shock absorbers for a 79 1200?

Paul LeClair

Paul LeClair

Administrator
Staff member
Location
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Hi all

it is a long bitterly cold winter here, time for me to start turning my attention to winter Laverda projects.

My 79 1200 Mirage has been through several iterations over the years, now about to be fitted with Boba's carbon fiber artistry.

"while I am at it" it is likely going to be taken back to its factory original wheels (but in gold paint to set off all the carbon fiber bodywork), and I am also thinking about new shocks. It has gone through original Marzocchi piggybacks, Progressive Suspension units, and right now is on original adjustable damping Koni's that have always ridden a little too stiffly for my tastes.

I just spent a really entertaining hour or so searching our forum archives, but I thought I would ask for clarification.

so, for a 79 1200, what is the "best" shock length?

what are the sizes of the mountings on each end of the shock?

what other more common bike models use similar sized shocks that would adapt to our Laverda triples?

I was just on the Ohlins USA website (mostly because they are gold in colour :LOL: ) trying to figure out which of the Ohlins might be a good candidate for the 79 1200, does anyone know? I seem to remember someone here having gone to Ohlins direct to have some shocks made for Laverda triples, but my searching didn't find the relevant info, unfortunately.

I am not looking for the best race track shock, I no longer have a track available local to me, the City of Calgary took back the race track land last year to expand the city dump..... :o  so I am looking for the most supple well controlled shock for street use that I can find for a relatively reasonable price. Doesn't need to be multi adjustable, doesn't need a remote reservoir, although....... Coming in gold to match the wheels I am going to use would also be a bonus (and yes, I know how silly that is, but......)

Paul LeClair
 
Hi Paul,

not sure if you are long-legged or short-legged, so depending how your physics are, I would go for slightly longer or best length-adjustable shocks The standard was 365 me thinks to remember, but with modern shocks I would go to 370 personally. It gives a tat bit better handling I feel and felt just so much better on my Jota (which has a 1200 frame, as all 1981 series 2 Jotas had).

Kawasaki Z1300 has similar lengths, weight and the Wilbers I have on my 1000 SFC came straight off a Z1300 I think. The mounting points are slightly different though, but that can either be adopted by inserts made on the lathe out of alloy or - with the wilbers at least - can be ordered to fit.

Else I would go for YSS which I have on the Jota. I could not find any difference in riding between them and Wilbers, but they are just 2/3rd of the price of Wilbers and half the price of the ?hlins. And they do come with length adjustment for free (up to 9mm, so that a 360mm shock can be adjusted to 369mm etc.).

Tons of other good suppliers like Maxton in UK or Gazy in Australia etc. Check also prices in other countries, sometimes it's worth shipping them around the globe...  ;)
 
Paul, check out Works Performance. Their shocks are all custom made to your specs so can be tuned for performance, ride, whatever you like. They have various models and the quality is top notch. I've got them for both my Jota and Executive, tuned softer for the Exec, and am very happy with them.

http://www.worksperformance.com/

I don't know if they list anything for the Laverdas but I do know the will make them for you.  8)
 
Yea. But the Ohlins do look nice

tears2.jpg


(Sorry 'bout the wire wheels there Paul...)

H.
 
I recently installed a set of Race Tech G3-S, 375mm, on my RGS. Sharpened up the handling and they perform beautifully. Adjustable rebound/preload/height. I love them. I also installed a set of Race Tech's "emulator" valves in the front forks. Still need some fine-tuning on the front, but the fact I can really tune the forks was reason enough to install them.
Richard
 
Paul,

the ?hlins are for sure the business, however, they cost twice as much as the YSS in our country at least and roughly 50% more than the Wilbers. Do they deliver better handling? well - not to a point I would recognize, but I am not giving them as hard of a time as f.e. Rob could. So - if you want to race the bike and are seeking for the last 0.03 Seconds per round - go for them. If you are using them on the road, my personal feeling is that even YSS are doing 98% of what you need. And even the ones without the external reservoir do what I would expect them to. So - why not save some money for some nice wire wheels or carbon parts?  :D
 
Paul LeClair said:
Harry Lime said:
Yea. But the Ohlins do look nice

(Sorry 'bout the wire wheels there Paul...)

H.
Click to expand...

bloody hell, those look like the business (and love the wire wheels!). How do the Ohlins perform on the bike?

Paul LeClair
Click to expand...

Difficult to say yet. The whole bike seems to handle *very* nicely, for a 180 triple. But time (mainly) and some carburetion issues have prevented me from really trying it out. In terms of ride, as opposed to hurtling around corners, they do seem to be quite a few notches better than Konis / Marzos that I've run previously.

Performance apart, a couple of issues. Note the lack of chainguard. I have one on the bench which I'm chopping up to make it fit. The shocks are very wide at the bottom compared to a "traditional" shock. Also, their appearance is a bit "in your face". I'm not sure they fit with the rest of the look of a mid/late 70s motorbike. Matter of opinion I suppose.

H.

H.
 
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