Hi guys, a while back I changed my ZX11 forks over to '02 ZZR1200 forks. The change was fantastic. It actually absorbed bumps and rough surfaces, instead of jack-hammering me and the rest of the bike.
So a couple of weeks ago, I found a good deal on a set of '05 ZZR1200 forks which came with adjustable rebound. I had heard that there really wasn't much, if any, difference between the two types but I figured more adjustability is (potentially) better.
I disassembled and rebuilt the forks and both were full of sludgy oil. One had a bluish colored oil (like the Maxima 7wt that I replaced it with) while the other had a slightly yellowish oil. Both came apart and went back together easily.
I had wanted to disassemble the damping cartridge just to see how the rebound damping works, but it looks like it's sealed so I'll have to buy a junk fork to butcher (anybody have one they want to donate to the cause of science?). There is a long, thin tube that runs from the rebound adjuster screw, down through the damping rod, and to what feels like a spring loaded foot valve at the bottom of the damping cartridge.
I found that there is a substantial difference in the speed of rebound between when the rod is fully extended and fully depressed. That makes me think that the feature may actually be useful in conjunction with proper oil weight, etc.
I'll report on how it actually works when I get the forks installed.
Now, a question for all you suspension experts- why do so many manufacturers provide rebound damping and not compression damping when they offer only one adjustment? Kawasaki did so on both the shocks and forks of both the ZX11 and ZZR1200 ( and probably others, but I'm too tired to research right now).
Regards,
M.Rad.
So a couple of weeks ago, I found a good deal on a set of '05 ZZR1200 forks which came with adjustable rebound. I had heard that there really wasn't much, if any, difference between the two types but I figured more adjustability is (potentially) better.
I disassembled and rebuilt the forks and both were full of sludgy oil. One had a bluish colored oil (like the Maxima 7wt that I replaced it with) while the other had a slightly yellowish oil. Both came apart and went back together easily.
I had wanted to disassemble the damping cartridge just to see how the rebound damping works, but it looks like it's sealed so I'll have to buy a junk fork to butcher (anybody have one they want to donate to the cause of science?). There is a long, thin tube that runs from the rebound adjuster screw, down through the damping rod, and to what feels like a spring loaded foot valve at the bottom of the damping cartridge.
I found that there is a substantial difference in the speed of rebound between when the rod is fully extended and fully depressed. That makes me think that the feature may actually be useful in conjunction with proper oil weight, etc.
I'll report on how it actually works when I get the forks installed.
Now, a question for all you suspension experts- why do so many manufacturers provide rebound damping and not compression damping when they offer only one adjustment? Kawasaki did so on both the shocks and forks of both the ZX11 and ZZR1200 ( and probably others, but I'm too tired to research right now).
Regards,
M.Rad.