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Finally fell in love with my ZX6R this weekend

6K views 38 replies 17 participants last post by  Jekyllzx6r 
#1 ·


I can now say without reservation that I effing love this bike!

I have ridden her for 3 years and although she has brought me championships and has been a great performer, I would not say that I was loving the bike. My main gripes have been that it felt heavy to steer and simultaneously nervous feeling which is an odd combination. It did not inspire confidence and was a very exhausting bike to ride. Turning while trail braking would always go wide (and I had to compensate). We tried unsuccessfully to tune these things out over the past few years. I stuck with the bike because all of these things could be overcome and because the chassis was stable (despite a little chatter) and the motor is simply superb. It outshines everything else in the middleweight class.

Flash back to a month ago; I was instructing at the Penguin school when one of my fellow racers had some concerns about their bike and asked me to take it out since we had the same bike. I took it for a few laps and was amazed at how different it felt than my own. It was practically falling over due to bad geometry but it really got me thinking. I asked if he would mind if I got some measurements from his bike and he kindly agreed so I took it to my amazing sponsor Computrack: Boston who has a laser measuring system at the track. I already had my own measurements so I took this new data home with me to ponder.

I spoke with Pete at Computrack during the month about building what is essentially a hybrid between the two vastly different geometries to take the best of each and put it into one workable tune. Fast forward to Friday where I was once again teaching at Penguin. I went out for my morning sessions with my students and had about a 2 hour break for lunch and when we take the advanced group out on a track walk so I dropped my bike off with Pete and waited.

When the time came to go back on the track I admit that I was a bit nervous. This was a massive change in geometry and I was wondering how it would behave and if I would be able to adapt to it...or if it would even be a workable geometry. A few millimeters off in any direction can make a massive difference. I know my way around suspension and geometry, but Pete is a fucking magician.

I immediately felt more confident. The bike was simultaneously more stable and yet so much easier to steer. It was perfectly stable but also far more agile than it was before. Turning went from a massive effort to nearly telepathic. I still need to muscle the bike a bit but nowhere near as bad as before. I actually almost went off on the inside of a turn because it just...went. Pete also managed to tune out the nervousness that I was experiencing before.

It...was...AWESOME and this is just a start. I am sure that there is a little more fine tuning that can be done as I get more seat time.

I was so elated that I rode for the next 4 hours with only a handful of short breaks for fuel which was not something I could have done on my previous setup and now I can't wait to get back on the bike.

I have said multiple times here and elsewhere that if I could have taken my previous GSXR bike and transplant the ZX6R engine into it that I would have the perfect race bike. I can happily say now that this is no longer the case as the ZX6R has surpassed every aspect of my former race bike. It is truly the weapon that it was meant to be.

My next time at the track will be at the 2 day Penguin school in June followed by the Loudon Classic where I will actually return to racing. I am very excited for this and I can say that this excitement has been missing for some time.

**EDIT: before someone (everyone) asks me for my setup numbers: don't. I haven't raced on it yet so it has not been thoroughly tested in my book. What I can tell you now is that the bike likes lots of trail, to be tall in the front, and have a longer wheelbase than most other bikes.
 
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#4 ·
I know electronics but have NO idea on how to effect any of the changes your mentioning.
Before getting to numbers, what are you/they measuring. HOW does one change them.

I thought, this was a frame thing. Can't be if it's adjustable.


OH,, fantastic new's. Imagine getting the bike dialed in is sweet.
 
#6 ·
This would be a good place to start: http://zx6r.com/racing/60532-chassis-geometry-101-why-using-rear-brake-racetrack-can-ok.html

I've got to ask: does your bike really need to be so tall in the front that you needed fork extenders? After the Racetech treatment to my forks they were lengthened by 15 mm; after sliding the forks down in the triples I gained another 5 mm ride height from stock; that's 20 mm of increased front ride height without having fork extenders. I would think that is plenty right there...

Oh, and that's awesome that you found your happiest settings!
Thanks bud, and yes. I am well beyond that and into the fork extenders.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I've got to ask: does your bike really need to be so tall in the front that you needed fork extenders? After the Racetech treatment to my forks they were lengthened by 15 mm; after sliding the forks down in the triples I gained another 5 mm ride height from stock; that's 20 mm of increased front ride height without having fork extenders. I would think that is plenty right there...

Oh, and that's awesome that you found your happiest settings!
 
#14 ·
Thanks King! I am really happy with our team's livery. She has a few bruises now but still turns heads =)

Some day I'd love to try out a WELL-setup ZX6R and see how different it feels from mine, because I'm pretty much noticing the same symptoms with mine that you said you had before the geometry change. Steering does feel a bit heavier than it should and it seems like it's going wide while trail-braking, so I can't get on the gas as early as I'd like to. The only thing I've really changed over the winter was the shock spring...went to a softer one, but no geometry changes were made.
I'd still like to ride a well set up zx6r :p. Time will tell if this one qualifies, although I think it may. This is one of those situations where you know what you know, and don't know what you don't know. As far as I knew, the bike was set up well until I tried someone else's.

So glad to hear it Slo after everything you have been through. Reading this makes me look forward to getting back on the ZX6 even more, even after 2 full track weekends in a row!
Jealous that you get to spend 2 weekends in a row at the track but thank you! I am excited to get back to the track myself.

That softer spring is probably allowing the rear ride height to decrease, simultaneously increasing front end rake and trail:laughing. Thus slowing steering.
All true, but I think he was having the issue before he changed the spring =)

Glad to hear you're in love!

So for the rest of us...Set the preload and keep it stock?! :wink :laughing
Sure, that works just fine =) The OEM forks are actually very good on the current gen. The shock still sucks a tepid bag of sweaty monkey testicles but it is still better than nothing =)
 
#10 ·
Some day I'd love to try out a WELL-setup ZX6R and see how different it feels from mine, because I'm pretty much noticing the same symptoms with mine that you said you had before the geometry change. Steering does feel a bit heavier than it should and it seems like it's going wide while trail-braking, so I can't get on the gas as early as I'd like to. The only thing I've really changed over the winter was the shock spring...went to a softer one, but no geometry changes were made.
 
#18 ·
Still feeding data but looks like I added +28.5mm front ride height and subtracted 14.7mm rear ride height and added 6.2mm of trail from my last setup o_O
 
#26 ·
Yep, as I said I am well into the range of the extenders...although I believe the K-Tech cartridges do not extend the OEM fork length the way the racetech ones do that you have...so I am sure that I am higher than your setup, probably not as much as you may think.

I cant wait to get back on the track with this thing...which reminds me I have a LOT of prep to do if I am going to race the next round. My poor bike has been neglected for far too long.
 
#34 ·
I'd guess that the rear geometry is dominated by the squat/anti-squat aspects, rather than the relationship that is developed to the steering neck from the rear axle. How the chassis rotates fore and aft under power is also going to alter the rake and trail. Biggest effect there is likely to be the extension/compression of the fork, but it all plays together.

Once you're on the side of the tire and the fork and swing arm's motion in the 'vertical' plane is not the dominant direction of wheel travel when you hit a bump (now it's going at least partially 'side to side'), how the frame flexes, the swing arm moves side to side, the tire sidewalls, all play a part in steering response. Front tire contact patch obviously changes depending on tire profile, too.

I'd think when the bike is laid way over, when you put an input to the bars, that is likely to result in the fork extending or compressing as the wheel initiates the change in chassis attitude. A longer fork would provide a bit more leverage from the increased 'trail', but it's also probably more resistant to changes in length.
 
#37 ·
I said the bikes geometry feels lazy a good while back and y'all said I was nuts :p
You tell me exactly what to do to liven it up without screwing it up though and I'll give you 1 million internet points! Lap times aside, it would just make it a more fun bike to ride.
 
#38 ·
Seems like Pslo got it right with this setup. I've seen some Graves zx6r builds in the paddock and they all have that tall front he was describing. I've improved on my turn in with riding technique to get it to turn but still struggle to get it to transition quickly.
 
#39 ·
Its very interesting to see how much knowledge you have about suspension and geometry..yet still, as you say, there are guys who are just specialists in it. My experience is rather limited in general. But I have noticed amongst my friends who do race or are considered experts .. no one readily admits to how much these are hugely important areas that some mechs simply understand better..


Next month I'm going to approach a guy who works on zx6r track bikes and ask him to do my suspension as I'm 100% sure that this bike can do better ..

That and its always KICKASS when you actually love something you've owned for a while :love:(y)

Thanks for the awesome write up!
 
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