I decided that it was time to replace my rear shock. The suspension experts at the track, Dave Moss, said that the stock shock on my 2008 ZX-10R was not worthy. Ohlins are just too damn expensive, Elka did not make a shock for my year, so I ended up buying a Penske. You can get a 2-way, 3-way or 4-way. The complexity and cost goes up from 2-4 way. I do some hard street riding, but I am not a 'A' group track rider, so I opted for the 2-way. I give them my weight and type of riding so they can set the shock up before they ship it. I used a cherry picker to hold up the back of my ride for an easier removal and install of the new shock.

My fist test drive took me to the river roads where I can not only test it in the twistys, but also the woop-de-doo bumps that will try to launch the rider like a bucking bronco. In the past I have ridden my ZX-14 and Zx-10R on these roads only to find my knees digging into the tank and holding on for dear life. After the Penske upgrade, I could sail right over those woop-de-doo bumps without the bike acting like a bucking bronco! I could not believe how much of an improvement the shock made. I kept saying to myself... "Hell Ya!". If I still had my ZX-14, I would probably do this mod to that bike as well. I now ride with even more confidence and the bike has an even greater ability than its rider! Maybe this year I can increase my skill and close that gap a bit more.

I could sail right over those woop-de-doo bumps without the bike acting like a bucking bronco!

Good description. LAst year, I took some time to adjust the OEM suspensions and my rear shock was way off. At 190-210 lbs and 6' 2", I was able to dial in a lot better for most of what I encounter on the street. Still would be interested in changing over to an aftermarket shock some day if it is a lot better.

Captain, the street is a lot rougher than the track. Do you think road course track riding performance would be improved dramatically by going to aftermarket suspensions on the 14?

I don't know if it would be a dramatic improvement, but IMHO, it would be worth the money and effort.

I put a Busa spring on my stock shock inorder to compensate for the weight while traveling with full luggage and the wife on back. However, the dampening action of the shock can not keep up with the increased strength of that spring especially when I'm alone I really feel it bouncing around some times, like an old Ford LTD. lol
I would like to have a tailored shock as well. I've been noticing a lot of diving coming from my forks as well. Thinking maybe swapping out for heavier oil when I have nothing better to do...

I would call or email a suspension expert to answer your question. If you are lucky, maybe one shock/spring will satisfy your needs with just a different setting depending on your load. Then you could just change the settings before your trip.

I've been noticing a lot of diving coming from my forks as well.

I have noticed the same thing and i have read a lot of comments about the overly cushy front suspension on the 14. It's almost not enough for those of us who are heavier than 160 lbs. I set my front and back suspensions according to sag measurements and it is working very well for me but I have this feeling the front could be stiffer for the more severe cornering I have enjoyed in sport riding.

All I remember is people changing to Ohlins which costs a huge sum of $$$. Heavier oil , I remember being discussed but for some reason, there does not seem to be many people who do that.

I have a Penske 8987 triple clicker on my track bike and it exceeds both Ohlins and Elka shocks on the rougher chewed up tracks. And while the Ohlins TTX shock is no slouch, the Penske will allow you to raise the rear more without using shims (crucial on mostly gixxers as they have long frames but slightly shorter swing arms).

The 08 zx10r is not known for being an easy bike as far as geometry set up. But I'm sure Dave Moss can dial it in for you and I only envy you for having the pleasure to have met the guy who probably has forgotten more about suspension than most will ever know.

This is my 8987

And I could recommend a really good place to buy from (I have bough a lot from them including the 8987):
traxxion

I know expect Hub to post and let you know how the oem shock was plenty good for you and also others to chime in on how to "properly" set up the mushy POS suspension on the 14...

BTW, the best way to learn how to ride fast on a track IMHO should start by ditching that 1000 cc.

"BTW, the best way to learn how to ride fast on a track IMHO should start by ditching that 1000 cc."

What bike: make/size/year do you recommend for the track?

I would recommend a 2006 or newer R6, 2006 or newer gsxr600 or 750, 2006 or newer Daytona 675
or 2009 and newer zx6r.

I would strongly suggest bying a bike that is already set up and in full race trim and not going the route of converting a street bike into track as that adds up to big $$$ real quick. And that's if you want a track-only bike.
If you are considering splitting track and street time on it then race trim would be a hassle with swapping lights,
mirrors, side stand, fan etc. depending on the extend of the bike prep.

Keep an eye on the WERA classifieds for good deals on track prepped bikes:
www.weraclassifieds.com

* Last updated by: masszx14 on 5/5/2011 @ 8:44 AM *

link in post above:

The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.

His link was messed up:

WERA Classifieds: http://weraclassifieds.com

"I would recommend a 2006 or newer R6, 2006 or newer gsxr600 or 750, 2006 or newer Daytona 675
or 2009 and newer zx6r."

Picking from this list, I would probably pick the GSXR750, more power for the straights.

The 1000cc is a great bike for Thunderhill, that track is a real fast track and the larger bike can really be utilized. Other tracks that I have ridden are slower with more twistys, I can see why a smaller bike would work out better in that situation.

I have had friends that raved about 2 cylinder bikes on the track, I would pass him and he could never catch me. I am sure that a group 'A' rider would smoke me no matter what he was riding.

The camera is on the tail of a RSV4 Factory with ohlins suspension, bst wheels and another $12-15K in upgrades.
The bike is in full race trim and ridden by a racer (yellow plates) who is relatively fast and races WERA.
Hid budget on this build was $40K. The following bike is a 2006 750 (probably could pick one up set up for track for under $4K) ridden by Ken Hill...
rsv4and750atthunderhill