Shock absorber redux

C

cwis

Full member
Hi all,

I've been saving my pennies carefully, and it's time to splash out on some bouncy bits for the back of the bitza.

What are my options? I've been doing some searching - for shocks at 370mm length.

Hagons are around 200 - 300 quid depending on model.
Ikons look to be about 350ish
YSS I have seen for 500 odd Euro (I think)
How much are Wilburs?

Any UK stockists?

Best regards,

Chris
 
The Hagons are rubbish, Ikons not bad but they don't last and there is not much in the way of back up. I can do you a set of Wilburs for around ?750 or you could speak to Maxtons or Falcon.


    Keith
 
I had Falcons on my 180, have Wilbers on my GS.  The Falcons are very light and look good on the bike, but lack any damping adjustment.  I'd say they were good basic shocks that have good back up if they need a rebuild.  I'm saving up for Wilbers for the RGS (among may other things :o) cos on the GS they are streets ahead of the standard Showa kit.
 
might be related to you origin, Romeo, but when I asked Wilbers for a discount on 3 sets, they refused...  >:(

YSS are the deal, best value for money. Please keep in mind that even the standard ones are length-adjustable, which cost 100?/Shock (200? per set - just to be clear!) on the Wilbers alone. If you also consider that the wilbers base price is roughly 30-40% higher, a real 100% comparable shock from Wilbers is roughly twice as much as a YSS. And: the construction people at YSS are - former Technoflex/White Power people! Know how is dutch, fabrication is Asia, but to high standards. Mine on the Jota are now roughly 8.000Km old (which is not really old, I know...), they look and work as new. Compared to the Wilbers (and I have a set of them, too), the only noticable difference is that the Wilbers "clicks" are a bit more defined, on the YSS I have at least, this is not much noticeable...

SO-Products does sell them and has the right ones for Laverda in stock. They do sell and service others like ?hlins etc., too, but do recommend YSS...

was interesting to see, how many race-teams and private riders used them this year in SPA. Thats not for nothing I would say... ;)
 
Laverdalothar said:
might be related to you origin, Romeo, but when I asked Wilbers for a discount on 3 sets, they refused...  >:(

YSS are the deal, best value for money. Please keep in mind that even the standard ones are length-adjustable, which cost 100?/Shock (200? per set - just to be clear!) on the Wilbers alone. If you also consider that the wilbers base price is roughly 30-40% higher, a real 100% comparable shock from Wilbers is roughly twice as much as a YSS. And: the construction people at YSS are - former Technoflex/White Power people! Know how is dutch, fabrication is Asia, but to high standards. Mine on the Jota are now roughly 8.000Km old (which is not really old, I know...), they look and work as new. Compared to the Wilbers (and I have a set of them, too), the only noticable difference is that the Wilbers "clicks" are a bit more defined, on the YSS I have at least, this is not much noticeable...

SO-Products does sell them and has the right ones for Laverda in stock. They do sell and service others like ?hlins etc., too, but do recommend YSS...

was interesting to see, how many race-teams and private riders used them this year in SPA. Thats not for nothing I would say... ;)
Click to expand...

The trouble I have over here is finding a stockist that will do a 370mm set. The standard is apparently 360mm for the RG366 model and the people I have spoken to have had trouble when ordering non-standard lengths.

I need the length to speed up the steering and move more weight to the front, cos I'm too weedy to compress the fork springs by myself (68Kg).

Chris
 
Hi Chris,

then look through the application list and try to find some that have 370 in the part number for a bike that is close to our bikes weights...  ;) honestly: the 360 have a plus 10mm length adjustment (well - even 15mm would work...). Guess how do I know:  I have a pair of 370mm ordered with SO Products, took them 1 week (but that was 5 years ago or so and within Germany) I am currently running at 380mm...

SO-Products btw delivers worldwide as far as I know. Where are you located, please?
 
Laverdalothar said:
Hi Chris,

then look through the application list and try to find some that have 370 in the part number for a bike that is close to our bikes weights...  ;) honestly: the 360 have a plus 10mm length adjustment (well - even 15mm would work...). Guess how do I know:  I have a pair of 370mm ordered with SO Products, took them 1 week (but that was 5 years ago or so and within Germany) I am currently running at 380mm...

SO-Products btw delivers worldwide as far as I know. Where are you located, please?
Click to expand...
I'm in the UK Lothar. Have SO got a website?

Chris
 
Maxton are talking 395 plus VAT for their T260-C twinshocks, which looks a pretty good deal...
 
it does sound like a good deal. Check the features are the same. I always thought, length adjustment is a nice feature but maybe not necessary. Until I touched the ground with the alternator cover and was glad I could get some more space with the longer shocks...

http://www.so-products.com/shop/index.php?cat=c32968_LAVERDA.html
 
The Maxton are rebound damping adjustment only, and not remote res.

I don't think I'm going to need as much ground clearence as you Lothar, looking at your profile picture. The only time I've leant a bike over that far is while I'm in the process of falling off it!

I'm looking here for YSS in the UK - 608 quid (compares well to the SO Euro price)
http://www.bike-revival.co.uk/exp.html

Best regards,

Chris
 
I bought a YSS shock for my old Airhead R100GS. It really transformed the bike, and the price was very reasonable.  I was mulling over buying YSS shocks for my triple but now I'm not so sure.  The unit on the R100GS is showing signs of the seal(s) failing -- this at only about 5,000 miles of paved roads.  I have not contacted the distributor about this yet, but it sure makes me think twice about YSS quality of materials and production standards.
 
Lothar i think i have 25% on neto price by Wilbers , so if anibody wotns them we can use my dicount . I am not dealer use discount for me and my friends .
 
I've done around 17k miles since 2008 on the wilbers twin piggy back shocks, a mixture or track days and road. The finish is good and they clean up well. No signs of oil leakage and they work as good as they did when new. However the cost is high.

They are one item on my bike I never have to touch and I never even think about the rear end, to busy cussing the forks !
 
Gazi shocks
good shit

http://www.gazisuspension.com/_product_50295/VMX_Hyper_X_-_380

 
Wilbers will sell anything to anybody but discounts are normally given to their authorized dealers who then decide what to charge the customer. They offer a straightforward version with only preload called the "Classic" along with several others with the options of rebound, compression damping adjustments, and even external reservoirs if your heart and wallet desires. No muss or fuss and they have a well set up service network for the rare occasion a problem might rear its ugly head. I've sold many sets over the years and have had zero problems to date. The set on my Jota has over 50,000 kilometers on them and work as well as when they were new. From what I have seen and personally dealt with over the years the Wilbers seem to be the most bang for the $.

Tom
 
Agree with Tom and yes i have dealer discount , using it for me and frends from Croatian and Alpe Adria championship . I have Wilbers front and rear on : Jota was for seup in Wilbers factory as my Honda CB1300Sa also , on Bakker they rapair White Power rear and did the front end , ZXR750R K was bought with Ohlins rear and fork internals bit to comfy would make sense to send it to Wilbers too . And inaf firends bikes .
 
Hi all,

Thanks for all the advice and opinions! Although I would love a set of Wilbers, I've decided to go for a set of Maxton T260-C shocks.

A couple of reasons:
  • Great support from a UK based company for me, cos I live in the UK.
  • Cheaper than Wilburs or even YSS, which means I could get my forks Maxtonised this winter.
  • The shocks do not have remote res, so they look a bit more "period" than the other offerings.
  • I'm not that good! I probably wouldn't be able to tell between the Maxtons, the YSS or the Wilburs when riding....

Best regards,

Chris
 
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