I have a 2020 zx14r, I am 6'5 325lbs and have issues with the bike just not feeling planted. Anyone have experience upgrading the suspension on this model or have a recommendation for me?

My Gen1 had very floaty forks. The rear shock was fine. I switched to Ohlins front and rear and the float in the front was gone. I have't put many miles on my Gen2 yet but I haven't noticed the floaty forks the Gen1 had. I'm a hundred pounds lighter than you.

---

I have a 2020 zx14r, I am 6'5 325lbs and have issues with the bike just not feeling planted. Anyone have experience upgrading the suspension on this model or have a recommendation for me?

I'm not well educated with suspension, so I don't have a clear answer,
but maybe a couple of things to consider;

I believe most factory set ups are set up for a 165lb + - rider;
rider sag, static sag, spring rate, and the spring rate or stiffness
of the springs has a bit of a range, but it's not quite one spring fits all.
At your weight the ride might be improved by the next 1 or two
spring rates up. And as @rook says, a third-party shock set up
might be in order.
I can't be exactly sure what 'not planted' feels like to you,
but in my case , when I got my 2013 it also felt 'not planted' to me,
and a bit frightening, this unplanted feel was that the bike
would feel like it was bouncing in fast sweeps, and not tracking
well. The tires were ancient, way beyond there serviceable life,
stiff, almost rock hard. When I changed out the front the improvement
was massive. I also fiddled with preload, compression damping and
rebound, I think that helped quite a bit too.
I had to watch a ton of videos and read tons, in order to
get a fair grasp of what suspension setup entailed, it's still
pretty fuzzy to me in some respects.
I'm guessing in your case, if you haven't changed the springs to
a heavier set yet (front and rear), setting 'Preload'
to max vs min, would be in order and maybe looking into
the compression and rebound settings.
There is a free PDF manual, that is pretty good online, that
explains how to set up suspension with a chart for different
kinds of riding. The PDF is not the best imv, but is useful.

Welcome to the forum.

///

My Gen1 had very floaty forks.

I think 'floaty' is a good operative for what I was
experiencing as well, had you gone through a 'setup'
before giving up on OEM and switching to Ohlin?

Yes I did a DIY solo suspension tune and there is a tutorial on here. Unfortunately, one where the pics are shut of right now. The suspension tune didn't cure the floatyness of the forks. The rear shock was the real problem. It was set for carrying a passenger since I had a wife when I bought the bike. The rear wheel flew off of bumps with just me riding. I relaxed the preload and probably hit the dampings too. I couldn't ask for a whole lot more from the shock after that. I had become used to the slow reaction of the forks. It was all I knew in sport riding at the time and it was fine, just weird to see the camera view drop and slowly rise back up again in my videos...and coud feel it too but I got used to it. I can tell the Ohlins's were a better suspension but they didn't improve my riding at all. I'd still get them because they're cool even if the Gen2 suspension seems to be working just as well for me. High priced bling but a must have on a ZX-14.

I kind of feel the same about light weight wheels. Yes, you will feel it, most of us won't be able to go faster because of it although the bike accelerates a little quicker riding in a straight line. The most important thing is you do mods that you can feel what they're doing even if you can't do it. There were a few that made no difference compared to OEM so I don't know who is benefitting from them even if they have the skill to use them for what they were supposed to do ...but they don't.

* Last updated by: Rook on 3/13/2026 @ 4:25 PM *

---

I kind of feel the same about light weight wheels. Yes, you will feel it, most of us won't be able to go faster because of it although the bike accelerates a little quicker riding in a straight line.

I like Blue anodized rims, light and look so good, but buying them would be about 1/2 of what
I paid for my bike, and I'd have to integrate some blue into my overall graphics scheme.

--
I had a Diablo Rosso II installed on the front a couple days ago,
it's a lot less than the IV'S and I'd read that they were very
nice handling.
I did a semi shake down on it this am after having 26 miles on it,
in a couple of sweeps, the bike felt great, I was thinking it
felt better than the Pirelli Angel in one familiar sweep,
it seemed to track extremely well.

I was very happy with my Carrozzeria rims and have hope they are still serviceable after I crashed that bike. They're blue and the anodizing is exceptional. Carrozzeria is CoreMoto now and that's exactly where I'd go for forged aluminum rims again.

Te problem with blue is that so me other anodized parts you might buy are a much different color of blue. Stick to high end parts and the blue will almost always be very close to CoreMoto. You can stuff re-anodized all the same color if you want. I had planned to do that someday. Pazzo levers, Pro-Bolts, Hyper-Pro damper all matched pretty well. The cheap Chinese grips and Lightech gas cap were way off. You can almost count on Chinese stuff to be an off color in anodizing.

The color problem is avoided if you can go with black as a color option.

---

I was very happy with my Carrozzeria rims and have hope they are still serviceable after I crashed that bike. They're blue and the anodizing is exceptional. Carrozzeria is CoreMoto now and that's exactly where I'd go for forged aluminum rims again.

Looks like about a 6 lb weight savings, I found these
CoreMoto rims on ebay, good heads up on the color match issue.
---
Great looking Busa, on that trailer platform build.
----
I found yesterday that in one 'quick' (70mph)sweep
that is bumpy, my bike felt like it wanted to go wide, was kind of
hopping outward, this is a sweep that I hit fairly often
so I'm familiar with it, then a sweep right after it
is smooth, and at the same speed I don't notice the hopping outward
characteristic.
I need lighter springs for correct sag but am stuck with what I have
right now for a while, I have preload as loose front and back as
it can go, and set compression and rebound to 'factory'.
Any idea on improving that hopping characteristic, with faster or
slower comp or damping?
---
Going on a ride today, Az up to Utah, supposed to be wind and
heat, but should be a pretty epic ride, other riders have Cardo,
I need to order a kit.

Looks like about a 6 lb weight savings, I found these
CoreMoto rims on ebay

My Carrazzerias weigh 19 lb, 11.8 oz as a set (7 lb, 5.5 oz front; 12 lb, 6.3 oz rear). That's with all parts except the brake disks and sprocket. I dropped another couple ounces by going with BP valve stems and titanium and aluminum bolts. You didn't use the rear wheel spacers which shaved another two ounces. I never weighed my front OEM rim but the rear was over 19 lb without brake disk and sprocket. The Carros I have are Tri-R which was discontinued for the Hayabusa and ZX-14 at the time I ordered them. I honestly think mine were the last set ever made. Advertising the availability of ZX-14 Tri-Rs after being discontinued was an oversight by the supplier and I believe the Carrozzeria guy agreed to carved out one last set to satisfy the order. Then the ad on 58cycle disappeared. They weren't available from anyone. It took two months before I got the wheels. The problem was, the Tri-R wasn't considered strong enough for the weight of the 14 although adequate for liter bikes. I had no issues with the Tri-Rs and I did wheelies all the time, a couple of them quite high by accident. I also hit a monster pothole at least six inches deep doing about 25 mph, no damage.

Great looking Busa, on that trailer platform build.

Thanks, that was from your other recent thread. Yup, the Hayabusa wears orange and black extremely well, the black and orange 2023 Gen3 is an absolute stunner. The 2026 I'm getting is drop-dead gorgeous too but I must admit, the B/O Gen2 and Gen3 take the prize for looks. There's no topping them.

I found yesterday that in one 'quick' (70mph)sweep
that is bumpy, my bike felt like it wanted to go wide, was kind of
hopping outward, this is a sweep that I hit fairly often
so I'm familiar with it, then a sweep right after it
is smooth, and at the same speed I don't notice the hopping outward
characteristic.

I'm not surprised by that, especially having a smooth curve right after to compare the bumpy one with. One inherent difficulty with suspensions is that they work less well in a corner when you need them the most. I'm sure that's true with cars too but they have four wheels which tends to prevent them from falling.

Any idea on improving that hopping characteristic, with faster or
slower comp or damping?

The preload is the main thing but being that you're a jockey, going with the softest preload is the right idea. As for compression damping, I would think the softest would be best for you. Rebound is where you fine tune it. If you set the rebound soft, the suspension jumps back up with the soft preload. I would try a slower rebound damping. It's been many years since I fiddled with my suspensions but I believe what I just described applied to me at my weight too, just I had a spring that was appropriate for my weight. That's the thing I remember from these conversations, the spring is the key.

Going on a ride today, Az up to Utah, supposed to be wind and
heat, but should be a pretty epic ride, other riders have Cardo,
I need to order a kit.

I'm jelly! A) we have no group rides around here. B) if we did, my riding style would cause some weird conflicts. C) my riding style actually is kind of not very safe around here with all the wildlife. D) I should add a nice cruiser to the fleet so I can fit in with the group a little. I know a guy who has a beautiful V-Rod for sale. He wanted the upgraded version with increased displacement. I could use the slower one for going slow.

---

It's all about click adjustments, or maybe a spring change in the forks and rear shock.

I'd start with the compression settings. Has to be some sweet spot to chase. Becomes hard, then adjust the rebound as in one click at a time.

The next would be to call a suspension company, talk to tech and describe what you feel and see if they can help. Another place to try is a club race, or track day at a track near you, and see if there is a guy tented up to adjust suspension setting and try him.

---

I'd start with the compression settings. Has to be some sweet spot to chase. Becomes hard, then adjust the rebound as in one click at a time.

Thanks, I'll give that a try.

I suppose a better way for me to ask my suspension question
as relates to stability and maneuverability might be;

Common knowledge is that OEM set up is smarter overall,
for general street riding,
than using lowering links and raising forks to
get the bike lower,
what I'm trying to find out is that now that I've lowered the
rear by 1.25'' and raised the forks by 3/4'', did I
make a mistake by raising the front forks 3/4'',
or should I raise them less etc?
And for sure, must suspension techs will say never
use lowering links or raise forks, use appropriate
rated springs to match rider weight etc...
But yeah, my bike is lowered and it's going to be
that way for a while.

Side note; I'm noticing right noW after a couple of
long 500+ mile runs that both front and back have
flat spots in the center of the tires, I was running
about 28psi in both tires, as I figured I needed it for
twisties, but maybe I should have pulled off and lowered
to 28 (or) when we got to those sections, then I'd need to carry
a portable compressor though, and hope I don't hold up the
group too much...... Summary; To avoid that center flat-wear,
should I inflate to 32 or 36 for the freeway stretch, and then
lower to my 28 , or just change my 'standard' psi to 'X'PSI?
I guess one thing I overlooked also which is that it was hot for
most of my long distance riding, though the am's were down in
the 40's .... I need to be mindful of the extreme temp changes
as well.

what I'm trying to find out is that now that I've lowered the
rear by 1.25'' and raised the forks by 3/4'', did I
make a mistake by raising the front forks 3/4'',
or should I raise them less etc?

That sounds like you probably lowered the rear more than the front. If so, you increased rake (made it less vertical). I don't know how much more you can lower the front to achieve the stock rake. You probably don't want the bike too low or it's more likely to scrape over a bump. In corneringing, the lower fairing is what seems to scrape first. My experience is a full exhaust with fatter pipe scraped first but there is probably some variation according to the design of the pipe.

Check if there's a limit to how much you can safely raise the forks. Do they hold securely at any height? Obviously, you have the front fender clearance with the inner fairing to consider. That's already pretty close without raising the forks.

To avoid that center flat-wear,
should I inflate to 32 or 36 for the freeway stretch, and then
lower to my 28 , or just change my 'standard' psi to 'X'PSI?

The center flat wear is inevitable. ...not necessarily flat but less round, lower at the center. I always used to inflate the tires hard for a long trip to hopefully reduce center wear. Lower the pressure for the twisties when you get there, air 'em back up at some gas station on the return trip.

* Last updated by: Rook on 3/22/2026 @ 9:11 AM *

---

Back in the racing days, I shook down a Z1 that these brothers were using for National events. At the time, the 17" was changing rim sized in the GP world. So these guys got a hold of a 17" front tire, stuck it on the Z1. Go me to shake it down.

Fucking thing would wash the front end out. Like plow the bike's front wheel and tried to toss me off the track. I saved it twice, came in, told the guys to use the 19" or you'll kill your rider. Guy turns out to be Rich Schlachter who rode the bike. I think it was the same time kawi had hired a camera crew and asked Rich about the bike's handling. If he only knew.

Ah Strat, go look at the fork legs going into the lower tree. Might be able to send a piece of paper up the clamping area of the lower triple tree. It's machined down for weight from the lower part of the leg, beginning at the lower part of the tree begins the taper. Meaning, you should see the beginning of the taper starting at the lower part of the tree.

So the thinking goes like this: Contact patch closer to the frame, the faster the turn; sans the plowing. The farther away from the frame; the more stable at high speeds. Think a drag bike stance with the front end kicked out.

As far as tire pressures, it's an art. Having a race type compound, the pressure is 31psi front, rear is 28psi off the warmers. Get it? Set tire pressure at said readings once the warmer have been on for say 45min before going out on the track.

If you have chicken stripes, sorry, you're not fast enough to mess with the radical suspension drops.

Here is how the tire should look. Mind you, this is a race compound with 24psi if I recall.

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPafB688EpTfS8f3bdJWrho2aUwKmI1ng7ECOmV

---

maximum carry weight of my 2012 Kawasaki zx14r is 386lbs.
What do you weigh with all your riding gear?
You need to crank the suspension to MAX!
The Kawasaki C14 has a max carry weight of 486lbs.

Check if there's a limit to how much you can safely raise the forks. Do they hold securely at any height? Obviously, you have the front fender clearance with the inner fairing to consider. That's already pretty close without raising the forks.

I lowered the rear 1.25'', lowered front .75'' my clearance is 3.75'' as best
I can measure, the lowest point is the weld at the 'collector' (?) I think that's
what its called, the part where I think 4 pipes come off the head and
leave with the two exhaust pipes.
I hadn't realized that the fender could be an issue, and yeah, I can't slide
my new fork/head lift arm between fender and the bottom of the triple tree
support hole.
Also, kind of scary is that when I started raising the front with the new lift
having removed the fender, the bike went SUPER HIGH in the air ,
seemed incredibly unstable so I let it back down and passed
on using that lift.

I plan to cut the riser part of that new lift, so it doesn't
jack up so high, I'm not sure if lowering the bike plays into
why it came up so high or not.....

Ah Strat, go look at the fork legs going into the lower tree. Might be able to send a piece of paper up the clamping area of the lower triple tree. It's machined down for weight from the lower part of the leg, beginning at the lower part of the tree begins the taper. Meaning, you should see the beginning of the taper starting at the lower part of the tree.

I'd read about he taper for the ZX14R forks, I assume it's tapered
down or smaller diameter at the lower point than up at the top of
the triple tree, right? IMV, that is a GD scary way to be saving weight.
Were you saying it is a weight-saving feature?

So the thinking goes like this: Contact patch closer to the frame, the faster the turn; sans the plowing. The farther away from the frame; the more stable at high speeds. Think a drag bike stance with the front end kicked out.

Ok, yeah, makes perfect sense.
So what have I effectively done by lowering the back which extends the wheelbase
a little bit , I think, and then lowering the front which diminishes the
rake and trail, adds weight to the front wheel, in other words how much
have I really changed if since the rear wheel is a little further back
and the front more rearward than it should be compared with stock....
---
Is what I've done with lowering of the front a pretty bad idea, could
the front, drop unexpectedly?
---
I removed the front wheel yesterday and balanced it, as it was feeling
pretty rough when our group went for a super-long ride the previous
weekend, the tire is new , bike shop had no balancer and put the lightest
part of the wheel on backwards, to the opposite side of the valve stem
I had an idea there would be trouble, but didn't yet have my
balancer.
Anywhere much over 100, it felt pretty far out of balance,
I had to use about an ounce and a half of weights plus there
was already a pretty large weight in the area that needed
added weight.
---
I don't have a stabilizer, but have not felt any tank slap
precursors lately nor since I bought the bike, luckily.
As far as chicken strips, I've not tracked the bike yet
and not used the last 3/4'' of the tire, so yeah, crazy
chicken strips. I can't seem to lean the bike over that
far, I'm not sure why either. I'm under 130 lbs and
keep wondering if that has anything to do with it,
it just doesn't get down there, and maybe I'm just
as chicken as my chicken strips.
I've never had a lighter sports bike, like a liter bike or
a 600 so I don't know waht light feels like when
throwing a bike into sweeps, and tighter corners, I'm not
sure if I'd be leaning a lighter bike over further,
or not.

---
As far as the lowering thing, I've got to ask you guys
again in a different way;
I lowered the back 1.25'', then I lowered the front
.75''.
Would it be safer in fast canyon sweeps to raise
the front back up to stock, or back up a little bit?
The bike doesn't feel unsafe, but I don't have
enough seat time on sports riding to be
the best judge.

the lowest point is the weld at the 'collector' (?) I think that's
what its called, the part where I think 4 pipes come off the head and
leave with the two exhaust pipes.

The collector is the point where exhaust from all four cylinders come together into one.

I hadn't realized that the fender could be an issue, and yeah, I can't slide
my new fork/head lift arm between fender and the bottom of the triple tree
support hole.

Easy answer is get all Pit Bull stands. Even with those, you probably will need to rotate the lifting pin under the steering stem hole from the side. Put a towel over your fender to protect it from scratches. ....or take the fender off.

I can't seem to lean the bike over that
far, I'm not sure why either. I'm under 130 lbs and
keep wondering if that has anything to do with it,
it just doesn't get down there,

If the rider is lighter, he has to lean the bike more than a heavier rider. Weight (assuming it's used to counteract the high side) is the thing we're using to prevent the bike from top siding so if there's less weight leaning 9ver the center of the bike in a corner, the bike has to lean more (instead of the rider leaning his weight). ...although as I'm saying this, it seems the less weight there is, the less the bike is compelled to topside in the first place. I wouldn't worry about your chicken strips. I had quarter inch chicken strip on the right but I got that from lowering the tire pressure. Without that, I'm sure I'd have half inch chicken strips at least...maybe three quarters like you. I'll take chicken strips over a crashed bike any day.

* Last updated by: Rook on 3/25/2026 @ 3:13 PM *

---

..although as I'm saying this, it seems the less weight there is, the less the bike is compelled to topside in the first place.

Topside?

Put a towel over your fender to protect it from scratches. ....or take the fender off.

lol, I was reluctant to get off my a@@ and get a towel...
but after I shamed myself soundly

I took the fender off.

If I didn't mention it , I'm going to cut the lift down,
it jacks the bike up way too high for comfort.
Super sturdy lift though.

Topside?

Highside. You know, the top of the bike flips over as opposed the tires sliding out from under the bike.

If I didn't mention it , I'm going to cut the lift down,

lift?

If you cut the stand down, you're going to have to weld it back, right?

I have a couple Pit Bull front stands and they do lift the front somewhat higher than the rear. I'm not advising without seeing how the rear and front stands interact. There's no way I want to have any part of someone dropping their bike over lifting it on stands so go by your own judgement.

It's hard to offer advice on any stands other than those I have used but what I can tell you is Pit Bull works with Pit Bull. Hiendl Engineering works with Pit Bull fronts. The fronts do lift a bit higher, maybe an inch. The difference in height between the Pit Bull fronts and the Heindl Engineering swing arm pivot stand is a bit more than Pit Bull Front/Pit Bull rear. I think rear stands for the ZX-14 are designed to increase leverage for the much greater weight and this is what results in them being a little lower than other rear stands. If you buy a Pit Bull rear, make sure it's designed for the Hayabusa and the ZX-14. ...you can adjust the height of the lift forks which I have done and a quarter inch higher makes a huge difference in leverage. I don't even want to try it. My lift forks are not at minimum height but definitely not at max and these are stands that were designed to lift the ZX-14.

---

Highside. You know, the top of the bike flips over as opposed the tires sliding out from under the bike.

Yeah , I wasn't sure what you were talking about
I was trying to visualize what that could mean,
never heard a high-side referred to as a 'top side'
though I do were Sperry Topsiders if thats any
consolation.

lift? :smi

''Motorcycle Front Wheel Triple Tree Lift Stand, 500Lbs Capacity'' amazon
Yeah, lift is not the best label for it, but that's what mine is labeled.
---
I won't have to weld anything back, not that I'm opposed to welding, just won't need to,
I'm guessing you're thinking of the opposite end of what I'm going to cut,
I'll post a photo when I get around to cutting it down.
---
I'm stuck with the stands that I have, once modified, (it's extremely stout steel)
it will be a lot easier to jack up too, the leverage will be improved,
maybe quite a bit.
It was very difficult to get the bike jacked up a foot lol off the ground, the way it is.
This stand is listed as being an excellent ZX14R fit, but AI is still
like a broken Clock, right about 1/2 the time.

It was very difficult to get the bike jacked up a foot lol off the ground,

You must be talking the oil pan and swing arm one foot off the ground, not the tires. The tires are only a few inches off the floor with the bike on stands.

---

You must be talking the oil pan and swing arm one foot off the ground, not the tires. The tires are only a few inches off the floor with the bike on stands.

I haven't the balls to video me using that jack, I didn't measure
the literal distance, I was to busy looking for a place of shelter.
It was a hella lot more than a few inches.
Edit; I probably mentioned, I did NOT set the bike on the stand,
whereby it would have settled down closer to the ground,
it was just way too high before getting to the fulcrum point
of the jacks, lifting stroke.

* Last updated by: Stratovarious on 3/27/2026 @ 5:34 PM *