636 rear shock adjustment advice

J

jc100

Well-known member
Got one on my Z750S and it's not really set up right, it's an 05/06 shock. Had a 3h ride with it on the other day and while the bike tracks great round corners (much better than before) the ride is really harsh over the crappy roads we have round here.

What do I need to adjust to get a more plush ride? My spine feels like someone's been at it with a hammer. Just need a reasonably quick fix for now before I can fine tune it properly.
 
Set the sag, google it if your not sure how to measure it, should help. Should be between 30-35mm
 
will check...I don't have the special wrench needed for the main spring adjustment unless the one from the Z750S kit fits it. I was hoping I could just get away with adjusting the things that don't need that wrench like the damping characteristics but I'm not 100% sure which they are.
 
Sag is the first place to start. You can use a screw driver and hammer. Once the sag is set then the fine tuning is next.
 
There isn't much you can do with that 05/06 shock anyway.

Even with a proper sag setting, the unit is very harsh and the damping settings don't really have any effect on the characteristics of the shock.
 
I adjusted the slot screw at the bottom that has "H" and "S" marked on it three clicks towards the "S" and that made a difference. I was wondering about the adjuster at the top that has "H" and "S" marked on it...that has a tiny slot screw in the centre of something that looks a little like a two sided nut. Do I use a wrench to adjust that or is it the tiny slot screw that I adjust? Also....what the hell does the upper adjuster do that the lower adjuster doesn't?

I will continue googling meantime.

Many thanks.
 
reciprocity said:
There isn't much you can do with that 05/06 shock anyway.

Even with a proper sag setting, the unit is very harsh and the damping settings don't really have any effect on the characteristics of the shock.
Click to expand...

why? wouldn't kawi make sure that the shock works well?

How bout on a 05/06 636 with a stock shock?
 
Upper is compression damping, lower is rebound damping.

H and S aren't really accurate, buy clicking towards the "S" you are slowing the rebound damping circuit, this will make the shock spring back more slowly.

To make it more clear, the upper adjuster will speed up or slow down how quickly the spring and shock assembly can be,,, "SQUISHED" this is compression damping(not dampening, you're not making anything wet)

The lower adjuster will speed up and slow down how quickly the spring and shock assembly will "UNSQUISH" from the initial suspension movement event.

What you did by making your adjustment was to slow down how quickly the assembly unsquished itself.

Unfortunately, that shock doesn't really work very well in these regards, especially with the very minor change you made(3 clicks is minor) Most riders are unable to feel anything in the 1-3 click adjustment range, even on a Ohlins, or other high performance type shock.
 
frekeyguy said:
why? wouldn't kawi make sure that the shock works well?

How bout on a 05/06 636 with a stock shock?
Click to expand...


You would think so, but that shock just didn't work very well, this isn't uncommon at all.

Some bikes, you can run at an elevated race pace with OEM suspension and they perform very well, others won't work at all.

Suspension tuning is not an exact science, there are MANY variables that have to be accounted for.

The shock wasn't very good on the original bike, which is why everyone was scrambling to get Ohlins or other parts for that generation of bike when they were released, the bike became MUCH better with a simple shock replacement, but no amount of fiddling would make the stock one very good at all.
 
Thanks for the advice. Will continue to tinker with it now. This shock is still a significant upgrade over what I had before which had not too much in the way of adjustment. The three clicks did make a small difference that I thought I could feel....might have been smoother roads today though who knows.

I tried to adjust the sag and had a go with a screwdriver and a hammer but the adjuster wasn't moving. I'll try to get my hands on an OEM wrench and use some lubricant on the threads.
 
I actually have an OEM spanner wrench for that bike.

If you wanna make the drive to Burlington, you can have it.
 
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