Increasing rear ride-height on an F2?

Harps · 04-26-2004, 7:50 PM

Hey guys, I'm wondering if it's possible to increase the rear ride height on a CBR F2?

I just got the bike last week, so I know very little about it. I use to ride an F2 BACK in the day, but I've been on various Kawasakis and Suzukis for the last few years.

The bike is a '93, if that makes a difference...however, I think it has *some* F3 suspension componentry on it. Forgive me for not knowing the specifics, it's a racebike and has had a few odds and ends swapped on there over the years. It does have that remote resevoir(?) for the rear suspension, and from what I recall tha wasn't available until the 1994 model year?

I was riding a 2002 ZX-6R on the track/street for the last couple of years, and jacking up the rear end on that bike made a huge difference...I'm hoping it'll do the same for the CBR. I rode it for the first time on Monday, and a little more 'flickability' would go a long way with this bike.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

BDA116 · 04-26-2004, 7:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harps

Hey guys, I'm wondering if it's possible to increase the rear ride height on a CBR F2?

I just got the bike last week, so I know very little about it. I use to ride an F2 BACK in the day, but I've been on various Kawasakis and Suzukis for the last few years.

The bike is a '93, if that makes a difference...however, I think it has *some* F3 suspension componentry on it. Forgive me for not knowing the specifics, it's a racebike and has had a few odds and ends swapped on there over the years. It does have that remote resevoir(?) for the rear suspension, and from what I recall tha wasn't available until the 1994 model year?

I was riding a 2002 ZX-6R on the track/street for the last couple of years, and jacking up the rear end on that bike made a huge difference...I'm hoping it'll do the same for the CBR. I rode it for the first time on Monday, and a little more 'flickability' would go a long way with this bike.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Sounds like a '94 rear shock to me. The only way to raise the rear is to purchase a different shock with length adjustment (Ohlins, Penske, Fox, etc.).
You could always put the preload on the highest setting on that stocker, but that isn't the proper way to do it.
I had my forks raised in the triple about 5mm above stock, but you will lose some ground clearance if you do this without raising the rear.

redcliffs · 04-26-2004, 8:30 PM

I could be wrong, because both of the CBR600s in my garage have FOX's on them, but I would think you could shim the stock shock. I would also recommend dropping the triples as BDA mentioned. If, indeed, you cannot shim the stock shock, watch ebay for an old, raggedy FOX shock -- the cheaper the better. For $100, FOX will entirely rebuild it.

CBRBob · 04-26-2004, 8:38 PM

No shimming on F2/3s. Only a shock w/ride height adj. or if there is a link to change the height(not preferred).

Harps · 04-26-2004, 10:10 PM

Great, thanks for the info guys.

Yeah, I was hoping it was just a matter of popping some shims in there, or adjusting this or that.

hmmm...I don't know if I want to drop the coin on a new/used rear shock. I guess I'll shop around and see if I can find anything within a reasonable budget. I wasn't planning on spending any money on this bike, except for disposables like tyres, brake pads...and crash repairs after I go down. This bike was suppose to just be 'temporary', but if I end up holding onto it for more than 1/2 a season, it'll probably be worth doing some more suspension upgrades.