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Posts: 8,716
Casino Cash: $49357
Sportbike: '02 Ninja 250 with More $ in Mods Than I Care to Admit...2008 SSR 90R Mini Motard
SV-650 Shock Install Complete...
Alright guys, attached are the before and after pictures.
A few things about the install. I bought the SV shock from a guy on Ebay who had already done all the work to make it fit onto the 250. He had drilled out the mounting hole, installed the new bushings, and grinded the shock down where it needed to be grinded and such. So basically, it should have been a fairly straight forward bolt on project...BUT...the SV shock is a good bit longer than the stock 250 shock. Because of this, the bike, even on the center stand, wasn't quite high enough to easily install the SV shock. What I ended up doing was grabbing my floor jack, and jacking the bike up by it's engine a few inches higher than the center stand so that I could get the holes lined up. I did this by myself, but I don't suggest that. If you want to do this project, get a friend to hold the bike steady while it's up on the jack. I just held the bike steady with one hand while jacking with the other, then slid the bolt through the holes once they lined up. Other than this issue, this project is a fairly straight forward bolt on.
A few things about the performance. I noticed right off that the bike is much more rigid. Gone is the "mushy" feeling that I used to get when sitting on the bike. It's much more firm now, and feels more like a "sportbike" to me. I like the feeling of it when sitting on it, and I think that it will work much better for two up riding. If you're a bit heavier and have issues with the way the stock shock feels, I would highly recommend putting one of these larger shocks onto your bike. You won't regret it. When riding, the bike also feels a bit stiffer...but in a good way. I found that it seemed a bit more touchy when riding in a straight line, but that it fell into the turns a bit more easily. I think the overall feel of the bike is much improved...now, I just need to get the new springs up front...
A few things about the looks. This shock is longer than the stock shock, and after the install, the back of the bike is a good 2 inches or so HIGHER than stock. And because the shock is so much more stiff, when riding, I feel that the bike is quite a bit higher. The stock shock would compress quite a bit under my weight, but the SV shock does not. I feel that when riding, I'm probably about 4 inches or so higher than stock. Granted, I don't really have any way of measuring this, other than just what I "feel." Also, because the shock makes the bike higher, it also makes it so that the seat height is up a few inches. This makes no difference to me, as I can still flat foot at lights...but if you're a bit shorter or if the stock height is as high as you would want the bike, then you won't want to do a mod like this, as it WILL make the ride height a bit higher.
Overall, I'm very impressed with the results of this modification. I got the shock for just over $100 shipped to me, and it's a fairly straight forward upgrade that makes the bike look, handle, and perform differently. I would do this again if I had to, and I may even say that $100 is a bargain. However, you can do this for cheaper if you just buy an SV shock and do the drilling and such yourself...I just didn't feel like doing that.
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In Life, Try To Be The Kind Of Person Your Dog Thinks You Are...
Colts, 49ers, Lions, 2008 Stanley Cup Champion Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons, MSU Spartans, USC Trojans, LSU Tigers
2002 Kawasaki Ninja 250--SV-650 rear shock, Sonic Springs .80kg/mm front springs, ZX-2R graphics, flush mount front signals, tail pod rear signals, Kerker 2-1 race pipe, Factory Pro Stage 3 jet kit, UNI pod filters, ZG Double Bubble, Custom Creations soft vinyl seat cover, Kawi Green rim stripes, carbon brake fluid cap, carbon control levers, No Rear Fender, Yamaha R1 Style Mirrors, V-LEDs.com H4 HID Kit, Nelson Rigg Silver Streak Mini Saddle Bags, Rapid Transit Recon Tank Bag, Various Manufacturers Decals
Posts: 8,716
Casino Cash: $49357
Sportbike: '02 Ninja 250 with More $ in Mods Than I Care to Admit...2008 SSR 90R Mini Motard
Here is before, with the stock shock.
__________________
In Life, Try To Be The Kind Of Person Your Dog Thinks You Are...
Colts, 49ers, Lions, 2008 Stanley Cup Champion Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons, MSU Spartans, USC Trojans, LSU Tigers
2002 Kawasaki Ninja 250--SV-650 rear shock, Sonic Springs .80kg/mm front springs, ZX-2R graphics, flush mount front signals, tail pod rear signals, Kerker 2-1 race pipe, Factory Pro Stage 3 jet kit, UNI pod filters, ZG Double Bubble, Custom Creations soft vinyl seat cover, Kawi Green rim stripes, carbon brake fluid cap, carbon control levers, No Rear Fender, Yamaha R1 Style Mirrors, V-LEDs.com H4 HID Kit, Nelson Rigg Silver Streak Mini Saddle Bags, Rapid Transit Recon Tank Bag, Various Manufacturers Decals
Last edited by Gimpdiggity : 09-06-2007 at 01:09 PM.
Posts: 8,716
Casino Cash: $49357
Sportbike: '02 Ninja 250 with More $ in Mods Than I Care to Admit...2008 SSR 90R Mini Motard
Here is after, with the SV shock. Notice the bike sits higher and you can see a bit more of the wheel when it's just sitting.
__________________
In Life, Try To Be The Kind Of Person Your Dog Thinks You Are...
Colts, 49ers, Lions, 2008 Stanley Cup Champion Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons, MSU Spartans, USC Trojans, LSU Tigers
2002 Kawasaki Ninja 250--SV-650 rear shock, Sonic Springs .80kg/mm front springs, ZX-2R graphics, flush mount front signals, tail pod rear signals, Kerker 2-1 race pipe, Factory Pro Stage 3 jet kit, UNI pod filters, ZG Double Bubble, Custom Creations soft vinyl seat cover, Kawi Green rim stripes, carbon brake fluid cap, carbon control levers, No Rear Fender, Yamaha R1 Style Mirrors, V-LEDs.com H4 HID Kit, Nelson Rigg Silver Streak Mini Saddle Bags, Rapid Transit Recon Tank Bag, Various Manufacturers Decals
Last edited by Gimpdiggity : 09-06-2007 at 01:09 PM.
mods....GT501 tires, SV650 shock, dinojet kit, K&N filter, Flushmounts, fender elimin. with rear signals relocated in pods, Two Brother's. Soon to be done, sonic springs
Posts: 8,716
Casino Cash: $49357
Sportbike: '02 Ninja 250 with More $ in Mods Than I Care to Admit...2008 SSR 90R Mini Motard
Quote:
Originally Posted by RxNinja
looks great gimp. so did you have to do anything to the side stand? i'm 220 so i think this would be a great mod for my little ninja.
I didn't do anything to the side stand...yet...
I might, but as of right now it's still working. The bike is leaned over a bit farther to the side than it normally is, but it still seems to work.
In the garage, however, I had to find something to put under the side stand to get the bike to sit upright a bit more. I only had to do this in the garage because of the cramped space and the fact that the bike parks VERY closely to a car in the garage...so leaning just those few extra inches is a few too many.
__________________
In Life, Try To Be The Kind Of Person Your Dog Thinks You Are...
Colts, 49ers, Lions, 2008 Stanley Cup Champion Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons, MSU Spartans, USC Trojans, LSU Tigers
2002 Kawasaki Ninja 250--SV-650 rear shock, Sonic Springs .80kg/mm front springs, ZX-2R graphics, flush mount front signals, tail pod rear signals, Kerker 2-1 race pipe, Factory Pro Stage 3 jet kit, UNI pod filters, ZG Double Bubble, Custom Creations soft vinyl seat cover, Kawi Green rim stripes, carbon brake fluid cap, carbon control levers, No Rear Fender, Yamaha R1 Style Mirrors, V-LEDs.com H4 HID Kit, Nelson Rigg Silver Streak Mini Saddle Bags, Rapid Transit Recon Tank Bag, Various Manufacturers Decals
mods....GT501 tires, SV650 shock, dinojet kit, K&N filter, Flushmounts, fender elimin. with rear signals relocated in pods, Two Brother's. Soon to be done, sonic springs
Posts: 8,716
Casino Cash: $49357
Sportbike: '02 Ninja 250 with More $ in Mods Than I Care to Admit...2008 SSR 90R Mini Motard
Those tires are brand new.
__________________
In Life, Try To Be The Kind Of Person Your Dog Thinks You Are...
Colts, 49ers, Lions, 2008 Stanley Cup Champion Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons, MSU Spartans, USC Trojans, LSU Tigers
2002 Kawasaki Ninja 250--SV-650 rear shock, Sonic Springs .80kg/mm front springs, ZX-2R graphics, flush mount front signals, tail pod rear signals, Kerker 2-1 race pipe, Factory Pro Stage 3 jet kit, UNI pod filters, ZG Double Bubble, Custom Creations soft vinyl seat cover, Kawi Green rim stripes, carbon brake fluid cap, carbon control levers, No Rear Fender, Yamaha R1 Style Mirrors, V-LEDs.com H4 HID Kit, Nelson Rigg Silver Streak Mini Saddle Bags, Rapid Transit Recon Tank Bag, Various Manufacturers Decals
You start out motorcycling with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck.
Some people are like slinkies; they're good for nothing but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
I thoguht you skipped something, I read this before and just went and checked and they say that its best to drill a new hole for the shock to mount on, so the bike stays at the same height unless you are raising the front, idk. http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Installing_an_SV650_shock
Posts: 8,716
Casino Cash: $49357
Sportbike: '02 Ninja 250 with More $ in Mods Than I Care to Admit...2008 SSR 90R Mini Motard
Quote:
Originally Posted by WhoUtink
I thoguht you skipped something, I read this before and just went and checked and they say that its best to drill a new hole for the shock to mount on, so the bike stays at the same height unless you are raising the front, idk. http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Installing_an_SV650_shock
I disagree with that how to on the ninja250 site. It says that it would be "way too high," but it doesn't say why it would be too high or why that's not an ideal situation. As best I can tell, the only reason it would be too high would be because of the center stand.
Besides...
I don't like the idea of drilling a new hole where there wasn't a hole in the shock mount before. Not only do I fear it making the shock mount less strong, but I would be worried about not getting the holes exactly in the same location and then having the shock mount crooked and not fit right.
The guy I bought it from has done this mod just this way to several 250s with good results...I trust him more than some random article on a website that I find has VERY "opinionated" FAQs.
__________________
In Life, Try To Be The Kind Of Person Your Dog Thinks You Are...
Colts, 49ers, Lions, 2008 Stanley Cup Champion Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons, MSU Spartans, USC Trojans, LSU Tigers
2002 Kawasaki Ninja 250--SV-650 rear shock, Sonic Springs .80kg/mm front springs, ZX-2R graphics, flush mount front signals, tail pod rear signals, Kerker 2-1 race pipe, Factory Pro Stage 3 jet kit, UNI pod filters, ZG Double Bubble, Custom Creations soft vinyl seat cover, Kawi Green rim stripes, carbon brake fluid cap, carbon control levers, No Rear Fender, Yamaha R1 Style Mirrors, V-LEDs.com H4 HID Kit, Nelson Rigg Silver Streak Mini Saddle Bags, Rapid Transit Recon Tank Bag, Various Manufacturers Decals
Last edited by Gimpdiggity : 09-06-2007 at 09:40 PM.
I disagree with that how to on the ninja250 site. It says that it would be "way too high," but it doesn't say why it would be too high or why that's not an ideal situation. As best I can tell, the only reason it would be too high would be because of the center stand.
.
I can't tell you with specifics and facts and what not just what I have read here and there. But by raising the rear and not the front you have changed the steering geometry. Thats why it feels like it turns in faster, but is probably less stable, and more twitchy in general. I dont know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. search around here for raising rear suspension and see if it is opinionated or based on fact. .
SV-650 Shock Install Complete...
