I know I want to go with Sonic Springs in the front (the miles I put on the bike, the more I notice the squishiness of the front suspension), but I also know I need to upgrade the lighting first (due to a LOT of night time riding coming up). I already have an R6 rear shock ready to be installed. Is there any harm in doing the rear suspension upgrade before the front? Have any of you ever tried it - if so, what were/are you thoughts on the matter?
I upgraded my front first. To be honest, you really should do both together. Your suspension is only as strong as its weakest link, and the stock springs are really weak.
Your handling would probably suffer a bit, as the front would want to dive way more than the rear, causing unwanted handling characteristics. I'm not exactly sure what, but I believe it could cause less traction on the rear.
I put my Kat shock in a few weeks before i put my .90 springs in, honestly it was still a great improvement, didn't notice any thing dangerous with doing only the rear. The shock only seemed to affect the rear. A little quicker turning was noticed too, but other than that, i think your ok to do the shock before the springs, specially if you have then coming in the mail.
Plus then instead of one massive improvement, you have to smaller ones, makes you feel better about your purchases :)
Okay. So nix what I said lol. Upgrading the front springs is still a major improvement, though.
Upgrading the lighting is going to depend on which model u have.
Internal:
Naked E,difficult for REAL improvement......F,much easier for something like HID etc but would u be happy with the new spread pattern.
External:
LED light/lights probably the best for either model.
PS...just saw your other thread about lights.
What ? A stiffer rear shock makes your forks dive more ? I am wigged out O0
That not what I meant lol. I meant that the front will dive more than the rear.
It's a k9 f, I'm going with LED's auxiliary lights - one flood, one spot.
I have the lights picked out, just looking at wiring harnesses/fuse blocks/switches.
I'm still debating on .90 or .95 springs. Glad to know that upgrading the rear shock first won't be dangerous.
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Yeah... I sincerely apologize about that. I was talking out of my hind end.
As for spring rate, it depends on how stiff you want it, how much you weigh, and what you plan on doing. I'm about 160lbs, probably around 180 geared up. I put .85 in mine and they work extremely well with the R6 shock.
JAS6377, I used one of the spring rate calculators, and it came out to .85 for me as well (I'm about 165, so I'm guessing around 185 with gear on.). I wouldn't mind a bit of a stiffer/sportier ride - and would like to have a passenger occasionally. That's why I'm leaning towards the .90 or .95.
Do you happen to ever carry a passenger? If so, do the .85's seem to be adequate?
I'm not very experienced with two up, to be honest. Though, I've had my girlfriend on the back a few times. She's about 115-120 lbs. I didn't really notice a difference in front suspension, but I was riding extremely carefully. The rear did sag a bit, as would be expected.
OP, I have experienced a drop in weight (190lbs down to 150lbs ) and have experienced a passenger all with .85 springs. Originally, the .9kg springs were recommended for me, but I went with softer knowing I wanted a smoother ride, and I was determined to lose weight. I have had a passenger on all weights during that process, and I can tell you that even from day one, still at 190lbs, the .85s were such an improvement over stock that you wouldn't be disappointed if you went with those. That being said, my .85s are pretty stiff now at my lower weight... and would think for regular riding and even some aggressive street, .9s might be over the top... Just know that the stiffer end won't be comfortable, and is for aggressive street or track riding... and if you don't think you'll do that a majority of the time, then go for the lesser and keep and comfy, safe ride.
- Bboy
I have .90s and a katana 600 shock, (stiffer than the r6) and I'm about 210 geared up. I ride 2 up all the time, and i really like the .90s, but you might be a little to small for them. The .85s would be great for you.
It's safe to do the rear without doing the front. But between the two, the front upgrade is much more critical.
Not sure what lighting upgrades you're thinking of, but if you don't mind some advise there: HID retrofits are a bad idea. Auxillury lighting is the smart bet. Before throwing a lot of money at it, make sure the stock lighting is aligned correctly.