KATANA REAR SHOCK

[vorBH]

I know this topic would definitely have been discussed before...but I want it to be more clear
The question is which latest year Kat shock can I directly bolt on...ie. Can I put on a 2007 Kat 750 shock....whats the latest I can go??

[mach1]

with a little search on this site i found this.
http://pantablo500.tripod.com/id12.html
this should give you more info

[ineedanap]

I ran an 05 katana 600 shock and it fit perfect.  In case you can't find the info anywhere it's 11.75 inches which is similar (same?) to the older katana ones. 

[vorBH]

05 600 Kat shock...where did you get it? And for how much?

Also, how stiff is it?....if you sit on it...does it fall down? If two riders on there does it fall down a lot?
How much did the rear end get raised by?

[Bluesmudge]

I would imagine that like any shock (including the stock GS shock) how much the bike sags under rider weight is determined by the preload adjustment on the shock. Something around 1.5"-2" is what you want if I remember correctly.
I've heard it is raised by 1.5". This information is all over the forums, do a short search and you will have more info than you will know what to do with.

[ineedanap]

hello,

yhea, what he said!

I got it from a salvage company on ebay.  I used it for 6 months.  I paid 40 something for it.  Preload is adjustable from 1-7 so it can be set up for all different weights.  I (190lbs) used #4.  It raised the rear about 1 inch in my case.  

Racetech recommends 25-30 mm for racing and 30-35 mm of sag for street riding.  I just checked


Or if that is too much you can just bolt a katana shock on and go, but if you can adjust it, why not do it!

[vorBH]

Looks like I am finally just going with a Katana 600 or 750 rear shock of the most latest model year possible.

I am not heavy enough for GSXR shock upgrade to allow the bike to sag down a bit and let the parts sit properly again..makes sense
Plus Kat upgrade is easy upgrade with no post-problems.
Just waiting on it

[Danny500]

I used an 02' Katana 750 rear shock, the kind with the reservoir on it. It fits perfectly into the stock position, won't raise your bike a bit, however when you go to install, you may have to support the rear wheel (or have someone help you raise and lower the rear end) in order to line up the bolt into the bottom of the shock.

Also, if you get the type with the rebound dampener on the bottom of the shock, you should consider grinding a little bit of material off the top of the mounting knuckle so that under heavy compression you don't accidentally snap it off.

Other than that the reservoir mounts up slick under the left-hand rear cover. I got mine dialed into my weight (220lbs) with 32mm of sag 1.5 turns out on compression damping and on number 2 (facing the rear of the bike) rebound damping. For the pre-load I'm at about half way in the adjustment threads between top and bottom, so it's perfect for a bigger guy, or someone riding 2-up.

The shock is AMAZING compared to stock. There's no excessive slosh, no squat, and it's very easily adjustable. I HIGHLY recommend the 750 one.

DO NOT, I plea, install this without first (or simultaneously) upgrading to progressive or straight-rate springs in the front... The front springs are GARBAGE. If you're in the 200+ range fully geared, you NEED .90 to 1.00 rate springs. When you cut spacers, they need to be 125mm exactly with the stock washer between the spacer and spring (large thin washer from the GS) and 1 (preferably stainless steel) washer on TOP of the spacer between it and the fork cap.

This will give you exactly 15-16mm of pre-load and at 200-230lbs will give you exactly 30-35mm of sag... perfect.

Good luck! 

[vorBH]

Awesome! Thank you so much for your detailed reply!
'02 shock, I would love to get a new one like that.
But I thought the shocks with the reservoir mounted on the top wont fit on the GS500?? Budda says..

So you mean it can be considered stiff and not some lousy loose shock?

What will happen if I don't upgrade to progressive springs? Bike will fall forward??

If you're in the 200+ range fully geared, you NEED .90 to 1.00 rate springs. When you cut spacers, they need to be 125mm exactly with the stock washer between the spacer and spring (large thin washer from the GS) and 1 (preferably stainless steel) washer on TOP of the spacer between it and the fork cap.

Appreciate the info, but I really don't know what it means partially because I am kind of newbie to specific things like this and partially because I never touched upon this progressive springs topic.

But anyways, I hope I can find the Kat 750 shock and bolt it on

[Danny500]

Awesome! Thank you so much for your detailed reply!
'02 shock, I would love to get a new one like that.
But I thought the shocks with the reservoir mounted on the top wont fit on the GS500?? Budda says..

So you mean it can be considered stiff and not some lousy loose shock?

What will happen if I don't upgrade to progressive springs? Bike will fall forward??

If you're in the 200+ range fully geared, you NEED .90 to 1.00 rate springs. When you cut spacers, they need to be 125mm exactly with the stock washer between the spacer and spring (large thin washer from the GS) and 1 (preferably stainless steel) washer on TOP of the spacer between it and the fork cap.

Appreciate the info, but I really don't know what it means partially because I am kind of newbie to specific things like this and partially because I never touched upon this progressive springs topic.

But anyways, I hope I can find the Kat 750 shock and bolt it on

The Kat 750 shock WILL bolt right up, with consideration to the grinding of the knuckle (as above mentioned) and the position of the lower coil of the spring. You need to spin the spring so that the open coil faces the swingarm, otherwise it may hit it.

As far as the front springs.. they're garbage. If you stiffen the rear and don't stiffen the front the bike will have a tendency to dive forward under braking and become extremely loose up front in corners... you'll DIVE forward and feel as if you're going to be flung off the front of the bike.

No fun... in your situation... try to get a Kat 600 shock from a 00-07. she'll bolt right in and be plenty adjustable and stiff for what you need.

Yes, the 750 is stiff... not "cant-compress-it" stiff, but stiff. It can, however, be made softer with the damping adjustments.

[vorBH]

Hmm ok, I'll keep this in consideration, thank you...I definitely want a newer shock..and I hope it'll raise the rear end by at least 1inch like they say

[psyber_0ptix]

My katana 750 shock fit perfectly no grinding of the swingarm. The spring was VERY close to rubbing but gained clearance when it is under load. It literally had 3mm clearance. It's stiff, very little sag however it feels GREAT even on its softest dampening/rebound settings

[vorBH]

Thanks for the pics....where can I get a 750 shock like that one!? How much did it cost you?

[psyber_0ptix]

you can find them all over ebay from time to time. i got this one from buddha among other parts. think it was like 65 bux. dont remember really; we had many transactions

[Danny500]

I got mine off e-bay for 35 bucks w/shipping. Just go nuts searching "750 Katana shock" or "GSX750 shock" , or replace 750 w/600 if you don't want res.

[Merritt]

Is there an advantage to having the 750 w/ reservoir instead of the 600?

[Danny500]

Yes, adjustability. Being able to adjust compression AND rebound damping allows you to taylor the spring to YOUR riding style, YOUR riding ability, ALL riding conditions and YOUR weight.

Getting a shock with limited adjustability is kind of dumb IMHO only because you're limited to dialing in your sag and that's it... what IF the spring is too stiff or the bike hops off bumps and feel like it's about to break loose in corners??? Too bad... no adjustibility.

Get the 750, you won't regret it.

[ecpreston]

I was going to start a new thread, but I'd hate to start a new thread about this kat shock issue!  So I'll tack it on here:

Does anyone actually know the spring rate of our stock rear? A late model kat 600 shock/spring? A 750?

I've spent quite a lot of time reading on both here, the wiki, and katriders, and am still not sure what to go with. I think I'm sold on some straight rate front springs. Since I'm 190# and will do a little intermediate level track school riding, I'll probably go with the 0.85 kg/mm as recommended by both Sonic and RaceTech. I know many here will recommend higher, but a ~42% rate increase (compared to .6) sounds pretty significant to me. I'll probably keep the 15W oil in there that I replaced last year (that alone did help!)

So it makes sense (to me) that I'd want a similar increase on the rear rate as I really don't dislike the way the bike handles now. It's just too easy to max it all out. But I'm not happy with qualitative comments on rear shock/spring rates... so does anyone actually have some numbers? Just tossing another bike's equipment on because it's "stiffer" and "feels better" doesn't really remind me of a well thought out upgrade!

I also plan on doing what I can to get the sag somewhat correct on both ends... but I'm too cheap to spend hundreds on emulators and real suspension stuff. We'll see how it goes!   

[The Buddha]

Grind the linkage on the bike before fitting a shock with the dial in the clevise. Else it could smash that plastic dial the first time you hit a bump.
Cool.
Buddha.

[ecpreston]

ok, I found a rate on the 750 from katriders:



so that's one down.

waiting on a response from RaceTech to see if they know any others....

*edit* They don't. I'm buying a kat600 shock and I'll make an attempt to measure it and my stock one when I swap them. 

Has anyone tried using a spring rate calculator to see what it says our springs are? I'll try that tonight....
http://faq.f650.com/FAQs/ShocksSpringRateFAQ.htm