Shock question

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Every aftermarket shock i've put on my bikes made a dramatic difference. Maybe not so much going to the store or running errands, but on twisties, and track.. Huge difference.

The only bike that was somewhat negligible was my '06 R6. I assume the stocker was pretty damn good, and the Ohlins didn't feel all that different.

One huge factor is 'feeling' what the rear tire is doing. It's hard to explain, but you'll know it when you feel it.

+1

Ohlins on the cbr 600....meh


Ohlins on the r1100s.....

 

[Burning1]

The stock suspension on my old GSX-R is built out of much better components than the production legal suspension I used to run on my race bike. But the prod legal suspension on my race bike actually worked much better for me, because it was built for my weight.

People love to compare their old, worn out, improperly adjusted and under-sprung stockers to $1000 ohlins systems.

 

[Banjoboy]

The stock suspension on my old GSX-R is built out of much better components than the production legal suspension I used to run on my race bike. But the prod legal suspension on my race bike actually worked much better for me, because it was built for my weight.

People love to compare their old, worn out, improperly adjusted and under-sprung stockers to $1000 ohlins systems.

I agree, most modern sports bikes shocks are fine for street use & trck days. when I wore out the shock on my FZ1 (@ 30K) I got me another stocker, and it wuz fine. But I just replaced the shock on my FJR (@ 30K too) with a Wilbers, and it's much better than a new FJR shock, and sprung for my weight.
It all depends on the stock shock, (Some are great, and some suck) and what the rider is gonna do with the bike?

 

[RRrider]

I agree, most modern sports bikes shocks are fine for street use & trck days. when I wore out the shock on my FZ1 (@ 30K) I got me another stocker, and it wuz fine. But I just replaced the shock on my FJR (@ 30K too) with a Wilbers, and it's much better than a new FJR shock, and sprung for my weight.
It all depends on the stock shock, (Some are great, and some suck) and what the rider is gonna do with the bike?

I don't entirely agree. out of the showroom floor, they have designed the system for the "average" rider. Now some of us are that rider, and for them things should work well. But some of us are not average (I'm lighter than average). So for me, getting the correct springs and adjusting the oil levels to my weight makes a big difference. Then especially for street use, where the roads tend to be more bumpy than the track, having forks with less stiction makes a huge difference (you feel the bumps directly up until the point they break through the static friction!). Necessary...well that depends on how and where you ride, but reducing stiction will make the suspension work better giving you more traction, confidence, and comfort. I like the bike to be more capable than me. You can send the stock forks in and have them polished, springs changed, oil adjusted, etc, or you can buy higher quality shocks (I personally like Öhlins, but there are other good ones) that simply have a lot less stiction. Then naturally, you need to ride them and have someone knowledgeable help you set SAG, rebound, preload, etc appropriate to your riding style. And note, your riding style will likely change (if you are improving) which will require you adjust your settings, so this can be an iterative process. But even if you are just cruising around and not improving, the first setup is important and will make a big difference for comfort and control...unless you are lucky enough to be the "average" they designed the suspension for.

 

[Burning1]

It's not safe to assume that the suspension was designed for an average rider... Sometimes, the suspension doesn't appear to be designed at all. Sometimes it's suitable for a lighter rider, sometimes it's suitable for a heavier rider. Sometimes the components are horribly mismatched.

Getting the suspension sprung for you and serviced is a very important first step.

 

[Banjoboy]

I agree, most modern sports bikes shocks are fine for street use & trck days. when I wore out the shock on my FZ1 (@ 30K) I got me another stocker, and it wuz fine. But I just replaced the shock on my FJR (@ 30K too) with a Wilbers, and it's much better than a new FJR shock, and sprung for my weight.
It all depends on the stock shock, (Some are great, and some suck) and what the rider is gonna do with the bike?

I don't entirely agree. out of the showroom floor, they have designed the system for the "average" rider. Now some of us are that rider, and for them things should work well. But some of us are not average (I'm lighter than average). So for me, getting the correct springs and adjusting the oil levels to my weight makes a big difference. Then especially for street use, where the roads tend to be more bumpy than the track, having forks with less stiction makes a huge difference (you feel the bumps directly up until the point they break through the static friction!). Necessary...well that depends on how and where you ride, but reducing stiction will make the suspension work better giving you more traction, confidence, and comfort. I like the bike to be more capable than me. You can send the stock forks in and have them polished, springs changed, oil adjusted, etc, or you can buy higher quality shocks (I personally like Öhlins, but there are other good ones) that simply have a lot less stiction. Then naturally, you need to ride them and have someone knowledgeable help you set SAG, rebound, preload, etc appropriate to your riding style. And note, your riding style will likely change (if you are improving) which will require you adjust your settings, so this can be an iterative process. But even if you are just cruising around and not improving, the first setup is important and will make a big difference for comfort and control...unless you are lucky enough to be the "average" they designed the suspension for.

I agree, that's why I wrote the last sentence; for a lot of riders modern sport bike suspensions are fine, but not everyone.
What burning1 wuz say'in that people scrap their worn out old shocks for new ones, then compare the two. (When the old shock may have 10K to 50K mi. on it)
Sure stock shocks can be improved upon, but they're usually fully adjustable, and do a great job on street & track. (I rode when stock suspensions SUCKED and had no adjustment!!!) That said, I've heard Triumphs suspenders are a notch below comparable Japanese bikes, so it would prolly behoove the op to upgrade.

It's not safe to assume that the suspension was designed for an average rider... Sometimes, the suspension doesn't appear to be designed at all. Sometimes it's suitable for a lighter rider, sometimes it's suitable for a heavier rider. Sometimes the components are horribly mismatched.

Getting the suspension sprung for you and serviced is a very important first step.

Yeah, at 188 lbs, I'm prolly a tad bigger than the average American, but much bigger than the average Japanese! I'd swear the FJR is built for an 120 lb rider.

 

[Burning1]

FWIW, my GS500 race bike has a stock GSX-R front end, and a Stock R6 shock on the back. Those components as sprung/valved just happen to be better suited for my little bike than they were for the bikes they originally came on.

 

[jraice]

Budget another ~$300-400 to ship your forks off to Catalyst or one of the other fine suspension shops in the Bay Area, because they're gonna feel crap once you get the shock done. Still, for ~1k, you're going to have what feels like a brand new bike. Proper suspension work will transform a motorcycle...I spent 5.5k on a 690 SMC and I'm already ready to ship it off and get the suspension done right, it's damn good as it sits but getting it done right will turn it from damn good to amazing.

The OP did mention doing the forks though already. I'd say with the forks done and a crappy stock shock your bike is worse off now than stock. I think the shock would make a world of difference.

 

[RRrider]

It's not safe to assume that the suspension was designed for an average rider... Sometimes, the suspension doesn't appear to be designed at all. Sometimes it's suitable for a lighter rider, sometimes it's suitable for a heavier rider. Sometimes the components are horribly mismatched.

Getting the suspension sprung for you and serviced is a very important first step.

wow...worse than I thought. Definitely reinforces conclusion.

I agree, that's why I wrote the last sentence; for a lot of riders modern sport bike suspensions are fine, but not everyone.

ahhh, got it.

 

[johnparjr]

Ant when I had my tiger I installed the hyper pro shock it was a huge improvement over the stock one. Then I had Dave Moss work his little magical hands on the setup and it was even better so if you buy one anything is better than the stock one.
Oh and installing it yourself isn't that bad but you do need to loosen the sub frame to wiggle it in it took me about 2 hrs to do mine.

 

[louemc]

Am I wasting my money?
http://www.traxxion.com/penskesportshock.aspx

Other Tiger owners that went this route swear on a stack of virgins that the difference from a Penske vs the stock shock is night and day. I say this is possible (Tiger owners are all saintly types and don't make shit up btw) depending on a persons riding style but will it make a difference for me.

What I would like to achieve is this: A bit more comfort without sacrificing handling.

It isn't sacrificing handling...it's improving handling, big time, when a shock works right for your use. And that right working is more comfortable as well, with confidence and security going up.

That's why they ask questions...so they know how to build the shock, for you.

Oh and BTW...even though for different reasons...street riders should want the best suspension there is (as wel las track racers) because the public road has the widest variety of conditions, to cope with.

 

[Ant]

Thanks everybody great responses!

 

[Roadstergal]

If you've got the six hunsky, and get it set up for you, it'll be better than stock for what you say, and it'll be nice-lookin' bling. (You don't sacrifice handling for comfort; it's about having the compliance right for the terrain you're on.)

If and when you sell the Tiger, you can take it off pre-sale and get some of the money back.

 

[Ant]

If you've got the six hunsky, and get it set up for you, it'll be better than stock for what you say, and it'll be nice-lookin' bling. (You don't sacrifice handling for comfort; it's about having the compliance right for the terrain you're on.)

If and when you sell the Tiger, you can take it off pre-sale and get some of the money back.

This is how childly pathetic I am: I can't wait until monday to order it

 

[Z3n]

If you've got the six hunsky, and get it set up for you, it'll be better than stock for what you say, and it'll be nice-lookin' bling. (You don't sacrifice handling for comfort; it's about having the compliance right for the terrain you're on.)

There's nothing more frustrating than a bike that's too stiff on the square edged bumps (high speed damping), but dives all the way through the travel on the brakes (spring rate, low speed damping).

 

[Burning1]

wow...worse than I thought. Definitely reinforces conclusion.

Dave Moss gave a couple of examples a while ago... I can't name the exact bikes off the top of my head... But one Japanese bike that was sprung for a 145lb rider in the front, and a 300lb rider in the back.

Another example was Ducati installing severely under-sprung shocks on a few of their bikes, and cranking in an ass-load of preload to make them 'work.'

My SO is 115lbs, and her Honda was sprung about right for her from the factory. Too bad she bought it from a 300lb dude who had fixed the suspension for him. My old GSX-R 600 was pretty well balanced from the factory, but sprung properly for someone who weighed about 130lbs. I'm 180.

The example I like best, is from my GS500. Front and rear springs are matched pretty well, and the spring rate is perfect... For a 45lb rider.

 

[Burning1]

There's nothing more frustrating than a bike that's too stiff on the square edged bumps (high speed damping), but dives all the way through the travel on the brakes (spring rate, low speed damping).

Almost all of the old damper rod forks are like that. As you're probably aware, damping relies on hydraulic physics - oil is forced through a hole, which restricts the flow of oil. Problem is, that the resistance provided by such a system goes up with the square of velocity... So, a classic damper rod provides very little resistance under low speed compression (braking) and a lot of resistance under high speed compression (hitting a 4x4.) Most damper rods were designed to compromise compression damping between high speed and low speed resistance, and pretty much fall flat on their face in both cases. Those old damper rod forks benefit very strongly from being properly sprung, since a well sprung fork relies a little less on damping to avoid bottoming out.

 

[Ant]

Just ordered this one instead, got it for $775 vs $625 for the non resevoir Gonna be a long 3 week wait.

http://www.traxxion.com/Penske8983DoubleAdjustableShockRemoteReservoir.aspx

 

[flying_hun]

Very cool!

 

[afm199]

Good choice. The 8983 is super. The sport shock has no reservoir and no compression damping, it is pretty much emulsion and thus adjusting the rebound damping very much affects the compression damping, so it is almost impossible to get it "right". Still much better than stock. The 8983 is the shizzle.