See how Showa’s latest electronic forks work
The new Versys 1000SE uses Showa’s latest tech which reacts incredibly quickly
‘It adjusts much quicker than other systems’
Kawasaki recently unveiled their updated Versys, including the new 1000SE, featuring Showa’s latest electronically adjustable suspension. It promises all sorts, including response times under a thousandth of a second... but just how does it do it?
Fast beginnings
The Versys is actually the second time Kawasaki have used the KECS system (Kawasaki Electronic Control Suspension), as it debuted on the Ninja ZX-10R SE last year. The principle is exactly the same but the Versys also gets electronically-adjustable rear preload. The idea is that as you ride along, the bike is constantly adapting to road and riding conditions in real time and continually adjusting the damping to suit. It even takes deceleration into account to prevent the pitching that occurs under heavy braking.
To achieve this there are builtin stroke sensors on the fork and rear shock. These provide a stream of information about stroke speed and compression to the KECS’s ECU once every millisecond. At the same time, the bike’s IMU (which senses acceleration, deceleration and lean angle) and the FI ECU (which knows the vehicle’s speed) send signals every 10 milliseconds. The KECS ECU calculates how to adjust the ride accordingly and transmits a signal to the solenoids in the suspension units. From here it gets really interesting.
Up and down
Unlike other electronic suspension systems that use stepper motors or pilot valves to adjust damping, the Showa system uses single-stage direct valve actuation. This adjusts the valves much faster than other systems so the damping adjusts much quicker. Kawasaki say this gives the bike a more natural feel and ‘superior riding comfort’. The base damping settings are according to the chosen riding mode (Road, Sport or Rain) and the semi-active system makes adjustments to these base settings as you ride along. There’s also a manual mode allowing you to fine tune things. In addition, you can also adjust preload between three standard settings: Rider Only, Rider with Luggage and Rider with Passenger and Luggage. Each of these can be fine-tuned as you ride in case you make a stop for a big lunch or stock the panniers full of gifts from Marble Planet. We’re testing the new Versys next week so we’ll let you know how well it performs on a ‘spirited’ road ride.