DRZ400 suspension help

[RobMember]

Need some help to get my bikes suspension sorted.

Its a 07 DRz400E,running a few accessories.
I’m the second owner.
its currently running Teknik spring F & R.
F = 0.50 (part No 43510)
R= 7 (part No6727)

At present the front clickers are > R @ 10, C @ 4
Forks have been slide through triples about 10mm
Not sure what rear clickers are set at.
From memory rear static sag atm is around 35mm.
I will check this + attempt to get rider sag info.

My weight is around 78kg’s with out gear.

Bike feels to want to wash out easily, seems to have a mind of its own and
feels unstable, almost shopping trolley like..
I like the higher speed feel of the bike as it seems to track/ jump well and rarely
bottoms.

It also sees duty as a motard for several months of the year…

can you please suggest some setting to start with before i go down the road of a full
suspension service.

regards

Rob

[Mark DrinkwalterMember]

Hi Rob,

I’d be interested to see what the static sag is after you get 85-90mm of rider sag. On paper the springs you’ve listed .50 / 7.0 are for someone well over 110kg, so I’d say the wash out and poor feeling are coming from too stiff of springs.

The springs are so much heavier than standard they are having an argument with the clickers, and the clickers aren’t winning. That makes it hard to give you come suggestions because its likely you cant back them off enough to get some suppleness because of the springs.

We’d recommend going down to a .46 front and a 5.2 to 5.4 rear spring.

Let us know if we can help further.

Regards,
ER

[RobMember]

hey Rudy,

Thanks for the great advise.
I kinda knew you were going to say that about the springs…

So,some questions…
Can you give me some figures $$ on getting the suspension done through you please.
I’m in sydney so can get the bits to you or just bring the bike to your workshop.
It could be delivered later this week.
What the turn-around time like as i’ve got a south coast ride on the 18th of Nov
I have had an offer to swap my 7 spring for a 5.4.
Is it worth setting it up for 90kg as i also have 17ltr tank for the bike?

kind regards

Rob

[Mark DrinkwalterMember]

Hey Rob,

Give me a call in the office tomorrow and we can go through a ton of options. 4732 2626.

This week is my banker’s hours week 9:30 to 2:30.

ER

[glennMember]

Righto its time to play with the predators suspension settings, The first thing is ,! when i am out riding with you lot and theres 1.2million DRZs in the pack I have noticed that everyone has there forks set at different hieghts through the top triple clamp, mine are flush with the top of the triple. I do appreciate that this makes a difference but what exactly does having your forks 10 mil higher than the triple do to the handling of a bike.

Boony

[corey heatherMember]

Boony wrote:

Righto its time to play with the predators suspension settings, The first thing is ,! when i am out riding with you lot and theres 1.2million DRZs in the pack I have noticed that everyone has there forks set at different hieghts through the top triple clamp, mine are flush with the top of the triple. I do appreciate that this makes a difference but what exactly does having your forks 10 mil higher than the triple do to the handling of a bike.

Boony

Mr Boony, By dropping the forks 10mm in the tripples i found it makes the bike steer alot better and stops them from bulldozing there way through a corner. When i got my bike the front was all ready heavier then standard which was nice but i had the rear done by Tekniks and the Coffs ride was the first time i had tested it. HUGE thumbs up those blokes as it is unreal the difference. The DRZ is such a good all rounder and with the suspension done and then have them geared for singles they are alot of fun. Unless your a whinging Pom and need something lighter because you have turned into a bit of a skirt :laugh:

[Nick JacksonMember]

I also go 10mm through the clamps boony and it definitely turns better , I set them flush for the Cameron 2010 ride and forgot to change back for a ride with STM it was much harder work in the tight stuff.

Go too far and I found the front becomes loose and skittish on fast fire roads !

[RobMember]

I know this is an old thread but…

Just like to say a big THANK YOU to the crew at Teknik for the work they performed on my DRZ.

Such a big improvment over my old set-up. It still needs some fine tuning but its awesome.

Thanks again Mark.

Rob

[Dave HoganMember]

Hi all

I’ve enjoyed my DRZ400S since new in 2010.
Mainly ride with one set of wheels/road tyres to commute then swap wheels/knobbies for off road use.
I’m 100-105kg with gear and find it bottoming out over small jumps or anything over three-four feet
I’ve clicked in the front forks and also the back which has improved things but only marginally.

Is there anywhere you recommend where I can get the right forks for a fatty like myself to make it safe for road and handle well on the track (mainly Mt Mee).

Cheers

[Dwayne OMember]

You have posted up in the exact thread to get a reply & sound advice mate,,,

It will come soon

[Jeffrey SmithMember]

G’day Hoges,

Tekniks are a site sponsor and do great suspension work. You can either pull your forks and rear shock out and send them or take the whole bike. They are located in Penrith, where abouts are you from?

[Nick DoleMember]

Hi Hoges,

Ok, you have done the right thing, had a play with the clickers. For you it probably won’t result in the ride you want, the springs are a bit soft.
So, without talking to you and asking a few more questions , a set of springs at the least and maybe a service depending on hours etc.
Give me a call at work on 02 4732 2626 or send a PM and we can sort it out.

[Author]

Posts