After spending the last 6 months smashing the rear wheel into the seat base at every tiny little bump, I finally solved my rear shock dilemna with a brand new set of Gazi shocks.
A big shout out to Al at Gazi Brisbane (Australian distributors) for going above and beyond the call of duty. I wanted to buy their Gazi VMX Hyper shocks with the remote reservoirs but they were just impossible to fit because the top shock mounts don't allow enough clearance for the thicker shock body. Al then tried them upside down but clearances were still no good and they still would have mounted slightly on the oblique.
With some disappointment I agreed to fit the VMX Sport shocks, no remote reservoirs and oil and nitrogen are mixed in the same chamber. Al had nearly as much trouble fitting these right way up but he discovered that he could get them to perfectly upside down. Although the standard valving and seals allow these to be mounted with the body at the top, Al rebuilt them so that the valves worked in reverse. He then built the shock with separate chambers for nitrogen and oil similar to the VMX Hyper model so that both were separate. This gave me the best of both worlds.
Al did mention that I shouldn't tell anyone about this because 'they'll all want one" but I can't praise his efforts high enough. In addition the shocks are fantastic, they look super cool and I'm now riding with heaps more confidence.
All I need now is another 20 horsepower.
