Minor Winter Project - installing suspension worth 1/3 of the bike

Papa_Complex · 11-22-2010, 10:35 AM

Yes, I've gone completely insane. Over the Winter I'll be swapping out the stock bits, on my ER6n, for aftermarket. The forks aren't bad for what they are; ancient damper rod design. They aren't adjustable for even preload though. The shock, on the other hand, is absolute shite; preload-only adjustable and absolutely no feedback.

So I'm going the whole hog. The fork internals are being replaced by a custom gas-charged cartridge kit from Bitubo, in Italy. Landed cost is under $800.00 for something that I can just rip out the damper rod assembly, and replace it with new internals.

For the shock, I'm trying something different. Shocks for the ER6n/Ninja 650R seem to be as scarce as hens' teeth, with the only "big name" shock I could find being a rebound and preload adjustable Ohlins. I bought an Elka (great company to deal with, by the way), but it didn't fit. Penske, who I've dealt with before, said that they have a shock for the Ninja 650R but not the ER6n. THE STOCK SHOCK IS IDENTICAL! They didn't respond, when I told them that. There's goes THAT sale. So it's a Hyperpro "3D" shock for me. It's pricey, at maybe $1200 total, and overkill for my application, as it has both high and low speed damping adjustment. At least they replied to me.

Should have all the bits in a couple of weeks.

11-22-2010, 10:35 AM	#1
Papa_Complex Nomadic Tribesman Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Brampton, Canada Moto: '09 ER-6n Posts: 11,150	Minor Winter Project - installing suspension worth 1/3 of the bike Yes, I've gone completely insane. Over the Winter I'll be swapping out the stock bits, on my ER6n, for aftermarket. The forks aren't bad for what they are; ancient damper rod design. They aren't adjustable for even preload though. The shock, on the other hand, is absolute shite; preload-only adjustable and absolutely no feedback. So I'm going the whole hog. The fork internals are being replaced by a custom gas-charged cartridge kit from Bitubo, in Italy. Landed cost is under $800.00 for something that I can just rip out the damper rod assembly, and replace it with new internals. For the shock, I'm trying something different. Shocks for the ER6n/Ninja 650R seem to be as scarce as hens' teeth, with the only "big name" shock I could find being a rebound and preload adjustable Ohlins. I bought an Elka (great company to deal with, by the way), but it didn't fit. Penske, who I've dealt with before, said that they have a shock for the Ninja 650R but not the ER6n. THE STOCK SHOCK IS IDENTICAL! They didn't respond, when I told them that. There's goes THAT sale. So it's a Hyperpro "3D" shock for me. It's pricey, at maybe $1200 total, and overkill for my application, as it has both high and low speed damping adjustment. At least they replied to me. Should have all the bits in a couple of weeks. __________________ "Everything's better with pirates." - Lodge, "Dorkness Rising" http://www.morallyambiguous.net/