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138 Posts
So, thanks to another member mentioning trading the stock tail shock with a ZX14 model, and discussing the front with the suggestion of race tech gold valve emulators, I spent a bit on the emulators when I was changing fork seals. I've ridden probably a grand total of 12 miles on them and the difference is already amazing.
Let's be fair, the stock front on our beloved v9 is just... sad. Floppy, easy to dive, and bottoms out as often as it doesn't. Five-ish inches of travel from full extension shouldn't be that easy to traverse, but then you have to account for sag and the loss of distance. Perhaps mine was just a one-off with that issue, but pavement buckles are practically teeth-shattering.
Trouble me no more, sad, wonky suspension. Race tech has a cure. When I say the change is nothing short of drastic, I mean that it's not luxury air suspension, but the roads I hated because of pavement cracks, buckles, and awful patch jobs have become less of a phobia and more of a minor inconvenience. Brake dive is reduced to the point where it's a new truck versus an old Ford explorer with bad ball joints and leaky shocks.
It was dark on the ride home from my brother's shop, so I wasn't able to aim for typically problematic spots, but I know that no matter which lane position I took on the way home, the road was uncomfortable at many spots. I took the lane positions I remembered to avoid in the spots where a long stretch required a change... and it was realistically no worse than if I had avoided it with the old setup. World changing stuff.
I will say this. The device almost seems gimmicky at first glance. Little brass thing less than an inch tall that fits inside the fork tube with a spring and a screw sticking out of the top. 'I paid how much for this? '
The difference is made, however, with the adjustability and equations being done for you in their end. Based on rider weight, skill level, riding style (or environment), and preferences, you do a couple modifications to your stock suspension or purchase new items to pair with your emulators, maybe change oil weights (a minor inconvenience when i already bought the regular stuff and there isn't much in the way of local suppliers here), make a few well defined adjustments to the emulator itself... all the math is done for you by the system at race tech. Apparently all of it is based on number crunching, real world data, and feedback from teams and customers. Little bitty part with huge results.
If you've considered doing these, your back will thank you. Go ahead. Do the thing. Now excuse me while I dig up a used stock zx14 rear shock in good condition.
Let's be fair, the stock front on our beloved v9 is just... sad. Floppy, easy to dive, and bottoms out as often as it doesn't. Five-ish inches of travel from full extension shouldn't be that easy to traverse, but then you have to account for sag and the loss of distance. Perhaps mine was just a one-off with that issue, but pavement buckles are practically teeth-shattering.
Trouble me no more, sad, wonky suspension. Race tech has a cure. When I say the change is nothing short of drastic, I mean that it's not luxury air suspension, but the roads I hated because of pavement cracks, buckles, and awful patch jobs have become less of a phobia and more of a minor inconvenience. Brake dive is reduced to the point where it's a new truck versus an old Ford explorer with bad ball joints and leaky shocks.
It was dark on the ride home from my brother's shop, so I wasn't able to aim for typically problematic spots, but I know that no matter which lane position I took on the way home, the road was uncomfortable at many spots. I took the lane positions I remembered to avoid in the spots where a long stretch required a change... and it was realistically no worse than if I had avoided it with the old setup. World changing stuff.
I will say this. The device almost seems gimmicky at first glance. Little brass thing less than an inch tall that fits inside the fork tube with a spring and a screw sticking out of the top. 'I paid how much for this? '
The difference is made, however, with the adjustability and equations being done for you in their end. Based on rider weight, skill level, riding style (or environment), and preferences, you do a couple modifications to your stock suspension or purchase new items to pair with your emulators, maybe change oil weights (a minor inconvenience when i already bought the regular stuff and there isn't much in the way of local suppliers here), make a few well defined adjustments to the emulator itself... all the math is done for you by the system at race tech. Apparently all of it is based on number crunching, real world data, and feedback from teams and customers. Little bitty part with huge results.
If you've considered doing these, your back will thank you. Go ahead. Do the thing. Now excuse me while I dig up a used stock zx14 rear shock in good condition.
