Hello all, Just finished my first couple of track days at Barber. I had a great time but found my suspension to be a bit too soft, and I was told by the instructor that I should probably get it adjusted. With the stock ninja 650, there is no adjustment for the front forks and the rear suspension has only preload adjustment, so there isn't really much I can do on the bike as is. I don't want to stiffen the 650 too much because this is also my touring bike and is mainly a stepping stone to my CBR 1000RR. I would anyway like to adjust the suspension for the street as I am 215 lbs. I am also trying to get the best bang for my buck with these changes. Some options for the front fork I have been thinking about are a full front-end swap with a ZX-6R, an Ohlins Street NIX 22 cartridge kit with springs, or a Race Tech gold valve system with springs (which I believe is the equivalent to a cartridge kit). I know there are some other options for the front fork, but these seem to be the best-priced options. I am leaning towards a cartridge kit over a full front-end swap because I just bought apex adjustable clip-ons for the current sized forks, the cartridge kit would allow me to pick a good spring for my weight and street/track riding, and it is an easier installation (I don't have to buy brakes, a front wheel, new clip-ons, etc.). For the rear shock, I was thinking I would get a stock ZX-6R shock it is relatively inexpensive, already has preload, rebound, and compression adjustment, and already has a track-oriented spring. I've found the price to be from about $45-80 on eBay. Buying a new spring for my rear shock seems to be more expensive than that and buying an aftermarket rear shock is a lot more expensive. Is there any reason that the ZX-6R rear shock would not work for my application, as it's so much cheaper than a full aftermarket rear shock? Let me know your thoughts. Thanks, Will
Hi. I’ve raced an older Kawi 650 for a while and have a few thoughts. For the front end, you need stiffer springs for aggressive street riding or track days and I think the cartridge kit would be a great path. A ZX-6 fork swap looks great but in practical application won’t do much for you until you go very fast on a track and even then it’s mostly about the upgraded brakes. To compensate, get some good brake pads and braided or Kevlar front lines. For the rear, I would not recommend a ZX-6 rear shock because you’ll need a stiffer spring for the no-linkage suspension you have. And the stiffer spring will need matching valving beyond just using the clickers. I would recommend to get a good K-Tech 2-way shock or a Penske 2-way with the right spring for your weight. If you pay to get a new spring and rename the ZX-6 shock to match, then maybe if the length is right. You’ll want somewhere between 290mm and 300mm on rear shock length. I’d start at 295mm. Also, the Kawi wants a little stiffer rear end and no static sag for the track at least. Final comment, this advice could be primo, or worth exactly what you paid for it
I, like Monsterdood, run a Ninja 650 on the track. From the sound of your intended purposes, I would recommend the Race Tech Gold Valve or Ricor Intiminators set-up with springs to suit your weight (including gear). Unless you need/want the ability to adjust the compression and rebound manually without opening the fork then go for cartridges. A front end swap is not worth the effort from what you describe as your use for the bike. Cartridges will run $1,200 -$1,500 whereas the Gold Valves/Intiminators are around $200 - $300 (add $200-$300 for install if you are not doing it yourself). Get a properly set-up shock for the rear. The 2016 Ninja 650 uses the side mounted shock and requires a different set-up than a typical linkage style shock. And like Monsterdood said, take the advice it for what it is worth. When I started riding I went with full on cartridges and did not even barely know how to ride. I did grow into the cartridges over the years and the external adjustments have come in handy now that it is a full race bike and I need to make minor adjustments every so often. The set it and forget it style of the Gold Valves/Intiminators are not quite as track friendly, but for the street and occasional track days they would be fine.
Hi, I have a 2009 650R. Street now, used to do double duty with trackdays from 2012-2019. Ive been happy with the suspension upgrades I did on mine! I got a Ohlin's Rear shock KA-906 (might be a different number and length from your 2016). I had a Andreani cartridge kit installed with 9.3n/mm springs. I too am close to your weight! Ohlin's rear shock cost $675 new Andreani cartridge kit INSTALLED in the stock fork tubes total from Joe Craft Witchkraft motorsports near me, cost $900. (note with the stock fork tubes, they have to be machined and modified a lil bit so the Andreani can be installed. NOT reversible, so no going back to stock components after mod is done!!!)
I guess I should mention, I started with an 05-06 ZX-6 front end with GP Suspension valving and a 2-way Penske rear shock. I later converted to a 2016 ZX-6 front end with K-tech cartridges and an Elka 3-way rear shock. I think the upgrades I did were good, but were definitely incremental. I like the Race tech emulator option for you but adjustability is nice to get the right feel. Also, it’s nice to see our underground army of Kawasaki’s. Those SV people are so loud around here, you’d think it’s the only lightweight Twin around
Dang it! I knew the ZX-6r rear shock idea was too good to be true. I forgot about the geometry difference with the suspension. It seems as though I could get the rear shock rebuilt by Race Tech to solve the issues of valving and spring rate, but the cost would be about the same as getting an Ohlins rear shock like scorpion-ninja. That shock has only rebound and preload adjustment (2-way?). The base Penske shock has only preload adjustment but can be upgraded, though it is $50-100 more expensive. I will give RT a call about the possibility of rebuilding a ZX-6R shock for my application and what the cost would be because that shock is already 3-way adjustable (preload, rebound, compression). For the front fork, your feedback aligns with what I was thinking already. I just got the RT gold valve setup done to my vintage Kawasaki (fork is not even back on the bike yet), so I will see how that has worked out and then make a decision. The Ohlins cartridge kit is only $800 so that might be the better option as it is less money than most of the other cartridge kits on the market and is probably an easier install for me to do compared to the RT gold valve kit. I appreciate the feedback! What do you think about these ideas?
I'll jump in as well. I ride a 1st gen 650R, with a 05 ZX6R front end swap with Ktech carts and rear shock. I bought it that way so I have little experience with "progressing" through a more basic setup. But I can tell you that a R1 rear shock, resprung and revalved, is a common rear shock modification for the Versys street crowd. It fits with minimal modifications (a bushing swap) and is the right length and seems decently adaptable. I tend to find the rear is a bit difficult to get dialed in on the 650R because of the linkless setup and the geometry change of the 6R front end but then again I am not sure I even know what I want it to do that it is not at my pace.
Ohlins cartridge plus ohlins rear shock would be great. Shock length and the resulting swingarm angle is important. If it’s off, then little throttle changes through the corner start to create some significant geometry changes which will feel like the bike pitching forward or backwards. You’ll then start increasing the damping to control it but decreasing traction in exchange for controlling the swingarm throttle interaction. The right shock length will keep the swingarm behaving allowing you to tune the shock for bumps and traction instead. So I don’t know the length of the ZX-6 shock, but make sure it’s in that range before you keep considering a revalve approach. I’m sure the ohlins will be in the right range (probably closer to 290mm). oh, one final note, preload doesn’t count in the shock adjustment numbers. A 2-way shock is rebound and compression. A 3-way shock is rebound, low speed compression and high speed compression. you’re on the right path and more Kawi 650 riders reveal themselves! Nice
I ordered the Ohlins cartridge kit. Seems to be the right solution for my situation, and STG gave me a great price on it. Unfortunately that shouldn't come in until mid-October (big sad). I did some more poking around on the rear shock options, especially the R1 option. As sharky nrk said, the R1 shock swap seems to be a popular option. Many people have done it and been quite successful. For my generation of the Ninja 650 I have read that the shock length is 295mm and the 2009-2014 R1 shock should work. The one change needed to fit is a replacement of the bushings which can be supposedly taken off of the out-going shock. The R1's bushing hole diameter is 10mm and the Ninja 650's is 12mm. I am going to call Race Tach about revalving, respringing, and rebuilding the R1 shock for my situation. Other people have gone through RT before in this situation and gotten good results. Thanks for the input!
Correct, my Ohlin's rear shock on mine is 2 way, rebound + preload adjustments only. Ohlins USA told me they only have like 3 or 4 spring rates for my very rear shock. (maybe less now since my bike is soooo uncommon and obsolete these days. My rear spring was the middle one, originally set for 2UP touring long time ago. It is too stiff for me solo track riding, but the softest spring they told me would be waaaay too soft for my weight: 225 lbs!
