KZ750 long distance rider - new shocks?

Although I do commute on my KZ750 L3, most of the miles I put on it are on long rides, and I carry a fair amount of cargo. I've got about 200 lbs of human flesh and ~100 lbs of gear on the tail.

I've recently stripped it to the frame, and I'm planning some budgeted changes. This thread is about shock absorption, though!

Is there a front fork out there that would handle roughly the same as what I've got on there but with a little better performance? Or do you all think stock is sufficient? I ask partly because I got the fork seals replaced about 10k miles ago and I'm already seeing some oil on the forks and I'd rather not have to deal with that again in another 10k.

As far as rear shocks, mine have some rust on them, and the springs chew up my cargo bags, so are there some replacements you'd all suggest that would handle a little extra weight better than stock and maybe don't have exposed springs?

Were the forks seals you installed the genuine Kawasaki seals? I ask because mine have never leaked, so my thought is if they were aftermarket maybe the quality was a problem. Are the upper fork tubes smooth without any rust or pits?

Regarding the shocks, Hagon makes quality shocks in a variety of configurations - some without exposed springs. Here's a link (look all the way down the page for2 sets of pictures):

davequinnmotorcycles.com/cgi-bin/webc.cg...GON_TWIN_SHOCKS.html

Thanks for the reply. You bring up an interesting point - I think they were aftermarket, and they were pretty cheap.

But even more interesting is that the upper forks aren't perfect. Is there a way to clean them up or am I destined to chew up fork seals every 8k miles?

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Z1 E sold me K&S made in Taiwan.
I hope they're good, as easy a time as I having swapping them out I don't want to do it again either.

JD

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configuration

staniel wrote: Thanks for the reply. You bring up an interesting point - I think they were aftermarket, and they were pretty cheap.

But even more interesting is that the upper forks aren't perfect. Is there a way to clean them up or am I destined to chew up fork seals every 8k miles?

Here's one NOS upper fork tube for a KZ750-L3 on eBay at a good price, maybe use it to replace the worse tube on yours then keep an eye out for another. Ed

Thanks for the advice, guys. I think I'm priced out on that new fork tube. I'll swap the seals for now and think on it until the next time. Maybe I can peel some out of my parts bike if they're in better shape, but I'm fairly sure the bike has been crashed - it handles weird.

What are these progressive springs? Do you have an example of them? I've found www.progressivesuspension.com/productlinemetric.html but they look very expensive!

I could use direction on rear shocks, too, if you've got some knowledge about what's good on KZ750 L3s. I'm really in the dark here about shocks front and back.

I found some 2005 Bonneville shocks that measure 12.5", an inch shorter than my originals. However, I think the spring is enough harder that my weight will sink it in less, and thus I'll sit higher. Is that a reasonable possibility?

Hi, Just a comment on the fork seals. my GPz has done roughly 110K miles. Original forks are slightly pitted, due to stone chips. The local kawasaki Dealer replaced the fork seals with aftermarket seals and the seals started leaking after 200 miles. They replaced them with aftermarket ones again and they started leaking again after 200 miles. I was sure that the pitting was not causing the leaks, so I imported genuine ones from the UK (Z-Power). 10,000 miles later no leaking.
I think some seals are not actual 'fork' seals but shaft seals that are used on any manner of machinery. The fork oil can 'eat' some aftermarket seals. Feel free to contradict me, if I'm wrong.

Good information. There's a lot to be said about OEM vs. after market, and making sure the part is high enough quality. Both of my replacement seals are OEM, and I don't guess Kawasaki supplies really busted up fork seals. (Even though they DO provide horrible quality head bolts.)

The other option for your rear suspension is a call to JC whitney, they have aftermarket shocks for right around $100 and they will go with OEM specs. They aren't progressive but for the money a good shock with adjustable preload. also you could look into shock covers...I don't know about these particular shocks but they make aftermarket shock covers, I would think you should be able to find a pair that fit...that way the springs are covered and with or without bags looks nice.

I got progressive brand rears (gas filled) and really like them. many spring weights available to choose from.