Z650 setup

The Z650 was chosen as a machine that can be enjoyed on touring, mountain roads, and even in gymkhana.

Last week I brought it to a gymkhana practice session for the first time.

Our goal is to create a machine that will perform comfortably both on touring and on mountain roads, without becoming a gymkhana special.

The front suspension is equipped with an Ohlins inner kit and the spring rate is the standard 8.5kg.

The rear is Nitron, standard 12.5kg

The final is the standard 15-46 guns.

The handlebars are genuine Kawasaki Ninja 400R handlebars. “The lowest and closest handlebars I know.”

The tires are a set of Diablo V2 front and V3 rear that I’ve had for a while.

The ABS was fixed by removing the sensor.

Of course, it comes with SSB and rear slider.

First of all, this will be the first gymkhana practice session with these specifications.

The long gear ratio and high seat height were two things that I felt needed to be improved immediately.

If I were to set it up for gymkhana from this state, I would think I would shorten the final drive by about two teeth.

In the normal mode, you feel a lack of torque when starting up, and it’s a little difficult to control the vehicle.

Even on mountain roads, it’s often difficult to choose the right gear, so a two-gear short may be just right for public roads as well.

The next thing to do is to lower the thick seat by about 20mm. The seating area will also increase, so it will be gentler on your buttocks even on public roads.

The position relative to the step should not be bad either.

As for the suspension, it feels just right if you tighten the damping front and rear by about two notches from the road-legal specifications.

However, the rear extension felt a little too high, so with public road driving in mind, I thought it might be better to lower the suspension by about one turn and apply preload.

As for the front, should I make it stick out a little more? I’m not sure, but I’ll wait a bit longer before making a decision.

We have a gymkhana practice session next Tuesday, so I would like to improve and check what I have done so far.

“We’ll be creating the same course as the one we used for Saturday’s practice, so we’ll be able to set it up while checking the times.”

I think I’ll try to strengthen the brakes in the future as they are a bit weak.