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K TECH shock - SHOCK !
#21
Tbh I always found k-tech settings very hard ie track based and therefore very hard for the rd on all the forks I had done by them, the only issue I had with em once is they did the full monty on my 12R forks and never put new bushes/sliders in and I could feel something not right so took em back and they sorted out, however I'm local to em so that's not too bad but rugby too swad is not just around the corner!

Another company I used recent Firefox racing in keithley Yorkshire for my forks, now I had to wait ages for my stuff and upon visiting the place it's a back street shed and the 1st impressions was not good, but seems he has plenty of happy peeps going by google and andy the owner is a x-racer and my usd forks feel very sweet.
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#22
Dave
I spoke at length on the phone to colin at K tech today , explaining the issue with the shock, and voiced  my real concerns that my forks may not have been done right or even missed  completely  . He said he was happy for me to watch while they checked them. My shock is a bigger issue, ...but if my forks R ok and its just my paranoia ( :eek ! ) at least I can get the bike working using my spare shock.Colin seemed genuine enuff, not trying to fob me off or treat me like an idiot ...so I am full of hope for my visit on monday.
There is also the possibility of getting a shock from luke, but as I have already paid for the shock refurb from K tech...I have  a years warranty on the work, so they should really put it right. My fear is that a key part is broken and they wont have any spares ...as the kit was in short supply when I bought it 21/2 yrs ago.
As regards setup , yes the Ktech settings are firmish, I usually back both comp and rebound  a bit . My issue is when all the damping is dialled out ...they still feel " turgid" !!..I was expecting them to bounce a lot easier.But when i think back to the several long tours I have done on the fazer , I never really felt they were uncomfortable, till about last autumn, when I noticed this kicking back off the bumps...the shock was particularly good for ride quality too. I had that on the bike  in 2009 when we went down to pyrenees, and the bike was floating along , beautiful ride quality. Its nothing like it at the moment !  :\
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#23
Jon I'm sure the outcome will be in your favour and your softly approach was welcomed by k-tech rather than the lump hammer approach (builders LoL) and tbh if they can't do the shock you will get refunded and than invest in one of Luke's shocks I'm sure you won't go wrong, obviously there is a reason as too why the shock has destroyed itself ! You will have to let us no what they say caused the issue following there rebuild fitters fault maybe !!
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#24
(26-04-12, 06:59 AM)Falcon 269 link Wrote: Stiction is indeed the word, Jon, and can be induced by pinching the fork legs slightly out of parallel when fitting them.

I recently dropped my yokes to 15mm and am very pleased with the noticably more urgent steering response, it's interesting!  However, I didn't make a good job of getting the fork legs truly parallel when it came to tightening the yokes up. Things go wrong when I torque the stem nut on top of the yoke because it twists the whole lot out of true and no matter how much I try and anticipate the 'twist' I end up with handlebars pointing slightly out of kilter to the right.
Has anyone got a good tip for doing this right?
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#25
If the worst come to the worst and you feel the need to obtain a replacement shock from elsewhere do consider a Hagon shock. I fitted a rear with remote preload adjuster and replaced my fork springs with Hagon's and am more than satisfied. It transformed the bikes handling and I throw it around quite a bit (no chick strip on my rear at all) in all weathers, it really is good! Big Grin 

Shiney side up is best, see ya!!
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#26
+1 for Hagon - have had mine for couple of years now and is still brilliant compared to the pants original shock (FZS600 mind)
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#27
I took a knackered Hagon shock off my Gpz500S years ago and in comparison with the Betor shock I'd bought as a replacement they looked identical. I can't remember prices, but I do remember the Betor was much cheaper than the Hagon list price, I wonder.....
Another good cheapy shock is the YSS range, I had one on my ZZR600 and it did the business and looks pretty good too, silver finish, black spring. YSS are in fact designed by an ex-White Power engineer, apparently.
  Have a top of range Wilbers on my Fazer, can't fault it.

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#28
Haven't actually got round to buying an upgrade yet but from what I've seen so far I'd go with a Wilbers. Chaps at Revsracing were very helpful as well, worth considering.
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#29
I had a hagon shock back in 2003 and it was pants. Maybe they have improved, but it was only worth having for the spring ! . The damping was poor and only a single screw adjuster , yet it cost the same as lukes shock!
. Best idea is either get the OE shock resprung / refurbed or buy one of lukes R6 shock kits.
I have a refurbed OE shock already , but the Ktech shock ( when its fixed ! ) is far far superior...its why I bought it in the first place.
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#30
the best suspension is the best you've ever had.
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#31
I have never tried say an ohlins, so I cant say if it does move the game on...but tbh with my K tech set up I was very happy with the comfort / handling blend of damping. I would not have particularly looked for anything else. The bike performed well for my uses with the suspension  package.I have ridden fazers for over 50k miles with a K tech set up , and 4 big euro trips, so its a decent judgement period.
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#32
But some folk have never ridden a bike with as good a set up, so when they fit a Hagon they think it's the best thing since sliced bread because it's so much better than the stocker.


Re Ohlins or any other premium brand: if it's set up wrongly for you it will still feel bloody awful.  If you're happy with your K-Tech shock then that's great. And if they'll fix it that's even better but they should be getting it right first time regardless.
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#33
I agree with the above the Hagon was great after the original and I set it up properly with static sag for weight etc


But no doubt an ohlins or similar would knock its socks off
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#34
Wonder how the team talk is going? Smile
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#35
Hope you get it all sorted out Pitternator.

I had my gen1 rear shock upgraded to K-Tech spec.  What a difference!  Brilliant and it's still working fine years later.

I had hoped to do the front forks as well, but this stuff ain't cheap and so I haven't quite got round to it.

What I would say, is that if you have a gen1 thou with the OE shock complete with OE spring, is that unless you weigh only 8 or 9 stone (and any previous owners did too) is get the right spring fitted for your weight and get the seals overhauled and shock re-gassed.  The OE spring is a joke for the average UK rider.


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#36
(29-04-12, 08:25 AM)pitternator link Wrote: I have never tried say an ohlins, so I cant say if it does move the game on..

It's when you've got high and low comp damping adjustment to play with that you realise just how good a shock absorber can get. I thought the comp adjustment on my Wilbers was an adjustment just sitting there waiting for me to screw up and initially thought I'd leave it well alone, but the handbook blurb encourages you to twiddle so I took care over trying different settings and reckon I've got it just right, certainly noticably better than the stock factory setting. So I 'm quite pleased about that.
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#37
Well the team talk went OK...I saw the guy who actually does the work, and he simply said they will strip it all down again, recheck etc and get back to me. I couldnt stop there as its one of the few fine days we have had and 4000 bricks are a calling me !...so I left the units with KT.Apologies to Karlo but I was there at 8.15 and left at 8.35...just couldnt stop.
He did insist the forks had been done, saying the forks had been polished(  on their lathe) so they must have been taken apart to do that.He reckons some of what I was complaining about ( stiction) is due to new parts...but I pointed out to him that  IMO they still behaved OTR like the old forks !..so I said, is there anything he can do ( apart from changing springs) to make them more supple ?...weaker springs would not help IMO as I have set all this suspension for rider sag , and they are in the right range.
The ball is in their court just now, so will report back when they have more news.
Another positive is I quizzed the guy about spares for the shock, and he did say they have enough.Its just the shock bodies they dont have. He reckons the shock could have a fault with the piston rod...dont quite know how this could be, as its never been crashed , dropped or even hit a  bad bump...but logic says if they did fix it originally, its gone almost straight away...its likely to be such..he said the reason there are no clicks to the rebound adjuster is cos the unit has lost its gas...my only issue is that this is the fault/ reason  I took the unit to them for, and the repair lasted just 3 hours on the road...so I do hope they can  now properly diagnose and rectify the fault.

The sceptic could say that a suspension expert should have looked at just why a unit lost its gas in the first place , and put the underlying fault right....not just rebuild it per se.I still think if I had spoken to the sharp end in the first place I might have prevented this thing happening ...I still think the communication link there dont help.The guy who managed the customer service operation when I first deposited / picked up the units was flustered / unhelpful and unexpansive. Its possibly the classic communication problem !...  :\
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#38
picked up the suspension yesterday, they ( quote) " couldnt find anything wrong " ! ..yeah right ...shocks lose their damping oil all the time, when pushed mike said he found  asmall piece of grit which may have been the culprit !...yikes shocks have to be able to shrug off more than this surely ??
...theysay they  have rebuilt forks and shock, but probably wont get time to test till the weekend now. KT claim the forks had been fully serviced too...hmmm...they needed 48 hrs to find that out though ! Wink

feck I am really getting paranoia now  :rolleyes
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#39
why does bullshit come to mind
www.Devilsyam.com (Fazerpedia)
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#40
they found a small piece of grit inside your shock?


was it oil or gas the shock lost?
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