ZX6 Head Shake

Huambo81a · Brolly Dolly Joined: 16 Apr 2005 Karma :

Scared the crap out of myself today, theres a perfectly straight mile long road near to where i live, unfortunately its not the flattest tarmac i`ve ever ridden on (as i found out) I accelerated as hard as i could on my 6R 03 and got severe head shaking at around 125mph, not my favourite thing i can assure you, nealy laid bloody cables in my pants.

I`ve read that the 03 b1h model is kinda skittish when provoked, but having first hand experience i need to do something about it cause it scares the faeces out of me. So, how do i go about adjusting the suspension to give it a more 'road' as opposed to 'track' setup, and how much is an ok steering damper gonna set me back?

Yours shitted up

Sam
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Paul@125power · Could Be A Chat Bot Joined: 01 Mar 2006 Karma :

Arn't steering dampers for track use only?
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steveh · World Chat Champion Joined: 24 Aug 2004 Karma :

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sickpup · Old Timer Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Karma :

colin1 · Captain Safety Joined: 17 Feb 2005 Karma :

maybe hold on by gripping the bike with your knees when it accelerates
just use the bars for steering

if you are holding onto the bike by the bars, its easy to pull harder on one side than the other when accelerating hard

if you lean forward and grip the bike with your knees this doesnt happen so much
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..... · Quote Me Happy Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Karma :

My C1 used to shake it's head with surprising regularity, so much so that it got to the point I would only accelerate at around half throttle on anything but the really good surfaces. I thought the B1 wasn't as slappy as the C1, but with a really stiff rear shock.

I had my suspension set up last Saturday at Steve Jordan Motorcycles near Boxhill https://www.stevejordanmotorcycles.co.uk/ . I've only been on one ride since then ubt had no bar shakes since then. Plus the turn in was much sharper and the bike more responsive. I was quite impressed actually.

You can pick up a Sprint steering damper for about £240, ask Siggi about this as he has one. I know you can get a 12% discount on one through the www.mcnninjas.co.uk website Thumbs Up

numark1 · Scared of girls Joined: 10 May 2004 Karma :

geordiecbrblo... · Trackday Trickster Joined: 17 Jul 2005 Karma :

Not sure it will apply to you, but a rear tyre that is 'going off' / squaring can cause a head shake.

niff5855 · Sausage Boy Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Karma :

check out this link

https://sportrider.com/tech/suspension/

its a bit involved but gives you all the info.
I took the bike to work this morning, from Monmouth up to Coleford, right in the Forest of Dean.- cracking twisties.

I've often thought I should take the bike up there, but the road was so crap I was squirming all over the shop - scarey
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sickpup · Old Timer Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Karma :

Thing about a steering damper is it doesn't cure handleing or riding deficiencies but it does hide them.

feef · Energiser Bunny Joined: 11 Feb 2002 Karma :

Check tyre treads.. mismatched wear between front and rear can cause headshake.. as can poorly balanced front wheels (although you'd notice it before those speeds) and worn head bearings (again, should notice it before you get to those speeds)

a
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..... · Quote Me Happy Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Karma :

Took my ZX6R out for a proper blast today, all sorts of roads - twisties, hairpins, fast sweepers etc - not a hint of headshake.

Getting the suspension set up for my weight and type of riding and having the wheels laser aligned really seems to have sorted the problem. I recommend you trying it Thumbs Up

I was just going to buy a damper but am really glad I chose to try this first.

Aikman666 · World Chat Champion Joined: 20 Dec 2004 Karma :

I had a sit on Proximacore's brand new ZX636 B1-H today, and i'll tell you the rear suspension on that bike is so hard as standard its dangerous. I highly reccomend getting it set up proffesionally, because your weight wont make a proper impression on the bike otherwise
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Huambo81a · Brolly Dolly Joined: 16 Apr 2005 Karma :

I`m definitely inclined to agree!

Since that episode last week i`m scared to give it too much throttle, because if the road has even the slightest bump the front comes up. I don`t need suspension this hard for the road, i need something that can cope with our shitty tarmac (at least round here)

Gonna take her into Planet Bikes in Leicester (the dealer) and see if they can help me out with the suspension settings, they are a Kawasaki specialist so hopefully fingers crossed, and their customer service is excellent, so they probably wont charge me!

i`l let you know how it goes.
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Irezumi aka Reuben · Carrot Top Joined: 28 Sep 2004 Karma :

Do some cross country mountain biking. Sliding will happen whether you like it or not, from this move onto an MX bike to get used to the weight. If you go over some root's quickly on a downhill run it will make the bike shake a bit, you will learn to relax and just shift your weight, otherwise you will crash.

Used to have the rear step out fairly often on my little 125 as I had to stamp on the rear brake for it to work, which just resulted in it locking up. This involved going sideways many a time. I was however used to the feeling of a bike sliding around, although a different position and different weight it felt comfortable.
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