if you do you like to ride at speed, and like to carve the corners, then your stock suspension is likely insufficient to the task, unless you’re a 12-year-old Japanese girl, which is who major manufacturers’ suspension designers seem to design their bikes for.  Whether or not a suspension upgrade will feel “earth shaking“ to you depends on how far away you are from your ideal set up with your current set up. If you’re not far off from ideal set up in the stock form, the new suspension isn’t going to feel that much different to you. But if you are quite a bit off then new suspension is going to make a world of difference. The problem is, trying to explain to someone who has never ridden a bike properly set up for them how much difference a properly set up suspension can make is like trying to explain to someone how delicious chocolate is who has never tasted chocolate before in their life.  They’ll never understand until they try it. The recommendation to try to find someone who has had the work done and demo their bike is a good one, IF the person whose bike you’re trying weighs the same as you, and even then you’re going to get some small differences in personal taste for how they have set up the dampening characteristics.

If you were looking to pay some attention to your suspension, and don’t want to spend much money, you could just have your front and rear suspension serviced by a competent technician, and have properly rated springs for your weight installed at that time. All that work should be able to be done for around $600-$700, including springs(based on my local pricing). Properly rated springs will make the biggest bang for your buck in transforming your suspension from stock. That will put your suspension in the proper range for being able to deal with the mass moving up and down that it has to handle on a daily basis.
 
I came to the EXACT same conclusions, at the same time in ownership as the OP.  Oh, and I have 27500 miles on the clock....

I like this bike alot -- LOVE is a word I reserve for the most special of relationships, and we all know how that emotion can change over time.  (Can I get a "woot-woot" from the fellow divorcee's in the crowd??)  :)

There's nothing else out there in the Segment of Sport Touring that offers what the Kawi does, for the price.  Even 4 years later, no other manufacturer has released a bike that makes me want to trade or part with a fat wad of cash.

Hence - the suspension.
Like the OP, it was THE LAST thing I knew I was going to replace / upgrade, given the cost -- but from the get go, I knew it was going to have to be upgraded.  Specifically - the spring rates simply can't cope with my 200lb frame plus all of the gear I carry along.  This year was the final straw.....and servicing the suspension just didn't seem to be an adequate measure to counteract the overriding (ill) effects of the the undersprung nature of this bike.

As luck would have it, I had all the plastic off for some winter maintenance, and decided to start examining what it'd take to upgrade.  Ohlins was pricey, and according to many on the forum - offered a good upgrade, but not in a customizable manner.  Traxxion became a true plug and play custom setup, and at a bit more reasonable price.

Given the time of year, Traxxion offered me a very very quick turnaround time (1  week) from order to my door, so I decided to jump on it.

Now (disclaimer) I have not yet completed the installation of said new setup, as I'm still completing some other winter maint. items.  However, I will be back to give my impressions of how the new bits perform after a few hundred miles.
To me, this was a long term investment in the bike, my safety, and my riding pleasure.  I could have gone a cheaper route by simply having the fork oil and springs replaced, and finding a different spring for the rear shock, but why not just spend the money, and start fresh??

I was practically going mental changing suspension settings, and watching Dave Moss videos, trying to resolve my handling and uneven tire wear issues.
It was time for an overhaul.

I'm beyond excited to have an "all-new bike" for this riding season, and beyond.  I think I may just fall IN-LOVE all-over again!

gr
 
I decided to upgrade my suspension at the 50,000 mile mark with the AK20's and Penske. I needed to do the fork maintenance anyway, so why not ship the forks out to Traxxion for the full upgrade. Riding the same roads for that many miles with the old shocks, I can tell you with the new setup, the C-14 holds you line way better in the washboards and rough roads. The old suspension had a tendancy to bounce you out of the turn. There is a left turn at a signal that I take often with mismatched asphalt levels. Turning left with the new suspension, it just sucks up the bump in the turn and has a noticeable diffence.  No lie, I was riding a rough road just yesterday that I travel often and marveled at how smooth the ride seemed compared to the old suspension. So subjective after dropping coin, perhaps, but the windscreen not bouncing up and down and now riding a line properly tells me no.

Scott (Staylo) nice writeup!  I will take you on the roads I mentioned the next time we ride and you can see for yourself what I’m trying to explain.  Think River Road near your house. That road needs a good suspension!
 
This is no joke!  It's that bouncing in turns that's making me nervous...  In fact, the closest I ever came to dropping the Connie was literally in the same configuration you mention here.  I was making a left turn, with mismatched levels of concrete, and before I knew what had happened, I had instinctively put my left foot down as it nearly low-sided, sort of "bouncing" it off my left foot.  That rattled me thoroughly, since I've never ridden dirt bikes or had anything like that happen on this bike!  Needless to say, I don't think it was a matter of adjustments, since I have the rear set up OK for my weight.  If a new suspension can really keep the tires better planted, even in bumpy turns, I might consider it...

4Bikes said:
I decided to upgrade my suspension at the 50,000 mile mark with the AK20's and Penske. I needed to do the fork maintenance anyway, so why not ship the forks out to Traxxion for the full upgrade. Riding the same roads for that many miles with the old shocks, I can tell you with the new setup, the C-14 holds you line way better in the washboards and rough roads. The old suspension had a tendancy to bounce you out of the turn. There is a left turn at a signal that I take often with mismatched asphalt levels. Turning left with the new suspension, it just sucks up the bump in the turn and has a noticeable diffence.  No lie, I was riding a rough road just yesterday that I travel often and marveled at how smooth the ride seemed compared to the old suspension. So subjective after dropping coin, perhaps, but the windscreen not bouncing up and down and now riding a line properly tells me no.

Scott (Staylo) nice writeup!  I will take you on the roads I mentioned the next time we ride and you can see for yourself what I’m trying to explain.  Think River Road near your house. That road needs a good suspension!
 
4Bikes said:
I decided to upgrade my suspension at the 50,000 mile mark with the AK20's and Penske. I needed to do the fork maintenance anyway, so why not ship the forks out to Traxxion for the full upgrade. Riding the same roads for that many miles with the old shocks, I can tell you with the new setup, the C-14 holds you line way better in the washboards and rough roads. The old suspension had a tendancy to bounce you out of the turn. There is a left turn at a signal that I take often with mismatched asphalt levels. Turning left with the new suspension, it just sucks up the bump in the turn and has a noticeable diffence.  No lie, I was riding a rough road just yesterday that I travel often and marveled at how smooth the ride seemed compared to the old suspension. So subjective after dropping coin, perhaps, but the windscreen not bouncing up and down and now riding a line properly tells me no.

Scott (Staylo) nice writeup!  I will take you on the roads I mentioned the next time we ride and you can see for yourself what I’m trying to explain.  Think River Road near your house. That road needs a good suspension!

My experience after my suspension upgrade (and getting the damping settings dialed in) is the same as Steve’s. Having ridden the same roads around my home for years, it’s a very odd feeling to come into a turn knowing that there is a bump in the middle, and you’re waiting for the ‘jounce’, and it never comes. It’s like the imaginary last stair that you thought was there but isn’t, except in reverse. Properly set up suspension can best be described in one word: confidence.  On an iimproperly set up set up suspension, you are receiving so much feedback because the bike is bouncing all over the place, that you cannot tell what feedback is coming from the tires, and what is merely poor suspenders.  Once you’re riding a properly tuned suspension, the only feedback you feel is from the contact patches. All of this assumes you’re riding at a brisk pace. If you’re touring around then you’ll not need this kind of feel and spending a lot of money to get it may not be worth it.

BTW, Steve, they paved River Road, but then oil and chipped it, so the road gods giveth, and they taketh away.  :mad:
 
sfsokc said:
This is no joke!  It's that bouncing in turns that's making me nervous...  In fact, the closest I ever came to dropping the Connie was literally in the same configuration you mention here.  I was making a left turn, with mismatched levels of concrete, and before I knew what had happened, I had instinctively put my left foot down as it nearly low-sided, sort of "bouncing" it off my left foot.  That rattled me thoroughly, since I've never ridden dirt bikes or had anything like that happen on this bike!  Needless to say, I don't think it was a matter of adjustments, since I have the rear set up OK for my weight.  If a new suspension can really keep the tires better planted, even in bumpy turns, I might consider it...
That’s certainly one of the symptoms of an improper spring rate. If the spring rate is too soft, then the tire crossing a sharp bump can overtravel, beyond the point necessary to absorb the bump, and keep going because the spring cannot properly resist the momentum, and the tire can actually leave the pavement momentarily. That feels a lot like hitting a patch of ice.  One moment you feel the bike connected to the ground, and the next moment it just “goes away“. That can also happen from a spring that’s too stiff. When the tire hits the sharp bump the spring can’t absorb the momentum at all because the spring is too strong, and the tire launches off the bump kind of like going off of a jump, and loses contact with the pavement. You get the same feeling of hitting a patch of ice, but that one you can usually feel because the whole chassis bounces up into the air just as the contact patch leaves the ground.  I would be shocked beyond shocked if your spring rate on your bike is currently two stiff.

You certainly cannot go wrong with having your spring rates looked at, and if necessary replacing your springs. If you stick with the stock suspension components  you can still get your spring rates set properly, and you’ll still have rebound damping adjustment, but you will not have any compression dampening adjustment. Since most shocks, and cartridge kits(like the Traxxion AK-20), that you would buy are only going to be “double-clicker”, and not “triple-clicker”, you’re only going to gain low speed compression adjustment anyway, and honestly that’s not that big of a deal not to have.  It does tend to smooth out the ride in general, but the kind of bumps that upset the chassis in a turn are not the kind that low speed compression dampening is going to be helpful for anyway. To get high speed adjustment on the shock you’re going to have to spend big big dollars and for most people it’s just not worth it. To get high-speed damping on the fork, I think you’re probably going to need to buy ZX-14 forks. I suspect they have high speed dampers, but I’m not certain. Again, overkill. Like MOB said, this is not a race bike.
 
I’m sitting here thinking, I guess I should also add, improperly setting up your rebound adjusters, or cranking in a butt-ton of preload can also give false feelings about what the suspension is doing. Too much pre-load  makes a bike ride like the spring is too stiff when it actually isn’t. And if you crank in too much preload dampening, the suspension can begin to “stack“ in a series of bumps, which is where the tire cannot return to a neutral position before hitting the next bump further compressing the suspension, in a ratcheting type action. As each progressive bump further compresses the suspension you begin to run out of travel. Too much rebound dampening can also cause the tire to lose contact with the pavement because the suspension cannot return quickly enough to keep the tire in contact with the road. If your bike has compression damping, and you crank that up too high, then that can act like a too-stiff spring and rather than absorb the bump, launch you off of it.
 
Scott, I have read, and digested what you have written, and it does open my mind a bit more, to thinking.. thank you greatly.... Nate also adde commentary, and I found that worth reading.

I'm still at the point, where I ask the O/p exactly "what" he wants out of the possible upgrades, and if it seems viable, based on the machine and it's longevity in the hands of the owner, if it is a monetary outlay, that makes a difference in his eyes, to do.
y'all know I'm a cheap bastich, so I don't toss around money like I have a bunch, I simply don't... so it gives me more food for thought, and lets me think that after 12 years, maybe I would do something... but every penny I spend, will never come back to me, if I sell the bike....

I do thank all of you for the descriptive and analytical viewpoints that were shared..  :great: :great: :great: :great:
 
MAN OF BLUES said:
Scott, I have read, and digested what you have written, and it does open my mind a bit more, to thinking.. thank you greatly.... Nate also adde commentary, and I found that worth reading.

I'm still at the point, where I ask the O/p exactly "what" he wants out of the possible upgrades, and if it seems viable, based on the machine and it's longevity in the hands of the owner, if it is a monetary outlay, that makes a difference in his eyes, to do.
y'all know I'm a cheap bastich, so I don't toss around money like I have a bunch, I simply don't... so it gives me more food for thought, and lets me think that after 12 years, maybe I would do something... but every penny I spend, will never come back to me, if I sell the bike....

I do thank all of you for the descriptive and analytical viewpoints that were shared..  :great: :great: :great: :great:
I agree. Suspension is definitely one area where you have to be able to ride the bike at a certain level to be able to get your money’s worth out of the high-dollar upgrades. My hope was to give enough information to try to help the OP be able to make an informed decision about whether or not the upgrades would benefit him, and if so, the best places to put the money for his riding preferences.
 
and I applaud you for that, really I do, it did a great job of placing it into terms people can understand, and sort thru for that...

outstanding,
:great: :great: :great: :great: :great: :great: :great:
 
One other thing I feel compelled to mention to make sure that it hasn’t gotten lost in all of the jawing: most people think of their suspension in terms of its ability to provide a comfortable ride, but that’s not the true purpose of motorcycle suspension. Comfort is a byproduct of the suspension’s true job. The true job of the suspension on a motorcycle is to keep those two tiny patches of rubber in constant contact with the road surface. Any deficiency in the way the suspension operates reduces either the amount of time those two tiny patches of rubber are in contact with the pavement, or the amount of weight applied to each patch as it contacts the pavement.  Both reduced time, and reduced weight, on the contact patches are bad juju for a safe motorcycle ride. The fact that most people ride in such a way that the deficiency of their suspension to do its job properly isn’t noticeable can mask the importance of properly set up suspension. When you begin pushing the limits is when you really start to s xperience the dangerous effects of a poorly set up suspension. It’s important to know your bike, and your riding habits/abilities, so that you can evaluate the two in tandem to determine whether or not you are outriding the capabilities of your machine in its current configuration. You health could depend on it.
 
Great question OP and my 2 cents:
I ride 10-20k per year in daily commutes in the PNW and on a couple short and long annual rides. I have done the 1000k in 24hrs (certified) and a four corners ride (not certified.....just for fun). I have upgraded the suspension on my Vstrom 1000 for 2 up adventure touring and absolutely love it! A "guy" in Idaho (if I remember correctly) did the upgrade. Recently I upgraded the suspension on my Concours also with the same "guy". I am not a racer or canyon carver. I have never done a track day and likely do not push the bike past 30% of what it will actually do. This upgrade gave me a subtle yet clear improvement in confidence in all corner handling (tight, slow, bumps, breaking, etc). The beez kneez for this bike is Traxion and Penske and the people that cry it's virtues are likely not wrong, however for me as a medium rider, I have enjoyed (two up) riding on what I have immensely for roughly half the price.
 
And further to Staylo's comments on tires and contact patch.....

I have suffered odd and uneven tire wear since buying the bike new.  No manner of fiddling with the suspension setting, preload, sag, or damping have given me any relief.
I even bought a Slacker Electronic sag adjustment tool to help me set my springs correctly -- and it didn't help enough.

It's kind of a fools errand to spend $2k to save a $350 set of tires that will only last 5k miles.
However, if you compound that 5k miles and $350 a pop every season for tires, it adds up over time.
I estimate I could have extended the overall mileage of each set of tires by 15-20% - and that's nothing to sneeze at.

Not to mention the loss of confidence in handling during that time, and the noise and undulations that are caused from the bad tire wear.

It's not the ONLY reason, but it was ONE of the reasons that compelled me to want to upgrade.

There's plenty of guys out there who  are better riders and more aggressive than me, but I do enjoy a spirited jaunt through the twisties within my limits.  I'm hoping to find a little more compliance on longer rides with a passenger and gear, and also more subtleness for my solo-rides when I'm attacking the turns.

To each his own - but I rarely toss this much money at the bike without a reasonable excuse.  :)

gr
 
I don't know the answer, but here is a look at the OEM shock.

shocks.jpg


 
BadgerApaches said:
Is the stock C14 shock re-buildable?

99.9% sure it's not, the Penske is. Traxxion has rebuilt my Penske once & it's about time for another. Think they recommend around 70,000 - 75,000 miles, but I maybe wrong.
 
The OEM shock is rebuildable, and can be upgraded (revalved).  A nitrogen port needs to be added. Race Tech, and Adventure Power Sports-Boise,Idaho can do it for sure.
 
Second Ted's cost query if I may!? I have a spare I would like to have re-charged and hose replaced due to it's being damaged in shipment.
 
Lee said:
Second Ted's cost query if I may!? I have a spare I would like to have re-charged and hose replaced due to it's being damaged in shipment.

I found a good info point at Race Tech website, but it's a little gray as far as an exact price is concerned, as we can see everyone wants something a little different.

IIRC the complete Rebuild/Inspect Labor rate is 175, then add parts/part kits you want. They also have a decent step-by-step photo walk through for doing it ourselves.

I my self am just interested in changing the oil and seals, plus inspection. It's pretty affordable.

http://racetech.com/ProductSearch/12/Kawasaki/Concours%2014%20ZG1400/2008-17 


I just used the Traxxion Dynamics service req. page for quote on said oil change/inspection viability and quote.

https://traxxion.com/customer-service/service-request/
 
ZG/ZN Kim said:
The OEM shock is rebuildable, and can be upgraded (revalved).  A nitrogen port needs to be added. Race Tech, and Adventure Power Sports-Boise,Idaho can do it for sure.
I went with Adventure Power Sports also (they were my "guy"), and they did a great job at a lesser of the cost of a new shock. I have been pleased with the riding I do.
 
You will have to get a quote from Race Tech, I just had my shock rebuilt and resprung by Adventure Power
Sports for around $450, plus shipping both ways. Jay Jobes is the owner, 208 631 0520.
I am very sad to report that we have a lot of that "white manure" on the ground, so sadly,, I cannot give you a performance report. I am expecting that the shock will be somewhere between the $1100 Penske, and the OEM shock, like the old saying,"you get what you pay for".
The nitrogen fill valve was added, and the shock mounted just like the OEM, no issues.
 
ZG/ZN Kim said:
You will have to get a quote from Race Tech, I just had my shock rebuilt and resprung by Adventure Power
Sports for around $450, plus shipping both ways. Jay Jobes is the owner, 208 631 0520.
I am very sad to report that we have a lot of that "white manure" on the ground, so sadly,, I cannot give you a performance report. I am expecting that the shock will be somewhere between the $1100 Penske, and the OEM shock, like the old saying,"you get what you pay for".
The nitrogen fill valve was added, and the shock mounted just like the OEM, no issues.

Yup, I figured less than $500 either shipping it, or doing it my self.

This is one of the dark arts left. Ever wonder how/why that guy gets 10-15K miles out of his tires and appears to be riding on glass?  :eek:
 
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