[Strong Bad]

Oh yeah she's got a stiff ride indeedy. The compression dampening front and rear needs to be dialed out however, the fork springs are too soft, I've got some Öhlins fork springs to sort that out. Also put an Öhlins rear shock on it as well and that was a lot softer than the stock shock as well, not to mention that it was also two ounces lighter, half of that equates to un-sprung weight.

The bottom line is that you can dial most of that harshness out.

Chaos, panic, disorder......

my work here is done

 

[Manning]

Ok thanks now how about the tranny? Does it shift real rough and have a hard time getting into neutral?

 

[Manning]

I'm still researching my next bike and the Kawi 636 is on top of my list but I've read that the ride is VERY stiff for freeway and everyday riding. Is this true? And were you guys able to adjust it enough. I also read that it is a pain to get into neutral. Is it REALLY that bad?

 

[johnrizof]

It's hard only when the engine is realy hot, in heavy traffic. But when you are at a standstil from first it will only go to neutral! Otherwise the trick is to go from second to neutral with a gently touch! THE BIKE IS ACE!!!1[}]

 

[dj dunzie]

The suspension is actually only stiff on the rear - and if you're not a lightweight, it can be dialed in pretty well I find. I think the lighter guys are having more trouble with it.

Regarding the shifting, it's typical Kawasaki... good trannies that maybe require more than just a little "toe twitch" to engage gears, but very accurate if you are firm in your shifting, not half-hearted. As for finding neutral, I know lots of guys here are saying they've had problems from time to time... I find it's no trouble at all. The ODD time you'll go from second to first or first to second trying to grab neutral, but that happens on ANY bike I've owned. Honestly, I would have never reported that neutral is hard to find on the '03's...

"Keep yer feet on the pegs and your right hand cranked."

 

[both ends up]

I agree with dj dunzie. Only the rear shock is to stiff. I weigh 140 pounds and it's most anyoing when I hit any kind of a bump at a decent lean angle. The rear kicks me right out of the seat sometimes and the bike will get all out of shape. Jeff at Two Wheel Motorsport who works with pro action suspension gave me a rebound damping setting to try but it still kicks me about. I think I might need a softer spring. Any imput out their would be most apprecieated.

The gear box was very stiff at first but after a 1000 km or so it has now loosened up. Still not as positive or as slick as the Suzuki's though. Oh well. The power delevery, the brakes and the way it can point and shot is amazing. Love it. That's why I haven't made a post or a reply on this forum for a while, I'm to busy riding.

www.bothendsup.com

 

[LUV2SURF]

I actually like the stiff suspension, I am probably the only one out there that does. My zx7 was softer riding and I like the feel of the stock 636 better.

luv2surf
2003 636 blk

 

[Rob Lee]

Originally posted by dj dunzie

The suspension is actually only stiff on the rear - and if you're not a lightweight, it can be dialed in pretty well I find.

Most tuners agree that the front of the 2003 ZX-6R has too much compression damping and too little rebound damping. It is easier to fault the rear because it is the harshest. A light rider has no prayer of seeing the popular rear sag figures.

 

[both ends up]

Rob lee, do you mean; A light rider has no prayer of seeing the "proper" rear sag figures? If so, I would disagree. I now have a rear sag of 35mm which is not bad for hard street riding. A change in spring rate or a revalve would have to be experimented with to find the best setup but overall anyone can find a stock sag measurement to work with.

www.bothendsup.com