OzVMX Forum
Clubroom => Tech Talk => Topic started by: Slakewell on January 12, 2013, 01:25:50 pm
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Who has good new shocks for sale. Need some around 350mm.
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There are a few different brands, Ohlins, Works Performance, Technoflex, YSS, Race Tech etc..
What model bike is it for? There is a lot of difference in spring rates and damping between a pre 75 shock and an Evo shock even though the length could be the same. Make sure you go for a brand that builds them to the right specs for your bike.
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For the $$ and free international shipping! They seem to have a reputation though. There must be at least one manufacturer that produces a reasonable facsimile of the good ones. Can anyone recommend a good seller for this type of product?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/13-5-340mm-A-PAIR-Air-Nitrogen-Shock-Absorber-Clevis-For-Honda-125cc-350-400-/181052154476?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a278ca26c
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For the $$ and free international shipping! They seem to have a reputation though. There must be at least one manufacturer that produces a reasonable facsimile of the good ones. Can anyone recommend a good seller for this type of product?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/13-5-340mm-A-PAIR-Air-Nitrogen-Shock-Absorber-Clevis-For-Honda-125cc-350-400-/181052154476?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a278ca26c
That Chinese stuff is just rubbish, it says cheap shit all over it.
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That's a waste of $100.. the rear suspension is the most important part of a motocross bike, and you only have 1 back to get you through your entire life!
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When looking for new shocks for my PE400 I was hit with the same question. I spoke with a few shock repairers but I mainly deal with Sean at SOS Suspension Penrith. To convert the original Suzuki shocks to rebuildable ones is just to expensive.
So I found a pair of ITC Ohlins shocks out of the US off an 84 Husky. The shafts will need shortening and then service, change springs etc. Probably the best option and will make a real difference to the ride compared with the standard shocks.
What kind of bike do you have?
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There are a few different brands, Ohlins, Works Performance, Technoflex, YSS, Race Tech etc..
What model bike is it for? There is a lot of difference in spring rates and damping between a pre 75 shock and an Evo shock even though the length could be the same. Make sure you go for a brand that builds them to the right specs for your bike.
Currently on my 77 KTM Im running some Ohlins from a 78 model KTM these work ok on big bumps but dont offer the drive out of corners like the other shocks Ive used on this bike( Gazi's ) The Gazi's are better all round when there holding gas and oil but sadly they blow seals faster than a Penguin.
I happy to spend up to 1k for a good pair as this bike is a title winner. Who sells custom built shocks in Aus?
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When looking for new shocks for my PE400 I was hit with the same question. I spoke with a few shock repairers but I mainly deal with Sean at SOS Suspension Penrith. To convert the original Suzuki shocks to rebuildable ones is just to expensive.
So I found a pair of ITC Ohlins shocks out of the US off an 84 Husky. The shafts will need shortening and then service, change springs etc. Probably the best option and will make a real difference to the ride compared with the standard shocks.
What kind of bike do you have?
I don't think you'd want to shorten the shaft on ITC's, they already have a short stroke as they are built to suit '83/'84 Husky's with a high leverage ratio and don't really suit any other bikes. If anything the body can be shortened to make the overall length shorter.
Noel (NSR) has done a set for his SWM.
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I've have YSS / Promax on my Montesa VF250, VB360 & VG414 now for up to 4 seasons and still perfect. I have only had them serviced to refresh the oil no seals etc.
Walter and his NSW agent Les at VMX Unlimited take the time to make them work and the Montesa bikes are hard on shocks because of the extreme mounting position. Could not be happier with them.
I am sure any of the recognised brands are great shocks.
Don't want to start another 25 page thread on shocks I'm just posting my experience.
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Thanks for the tip JohnnyO. My goal was to create a similar shock to the PE shocks in length and stroke with some extra travel. At present I think they are about 80mm longer than the standard PE ones. I have seen a PE with piggy Ohlins from an 82 model Husky which are the same as my 82 XC shocks. I tried them on the PE and they look ok but I wasn't able to find any at the time. The ITC shocks came up cheap so I grabbed them. I will be consulting Sean with the mods before any cutting and shutting is done, Cheers.
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ITC shocks are always cheap because they don't fit anything else..
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Currently on my 77 KTM Im running some Ohlins from a 78 model KTM these work ok on big bumps but dont offer the drive out of corners like the other shocks Ive used on this bike( Gazi's ) The Gazi's are better all round when there holding gas and oil but sadly they blow seals faster than a Penguin.
I happy to spend up to 1k for a good pair as this bike is a title winner. Who sells custom built shocks in Aus?
Thats a matter of tuning,Ohlins (like many shocks) are infinitely tunable.You can change preload,spring rate, gas pressure and dampening.
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T.You can change preload,spring rate, gas pressure and dampening.
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Thats a good slogan , I think I will keep that one .
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Its copyrighted , everything I post on the forum is.I 'll check with my solicitor and see what we can workout for you.
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It is actually very hard to buy suspension in Aus I have never found anyone close to being reliable or who will ask you want you and Not tell you what you need
Price isn't relevant because there is no product to buy. I would be more than happy to spend 3k getting my two current race bikes sorted but whom can I spend it?
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Slake, Works Performance are also a good choice for a pre 78 bike, I've got them on my RM250b and they work better than the Fox Airs on the 370
They will build you a new set of Works to suit bike and rider for around $500.
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It is actually very hard to buy suspension in Aus I have never found anyone close to being reliable or who will ask you want you and Not tell you what you need
Price isn't relevant because there is no product to buy. I would be more than happy to spend 3k getting my two current race bikes sorted but whom can I spend it?
daveycrocket is an agent for works performance. Pm him.
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I got some works performance shocks a few mths back from the states ,They were great to deal with and were $599.00 landed in oz 8)
And they got them spot on, for what I asked for aswell.
I have a sett of ohlins that I got off steve cramer in melb a few years back , he was really slow took two mths and never got the shocks right I had to send spings back for diffrent ones so on and so on and they cost a packet.
I have never tryed the YSS yet , but I can hear walter grinding his teeth together ( reading these posts ) ;D
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For Pre 75 and pre 78 i use works performance and find them to be exellent quality and value .
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... with backup at arms length
You may want to re-word that
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I put a WP shock on my YZB - made a huge difference and they were really good to work with - good price also.
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One problem I have with YSS shocks is the placement of the reservoir witch forces you to move the muffler so it's hanging out in the breeze not tuck into the side cover like it should be. Ohlins and Guzi's have a much stepper angle which does not fowl the muffler. I have gone thou this with Brad and a set of YSS shocks that Brad has we have looked at all options with YSS.
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Hi Slakewell, a couple of years back I received a CR250RZ from the states already fitted with steal bodied Works Performance shocks. They have 3 separate springs on each shock. Back in the day I ran Fox Shox and was planning to replace the Works Performance with the Fox. I didn't though. The Works Performance shocks worked too well. From day one, my rear end was as good as you could expect from that model, predictable, controllable and trouble free. I agree with the other guys here. After 2 years racing I am still very happy with them.
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I have a pair of IKON shocks on my PE400. They work well but you cannot mount them upside down.
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It is actually very hard to buy suspension in Aus I have never found anyone close to being reliable or who will ask you want you and Not tell you what you need
Price isn't relevant because there is no product to buy. I would be more than happy to spend 3k getting my two current race bikes sorted but whom can I spend it?
If you got the money get some gauges, a nitrogen bottle and a bit of other gear and work on them yourself. That way you dont have to rely on anyone or take their BS recommendations, its all up to you and its really satisfying when you get it right.
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I've used a pair of period Arnaco's on my Cheney Yamaha and in their brief time on the bike they did a stirling job of keeping the rear mudguard from connecting with the Pirelli Scorpion. Now that it's being converted from Show Pony to Serious Racer, the Cheney's received a pair of 13.5" (340mm)steel bodied Works Performance shocks. My Hindall RT2MX had 12" (310mm)S&W's on it when I got the bike from the US but it's now been fitted with a nice pair of 13.75" (350mm)alloy Works Performance shocks. I bought both pairs from different Marks Swapmeet vendors for a total of $375. I've fitted seal kits and reoiled and gassed them using kits I got from Rick Doughty back when we were on speaking terms. Total outlay...around $400 for both sets.
My Maico 350 has a pair of 13.75mm (350mm)YSS E302t and they've done a lot of racing/riding in their years on the bike. They now weep oil but I'm sure Walter will give me a good deal on a freshen up ;). On my Boyd and Stellings TM400 I have a 30 year old set of finned body 14" (355mm)Works Performance shocks I bought brand new from Competition Developments back in the day. They've served most of the next 30 odd years on my 350 Squarie Maico and '74 440 with no dramas whatsoever until replaced by the YSS. I resealed them every four years or whenever they need it and because the internals are identical to the current models, they still work a treat. My current side project, the ex Nathan DT1 is now fitted with a pair of ultra rare Swenco leading link forks and seeing as the bike's being built as a near as damn period correct desert sled, it's got a quartet of circa 1972 Arnacos front and back, at the rear are the 14" (355mm)pair that Walter rebuilt for me that I took off the Cheney and the fronts are a NOS 13" (330mm)pair I bought from eBay that I resealed and oiled myself. My Maico trials bike has a pair of 15"( 360mm)finned body Works Performance shocks that I also got off eBay 7 or 8 years ago for my 81 490 Maico project but didn't end up using. They're totally untouched since whoever it was last rebuilt them in the USA and work just great. My Yamaha DT1 powered Cycle Factory flat tracker has a pair of el Cheapo Chinese Gazi's that came to Casa del Firko on Nathans DT1. I haven't ridden the bike yet but Nathan reckons they work pretty well for what they are. They'll be just fine for dirt track. My other dirt tracker, the other Hindall RT2MX sister bike to the motocrosser, had a pair of 14"(355mm) Kayaba Elsinore shocks but I swapped 'em for a set of YZ80 USD forks with Freaky so I'm now saving up my pocket change for a bling pair of 100 buck Chinese "Chohlins" in red anodize to match the bike's red/yellow flame paint job. Finally, my soon to commence TriBSA project will recieve a pair of period perfect shrouded Konis that I think are the originals from my Maico 350 in 1970. I'll stick a kit in 'em before I use them though.
As you can see I'm pretty eclectic with shock selection. I have a long term soft spot for Works Performance shocks for their bulletproof reliability, simplicity and the fact that they work so bloody well. The YSS served the Maico really well and I was about to buy another set when the second set of Works came up on the Swapmeet. I'd definitely use YSS again, this time a more upscale Z 362 TR version with external dampening control . Even though Arnaco shocks were made nearly 40 years ago, they were 30 years ahead of their time with a stacked shim valveing and 10 clicker external dampening adjustment that really works. The only real problem with them is leaks, they spew oil like a Texas gusher when they get hot. I've currently got a pair over at Frank Stanboroughs to see if we can solve this problem with a more efficient (modern) seal arrangement. If we do solve it my shock buying will be over for a while as I've got another five sets (3 NOS) and a few rebuild kits. I've been told by many folks that Ohlins aren't as good on 4" travel bikes as they are on Pre 78/Evo machinery, something to do with stroke length and dampening which I don't quite understand. I've used long travel Ohlins on all of my late Maicos and wouldn't use anything else on them although I did go left field on my last 490 now owned by Bernie Ellis. I bought a set of shocks off a 1980ish CZ 513 model for $10 on eBay and gave them to Radar for a look see inside and if he had the parts, a rebuild. He discovered that they were exactly the same as Ohlins internally so he fitted Ohlins upgrade kits and except for the CZ logo cast into the body and grey colour they are, for all intended purposes, Ohlins (in fact, the piggyback reserviour has more oil volume than Ohlins).
On 4" travel bikes the major demand from your shock is to find something that dampens well with such a short stroke and doesn't leak like the Titanic. I reckon Works Performance fill the bill admirably along with Hagon, Icon and other modern versions of old school shocks. For pre 78 or Evo there are many more choices. Ohlins, Reiger, Promax, YSS are top of the pile while Works Performance Piggyback, Fox Shox and even leaky old Corte Cossos work well enough for far less financial outlay. Whatever your situation, use the best shocks you can afford. Instead of getting those rims anodized purple or buying a billet Polarizer, add that money to your shock budget and you won't regret it.
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Have to agree with the big boy of love, 1st thing i would do is suspension on pre 75 bikes,best bang for bucks you can spend.
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If this hasnt been resolved.... I have some 340, 360, 380 conventional Ohlins (ie non piggy back), they also have the same with piggy back option as well. £625 / set plus postage
You can no doubt buy them cheaper in the USA from a variety of sources.
If you want Air Shox, Rod Spry in the Uk has enough parts to build new ones! Or of course you could try Thor Lawson in the US.
Plus of course all the other credible contenders offer lovely bits of kit.