Need new rear shocks... Which ones?

[FlyingSteve]

Hey guys... So my right side rear shock arm is sticking in the down position, causing my rear tire to wack and rub my tail light... When I get off the bike, I can go over and smack the spring and the shock will unfreeze and pop the rear back up. The bike has the stock rear struts... The ride is also horribly stiff as well.

I did some custom work and converted this thing to a single seater and I'd like to get a set of shocks that are not beat pieces of crap. I don't have a huge amount of cash to spend either... So what are the recommendations? I weigh a 170lbs and would like a set of shocks that are sporty, but not like riding on a frickin' hard-tail!

I heard some of the eBay "specials" were fairly decent... I've been searching but all I come up with is 200+ dollar sets and I'd really like to keep the price a bit lower than that if possible

I do have a set of Painless air shocks on the '79 550L parts bike... I have no idea if they are good or not... and I'd really like to not lower the rear end either, and looks like these painless shocks may lower the rear a few inches. However, I haven't charged them up with air either, so I'm not sure.

Suggestions???

** I just came across these, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KAWAS...item2ea6967937

Now according to the auction, they are SUPER HIGH QUALITY... At a super low price too! Mmmmm....

[KGB]

Try this guy.
I bought a mono shock for my Triumph from him, Dave actually answers the phone. Above average product IMHO

http://www.davequinnmotorcycles.com/...cgi/Hagon.html

[SKD]

Try this guy.
I bought a mono shock for my Triumph from him, Dave actually answers the phone. Above average product IMHO

http://www.davequinnmotorcycles.com/...cgi/Hagon.html

wow, those look like nice shocks, gonna look into those a little more, thanks

[KGB]

Or Progressives are an option.
I bought a set years ago for my GS and never had a problem with them.
I may change to something else when I resurrect the GS.

How's the front end?

[bwringer]

What sort of conveyance are you working on, exactly?

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Yes, may we know what motorcycle you are referring to? Thanks!

Those shocks in the ebay add are EMGO/MDI shocks that are OK, but kind of stiff. I use a pair on my bike. They are better than the worn out stock shocks but, like I said, are a little stiff. You might want to get those from Parts'n'More (for a little less $$) instead of an unknown ebay seller. For more shock options, see your "mega-welcome".


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[FlyingSteve]

It's an '80 550E.

I think I'm gonna buy the shocks from that site you mentioned BassCliff. That is a good price. Honestly, I don't want to spend much more money on this bike... I kinda want to fix it up nice and either keep it for a beater type of bike or see how much I can sell it for. I can see now that it's just going to end up being a money pit and I'll end up spending waaaay too much money on it for it to be anything near what I want it to be.

The shocks that are on the bike now, have a 5-way adjustable pre-load. I adjusted the preload as stiff as possible and it has kinda cured the sticking shock... Helping it to rebound more often. That should hopefully do the trick until the new shocks arrive.

[FlyingSteve]

Just an update.

I received the new shocks today along with the other pieces I bought from PartsnMore.

The shocks look nice and they say Forza MDI on the box. Like BassCliff said, they are very stiff. I'm not weak and I tried to compress one of the shocks on the ground and I barely got it to budge. But it is better than the stock ones which have zero life left in them.

Only thing I am confused about is the shocks came with these little round plastic pieces of different diameters... I have no idea what they do and could only imagine that they go in the center of the rubber bushing to separate the metal stud from the rubber bushing... Is this right?

[bwringer]

Only thing I am confused about is the shocks came with these little round plastic pieces of different diameters... I have no idea what they do and could only imagine that they go in the center of the rubber bushing to separate the metal stud from the rubber bushing... Is this right?

Yep, pretty much. The different sizes are to fit bikes with different shock stud diameters. Choose the bushings that fit over the studs on your bike.

They'll work for a while, but some people have eventually had trouble with the cheapo plastic bushings. I seem to recall that someone pressed in shock bushings from an auto parts store that use metal in the center instead of the plastic. Pretty easy with a vise and a couple of sockets.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

After a thousand miles or less those cheap bushings will look like this.



So what you want to do is go to your local AutoZone, Napa, Pep Boys, whatever is in the neighborhood, and get some better bushings. I found these at AuotZone.



I also found these at Napa, without the larger bushing. I had to drill out the center hole so that they fit over the shock stud. You may also have to trim the outside to fit. A friend fabricated some sleeves to use in the middle of the rubber bushings. These should last much longer than the cheap foam rubber that came with the shocks.






Thank you for your induglence,

BassCliff

[SqDancerLynn1]

On a side note.. I would save the metal sleeve from the old shocks. Drill the bushing so that you can reuse the metal sleeve. That would make the bushings last longer. You could also get the bushings in polyurethane

[SqDancerLynn1]

On a side note.. I would save the metal sleeve from the old shocks. Drill the bushing so that you can reuse the metal sleeve. That would make the bushings last longer. You could also get the bushings in polyurethane

[FlyingSteve]

Yea, but the bushings that these shocks come with are absolute crap. They are so soft and flexible/pliable that you can slip them in and out of the bushing eyelet on the strut with nothing more than a little lube and your thumbs. When you mount them on the bike, they get crushed out of round.

The shocks themselves aren't too bad though!

[Truth]

A just put on a pair of MDI's earlier today. I can not believe they give you plastic sleeves with these things. Plastic? Are they serious with this? I have plenty of shock hardware laying around from cars so I used that instead. Cut a sleeve down to fit, and drilled out the center of a poly bushing. Pressed it together and went for a ride.

Sprung a little stiff is right, holy crap. I'm a small guy (5' 10" 170lbs) and it's a quite harsh, but miles better than the 30 year old shocks I took off. Now it's time for the new progressive springs and seals that came in this afternoon.

[FlyingSteve]

Eh, they'll soften up over time lol