2004 600 Rear Shock Adjust

[DayKat]

Good evening all...

2004 GSX600F (K4)

We've had a few cold mornings this week so I took it as opportunity to take some things apart, check measurements and wear, and then reassemble the good and replace the bad. Tomorrow is supposed to be a warmup so I'll ride my bike to work and play after those few cold days off.

I used search and even though I'm almost certain this had to have been discussed before, my search revealed nothing related to my question.

Now that I have everything back assembled, I'm stumped as to how to adjust the rear shock. I have the spanner wrench and plan on setting it on #4, but I don't see any index marking on it. I have no idea what it's set @ now.

My question is, where is the index mark that I align with the # settings with? I've looked through my Haynes manual and the Suzuki service manual to no avail.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks...

[elkat]

I believe it is at the top of the shock. There will be and indent where the number is, and this is how you tell what setting you are on.

[steves]

If you look closely, you can also count the adjustment slots. Or, if in doubt, crank it all the way down to one, then back up again to where you want it.

[The CyberPoet]

Actually, on the 98+ Kat 600's, the spring-preload collar is on the bottom of the shock (as well as the dampening adjustment). If you look at the bottom of the spring, you'll see it sits on a metal band with square holes in it. Stick the shock spanner in those holes and rotate to adjust the shock's preload. You'll see how it ramps up or down, depending on the direction of rotation, resulting in more (or less) spring preload. There are actual numbers printed on the metal ring, but if it's not clean, they'll be virtually impossible to see -- where the part that slots into the ring hits is the number it's currently set to (valid range: 1 through 7).

The dampening adjustment is below & inside of that, a black plastic knob with a number exposed in a window; rotate it to change the dampening amount (valid range 1 through 4).

Hope that clears it up. Looking at the reference fiche file here may make the preload adjuster a bit more obvious:
http://www.ronayers.com/fiche/300_0362/rear_cushion_lever/rear_cushion_lever.cfm?man=su&groupid=4910&parent= 4850.

PS - if you are diligent about maint, bearings number 2, 3 and 4 in the diagram should be regreased (slather very liberally), and sleeves 5, 8 and 11 should be rotated at least 60 degrees from where they were at disassembly (to rotate them away from their 'wear' spots). It's one of those areas that virtually no one ever does maint on, but really ought to every couple or third year.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[grumpyoldgit]

The dampening adjustment is below & inside of that, a black plastic knob with a number exposed in a window; rotate it to change the dampening amount (valid range 1 through 4).

=-= The CyberPoet

Must be a different shock in US, my damping adjuster is at the top of the spring, opposite end of the preload adjuster. Same scenario though, little black wheel with 4 numbers and an indicator 'window'

[DayKat]

Thank you all for the replys.

Late lastnight, I just ran the rear shock adjuster full up and then full down and settled on the forth detent from the top. Rode to work this morning and it was too soft, so I just got done setting on the 4th detent from the bottom. The reason I'm setting at the 4th is because both manuals I have state that #4 is the standard setting. So since there are 7 detents I was either in #4 or #3. We'll see what happens in a few minutes when I go for a spin.

When I had the rear suspension apart, I did liberally grease the bushings and changed the sleeves. The sleeves weren't real bad worn but I figured rather than rotate them, I'd just replace em.

And yes, the dampener is at the top of the shock. Still gonna have to play with that setting after I figure out the best shock position for me.

Just wondering if maybe I'll have to reset everything in the spring/summer again due to temperature change. Might just record the final settings that work for me in the cold for future reference.

Again, thanks to everyone for the replies.

Good day...

[The CyberPoet]

Generally, I find that your body weight plays into the rear spring preload a lot -- do yourself a favor and search KR for how to set the static sag to set it right for your body mass. Once set, you shouldn't have to change the spring preload unless you gain/lose a lot of weight or plan on having a passenger for a while...

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[DayKat]

I'll do that CP. Good idea. I'm rather large (6' 4" 215#) and I know that will play a big part in the suspension setup. I use this 600 Kat mainly as a work commuter and love it for that purpose. Just need to find the sweet spot for the roads traveled on that 18 mile commute.

My long distance rider is a 93 ST1100. No problems there.

Thanks man...

[The CyberPoet]

At 215 lbs, I'd guess you need to be at 5 or 6 (or if the shock is particularly heavily worn and aged, all the way out to 7); middle of the range (4) is definitely not stiff enough on the stock shock.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[md86]

The video I saw a while back about the stock 600's spring said something to the effect of "if you're over 180lbs , the spring is too soft and you'll need to think about replacing it" .

[The CyberPoet]

The video I saw a while back about the stock 600's spring said something to the effect of "if you're over 180lbs , the spring is too soft and you'll need to think about replacing it" .

You sure they were talking about at the back -- it's the fork springs that I think need the most improvement at higher rider weights

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[arsenic]

it's the fork springs for sure and it's not 180lbs it's 200lbs

[md86]

You sure they were talking about at the back

PRETTY sure . But not sure how to find that video again . It was posted here several months back .