SV650s: help with racetech!

Hey yall I've asked on a couple other forums but the WERA is the mecca for roadracing, right?

So recently I bought a set of racetech fork springs and emulators off some [trickster] on ebay. Silly me, I assumed the springs would have come with the required spacers and washers (they didn't). So when I took the OEM springs out of the forks and compared them to the racetech springs and discovered tha the racetech springs are 4-5 inches shorter, I got a little concerned. I emailed the dude to ask him what was up and he played the whole "i didn't specifically say that it came with everything you need to install them" card. what a d-bag. it wouldn't be that big of a deal if i had known, but now my bike's in pieces, all the local bike shops are closed till tuesday, and i have no spacers, no idea how long they're supposed to be, and no idea how to make them.

Please!! If any of you have 0.90kg racetech fork spring kits, can you tell me how long the spacer is? How thick are the washers? (Stock forks. I have not done any swap) Dude said I could pick up the spacer materials and washers at a local hardware store, but uh, I dont know about that...

Thanks

 

You have to cut your own spacers anyways. Only difference is when new the kits come with some pieces of aluminum tubing to use. Just buy some PVC pipe the same diameter as the springs.

Cut the PVC so the length of it plus the emulator and spring is equal (or longer if you want more preload to start off with) to the length of the stock spring and spacer.

 

that's what i thought about doing at first (though not with PVC) but someone told me on another forum that you can't just do that because it would end up being too much preload...or something like that

 

If it turns out to be too much preload just cut it shorter accordingly. It's always easier to start longer. Can't make a too short spacer longer.

 

true. so what about the washer. is it anything special? can i use the OEM washer?

 

The diameter of the spacer is all that matters.

 

There will be a significant difference in length particulurly if you are replacing stock progressive springs. When I did mine recently I cut my spacer so I had 15mm that needed to be compressed to get the cap on. It worked perfect for me. If I remember right it was 1" ID PVC pipe that I needed. Stock Washers are fine.

 

so 1" diameter PVC pipe the length of the OEM spacer plus the difference in spring length should do, right?

 

The washer goes on TOP of the spring, the bottom of the spring sits on the emulator. Do you have a setting on the emulator, how many turns in ? That will set your compression damping. You also have a couple of holes to drill on the damping rod if it is a 1st generation SV. You'll need a print to do it right, the holes are specific diameter. Race Tech also recommends a specific fork oil and oil height. If you don't have the whole kit you may be minus some pertinent info.

 

i'm not going to put the emulators in right now. I just want to try stiffer springs and heavier fork oil for now. the only reason i bought the emulators is because they were part of the auction i thought i was getting a good deal on. at the moment, if someone made me a decent offer on the emulators, i'd probably sell them...

but yeah, just gonna go with springs and fork oil. what are some of the combinations of springs/oils yall are using? i'm about 205lbs naked (keep focused :tut. I've never weighed myself with all my gear on but i'd guess it would add 10-15 pounds.

(i know that .90 kg is not what racetech recommends, but like i said, i thought i was getting a good deal on the auction and i've never been on a track...so i think the .90kg and some heavier fork oil (i was thinking about trying 20wt) will do for now. i read that a lot of people think the rear shock is too soft, but it didn't feel that bad to me. a friend of a friend is willing to sell me a penkse 3-way adjustable shock for $350 but it came off his 1st gen race bike and is sprung for about a 180lb rider, he said. should i buy it? how much would it cost to get the shock resprung/valved for my weight?)

back on subject...so length of 1" PVC = OEM Spacer length + difference in spring lengths?

 

1 1/4 schedule 40 pipe at home depot.or you can buy metal spacers from suspension shops(traxxion....etc).
if you have 2nd gen bike you will have to respring and revalve shock.

 

thanks for the info. i can pick up an OEM 2005 zx-6rr rear shock pretty cheap. they're pretty nice, right?

[Edit]: the zx-6rr shock is still not spring for a 205lb rider, though...right

 

if you need nice paper weight,yes

 

paperweight...lol. the zx-6rr shock has GOT to be better than the SV shock

 

If they had the same linkage ratio it might be better.

I would like to point out the pvc is thicker and takes up more of the air gap in the top of the shock so I would think you would need a lower oil level but I do not know this for sure.

 

that is true. i had not thought about that. thanks for the input.

 

I suggest taking to someone, that has done this alot.

Most of these guys are trying to help, but it's still not the correct way to do those forks.

 

Link to the auction?

I'm just curious how you feel like you've been wronged... did the auction say "everything included for installation?" or show pictures of things that werent shipped?

 

taking the forks to someone? i would, but i'm trying to get the bike ready for racing school on Oct 4.