K8 GSXR 750 suspension refresh/upgrade

[menor95]

Hello all,

At 30k miles, my 2008 GSXR 750's suspension is well past its best and is in need of a refresh which brings with it the opportunity for an upgrade. I ride mostly on the road, although one or two annual track days also creep into my calendar (slow/medium group ). I would welcome any recommendations regarding fork internal upgrades and new rear shock's.

A quote from Maxton has revealed that a full front cartridge kits are rather pricey. Would someone of my very average ability really reap the full benefits? Could a simple spring or spring and valve upgrade cut the mustard? Am I right in thinking that the front springs are fatigued after 15 years?

I'm a complete and total newbie on the topic of suspension so guidance and advice is appreciated. It's worth mentioning that I live in Northern Switzerland and ride on mostly smooth roads.

Thank you in advance,

Pascal

[2ndclasscitizen]

Given your use case you probably don't need much more than just rebuilding the stock fork, maybe with a spring change for your weight if needed, and then are plenty of reasonably priced aftermarket non-racing shocks you could replace the stock one with.

[Steve Bass]

Decent valve kit is definitely worth it as an interim option.
Also, it's unlikely the springs will be fatigued but more likely they were never the correct strength for your weight. So this is a great opportunity for a complete refresh, new valve kit, decent oil, new seals and bushes and the right springs.
The difference will astound you

[trickywoo]

If you are heavy, say 90kg+ in riding gear it would be worth getting springs for your weight. Shock and forks.

As you’ve seen nothing suspension wise is cheap on bikes but a rebuild / service as already mentioned plus springs to your weight and a custom setup would be very noticeable for minimum outlay.

I replaced a standard shock on a k4 750 gsxr with the base spec nitron option at the time. It wasn’t much of an improvement.

[menor95]

Thank you all for your replies. So I'm analyzing my options and as you guys have suggested, I will go for new springs suited to my weight along with a valve kit most probably from Brooks suspension. Had a quick consultation - great guys btw for anyone also looking to ask similar questions.


My next question is regarding rear shocks. I've been looking at Nitron's range. Is it worth going for an R3 instead of an R1 in my case?

Thank you in advance guys

P

[trickywoo]

I didn’t find a r1 nitron a major improvement over a 30k mile stock shock on a k4 gsxr.

[Biker9090]

From my experience on a VFR1200F.....

I fitted K Tech springs which helped a bit. A few months later I took the forks to have a K Tech piston kit installed. Made quite a big difference to be honest and about half the price of a cartridge kit.

Unless you are REALLY pushing it or want significant control I've not found the Nitron R1 series wanting - albeit the R1 Adv version with a 46mm piston on my V Strom is noticeably better than the standard R1 I had on my VFR.

Speak to T Tech suspension in Croydon. Lukas really knows his stuff - not only cheaper than brooks but also took one work they didn't want to do (stanchion replacement).

[Marquezs Stabilisers]

I've also had a Nitron. Not worth the money. I suspect if you can get the Suzuki shock sprung and built to weight, it would be a better investment

[menor95]

Thank you all for the advice here Good to know what made a difference and what didn't. I will be giving T-tech suspension a call today too. Anyhow, in the coming months I will start a thread once I have installed the new set up and report back. Any further suggestions welcome