[xmallowmanx]

Hey everyone! New rider here. I just bought my first bike, 2015 CBR500R. I’ve been searching the forums for about 3-hours and I have realized that for my rear I should get the GSXR 750 rear shock because I have a non-abs. Here is a link to what I found,

11-16 Suzuki GSXR750 GSXR 750 Rear Shock Suspension | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 11-16 Suzuki GSXR750 GSXR 750 Rear Shock Suspension at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Is this what I need for my bike? Also, I’m having a hard time understanding what I should do to the front end. I’m mechanically inclined and have worked on cars my entire life. However, I am very very new to bikes and don’t know much of anything. Any help or even links to the proper threads in this forum will be super helpful.

I’m planning on doing a full tune-up, oil change, spark plugs, and maybe valve inspection. Is there anything else I should do? I just put a set of Dunlop Roadsmart 2s on the bike and might replace the chain and sprocket.

 

[_Yamato]

depends on how deep you want to dive into it ... you can do as little with the front as changing for some higher weight oil (10 - 15 W), changing the stock caps to something with preload, installing some emulators in the forks or do the full cartridge swap.

you can find some useful info in this thread Upgrade front & rear suspension (my upgrade included) or i think something was also here DIY Proper suspension set up but i read the forum a long time ago

I also recommend to search for "Dave Moss" on YouTube and maybe even getting a month subscription on his site to watch some full videos, you can learn a lot

good luck and do not be afraid, if you as you said have no problem with getting your hands dirty and use your brain a little, you will have no problems

 

[xmallowmanx]

When it comes to the front, any brands you recommend? Also, I’ll that rear shock work for my bike that I added the link for?

 

[vt500]

I put a 2017 GSXR600 shock on my non-abs 2014. Enormous improvement, very pleased with it. It took some weeks of adjusting the shock to get it set perfectly.
Don't buy a GSXR shock older than 2011 as the mounting distance was longer, pushing the rear of the bike up higher than the newer shocks. I think I paid about $40 on eBay - racers replace the stock shock with a racing shock and then sell the Suzuki one.

After putting in the Suzuki rear shock, the front end was awful by comparison.
I installed cartridge emulators since insertable cartridge shocks are very expensive.
I chose Traxxion brand. Many people use Race Tech.
A benefit of the Traxxion package is you don't need to drill holes in the fork's damper rods, instead Traxxion supplies custom damper rods.
Since you have a 2015, replace the fork seals and bushings if you open up the forks.
Quite a bit of work here. Delboy's Garage has a good video on rebuilding conventional front forks.

 

[xmallowmanx]

I put a 2017 GSXR600 shock on my non-abs 2014. Enormous improvement, very pleased with it. It took some weeks of adjusting the shock to get it set perfectly.
Don't buy a GSXR shock older than 2011 as the mounting distance was longer, pushing the rear of the bike up higher than the newer shocks. I think I paid about $40 on eBay - racers replace the stock shock with a racing shock and then sell the Suzuki one.

After putting in the Suzuki rear shock, the front end was awful by comparison.
I installed cartridge emulators since insertable cartridge shocks are very expensive.
I chose Traxxion brand. Many people use Race Tech.
A benefit of the Traxxion package is you don't need to drill holes in the fork's damper rods, instead Traxxion supplies custom damper rods.
Since you have a 2015, replace the fork seals and bushings if you open up the forks.
Quite a bit of work here. Delboy's Garage has a good video on rebuilding conventional front forks.

Thanks for the information! For the front end if I do the traxxion cartridge emulators, should I still get a set of new springs?

 

[xmallowmanx]

I put a 2017 GSXR600 shock on my non-abs 2014. Enormous improvement, very pleased with it. It took some weeks of adjusting the shock to get it set perfectly.
Don't buy a GSXR shock older than 2011 as the mounting distance was longer, pushing the rear of the bike up higher than the newer shocks. I think I paid about $40 on eBay - racers replace the stock shock with a racing shock and then sell the Suzuki one.

After putting in the Suzuki rear shock, the front end was awful by comparison.
I installed cartridge emulators since insertable cartridge shocks are very expensive.
I chose Traxxion brand. Many people use Race Tech.
A benefit of the Traxxion package is you don't need to drill holes in the fork's damper rods, instead Traxxion supplies custom damper rods.
Since you have a 2015, replace the fork seals and bushings if you open up the forks.
Quite a bit of work here. Delboy's Garage has a good video on rebuilding conventional front forks.

Is this what you’re talking about?

AR-25 Axxion Rod Damper Kit, S41-2 - Traxxion Dynamics

Drop in Damper Rod Kit. Combines damper rod and cartridge technology for superior bump absorption, traction, and control.

traxxion.com

Is there anything else other than seals and bushings I need to get for my front end?

 

[vt500]

Spring stiffness should be matched to your riding weight. Discuss with vendor you choose.
I weigh 140lb (without riding gear). Traxxion supplied 0.85kg/mm springs. These worked fine on well paved roads and at track day but proved too stiff on roads with broken/poor pavement in my rural area. I later replaced them with 0.75kg/mm springs, better ride on the harsh pavement.

Traxxion AR-25
Yes I bought the version of this kit that fits my CB500F. springs, spacers, damper rods, emulators, fork oil
Tell them year and model of your bike as there can be slight differences.

Just to repeat myself, there is considerable work in rebuilding the forks, including safely suspending the front of the bike in the air so you can remove the front forks.
Watching the DelBoy YouTube video can let you know if you are ready for this work. I ended up paying a dealer to install and it took almost 4 shop-hours of labor! (including new seals and bushings)
(The older tech who knew front forks inside out was gone. new guy was slow but did a perfect job.)

You will absolutely need the shop manual since you are new to bikes. It also shows recommended replacement parts (I think there is a copper compression washer you might also replace). Manual download link is somewhere in the forum.