It’s all under control
Suspension upgrades bring stylish retro up to scratch
There isn’t a huge amount wrong with the standard Kawasaki suspension. Up front, the 41mm units are fully adjustable, and the rear shock has preload and rebound adjustment. For 80% of riders, for 80% of the time, it will be faultless. However, I fall outside that window. I’m in the ‘odd’ 20% who’ll ride hard on the road and venture out on occasional trackdays. I’ve even raced my Zed in the recent Bike Shed-organised Café Cup. This is why I turned to K-Tech for some more control.
A new K-Tech Razor R rear shock (£594) and SSK fork internal piston upgrade kit (£220) has completely transformed the bike. The all-new rear shock offers greater adjustment: 28 clicks of compression, 32 clicks of rebound, remote preload adjustment and 10mm of length adjustment. The spring is specific for the weight of the bike and rider. The standard fork springs are fine for my weight but K-Tech replaced the compression and rebound pistons, as well as the compression adjuster. On the road, the remote preload on the rear makes adjustment a million times easier and it now only takes a few seconds to alter the preload to accommodate a pillion or luggage. The new shock feels plush; it’s more refined, which in turn gives more confidence. On track, I can now easily change between a road or a track setting and increase the ride height to improve ground clearance (which only becomes an issue on track).
The fork kit gives more support and feel. I can brake later, and deeper up to the apex. The bike remains composed and holds a line better, rather than wanting to sit upright. Obviously, this isn’t a race bike, but the K-Tech suspension has transformed my Zed on track. The handling limitations are now ground clearance, not suspension. On track, the big Zed can cut it; it’s fun, controllable, and more importantly predictable and constant. If I could increase the ground clearance further, it could be capable of posting some respectable lap times.