Advice on tuning Marzocchi Z2 Bombers

[Pionir]

I've finally got my (1996) Z2s on my bike and to be honest I'm not impressed. The Mag21s they've replaced seemed to be much smoother and I can't feel any of the famed Z2 butteryness which leads me to believe they're not setup properly. I've tried playing with the preload and rebound/damping knobs but nothing seems to make much difference.

Any kind of bump induces what I can only describe as a rattle. It feels like something is loose around the hub and when i manually compress them they seem to have a bit of stickiness as they release .

Is there a tuning guide on here somewhere? (I've tried searching but didn't see anything). Or are they just low on oil? On that point, is there anywhere that still does seals?

 

[Remko]

Re:

I'd recommend dismantling and cleaning them. Oil seals can be ordered online or at your local motorcycle shop (outside diameter of 40, inner of 30 and 8/9 mm high).
Just use 5w Castrol fork oil, or mix it with 10w to get 7.5w. The right amount is in the Z2 manual.
It could be that your Z2 has a 'hard' spring and that you're maybe not too heavy yourself. So you might need different springs. Check for any colour paint on the springs.
Dismantling is not too complex.

Also good to check if all parts are in. Maybe the previous owner mixed up parts or forgot to put back some small but essential part.

Good luck

 

[Remko]

Re:

Your question motivated me to build a Z2 that I had dismantled some time ago.
To get the oilseals out I'm using a very long motorcycle tire lever with a piece of cloth to prevent damaging the paint. That works perfectly.
To push new oilseals back in you can use a 30 mm socket. This again fits perfectly and makes the work very easy.
Before you put the dustseals on the gold coloured stanchions you can put some oil on them first. It also helps to put the stanchions into the fork legs..

This weekend I'll finish the build. If I find out anything about tuning I'll let you know.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

Archive and Gallery, manuals and a tuning guide are in there.
tells you all about oils, springs, settings and tweaks for the forks for your weight etc. (it could be on the last page).
I'll.grab the link if you need it, well linked on the forum and guides from people over the years.

 

[Pionir]

Thanks, I found the tuning guide eventually. The compression damping adjuster was wound all the way in, which I've eased off and it's much smoother now.

 

[Remko]

Re:

Could you post a link to the tuning guide maybe? Thanks very much.

 

[Pionir]

This is a collection of manuals:
http://my-sport.spb.ru/manual_1/index-16.htm

The tuning guide is on this thread:
https://forums.mtbr.com/shocks-suspensi ... ost4469200

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re: Re:

Could you post a link to the tuning guide maybe? Thanks very much.

97-2000 tech info
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/gallery2/v/M ... ?g2_page=3

 

[Remko]

Re:

Thanks mate, I'll check it.