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[Richard230]

This afternoon I rode down to Catalyst Reaction Tuning, 1010 Commercial Street, San Carlos, CA and had them adjust my 2012 Zero S suspension.  It took them about 30 minutes (including talking about old times at Cal BMW where they used to work) to perform the work.  The cost for their "basic suspension setup" was only $40.  I complained that the bike was weaving around corners in the Santa Cruz Mountains at speeds above 50 mph and they told me that the suspension was set much too soft.  After spinning the dials and riding around for a few minutes to test their work, they gave it to me to test ride. The bike rides much firmer and is noticeably more stable when cornering. Naturally, it is not as plush around town, but keeping the wallow at bay is probably worth a harsher ride over city potholes.  Attached is a photo of their shop.

[Richard230]

The shop is really hard to find, as there is no sign and the only address is on the man door next to their roll-up door, located off the street and in a fenced-off yard.  Attached is a photo of the shop taken from across the driveway. Commercial Street is on the left.

[Richard230]

Last night I checked the suspension settings as they were adjusted by Catalyst and here are the settings for my 150-pound weight:

Fork compression:  3 clicks out
Fork rebound:  2 turns out
Preloaded shock spring length:  137 mm
Shock rebound: 1 click out
Shock compression:  4 clicks out

Note:  shock damping dials are to be turned clockwise until they reach their stop and then backed off counterclockwise as specified.

[Richard230]

Today I headed down the Peninsula and up Kings Mountain Road (where I had my first spill on my new 1962 Vespa motor scooter), which consists of about 5 miles of uphill, tight, bumpy pavement with several 10 mph hairpins.  The Zero went around the corners great, very stable and easy to steer and get around the hairpins.  At the top of the hill, I headed north, along Skyline Boulevard and down to Highway 92.  I have been hitting those 30 mph corners for the past 50 years on a variety of motorcycles and I have a good idea what speed I can take them at.  I consider 50 mph to be a very good speed, as they are downhill and have little sight-line due to the hilly terrain.  The Zero went around the corners at 50 mph, without any drama and that is my personal limit, not having any racing experience and not wanting to loose my "chicken strips".  The only time it wiggled was when I hit a bump in the middle of a curve. But that is likely due to its steep fork geometry.  I think if the fork had more preload, as recommended by Catalyst, it would make the bike more stable.  So the suspension settings above seem to work well and I can recommend them for a lightweight rider.

Just as a note: when the Zero was new, it had a sharp head shake when going around the Skyline Boulevard corners. I believe that was due to some serious fork seal striction when the Fast Ace forks were new.  After about a thousand miles, the forks loosened up and worked much better.

Having my suspension adjusted by an expert has vastly improved the handling, at a slight loss in comfort when hitting bumps and potholes.  If anyone owning a 2012 Zero S is not feeling secure when cornering, I recommend that you give the suspension settings in my first post a try.

However, if you weigh more than 150 pounds you might need more rear shock preload than specified above.

[NoiseBoy]

Thanks Richard, I will give these settings a go in the spring as im not fussed about comfort on the short journeys i make.  I am a fair bit lighter though.