what tool do i need to adjust the height?
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There is a special tool used to adjust that. I think they used to include one in the tool kit but not any more. You can take it to the dealer or do what I do, use a hammer and big screw driver to loosen and tighten it. If you are careful it won't hurt anything.
The rear spring preload adjuster consists of a locknut and an adjusting nut. To adjust the rear spring preload, loosen the locknut, turn the adjusting nut to the desired position, and then tighten the locknut.
You can use a hammer and a driver to adjust the preload. If you do, use a wooden driver to prevent damage to the aluminum collars. You can also use a proper spanner from Progressive Suspension or Kowa Tools—the stock toolkit does not include one.
You can use common tools to adjust the ride height, as has been correctly pointed out.
Edited by - Rob Lee on 11/21/2002 11:15:41
You can use a hammer and a driver to adjust the preload. If you do, use a wooden driver to prevent damage to the aluminum collars. You can also use a proper spanner from Progressive Suspension or Kowa Tools—the stock toolkit does not include one.
You can use common tools to adjust the ride height, as has been correctly pointed out.
Edited by - Rob Lee on 11/21/2002 11:15:41
ok i wrote this for someone else but it might help...
Nope no c wrench required, first off I need to know if your bike has shims or an adjustment nut on top of the rear shock. Take a look at the top of your shock where it mounts to the frame. On my bike their are two nuts that are on the threaded part of the shock. One of the nuts is below the shock mount and one is above it . In some bikes the lower nut is replaced by a shim and adjusting the ride height depends on adjusting the number of shims below the shock mount. On my bike, no shims are required you just need to loosen the top nut and then loosen the bottom nut, hence raising it and the ride height of your bike. Then tighten the two nuts on the frame again.
OK now to get started you need yo get access to the top of your shock. This is a bit tricky espeecialy the first time because the nut is gonna be TIGHT from the factory. To get a wrench on the top nut you do some re arranging, an extra set of arms helps too so try and find a buddy.
1. pop off your passenger seat and look for the small 7 mm, I think, nut that holds your drivers seat on. Take off your seat and set it aside.
2. time to loosen up your sub frame. The easiest way I found to get to the nut on top of the shock it to "flip" the sub fram up. By removing the two bottom bolts from the sub fram and loosening the top two bolts you can flip the sub frame up, remember you will have to take the bolt out of the exhaust too, Its sorta like giving your bike a butt lift but be careful here because if you push the sub frame up too high you will strain some wires and tubes the run frem the front to the back of the bike, thats not good. This it the step where its good to have a friend hold up the sub frame while you wrench on the shock. When I did this i didnt have an extra set of hands so i rigged up a rope from the subframe to the rafters in my garage, its a bit jenky but it worked.
3. Now that you can see the top of the shock and the frame mount its time to start wrenching. Loosen the top nut that attaches to your shock. It will be tight and try to use as big a cresent wrench as you can fit in there.
4. Once you have the nut loose one of two things can happen. If your bike is like mine, with a lower nut underneith the shock mount, NOT a shim, Then THE AMOUNT YOU LOOSEN THE TOP NUT ABOVE THE FRAME MOUNT WILL EQUAL THE TOTAL AMOUNT YOU RAISE THE RIDE HEIGHT. understand? Sorry I am not yelling just trying to make sure the important stuff is easy to see.
5. Ok to measure the amount of raise I added made a tool. Take some thick sturdy paper and measure out 4 mm thick spacer. use this spacer between the shock mount and the top nut and you will be sure about the amount of raise you have added.
6. Now its time to get it up. Be VERRY CARFUL HERE! I did this by myself and it was hard. Try to get some help here. I probably should have mentioned this befor but the bike should be on the SIDESTAND and since it is, and the top nut is loosend to the correct height(4mm) BY PULLING THE BIKE TOWARDS THE SIDE STAND YOU WILL UNWEIGHT THE SHOCK MOUNT AND BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE LOWER NUT. Now the bike will only come up 4mm and thats good, thats enough space for you to reach in with your fingers, it migh take a wench, and to raise the lower nut up untill it reaches the bottom of the shock mount and make the whole asembely is free of play. This is hard because you have to pull the bike on its side satnd verrrrry gently and adjust the lower nut at the same time. It might be good to have a friend to help you support the bike again.
7. Ok the hard part is over. Congrats you have raised the rear end of your bike. from here on its just details. You want to tighten up the two nuts on the shock again, on and just to mention thier is no need to remove the cotter pin in the shock IF your bike has the two nut system and not the shim system. When you tighten up the two nuts tighten the TOP NUT. Its stronger and I have heard that if you go ape sh!t on the bottom nut it can split. So make sure the two nuts are tight but dont get carried away.
8. work in reverse to get the sub fram and exhaust buttoned back up and alighned properly.
9. put your seat on and off you go.
Now i tried to be as discriprive as i cna and i hope it helped. If your bike dosent have a lower nut but insted has a spacer you are going to have to do things a bit different. In that arrangement you need to pull the cotter pin off, take the shock completely off the mount, and slip another 4mm ~ 3/8 inch shim onto the top of the shock and then bolt everything back together.
ok good luck this isnt really that hard just takes some doing. I did it and i ain't no mechanical geiunis. Please feel free to buz me again if things go terrible wrong or if you have questions.
-mike
Nope no c wrench required, first off I need to know if your bike has shims or an adjustment nut on top of the rear shock. Take a look at the top of your shock where it mounts to the frame. On my bike their are two nuts that are on the threaded part of the shock. One of the nuts is below the shock mount and one is above it . In some bikes the lower nut is replaced by a shim and adjusting the ride height depends on adjusting the number of shims below the shock mount. On my bike, no shims are required you just need to loosen the top nut and then loosen the bottom nut, hence raising it and the ride height of your bike. Then tighten the two nuts on the frame again.
OK now to get started you need yo get access to the top of your shock. This is a bit tricky espeecialy the first time because the nut is gonna be TIGHT from the factory. To get a wrench on the top nut you do some re arranging, an extra set of arms helps too so try and find a buddy.
1. pop off your passenger seat and look for the small 7 mm, I think, nut that holds your drivers seat on. Take off your seat and set it aside.
2. time to loosen up your sub frame. The easiest way I found to get to the nut on top of the shock it to "flip" the sub fram up. By removing the two bottom bolts from the sub fram and loosening the top two bolts you can flip the sub frame up, remember you will have to take the bolt out of the exhaust too, Its sorta like giving your bike a butt lift but be careful here because if you push the sub frame up too high you will strain some wires and tubes the run frem the front to the back of the bike, thats not good. This it the step where its good to have a friend hold up the sub frame while you wrench on the shock. When I did this i didnt have an extra set of hands so i rigged up a rope from the subframe to the rafters in my garage, its a bit jenky but it worked.
3. Now that you can see the top of the shock and the frame mount its time to start wrenching. Loosen the top nut that attaches to your shock. It will be tight and try to use as big a cresent wrench as you can fit in there.
4. Once you have the nut loose one of two things can happen. If your bike is like mine, with a lower nut underneith the shock mount, NOT a shim, Then THE AMOUNT YOU LOOSEN THE TOP NUT ABOVE THE FRAME MOUNT WILL EQUAL THE TOTAL AMOUNT YOU RAISE THE RIDE HEIGHT. understand? Sorry I am not yelling just trying to make sure the important stuff is easy to see.
5. Ok to measure the amount of raise I added made a tool. Take some thick sturdy paper and measure out 4 mm thick spacer. use this spacer between the shock mount and the top nut and you will be sure about the amount of raise you have added.
6. Now its time to get it up. Be VERRY CARFUL HERE! I did this by myself and it was hard. Try to get some help here. I probably should have mentioned this befor but the bike should be on the SIDESTAND and since it is, and the top nut is loosend to the correct height(4mm) BY PULLING THE BIKE TOWARDS THE SIDE STAND YOU WILL UNWEIGHT THE SHOCK MOUNT AND BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE LOWER NUT. Now the bike will only come up 4mm and thats good, thats enough space for you to reach in with your fingers, it migh take a wench, and to raise the lower nut up untill it reaches the bottom of the shock mount and make the whole asembely is free of play. This is hard because you have to pull the bike on its side satnd verrrrry gently and adjust the lower nut at the same time. It might be good to have a friend to help you support the bike again.
7. Ok the hard part is over. Congrats you have raised the rear end of your bike. from here on its just details. You want to tighten up the two nuts on the shock again, on and just to mention thier is no need to remove the cotter pin in the shock IF your bike has the two nut system and not the shim system. When you tighten up the two nuts tighten the TOP NUT. Its stronger and I have heard that if you go ape sh!t on the bottom nut it can split. So make sure the two nuts are tight but dont get carried away.
8. work in reverse to get the sub fram and exhaust buttoned back up and alighned properly.
9. put your seat on and off you go.
Now i tried to be as discriprive as i cna and i hope it helped. If your bike dosent have a lower nut but insted has a spacer you are going to have to do things a bit different. In that arrangement you need to pull the cotter pin off, take the shock completely off the mount, and slip another 4mm ~ 3/8 inch shim onto the top of the shock and then bolt everything back together.
ok good luck this isnt really that hard just takes some doing. I did it and i ain't no mechanical geiunis. Please feel free to buz me again if things go terrible wrong or if you have questions.
-mike
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i don't ride my bike hard enough to notice steering response differences. basically i just cruise, kinda sport touring like. it's more important to me to have my feet planted and keep the bike upright when needed. i've tipped other bikes before but this one i do not want to tip over. i have a red 2000 zx6r btw, newly bought, used. that being said, can that bolt on top of the shock be used to lower as well as raise the bike? also the last time i changed tires on my previous bike i put lowerer profile tires on and it lowered the bike significantly. will the rear wheel fit a 180/55ZR17 sized tire?
You can install a 180/55 tire on the 2000 ZX-6R. That is, in fact, the stock tire size.
However, assuming identical construction, the profile of a 180/55 tire is 4mm higher than that of a 190/50 tire. The section height of a 180/55 tire is 55% of 180 or 99mm, and that of a 190/50 tire is 50% of 190 or 95mm.
One brand's 180/55 tire may stand shorter than another's tire with the same size designation.
Edited by - Rob Lee on 11/22/2002 23:08:14
However, assuming identical construction, the profile of a 180/55 tire is 4mm higher than that of a 190/50 tire. The section height of a 180/55 tire is 55% of 180 or 99mm, and that of a 190/50 tire is 50% of 190 or 95mm.
One brand's 180/55 tire may stand shorter than another's tire with the same size designation.
Edited by - Rob Lee on 11/22/2002 23:08:14
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259 Posts
oh yeah, duh, i was thinking older ninja's...hehe. i almost bought a 97 zx6r, so glad i got the 2000 yay! anyway, so i can fit 190/50 on a 2000zx? what about 200 tire width will they clear, just wondering. i know too wide would affect performance, but wouldn't that look so cool, imo.
You can install a 190/50 tire on a 2000 ZX-6R.
Performance issues aside, the profile of a 200/50 tire is higher than that of a 180/55 tire or a 190/50 tire. If you want a shorter tire, a 200/50 tire is a step in the wrong direction.
Assuming identical construction,
Performance issues aside, the profile of a 200/50 tire is higher than that of a 180/55 tire or a 190/50 tire. If you want a shorter tire, a 200/50 tire is a step in the wrong direction.
Assuming identical construction,
- the 180/55 tire is the narrowest
- the 190/50 tire is the shortest
- the 200/50 tire is the tallest and widest.
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