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Aftermarket and/or vintage shock sources?

  • Thread starter Thread starter IanFrancisco
  • Start date Start date
I

IanFrancisco

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Well, I've been searching eBay until my eyes are crossed looking for some replacement shocks for my GS450ST. I found plenty of Progressive brand and Emgo, plus a couple of pairs of Red Wing. Any opinions on the Red Wing brand? Supposedly rebuildable... The Progressives are too d*mn expensive new for a bike that is only worth about $800 and into which I already have about $1600 invested. Plus I've read here that they only work "ok", plus they are not rebuildable, so forget them. The Emgo's are at least under $100 but still not rebuildable. I found some cool looking rebuildable Marzocchi's taken off a '73 Suzuki GT380 which is approx. the same weight as my GS450 (380-400lbs.), but they were fugly and would need rebuilding. Might still grab those if the price doesn't go thru the roof before the auction ends. That got me thinking that it would be cool to have some good quality trick vintage shocks from the 70's or 80's on the bike like the 'zokes or Koni or Kurnutt or Fox or Girling - I think shocks for a Triumph/BSA/Norton will fit at 12.9 in. eye center to eye center and approx. 420 lbs. wet weight. Soooo, has anybody heard of sources for stuff like this other than fleabay?
 
Might be able to find some S&W Street Strokers in a junk yard in SoCal. They supposedly had a following in the early 80's. I had some on my 80 750ET.
 
Emigo shocks

Emigo shocks

I have a '78 GS550E, and the old shocks were pretty clapped out and leaking. Like you, I didn't want to spend more on the shocks than the ol' bike is worth, so I bought the Emigo models. They were slightly longer than the stock shocks, so I'm no longer "flat-footed" at a stop. I weigh about 175 pounds, and on the lowest spring preload setting the ride is a bit harsh; with a passenger (she won't tell me her weight...lol), the ride is fine at the lowest preload. I'm hoping that the ride will smooth out a bit as the new shocks break in, but.....

These shocks will do the job, and you would be hard pressed to beat the price.
 
I found some Emgos on ebay that were hardly used for $30 + s&h. They were very clean for having been taken off a dirt bike of some sort, the length is right (12.5in.) but they are missing the bushings so I will have to find some. I hope the spring rate is right, otherwise I'll be reselling them. I also have bid on some air shocks that were taken off a Yamaha Seca Turbo XJ650. That is a heavier bike at 550+ lbs. so hopefully the spring rate won't be too firm. I probably weigh close to 200 lbs. with gear. The OE Showas are even too firm at the highest preload but too soft at middle position #3. Now they have lost most of their damping and the ride has gone pogo-stick. Makes hitting a bump in a 60mph sweeper quite interesting...
 
I've got Marzocchi's(red ones with piggy-back oil/gas resoviors)on my 1000, and they've worked great for a long, long time! Mine now need a rebuild too...anyone know who has the rebuild parts?
Thanks, Hugh.
 
Another brand was discussed not long ago - Hagon, I believe?
 
Hagon's a brand available primarily in the UK, supposedly better than Emgo and as good as Progressive, but the site I found wanted 100 UK lbs ($180USD) for 'em so that was about as far as I looked.
 
Why not buy a generic one like i did. MYR 80.00 . its spring & oil - not gas inside. it would be ~USD 22.00, I used it for 2k miles now and its great.

you can also get any shock that is rated 440 pound as the original rear shock was rated 440 pound for GS450
 
Don't skimp on suspension.
It is a very important part of your motorcycle.
It's not just for the ride, or comfort, it keeps the wheels on the road.

If you gp cheap, they may start leaking or the springs may go away soon.

My advice, bite the bullet and spend some money on quality.

Both my bikes run Progressive front and rear with no problems.
The GS1000S get ridden hard, and ridden 2 up, hard.
Never had a problem with the suspension

Tires......yes I go thru tires........
 
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