Kawasaki Versys Forum banner

Rear shock upgrade?

13K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  flying_hun 
#1 ·
Ok, I'll take the first post with a picture of my new '15 V1K and the classic "which shock"question.

I have about 300 miles on it so far and already want to replace the shock with something that has damping.
Has anyone had any experience with aftermarket shocks for the 1000 yet?

 
See less See more
1
#2 ·
#3 ·
To follow up,
After some searching around, I see that Wilbers also lists shocks for the V1000. This makes sense as they are out of England and have had the bike there for a few years before we saw it here in the states. So far, companies I have found that list the Vesrys 100 are Nitron and Wilbers. For the options I want; fully adjustable damping and remote preload, both are over USD1,000 so not buying today.

As far as forks, the stock spring rate is just fine for me. I've tried Hyperpro and other progressive rate fork springs and subsequently tossed them into the metal recycle pile. The Hyperpro fork spring I tried in my F800GS made it all but unrideable off road. At ~6 inches, I would call this a long travel fork (at least relative to most street bikes). Installing a progressive rate spring in long travel suspension pretty much takes the long travel out of the suspension.
 
#8 ·
Update on Suspension

Shortly after getting my 1000, I took to a good local suspension shop, Catalyst Reaction Suspension Tuning to get the stock suspenders set up correctly, and while it was a substantial improvement, Jim pointed out that the stock shock was likely too soft for my needs, and the fork - while better - was also a bit on the soft side.

My next step was to order a Hyperpro 461 with a hydraulic preload adjuster. This was mounted at the same time as getting the stock tires replaced with Angel GT's, in anticipation of a 9 day road trip with a pretty brisk group of riders. The shock and the tires were both great additions to the sportiness and accuracy of the bike, and it held its own amongst some fairly fleet bikes (e.g., Multistrada 1200, S1000XR BMW, R1, Street Triple 765, etc.).

BTW, the T30's seemed fine, but I really love the feel and performance of the Angel GT's, and tires are all about confidence. I ride better when I'm confident in the tires.

Riding with the new shock ultimately highlighted that the fork was not quite where I wanted it to be, so in went a set of stiffer Hyperpro springs, and heavier fork oil. This was combined with raising the forks 10 mm in the triples to sharpen it up a bit. Probably could have gone a little further with that change, but the improvement on corner exit is notable as it is.

The result is a bike that is more poised and sharper than before, though maybe a little jiggly for some tastes. I'm a pretty big guy (~245#'s geared up), and I like to ride a spirited pace on back roads, so the trade off works for me. The bike got another set of Angel GT's at the same time, and the shakedown run last evening in the Santa Cruz mountains was a smile-fest. YMMV.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top