Rear Shocks

I have a set of Hagons on my 500 Alpino and have to say I'm not too impressed with them. They work OK but do let the back of the bike move around a bit during spirited riding. On the rest of my fleet I am using shocks from Wilbers and these work great. Unfortunately the prices have gone up the last couple of years and the official price is ?799. Dealers get their discount (I am one) and if you order any Wilbers product in the month of October there is a 10% "Oktoberfest" savings. Wilbers gives a warranty and set the shocks up according to your weight and riding style. Another option is if you want the original length or a bit longer to help sharpen up the handling. The ?hlins are probably the cream of the crop but then you will have to pay accordingly. I've heard good and bad comments with the Ikons (ex Koni) and with no personal experience with the things I won't travel down this path. I would think the best solution is to figure what sort of budget you have and how you actually ride your bike. If you are a thrasher speed demon stay away from the Hagons and the like and if you simply putt around looking at the world the ?hlins are simply overkill.

Tom

 
and for a totally different, budget look, at brand new shocks...

I just took delivery of a set of brand spanking new 335 mm length "Monza Sport" shocks, with dual progressive rate springs, for the princely sum of $80 Canadian, roughly 56 Euro.

I just took them out of the box yesterday, they look just like the original shocks from the 78 650 Kawa I am presently rebuilding (but without the rusty springs and fluid leaks), they should keep the rear tire of the bike from hitting the underside of the seat,  and they sure fit the budget! Obviously they are going onto the 650 Kawa, which didn't have any reputation for handling, with its 16 inch rear wheel, 19 inch front wheel, willowy forks, etc, and they will do for now, freeing up cash for the bare crank full motor rebuild presently underway...

http://www.xs650direct.com/products-18.html

great service from the website, the shocks arrived promptly, well packed. Oh, and the shocks have a 5 step spring preload adjustment, and came with the little C type hook to adjust spring preload.... 8)

Paul LeClair
 
I agree with Tom on the Hagons. I have adjustable damping on the B52 and the Rickman and find they just can't keep up with the small bumps and ripples on the track. The rear tyre feels like it's about to let go long before the frames or forks are near their limits :o.
In hagons defense, they have always aimed there shocks at your average road rider on lower budget. Which over many years riding on the roads worked fine for me, just don't try racing with em!!!!

Had a chat with a very nice chap at Falcon Shocks earlier this year. Like Maxton they will build units taking into account bike, use, weight etc. Though I don't know if they have built units for Laverda but assured me that if not happy further changes to the shocks and dampers to suit was part of the purchase.
 
/www.falconshockabsorbers.co.uk/index2.html

With 20 /20 hind sight I should have gone to them or Maxton :( But then three years ago I wasn't planning on racing.)

Maitland.
 
Maitland

Falcon have a strong following on this forum, whenever a set comes up on UK eBay the bidding is always hot and strong, so they actually have resale value! No external adjustment may or may not be a good thing but it does keep the price down. I was going to get a set myself (they're available in the US too, built to order) but the Gazis were available and I was in a buying mood (actually, the wife was on the other side of the world :D). They sure work better than the original worn out Corte e Cossis!

Ken
 
I find the screw type pre-load adjusters a nightmare and discourage one from even adjusting them if you have to add a load. Even the single shock on the K is a pain as you have to remove the right hand pannier frame to adjust it. I would imagine the twin shocks would be even more daunting to adjust/get balanced. I would much prefer the 5 step pre-load adjuster or the remote hydraulic adjustment like the Ohlins would be even better.

 
I fitted a set of Konis to the SFC at 17000 miles and by the time it reached 24000 miles one was leaking badly. !7 years had pass between that mileage. I sent them off to Ikon for a seals kit and was told it was fucked and for $400 they would supply me a new set using my original springs. As I had entered a time trial the following week I went with them just to get the bike on the road. In hindsight, wish I hadn't as I think the koni/ikons are now very much dated compared to whats available now. For a few dollars more I could have had the YSS or the Grazis, not having any knowledge of the grazi I can't comment but I'm sure impressed with the quality and good reports of the YSS. I brought an Ohlin for the GS BM, $1200 and could have had the equivilent YSS for $800 but at the time YSS were new and I didn't know anything about them.
I sort of feel Ikon fucked me over slightly, can't understand why the shock wasn't rebuildable, they looked in perfect condition, the shafts weren't scored and really had done very little work.
I'll be in the markert for a new shock for the Motodd soon, the WP currently fitted is looking well used and not sure if it's leaking or it's oil from the netural light switch that leaks. Had them rebuilt a few years ago by Shock Treatment in Sydney and they weren't keen on doing it saying they were suspicious of mark/crack in the casting and sent them back. On real close inspection I reckoned it was a casting mark, put in in the lathe and took 0.2mm off and it disapeared so sent it back and told them I was comfortable and would sign a waiver or what ever, just do it as I couldn't find a replacement shock anywhere. There is no such thing as a shock off the shelf I was told by all the Ohlins/WP suppliers it would have to be specially built for the Motodd and was quoted prices that would have brought me another laverda.
Shocked I was [excuse the pun]. So if the current oil I found on my WP isn't from the netural switch and is indeed a leaking shock I would like to replace it, but at a affordable price.
Surely It should be as simple as giving a length, bike/rider weight and fitting dimensions. With all the adjustments available these days it shouldn't be too hard to get it close. Talking with these suspension experts they seem to make it all complicated, I'm no Rossi that feels the difference between one click here and one click there and not interested in knocking 1 second off my time to get to the local pub. Just want a shock that keeps the wheel on the road and doesn't put my back out when hitting pot holes.
 
Anyone know where I can go [internet] to have a look at the Grazis shocks? Google didn't turn anything up. I'd like to have a look at what they do. Cheers
 
Biturbo Rob?

http://www.motorcycle-parts.com.au/Bitubo.htm

Looks as is there is quite a few options, whether they will meet your application.....

You might as well get a new set of forks while you're at it  :D

http://www.ceriani.com/

Cheers
Jason
 
Can anyone identify these shocks, they were fitted to the Formula Mirage project.
If so are they any good and worth keeping.
The labels are faded the first letter looks like F the second is either A or R the third is too faded to read.
 

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Falcons. Quite distinctive, threaded spring preload adjustment only. http://www.falconshockabsorbers.co.uk/. Highly regarded on this forum IF they're set up right for you and the bike, and they're rebuildable/recalibratable. Good stuff, but I'm not so sure that you'd want to race on them.

Ken
 
Hi Jason,
It seems the Biturbo are model specific, same as Ohlins and WP. I would have thought you could've brought a standard shock with different lengths and spring rates available. The price I was quoted several years ago for a specific built shock for the motodd was well over 3k.  I'm hoping the oil on my WP was leaking engine oil rather than shock oil.
I think I'll need to start a piggy back fund to save up for a new shock. :D
 
motoddrob said:
It seems they only do twin shocks, or did I miss the mono link? Same as YSS, didn't see any reference to monos!!
Click to expand...

YSS does mono shocks, too. They are called Z-Series I think... look at http://www.yssusa.com/products_yss.html and click on "Gas Emulsion Shock Absorbers (Mono)".

best regards

Lothar
(No agent of the YSS shocks, just satisfied customer...)

 
Hey Rob. Do you reckon it is preferable to rebuild the 1200 than a WP shock?  :D
Good stuff, but I'm not so sure that you'd want to race on them.
Numerous top racers in classic here use Falcon and swear by them.
It is as good as an oil thread this one. Times are much better than the ?70s when it was Koni or nothing.
 
The shocks shown 4 post ago are not Falcons, they are Fontana's (aka FAC) as imported by the Toddmeister (Phil Todd) many moons ago.

I have a pair on my bike, so can be sure.

They are good shocks, but like all shocks may have been abused or just past their best. Mine are going off now.

HTH, Paul H
 
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