I purchased a 2005 Kawasaki ZX10R with Ohlins (Front and Rear) - the previous owner weighed significantly less than I do. I've found replacement springs on-line and used the Race-tech calculator to determine what spring rate is optimum - however the rate given is right in the middle of 2 available springs (10.5 and 11.0 available, 10.75 is the calculated). any guesses on which was to go - higher or lower spring rate?
I think if you get the softer of the too you would have to run more preload and vice cersa for the stiffer. not sure though.
I had this same question and contacted Ohlins about it. They said it depends on the kind of riding you do. If you race or do a lot of trackdays, then go with the stiffer side. If you do lots of commuting with the occaisional trackday, choose the softer one. With the softer one, you will be running close to max preload but you can kinda compensate by adjusting the compression. But when on the streets, you can soften it enough that it wont be too harsh. In your situation, if you feel that you can maintain your weight or think you can vary, I'd get the stiffer one. I know my R6 likes to be on the stiffer side.
If it's the forks couldn't you put the 10.5 in one leg and the 11 in the other and get 10.75. right? or i could be wrong someone smarter let me know
Hmm - The bike is a track bike only - going through that mid life thing.... I don't think that mixing springs is the way I will go - if the weaker spring is on the left hand side, every time I hit the brakes hard it will want to dip left. Perhaps stiffer is the way to go.
The two forks will move at the same rate no matter how different they are, they're connected so they have no choice. By putting a softer spring on one side you're simply choosing a spring rate in between the two. For example, I use a .95 in one fork and a .90 in the other which is the same as a .925, this is the only way I can get enough sag and also avoid an overly soft front end. Just curious but I've never heard of someone using springs that stiff, what's your weight?
