[DirtEveryDay]

OK, before I get the "CALL Brad at NP!!!" I know, I know! But I've GOTTA ride my new Mob this weekend while out of town and I've got a brand new, never ridden Z1 Sport sitting on my shelf. There's no time to get Brads drop kit here(and I need all my money for gas to go GET my frame, which is 6 hours away at my little bro's, where I wanna ride it!), so I wanna see if I can ghetto drop it until I get some more cash and time.
Now, if it's easily doable(which I know it is, just wanna do it right...well...my version of "right" until I get the NP kit!), I need very easy to follow instructions. Pictures are good too! I'm used to 8" travel in the rear, 888s up front and speed. I'm STRONGLY feeling te need to embrace my oldschoolness and hit the streets. I've tried in the past, but it's just not the same as my old freestyle days, but it just might be on a properly set up rig, not a freeride hardtail, with a 6" travel fork.
Help me out, guys...

 

[Bicyclist]

1) Cut the spring down by the amount you want to lower it.

2) Install a PVC spacer in the negative side to limit how far the fork can come up.

I can't give you "perfect" instructions but those are the basics.

I would say lower it to 80mm.

 

[DirtEveryDay]

Ha! I was gonna PM you after seeing a post you had up awhile back, but I wasn't sure if you just ordered the sweet and short Z1 from NP or if you put the kit in yourself.
I got impatient after I posted this thread, ran downstairs and gutted it. Took me a few minutes longer to get it apart than it would an 888/66, but we got it.
So, the spacer I cut will go between the little top-out spring and the stock aluminum spacer that's in there?
And 80mm was exactly my goal. Nice!

 

[DirtEveryDay]

Also, another thread I encountered on my search, was a guy suggested using the excess spring section he removed as the spacer in the neg side. Yay or nay?

 

[Bicyclist]

Ha! I was gonna PM you after seeing a post you had up awhile back, but I wasn't sure if you just ordered the sweet and short Z1 from NP or if you put the kit in yourself.
I got impatient after I posted this thread, ran downstairs and gutted it. Took me a few minutes longer to get it apart than it would an 888/66, but we got it.
So, the spacer I cut will go between the little top-out spring and the stock aluminum spacer that's in there?
And 80mm was exactly my goal. Nice!

Honestly I don't know. I bought an 80mm Z1 pre-lowered, I'm just familiar with the theory.

I'm 90% sure that's right.

I wouldn't think you'd want a flexible spring that determines your travel but it may help with top-out if you've got a problem with that...

 

[DirtEveryDay]

Well, I'll put 91%trust in your 90% positivity. And now I have a headache. Be back in an hour or two...

 

[Bicyclist]

Don't be mad if I'm not right. I would search a bit more if I were you, I know people have posted Sherman instructions so it may help just for procedure's sake.

 

[Boxxer]

Its easy. Besides the above tips youll need:

1) remove fork.

2) let any air out on both sides.

3) remove air preload caps and flip fork upside down(draining oil into jars or whatever, you can reuse or get some new zoke oil).

4) The loweres are held on at the bottom, youll need to remove those nuts, but the trick is youll need a thin socket because if you use a standard it will end up hitting the lowers before you can get it around the nut. I ground one down on a wheel all the way around so it slides down inside the bottom of the lowers.

5) remove those nuts on both sides then pull the lowers free from the uppers. Youll then see the dampening rods sticking out from the bottom of the uppers. Here youll need a C clip remover. Pull the clips off both lowers and remove the dampening rods. Youll see where you have to install the negative spacers here.

6) reverse all the instructions from here out and youre done!

Should take you less than 30 minutes or so start to finish.

If you have an old handle bar around cut the ends off the amount youd like to lower the fork and use those cut off bits as your negative spacers.

If any of this sounds confusing... its not. Just take it apart and youll figure it out as you go.

 

[BikeMike]

Don't be mad if I'm not right. I would search a bit more if I were you, I know people have posted Sherman instructions so it may help just for procedure's sake.

I talked with Marzocchi Tech about lowering my z150-DO, and they said space it out how you like, and try running it as an air fork (ie, don't cut the springs). However, I'm a lightweight (150lbs). Unfortunately the shop I work in lost my parts, so I have to order some more up before I can try it.

If you do cut the spring, be sure that you make a nice cut and the cut end isn't going to be wearing on anything important.

Using the cut piece of the spring as a spacer should work. It'll just mean you have a huge top-out spring. If you have spacer material I'd keep the little top out spring and use the spacers instead of the cut piece of spring.

Also, I'm pretty sure the Marzocchi plastic spacers are ABS. Nice alu tube would be great, but some strong plastic should get the job done for a while.

 

[DirtEveryDay]

Finished it up about 40 minutes after my last post. It ended up at about 70-75mm travel, despite cutting my spacers(an old seatpost) to 80mm. Whatever, should be cool. Dropped in some 10wt and stuck it all back together. I know it's gonna be weird swapping back and forth between a Mob with a 70mm fork and my Enduro SX with a 66 and a bumped up rear!
I like the minimal amount of stanchion showing, will make it a little more difficult to do those lovely fork grinds on ledges. And soon I will see if I still have my old bag of tricks in the attic! It's been almost 15 years since I rode street/flatland!

 

[DirtEveryDay]

Hey, Bike Mike, what's your Avatar???