The MAM Journals -Z900RS-Upgrading the suspension

Рет қаралды 10,077

Күн бұрын

A review of the suspension on the Z900RS and my experience of upgrading it. What made me want to upgrade , the basics of bike geometry and set up .Is it something you can do yourself and what I think of the bike now it has new suspension.
Content.
0:00 Intro
2:19 The basics of motorcycle geometry
6:34 Original Equipment
9:26 Replacement parts
11:56 Installation
15:15 Adjustment
17:04 Conclusion
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Пікірлер: 44

@BlakeS21R6 2 жыл бұрын

I really appreciate the material your bringing all of us. Love your collection of bikes, and the passion and effort you give. Thanks alot and great job!

@michaelmam 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Blake . Very kind of you . 👍

@motomaddox Жыл бұрын

Great tutorial! I appreciate the clear and concise way you present information in your videos.

@Holybatman2009 2 жыл бұрын

Another great journal. Thanks for the info.

@thepracticalman5905 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome!

@tokaitelejohn5656 Жыл бұрын

What a great video as always, Michael. Very informative. I also considered changing the rear shock but I found that losing three stone weight made all the difference to the way the bike handles - plus a set of Michelin Road 5s!

@michaelmam Жыл бұрын

Thank you . I worked my way through the obvious- Tyres and settings but felt it was worth upgrading the rear shock in particular . I now have an SE , which I am enjoying . Well done with the weight loss. I am sure that has lots of benefits , including bike riding👍👍.

@pcarragher6025 Жыл бұрын

Above my mechanical abilities, but very interesting to listen too.

@paulsire 2 жыл бұрын

Beautiful bike and thanks for the comprehensive explanation. This bike brought me to your channel as i was considering buying one next year. Both you and another youtuber didn't seem to be happy with it out of the box, fair enough, no bike is perfect, but the amount of changes needed to make it fit right plus the fact that you could reach the speed limit in 3rd, put me off. Currently have a Triumph T100 and I get great pleasure going through all the gears to get to 60mph, so I will hang on to it a bit longer.

@michaelmam 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Paul . I like twins too . Hoping my big bore 865 Royal enfield will be back before Christmas . Had a few triumphs and enjoyed most of them 👍 Have fun !

@rochmel1409 2 жыл бұрын

It's great that you love your bike. Who could want for more? All I would say is that I bought my Z900RS earlier this year and it is the best or rather, the most fun bike I've ever owned. So don't dismiss it.🙂🙂. Ride safely.

@rzracer69 2 жыл бұрын

Paul, just because you can hit the speed limit in 3rd doesn’t mean you have too. 😆 Fyi, you can hit 55mph in 1st. That being said, 6th is good for 25mph-145mph. It’s so smooth, you can shift up to each next gear at 2000 rpm and just loaf along. Gets fantastic gas mileage when you ride that way too. It’s the best bike I’ve ridden for going slow (like in a traffic jam or a parade). Ride one, you’ll love it.

@dicklangton664 Жыл бұрын

Very informative and enjoyable to watch. I have the same set up on my 900rs and wonder if you could give me a static sag figure as a base line to start my own set up, there seems to be many various figures bandied about as to what this I believe important base line figure is, thank you.

@spencerabaker 2 жыл бұрын

Another excellent video Michael, thanks for taking the time to film all these journals. My riding mate/neighbour also has a z900RS but like you feels that there’s something holding him back from really feeling confident and enjoying the bike as-is. His first port of call (like you did) is to look at changing out the tyres but I’ll point him the direction of this video for broader context. Great to see Mr Harvey being dropped into the vid - can;t believe I’m the first person to mention him, haha! Absolute legend. Incidentally, which tyres did you swap over to? (My pal’s considering Michelin Pilot 5”s). Thanks again, Spencer

@michaelmam 2 жыл бұрын

Good to hear from you Spencer . Glad you enjoyed the video . I fitted Michelin Road 5 to my bike and find them much better in the wet and colder conditions . Tim Harvey has been a friend for many years . Very good motorcyclist as well as driver and commentator . Annoying really 😂

@ronr6605 2 жыл бұрын

Hi, wow quite something to chew what ur able 2 put in 19min. Had to watch it few time with casual stops since i'm not a native speaker. Got it tho, thanks for that. :) Btw don't want to be the geeky "technazi" and you meant the right thing with rake and wheelbase regarding stability and agilty/handling but the gs is due to its telelever bit apples and oranges compared with "normal" telescopic forks... since ur an owner u already know. if it would b a normal fork u'd b right ofc 👍 👍. learned alot (tech, but esp 'bout teaching). ty :))

@michaelmam 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks again for watching . You have actually identified one of the challenges of making short KZfaq videos that include technical details ! How to make it clear enough, without going into all the engineering solutions that are developed to cure /improve issues . Telelever (monolever and paralever) and triple clamps are good examples . I try to get it right but would be the first to accept that some of it is “simplified” to help people get a fundamental grasp of the issues in a short space of time .👍

@TheChrysler56 2 жыл бұрын

Nicely explained Michael after the eighth attempt! I’m glad it’s worked out well for you and relieved it worked too. It’s a lot of money to spend if it didn’t work, I can’t really see this system not working as there’s so much adjustment to experiment with until you hit that sweet spot. I’ll persevere with my standard set up for now and will spend the £50 on taking it somewhere to be adjusted and see how it goes from there. Thanks for taking the time to explain to us about the Nitron’s and hopefully after a proper good ride out and your thoroughly happy with the set up you’ll give us an update in the future wether it’s on your KZfaq channel or on the Kawasaki Z900rs U.K. owners group. 👍

@michaelmam 2 жыл бұрын

😂I made a novice error in my initial set up (first 48) hours but once I thought about it ie what it was doing and the logical potential causes, I spotted it . After that it was plain sailing and fine adjustments . Thanks for watching and commenting ! 👍👍

@TheChrysler56 2 жыл бұрын

@@michaelmam Lol…..I thought you meant the editing of your video. 😁

@michaelmam 2 жыл бұрын

@@TheChrysler56 Actually both 😂 recorded it my normal 3 times initially amd then an edit but didn’t feel it was what I was trying to say and was too technical and long so started again . 1 filming session and then 3 edits - hence the “8”. I actually enjoy doing them .

@rzracer69 2 жыл бұрын

I liked the video. Not sure what the difference is, but my ‘22 Café model seems very planted in the corners on its stock tires. Other than on a track, I can’t imagine riding it hard enough to overtax the stock suspension, and I used to road-race on local circuit tracks. 😆

@michaelmam 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching . I was happy with mine for the first summer or so but found the Dunlop’s less effective in the autumn as the temp dropped . We are all different . If you are happy with yours - 👍👍

@rzracer69 2 жыл бұрын

@@michaelmam 2500 miles on my tires so far. Picked it up new in Feb and had a few days riding in 50° F temps. The tires were slippery then, but I expected them to be. I plan to be done with them by August when I’ll upgrade to something else. Maybe the stickier tires will uncover some suspension issues.

@michaelmam 2 жыл бұрын

@@rzracer69 In my experience, good track riders work their round slight suspension issues by adapting their riding style . I just tend to sit on it and left the suspension sort it out 😂 . I only really noticed it when I tried to take it through roundabouts I knew well, at speeds I took more advanced bikes through at the same speed . They coped . My Z struggled so I upgraded . It has been good fun 👍

@davefromkansas5600 Жыл бұрын

great job explaining the suspension. I wonder why there is no full Ohlins package for this bike?

@michaelmam Жыл бұрын

Thank you Dave . The SE version- still haven’t worked out whether that stands for special edition or special equipment , has Ohlins rear and revalved front . The standard fronts are pretty good ?

@daveogle4239 Жыл бұрын

Yes they are made by KYB. I think they are pretty good. I’ve had a full Ohlins set up and it’s pretty sweet. Really stiff but grabs the road like a cat on carpet.

@peterleicester4701 2 жыл бұрын

Enjoyed this video I await the arrival of my bike. I noticed you mentioned your height and that you found it comfortable.May I enquire your inside leg ( I am 29inches )measurement and did the alterations have an effect on the seat height of your bike and make a difference. I am not very technical so these videos assist I will obviously if needed seek help re sag etc

@michaelmam 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Peter , I am slightly longer than you in the leg but not much . I found the standard bike “ok” for seat height and if you put a new rear shock on , pick one like the Nitron , where you can adjust shock length . I have the bike set up to my height and weight - sag height .👍

@peterleicester4701 2 жыл бұрын

Thankyou for such a quick reply

@wendylowe6878 Жыл бұрын

Great vid could get an se version

@michaelmam Жыл бұрын

Thanks Wendy . I have just taken delivery of mine . Planning to make a first impression video in the spring and a “1000 Mile” in the summer . I will have replaced the tyres by then so will be able to assess whether I think the Ohlins and revalved SE is better , worse or the same as a Nitron equipped bike . Should be fun!

@stevezodiac491 Жыл бұрын

You should have paid the extra and got the SE. My yellow ball rides perfectly.

@michaelmam Жыл бұрын

😂 Wasn’t available then .. if they had a factory suspension and brake upgrade option I would have taken it . Still not available today in any other than yellow ball .. which some don’t like but I do . I have one ..

@wendylowe6878 Жыл бұрын

Suppose there’s always se version

@michaelmam Жыл бұрын

There is now . For those that like yellow . Always thought that a suspension and brake upgrade option would prove popular as a lot of people choose to upgrade the rear suspension..

@russellparratt9859 Жыл бұрын

I'm guessing that the average rider, who will not be thrashing this bike, will never need to be concerned with the stock rear suspension.

@michaelmam Жыл бұрын

Depends on how you ride Russell . Many are happy with the standard set up . 👍

@russellparratt9859 Жыл бұрын

@@michaelmam I used to ride bikes, but not now. However, I'm always "window shopping" on the net, wondering what I would buy, if circumstances made it worthwhile again. As for riding, I used my bikes often for long rides, without wanting to push the limits of handling. I wonder how the new Z900RS would compare to the old Z900 in terms of comfort? My concern is that seat on the new model is a fraction too high.

@michaelmam Жыл бұрын

@@russellparratt9859 They are a bit taller . I had a Z1000 (1977) so rode the bikes back to back . You can get lower seats for the RS which some prefer but although I am below average height I find them ok . Much lighter and more nimble bike than the original with more power and significantly better brakes . Looks are of course subjective but personally I prefer the lines of the Z1 ..

@russellparratt9859 Жыл бұрын

@@michaelmam Thanks for your reply. I remember the Z900 seat was about as high as I would want. I'm very impressed with the weight of the new model. It's about the same as the Z750E, which was the bike I had for the longest time. All things considered, it was perfect, at least for me. However, having the Z900 was a memorable experience. I still remember the sound and feel of that bike, even though that was decades ago. It was like the limousine of 2 wheelers. The 81hp was more than enough. I think those 1970's 900 models are amongst the most beautiful bikes ever made. These days, I've taken a far bigger interest in the Bonneville, but the appeal of the Z900RS Kawasaki is huge.

@michaelmam Жыл бұрын

@@russellparratt9859 I love mine . Just bought the new Fireball SE . 👍