Shocks?

[bubba]

O.K. I know it's only January but I have cabin fever and I am planning some upgrades for the bike. The original shocks are still there. The question is should I replace them and if so, with what? Could I expect an improvement in handling? I would also consider swapping out the fork springs for a set of Progressives but I did not see my bike listed. What kind of experiences / results have you guys had in this area?
Thanks for all replies.

 

[bonanzadave]

Wut up bubba ? (had to say it)

Thats a good question...

Your Suspension inquire has been answered a 1000 times and Im sure it will generate a couple more pages of "opinions" Kinda like the oil question. Youll get all sorts of questions yourself in return....Budget ? Riding style ? Tires ? etc.....It would be cool to have a page on the GSR (like the stator papers) for Suspension, Oil and the other often asked questions. Likes-Dislikes, Prices, Pictures or whatever members want to add to the page. The Tech section on the GSR home page is sorta like that. Check out the "Old" Q & As and In the Garage.

For now, Cliff has some miles on a 850. His site is the go to place for some info http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

 

[doctorgonzo]

I can't comment on progressive springs in the front because I haven't done it. My forks were freshly rebuilt when I got the bike, so have hesitated to tear into them just yet. I can say that a fresh set of high quality rear shocks make a MAJOR difference in the way the bike rides. Quite a few of us run the progressive 412 series on the rear. They retain the stock look, and are a good quality shock.

 

[bubba]

Yeah, I am sure there are a lot of opinions. I guess I am trying to find out what is the best value or the most bang for the buck. I don't want to break the bank, just improve what I have. I now run CS hi-max tires that I am happy with. Riding style? Well that would be your typical O.F. (old fart) as I am about to turn the big 5-0. I don't beat it too hard (the bike that is). I see you also reside in the great white north. You must be getting itchy too.

 

[almarconi]

The progressive fork springs and rear shocks make the bike handle 100% better than stock. Difference is like night and day. One of the best upgrades that you can do on these old bikes. Bike rides like it on rails.

 

[Guest]

Hagon's are a great option also.

 

[Nessism]

If you love your GS and plan on keeping it for a long time, Z1 Enterprises sells Ikon's for about $275. These are the old Koni's with adjustable damping. Most folks consider these a step up from Progressives which are just elcheapo foreign built cartridges with pretty springs.

 

[almarconi]

Most folks consider these a step up from Progressives which are just elcheapo foreign built cartridges with pretty springs.

This is the first I have heard anything negative about progressive suspension, I know the fork springs and the 412 series are made in the USA. Do you have evidence that they are made somewhere other than the USA? Please provide a link to your source.

 

[twr1776]

As Dave said you can do a search and get plenty of info on shocks. The Progressive website does not list them as you mentioned but I called several years ago and # 11-1107 fork springs are what they told me and what I installed on my bikes.

 

[bubba]

As Dave said you can do a search and get plenty of info on shocks. The Progressive website does not list them as you mentioned but I called several years ago and # 11-1107 fork springs are what they told me and what I installed on my bikes.

I see you have the same bike I have. Those springs worked for you then? Did you see a real improvement with them? What are you running on the back?

 

[Nessism]

When I was in collage in the 1980's I worked for S&W suspension, who was being forced out of business by Progressive at that time. The boss would complain all the time how Progressive basically stole their intellectual property and was even sourcing some of the parts from the same suppliers. S&W shocks were made by Gabriel in Mexico at the time (at the cost of under $10 each) so I seriously doubt Progressive made their units in house since their shocks were virtually identical. I'm not saying Progressive shocks are bad, just that they are cheaply made, not rebuildable, and don't have adjustable damping like the stock shocks and Ikon's do.

 

[almarconi]

When I was in collage in the 1980's I worked for S&W suspension, who was being forced out of business by Progressive at that time. I think the guy that started Progressive came from S&W. The boss would complain all the time how Progressive basically stole their intellectual property and was even sourcing some of the parts from the same suppliers. S&W shocks were made by Gabriel in Mexico at the time so I seriously doubt Progressive made their units in house since they were selling for less than S&W shocks.

So your statements are based on what you believe from the 1980's? Are their products made outside of the USA? Please provide evidence of this.

 

[srsupertrap]

I used to have the 1200 series gas charged shocks installed on the GS1000 and still have the P/S front springs installed. I just looked at the box that contains the rear shock springs and it states "Made in USA". The box which contains the 1200 Series shocks does not state where they are manufactured and the shock finish kinda looks it. circa 1996

 

[Nessism]

So your statements are based on what you believe from the 1980's? Are their products made outside of the USA? Please provide evidence of this.

Yes, it is my belief that at least their cheaper shocks are made off shore. I don't have any evidence other than what I know. Believe what you want but even labels that say "made in USA" doesn't mean what the entirety of something was made here, just a portion of it.

 

[jwhelan65]

I think we can all agree, regardless of where Progressive springs are made, they are an affordable upgrade that will greatly improve the performance of your 20+ year suspension.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. bubba,

Here's a quote from your "mega-welcome"...

**********Quoted from Mr. Griffin**********
For suspension upgrades, the front end is pretty simple: Progressive brand springs and fresh 15W fork oil. (http://www.mawonline.com has pretty good prices on Progressive products.)

The rear end isn't so simple. Most of these brands are available in 'eye to eye' and 'eye to clevis' configurations, in different lengths for twin shock GS models. The options are arranged in order of price, low to high.

1. $65-$90 Emgo/MDI: Found all over ebay, and at about every vendor on the internet. General consensus of users seems to be that they are ok quality, but very stiffly sprung. Essentially the bare minimum option from stock. (For example, see: http://www.crc2onlinecatalog.com/rear_shocks.htm)
2. $120 Redwing: Evidently no longer made, they are still available at www.loudfastugly.com (and omarsdtr.com). I've not been able to find anyone who's actually used them, but they appear to be of halfway decent quality.

3. $210-$230 Progressive 12 Series: Lots of information here and all over the web about them. Most people seem happy with them, several different spring weights available. Available at most online retailers. www.denniskirk.com is a vendor I have had great luck with over the years.

4. $218-$270 Hagon Type A: Seem very similar to Progressive 12 series as far as owner satisfaction, quality of construction, and price. Available in the USA at www.davequinnmotorcycles.com

5. $320-$400+ Ikon 76 Series: Generally pretty highly regarded, lots of options available. From what I've read on the internet, they do seem to be more highly regarded than Progressive. Can be found at http://www.ikonsuspensionusa.com/servlet/StoreFront

6. $419-$589 Works Performance Steel Tracker: Very highly regarded, lots of positive reviews around the internet of Works Performance in general. Customer service (including rebuilding any brand of shock) is very highly rated. More info at http://www.worksperformance.com/html/home.html

There are other options available that can be more expensive, including offerings from Works, Ikon, Ohlins. White Brothers, once a powerhouse in the motorcycle industry, has ceased operations.
**********End Quote**********

I'm currently running the Progressive fork springs and a pair of the Emgo/MDI shocks.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[twr1776]

#10 Yesterday, 04:35 PM bubba I see you have the same bike I have. Those springs worked for you then? Did you see a real improvement with them? What are you running on the back?

Bubba, the 11-1107's fork springs are a huge improvement over OEM. On the rears I am running Progressive 4124211C (Reg Duty), 412-4212C (Heavy Duty), and Hagons. If I had to pick one I would go with the 412-4212C (HD). Dennis Kirk has them for $ 215.00 which is a very good deal IMHO. For about $ 300.00 in parts you can upgrade both and it is worth every penny. The GS crowd is "thrifty" but running clapped out OEM springs, shocks, and crappy tires is a recipe for disaster IMHO. Even if you do not push the bike hard how much is the additional safety factor of good suspension and tires worth to you? Cliff's website has the instructions for replacing the fork springs.

http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/produ...e=&catId=&productId=p580858&leafCatId=&mmyId=

They also list these in the 12 Series for your bike but you have to buy the spring seperately from the damper and assemble them. They are slightly more expensive than the 412's but they do have more spring choices available.

http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/produ...re=&catId=&productId=p58338&leafCatId=&mmyId=

 

[Turtleface]

I can't comment on progressive springs in the front because I haven't done it. My forks were freshly rebuilt when I got the bike, so have hesitated to tear into them just yet. I can say that a fresh set of high quality rear shocks make a MAJOR difference in the way the bike rides. Quite a few of us run the progressive 412 series on the rear. They retain the stock look, and are a good quality shock.

I got bored and bolted up my 12 series last night. HD springs. I wanted to wait and do my forks at the same time, but the remaining supplies for that won't be here until Monday. In any case... WOW. Huge difference. Rear is nice and solid now, no longer sorta bouncy. New shocks are set a notch softer than the old OE units, and they're still firmer. I can only imagine what it'll ride like when I finally get my forks done, and get the suspension set up right.

Which brings me to my main points. The factory suspension on these bikes is woefully inadequate, from the get go. Add 20-30 years of wear and tear, and it quickly becomes worse. The suspension's main job is to keep your tires in contact with the ground, and worn parts inhibit that. Buy the best quality shock you can afford. Fork springs might as well get replaced at the same time. After you get everything in the suspension department working properly, do yourself a favor and see a suspension specialist and have it set up for you. It's fairly easy to do yourself as well, there's a plethora of info on the 'net about setting up motorcycle suspensions of all sorts. After you get it all grogged out, ride it until you run out of money for gas.

I'm going to be writing up a full step-by-step, bolt-by-bolt tutorial for taking apart and rebuilding GS front forks. I'll probably have it complete this weekend, or next. There are a few other tutorials up as well, if you're itching to get started now. Might be worth the wait, some of these guys liked my last write-up pretty well.

 

[robertkreidler]

Contrary Viewpoint

Contrary Viewpoint

There's another way to look at this. Some of the roads I like to ride are lumpy and uneven. Now, it's not that I like the roads per se, but I really do enjoy the view. Riding these sort of roads on a bike that is set up for best high speed handling could be more exercise than enjoyment. I have a 77 Corvette that will beat the heck out of you on the 4 miles from the slab to my home, this on a paved road. My 80 GS850 is much more pleasant, flabby springs and all. My main road bike is my 07 Bandit, so as you can see, my criteria aren't too stringent. Yeah, I'm old and slow.
Bob K

 

[Nessism]

Sorry to be a contrarian again...but I think Suzuki did a fantastic job with the suspension on the GS bikes all things considering. The larger bikes had adjustable damping shocks, which was an industry first (or one of the first) at the time, and the front forks were air adjustable - again, one of the first. Yes, the shocks do wear out but the stockers on both my 850 and 1000 (which has a fair numbers of miles on them) are both still in great shape. The forks on my 1000 hold air just fine after installing new seals, and while I was originally thinking about Progressive springs, I'm going to skip them now. My 850 has Progressive springs and frankly I think they are kind of harsh. They might be perfect for someone heavier, and I don't dislike them per say, only that I don't think they qualify as a necessity for people that are under 200 lbs and willing to deal with adding air to their stock forks.