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![]() And believe it or not it handles better than the my upgraded FZ. No it does not have the arm stretching power of the FZ but it is a much more comfortable ride. Now I have a 2015 Versys 650 and love it. That being said I was never totally happy with the Penske. ![]() The Penske was a big improvement over the stocker. When I had my 2014 FZ09 I installed AK-20 fork cartridges and a Penske double clicker. I'm very excited to turn my bike into a true performance motorcycle. Y'all have been so helpful and will report back with a review (and pictures) I just wanted to hear from you guys any first hand experiences. I love this bike and the engine and don't mind modifying it. After riding some bikes with good suspension it spoiled me and I strive to hit that same level of confidence and "riding on rails" feel. Weighing 220 with full gear on plus 10 pounds in saddlebag weight The main thing is I want a professional shop to professionally set this bike up just for ME and my weight! I have tuned the stock suspension the best I can. ![]() The stoltec kit is cheaper but once you add in labor (which is more than installing cartridges) i believe it ends up being about the same. Nothing against Thailand I just trust the company that does stuff for F1 cars more in the UK. I dont really trust Ohlins anymore considering they got bought out and made in Thailand. It's a local dealer and I have heard nothing but good things. Thank you!! I think I will spend the extra $200 and just get the Nitron. Ended up going with an Andreani kit instead so I can vouch their stuff is great. I considered getting them for my track-only sportbike but they remove the nitrogen charged part of the fork that makes it so great (not a concern here in the FZ department). From what I hear, those are AMAZING kits for the price. Stoltec also offers GP Suspension cartridge kits. It's going to provide a little bit better damping but get you properly sprung which is most important. ![]() Someone else mentioned the Stoltec Moto kit that's also a really budget friendly kit to improve the stock forks without going crazy. I'm sure they're not super trivial but there's a good chance that some of their parts that need replacing are geometry-specific and might require special order (which could take weeks to get). They're really popular in the EU where they're founded and that's kind of their downfall here in the states because they don't have too many US dealers and therefore knowledge of the systems is limited when you go to have them rebuilt. They have REALLY nice build quality and I'm sure they can be just as good as Ohlins once properly tuned. If you hold and Ohlins in 1 hand and a Nitron in the other you'll be shocked to think, based on feel & appearances, the Nitron is a better shock. Nitron is usually pretty pricey but I think Nitron is #1 in quality. I would say K-tech and Ohlins are so neck-and-neck in terms of perf. I think the valving on the rear shock is good for me (hard street but no track riding) but that's only with stiff 85-95 Nm springs. If the rear shock can't be tuned to provide decent ride frequency even after the right spring then for sure upgrade. IMO, I would have the rear shock re-sprung to your weight and then definitely go with cartridges. but that might be placebo and in part due to a proper spring rate. You gotta ask yourself how much better is the valving? It might be a ton better. Again, I'm referring to these base model shocks you're looking at vs. I can tell you right now you're not going to get a thing out of base-model name-brand shocks other than better valving and maybe more adjustment range. Is it worth it to get a completely new shock? Or just to have the stock suspension properly sprung to your weight. You have to understand what you're paying for when it comes to a new suspension.
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