Best Fork Upgrade Under $1,000??

[socal]

I'm throwing in the towel on my '06 Gixxer600 OEM forks- tried everything. They are terrible. Best upgrades for under a $1,000 (incl labor), eg springs, valves, cartridges, Ohlins, local proprietary stuff etc. Still new at this, as if you could not tell by the question. Incidentally, 190 lb rider

[Suburbanrancher]

Originally Posted by socal

I'm throwing in the towel on my '06 Gixxer600 OEM forks- tried everything. They are terrible. Best upgrades for under a $1,000 (incl labor), eg springs, valves, cartridges, Ohlins, local proprietary stuff etc. Still new at this, as if you could not tell by the question. Incidentally, 190 lb rider

Undoubtably the first thing you want to do is find a qualified, experienced shop to do the work. I've bought from and shipped suspension parts across the country in the past simply to assure I'm getting the best work done.

For $1k, there is no reason why you can't have your stock forks resprung/revalved/set up for you with labor and still have some money left over. There are a variety of components available from custom shim stacks to complete valve kits - talk to a suspension tech to find out what's best for you. Fork springs and valve kits are generally around $400+ without labor.

Ohlins 25mm complete drop-in kits are out of your stated budget, but don't worry because a qualified tech should be able to set you up with a comparable performing front end for half the price.

Everyone has their shop recommendations, but from experience I can't recommend Dan Kyle from Kyle Racing (Kyle Racing - Roadracing Motorcycles) enough. The suspension I've bought from him has always been top notch and set up within a few clicks of perfect every time. Plus Dan is very experienced and helpful over the phone. You can take your forks off your bike and ship them to him in a plastic foam-lined rifle case ($30 from Walmart) or the like to have the work done.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

[Ben G]

Dan Kyle.............. give him a call, tell how much you have to spend and what you think you need................ he is very good, you will not be sorry (I have 2-06s and 1-07 and they work great...........thanks Dan) BG

[eye-p]

Have a good look at what other WSMC members are running. There should be no shortage of people more than happy to help you out.

That said, I found that my LE Suspension (Jim Lindeman) bikes were better at Willow than any other tuner I used while living in SoCal.

I now use Dan Kyle as he has lots of experience setting up my chosen racebike. His stuff is also amazing, although I have not used it at Willow. Perhaps even more impressive is that I am in the Mid-Atlantic (Summit and VIR) where Dan has no experience and his stuff really works well.

Either way, 750 spent with either of these guys will do the trick.
Dan will sell you a Ohlins 20mm valve kit.
Jim will rework the stock Showa valves or install 3 port Showa valves.

More than one way to skin a cat.

[L J&G]

I've got RaceTech internals on my s4. Helped some, not as good as Ohlins R/T's but well below $1000.

[socal]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I'll start locally with PPS and Lindeman. $500-$1000 should get me close to where I want to be.

[trussdude]

Matris 25 mm carts.

I have them in my 07 1000 and my teammate has Ohlins in his bike.

We can't tell the difference and they cost right about $1,000.

[socal]

Originally Posted by trussdude

Matris 25 mm carts.

I have them in my 07 1000 and my teammate has Ohlins in his bike.

We can't tell the difference and they cost right about $1,000.

US Distributor??

[curtluv]

Department of Suspension. 15% off retail prices.

Originally Posted by socal

US Distributor??

[socal]

Originally Posted by curtluv

Department of Suspension. 15% off retail prices.

Thanks!

[z-man]

One other thing to keep in mind is suspension is definitely a service industry. There are cheap part providers on the internet you can contact to get parts at a discounted rate, however, when you have questions or need help with your suspension, who do you turn to?

Got to support the local talent. Out in the Mid Atlantic for CCS there is a company CTR Suspensions, the guy is good. Is he the best, I'm not sure but he is solid and he is at every single race. I can save 200 bucks if I buy a rear shock from an online source but the 200 bucks extra is well worth it in the service John provided. The overall package is great and John takes a lot of time out to work with each rider.

Just my

Z

[Cafe_Racer]

Hey Anthony - Give Andy Palmer a call at West Coast GP Cycles. He's the guy that builds all those fast SVs at Willow with GSXR front ends. He did great stuff with my 749 and he'll work with you to find the right setup (he's at the track every month).

He's on Pico just East of Bundy.

[XFBO]

All good advice above, Kyle, Lindemann, CTR are all great places to have suspension work done, however, Im surprised noones mentioned Thermosman yet. Mind you, Ive never had work done by him but Ive read so many good things about his work so that may be another option.


Also, unless you're pressed for time Id consider keeping an eye out for a good used/tuned set up. You might get your way with one of those 25MM kitted forks for under $1000 if you're patient.


I was in your position a few months ago, I was definitely going with Thermos until I found out my buddy was looking to unload his GMD serviced GSXR1K forks. He hooked me up with a good price and they're supposedly better built forks compared to the 750's so Im looking forward to trying them out next yr.

Gd luck and keep us posted!

[ridgerunner00]

I upgraded to race-tech.....very happy and well under 1K. Had all the work done at the performance center in Roseville (Mike C.). Don't have a lot of experience with suspension....but very happy with the service and results.