Rear Suspension
 

Hi all,

Have had my XT660Z for a few months now and have been thoroughly enjoying taking it on trails and trying it out. I have found it to be a little soft at the back but the front has had the cartridge emulators fitted and that feels fine. On Boxing Day I went for a ride with a mate and hit an erosion channel quite hard, as it turns out I smashed the rear number plate and indicator structure doing so.

I've decided to look at the preload and found that it was on the lowest setting #1. I'm 115 kgs (250 lbs). I've taken it all the way to #7 leaving #8 and #9 to go.

I'm going to try it tomorrow but wondered whether anyone had any suggestions??

I was contemplating an Ohlins shocker in the rear but have also been told that all they need is a bit of a rebuild??

cheers

The OE shock is not rebuildable as such. However, you can change the spring for a stiffer, or progressive one such those offered by Hyperpro, Yacugar etc. This will make a big difference for a small outlay (around �100 or so).

to give you an idea , I also run a full ohlins rear shock and ohlins front fork springs
I also broke my license plate holder and the entire back support ,
have to say that I was with a hepco n becker top case with quite some gear in , and this driving through the spain desert :)

anyway , I also have a full ohlins rear shock and this still happened.

I fitted a OTR rising kit of 35MM and this makes the rear stand up much higher , don't think it will happen again now

Very interesting. I was led to believe that the Ohlins would solve everything. I'll check out the rebuild thing too - I may have been misled by a shock engineer over here.....maybe he hasn't worked on the Tenere gear before. Maybe some more research required. :Christo_pull_hair:

Thanks guys.

cheers

but don't get me wrong :) , the ohlins is a very very very good upgrade ,
bike handles sooo much better , on road , but especially off road , every bump is much better handled ..., I don't regret spending 850 euros on a rear shock

I really appreciate the input. Given the option, would you take the Ohlins or a steering dampener??

You may well be better off going for a new shock sprung specifically for your weight, rather than a re-spring of the Sachs unit. It's worth considering that if you've done 15K Km or more the OE damping will be quickly fading away and a new (stiffer) spring will compound this problem, changing the spring is a cheap, short term fix. The added bonus of a new shock, which ever you get, will be that they are all rebuildable and will last you a lifetime.

Don't forget there are other very good (and cheaper) options than Ohlins - Wilbers, Nitron, Yacugar etc. It all depends how much cash you've got to burn!

Good advice, thanks. The Ohlins from the UK costs me about $1000AU whereas locally it costs over $2000AU. Happy to research the others though, cheers.

As it happens I've actually just shelled out for a Yacugar ER-s, which are basically made by the old WP people left in Holland when KTM bought them out and moved production to Austria. I had initially considered Ohlins, but price and lack of remote preload option stopped me going ahead. They have a Australian importer and retail at just under 800AUD...

http://www.yacugar.com.au/

More thanks - am reading as we speak.

cheers

I have the ohlins and still planning the install a steering damper :)

I never drove with one , but I always find the front a little to wobbly on the loose stuff , and a damper might come handy here , it's a heavy bike and you feel that in the dirt , I presume a damper helps a lot there ...

I only way 67 kilos and I'm 1m90 :) so I'm a skinny dude ,
when ordering the ohlins they asked my where I ride , when, my weight with gear , etc etc , so they delivered a shock for my weight and needs ...

bike feels great , but indeed it costs a lot of money , probably other brands are also good , the price difference here in Belgium with wilbers and ohlins for example is only 150 euro so I decided to go the gold way , my dealer told me there are simply the best , so I listened and paid :)

you have cartridges fitted into the front fork? which one and is this expensive ?

I only ride on dirt/gravel roads and also find the front unforgiving in some circumstances. I would imagine that a damper would be a great asset when the conditions are against me. The cartridge emulators were fitted by the previous owner so I don't know what make they are but being 193 cms and 115 kg I need all the help I can get.

I've done a couple of hundred kms this morning having set the preload from #1 to #7 and it's made a whole lot of difference and no longer bottoms out when hitting something hard.

I have an ex Yamaha factory mechanic who races enduros and works on my bike. He'll sort it out for me but I think I'll also go the way of the Ohlin - it ws his suggestion in the first place.

Good luck with yours.

Trev, I suggest you read the comments by minkyhead in the thread 'Ohlins at last'. I reckon he is on the money, mate.

Have been glued to it.

cheers

Hey Trev. I am gonna get mine rebuilt by teknik in NSW. Trail boss from Old Bull trail riders forum recommends it. Will cost $500 including the respring. I'm about to whip the front and rear suspension out and send it off. Should be $1000 for front and rear respring, shock rebuild and front emulators fitted.
Just need to find some help as my wing is in a sling from a shoulder recon last week.

I'm all ears Matt, I'll wait to see what you think......

Also interessted in the sollution from Technic... Please give us a detailed update soon :-)

Like I said guys, only 1 week out from a shoulder recon, so need to get some strength back, or con someone in to helping me drop the suspension out.
Just on that, what is the best plan of attack to getting the shock out?

Have you got a manual??

In there it talks about dropping the swingarm to get to the shock, but it doesn't go into much detail. It warns to wear safety glasses in case of gas or metal bits!!:icon_blackeye:

No need to remove swingarm. No need for safety glasses (unless you take the shock apart). You'll need to remove exhaust, bottom chain roller (centre stand spring on left if you have one) and a few other sundries to get access to the bolts and nuts. It is essentially a pretty easy job.

Just like the two page instructions near the dish washing liquid at work....finsihes by saying "Do not drink". lol.

its easy ish

remove pillion rails tail rack fitting and mudguard bolts from the top watch for little spacers under nieth youll see ...
before that sorry disconect 4 light connections under seat [snip any zip ties alongthe beam ]give the scottoiler tubes some play if fitted

after removing the rack top bolts
pull back and hang the rear tail off indicators with a bungee

you can leave the rear wheel on ..

remove bolts under seat and jubilee clip on link pipe take off exhaust back box twist and pull back[
take side panels off left side

undo link pipe to hang loose

you can get a socket on the top shock bolt without removing link pipe and a ...spanner on the inside 17 or 19 ml cant remember

undo bottom rear shock bolt anddrop shock out out under
irst time was 1.5 hours i can do it in 40 mins now

Thanks for that Minky. I'll give it a go in the next week or so.