| Rear Shock options for your Guzzi by Todd |
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| Wilber's Racing Suspensions - Made in Germany. The latest from Germany offers an amazing shock right out of the box. The units tested were the 632 TS, which includes the piggyback reservoir (pictured left) high/low speed compression damping, rebound, and spring preload adjustments. The shocks were shipped in stock length (13.5" eye-to-eye) for the Jackal/Bassa/Stone line ('02+ newer EV's are 14" eye-to-eye, and altering this can affect the linked brake operation). Wilber's do offer adjustable ride height, which this set was not equipped with. These shocks offer 24 clicks of rebound, and 24 clicks of separate high and low speed compression adjustment. The range is very impressive... from nearly non-noticeable, to near full lock-out. Out of the box, the shock offered an extremely compliant ride, and did an amazing job of soaking up bumps and ripples, it was only when I really put them through the test under hard loading (cornering) did I then want to tweak the settings. I spent several weeks trying most every combination of settings. While they recommend keeping the settings within a max. of 5 apart in the compression range, I felt the best combo was 14 of 24 l/s comp., 2 of 24 h/s comp., and 9 of 24 rebound. My final sag was set to @.75" - they came with about 1.125". With these settings, they worked nearly flawlessly. My only complaint would be I wish they had a bit more progressive h/s comp. damping... they simply weren't up to the task of absorbing a very hard hit under load (most likely shock length/travel related). I would recommend using a 14" shock length for more aggressive/heavier riders. The spring no's for this particular set were 46/46-20-30-220 - yours may vary, as they are built on an individual custom basis for your weight/riding style. --NO OTHER USER COMMENTS CURRENTLY-- |
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| Works Performance - Made in the U.S.A. OK, I first must admit that I was simply sold on the looks of this shock. It's made it the U.S. of A. with CNC billet parts, dual springs and full range adjustability... Even the $800+ price tag didn't keep me away. Now that being said, I knew of quite a few folks that used Works in the past, and they had warned me that Works shocks take some break in time (though often can be sent on occasion a bit softly sprung). With the large amounts of Works shocks out there (even on the track) I thought I'd have to give them a try. Works is one of the upper end companies that does ask questions about you/your riding style, etc... so off we went. I ordered through my local shop, and they were instructed to build a shock to my demands, mostly that I was an aggressive, expert, extremely hard rider. About a month and half later they arrived. I pulled them out of the box and installed them, not touching anything. Result? They were extremely harsh... So, I thought I'd give them some time, as I had been warned. Well, 5k miles later, I didn't notice any difference, so I started with the spring pre-load, and backing all the settings (Comp./Rebound) completely to zero. Spring pre-load was set to 1.25" from the .75" it started with. This made things better, with the only exception being under moderate load (cornering) they would bottom. So, I put a call in to Works, and spoke with Pierre (one of the custom techs). We talked at length about what I was experiencing, and what he thought we needed to do. This started a 8 month long journey of valving/spring/length experimental combos to try to work things out. What I finally settled on, was this: Shock length set to 14" eye-to-eye, revised valving (20% freer then we started with), and a much softer spring set-up then we first ever imagined we'd get to. Compression & Rebound damping settings are non-indexed, so you'll have to work those out yourself. Ride height adjustment is available, but it lessens the travel, so it is not recommended with this set-up. With the shocks now lengthened to 14" and my sag set to @1" I've arrived at a happy medium. It was a long journey, but I finally made it. I hope you'll be able to utilize this info. should you want a set. If you are interested, call Works and ask for Pierre. Mention my name, and that should get the ball rolling. - Todd. --USER COMMENTS HERE-- |
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| Ikon (Formerly Koni 7610) - Made in Australia I ran a set of Koni 7610's for @35k miles, and what can be said other then they are a decent replacement shock for the money. I haven't had a chance to run the new repro. Ikon variable, but I would venture to say it should be pretty similar. That said, the Koni 7610's were @.75" shorter then stock, and offered a pretty decent ride compared to the stock Sachs shocks that came stock on my Jackal. The range of adjustment is limited, as it only offers 4 rebound settings, and 4 spring pre-load settings, with no compression adjustments. Again, they worked well for the time I had them on, and were a good value for dollar replacement. Visit IKON's website for the many different versions for Guzzis. Thanks to Pete Serrino for this data: 7610-1297 (12.625") for V7Sport/T/T3/LM1/CX/SP/Convert/Eldo/Amb/V700/etc. 7610-1429 (13.25") LM3/LM1000/others 7610-1529SP8 (13.375") Cal1100/EV/Jackal/Special/etc. (OEM is 13.5" & '02+ newer EV uses 14.0" eye-to-eye) --USER COMMENTS HERE-- |
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| Progressive Suspension - Made in the U.S.A. While I have had only limited time aboard bikes equipped with Progressive's 440 Series, I'll say that they would rate very highly for a 'money vs. compliancy' debate. They are Spring preload adjustable (no tools required), and their trade mark for damping is the 'Inertia Active System' (I.A.S.) which "utilizes two separate rebound damping circuits to control chassis and wheel movement independently for the ultimate in stability and comfort." It seems to work well for those who are looking for an affordable stock shock replacement, for those who just rack up the miles. Have a set? Contact me above with comments. --USER COMMENTS HERE-- |
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| Penske - Made in the U.S.A. "While we actually do not have a twin shock program, we have built twin shocks for various applications. Our pricing is high due to the small number of twin shock sales. Standard pricing applies to the twin shocks as follows: @$1000/pr. Emulsion to $2300/pr. for full adjustability. 3 week build time." Info: penskeshocks.com --NOT TESTED-NO USERS COMMENT CURRENTLY-- |
| HyperPro - Now made in house in The Netherlands. High-Performance shocks and steering dampers. Since moving production in house, HyperPro only offers shocks for the Breva 750. They do offer fork spring kits for most Guzzis as seen HERE. Also, Mono shocks available HERE. Steering dampers also available at GuzziTech.com --NO USER COMMENTS CURRENTLY-- |
| Öhlins - Made in Sweden "Units currently available are for the 1000's (MG142 336mm ~13.23"; with 101 mm stroke) or for the 850's (MG140 @335mm ~13.19" with 100mm stroke). For newer models requiring longer lengths... "Öhlins makes longer eyelets, bodies, shafts etc. Quickest & easiest would be to replace the eyelets with longer ones. The longer (7mm) eyelet p/n is 00220-03 (bringing overall length to 343mm~13.5"). Shaft replacements are more labor intensive but offer many different/available lengths. Make sure to order correct spring rate for your body weight. Typically the shocks come from Sweden with springs installed for dressed rider weight of 155-175#. Heavier riders will not get the full benefit of these quality replacement shocks with a too light or heavy a spring. Shocks can be purchased through your local dealer, and sent to Öhlins USA for modification, if your supplier cannot modify them." -- J.W. Öhlins USA I succumbed at the end of 2006 and purchased a set of these well known, high-end shocks. I had them custom lengthened by Öhlins USA to 14.0"/355mm, but they are also length adjustable by +/-10mm, via the standard threaded length adjuster. I had them set the length to the middle of the adjuster to lengthen or shorten 5mm. I ended up running them @360mm for my well modified Jackal. Per above quote, I had them delivered with the stock yellow spring (pictured left), Part #00380-03. However, in trying to set the sag for my 190 lb. (ready to ride) frame, I had the (included) hydraulic spring preload adjuster near max'ed. I had them ship me the next set of stiffer springs in black (Part #00480-04), and after simple install, were nearly perfect at the begining of the range, meaning I could increase as needed. I have to say they do not disappoint. From occasional track days, to two up comfort, these shocks will be well worth it to those willing to spend the $1,315.00 (MSRP) to own them. The quick-twist knobbed pre-load adjuster is wonderful for anyone who varies their riding and or load/passenger, etc. An emulsion set of these shocks (no compression adjustment or hydraulic preload adjuster) is available for @$800USD as of 2.08. Feel free to contact me direct with any questions -- Todd>at<GuzziTech.com --NO OTHER USER COMMENTS CURRENTLY-- |
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| H.D. Air shocks "The only thing about using these is you have to use the bushings out of your stock shocks, not hard to do though. In the lower right corner you can see where I mounted the air valve in the frame cover. Easy to get to and adjust the air pressure without removing bags or anything else. As far as comparison, the stock shocks with the wife and I on the bike seem to bottom out on really hard bumps and felt spongy even at the stiffest setting. The air shocks can be easily adjusted with an air pump from 20 psi up to 80 psi depending on the load. This is a lot simpler than trying to re-adjust the stock ones, especially if you have bags on the bike." Guido OWallis292<at>aol.com --NO OTHER USER COMMENTS CURRENTLY-- |
| If you are using a (still now available) twin rear shock not listed below, please contact me. I am interested in making this a complete database for twin shock users. Contact me at Todd>at<GuzziTech.com to provide additional comments in which to post. |
| EMC shocks - Made in France On my 1997 Cal 1100 EV, I had the stock (WP) shocks replaced after 3000 miles under warranty. 3k mi. later, I realized that this was not the factory's fault : I simply ride too hard for those "OEM" WP's! So I replaced them with EMC 4200F, a French brand, and discovered that a EV can both be COMFORTABLE and keep its line on the worst surfaces with two up & luggage! Oh yes, the manager at EMC speaks English, and first thing he wanted to know is "what weight do you carry on your bike" (no one ever asked me before!). Otherwise my old 850LMII is wearing its 5th pair of KONIS in 50,000 miles (I really demand MUCH from my shocks :-) Chris Wasmer cwasmer<at>club-internet.fr --NO OTHER USER COMMENTS CURRENTLY-- |
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| WP shocks - Made in Holland "The shock pictured is the WP SA/BA emulsion shocks part no: 03.30.F3.01B for MK4 Le Mans. The rebound adjustment ring is located at the bottom of the shock absorber and has a range of positions 1-11. The higher the number the heavier the damping. Spring preload retainer lock rings vary the ride height up to nearly two inches. It didn't take very long to dial in the correct sag and damping, at first if I hit a bump I would be fired out of the seat on the setting from the factory. They ask you for your details (machine and personal) and type of use before specifying spring and valve rates. The only complaint after 15,000 miles is the mounting bush seals are fragile and even though I don't rebuild it very often they definitely need looking after. Made with big strong alloy castings however these shocks are made to last and have been a really good investment giving a quality ride far superior to the Konis" David McMillan david.mcmillanv7<at>btopenworld.com --NO OTHER USER COMMENTS CURRENTLY-- |
| Fournales shocks - Made in France "Fournales incorporates a completely sealed 'adjustable pneumatic spring': The stiffness of this pneumatic spring is easily adjustable by a simple modification of the pressure (high pressure manual pump).The damping rates are set by the factory for the particular bike - the only user adjustment is the air pressure via a foot pump, which is like adjusting the spring preload. I use air pressures between about 130psi (solo on the race track) and 220psi (2 people & camping gear). I have a LM3 which I bought new in 1986 or thereabouts. The original suspension was (IMHO) crap. The rear shocks used to bottom easily when loaded with 2 people & camping gear. The Fournales have never had a problem. I have them serviced annually by the Australian agent (an affable helpful Frenchman by the name of Bertrand Cadart). I have ridden a lot of miles on the highway, at track days and in the bush on gravel roads, some at up to 200km/h, 2-up with camping gear. I know the LM3 is a road bike, but that has never stopped me riding it off-road. The shocks seem bullet-proof. One did blow a seal once, so I just upped the pressure in the other shock until I got home and hardly noticed the difference. Fournales repaired the blown seal without charge or argument. The Fournales also weigh very little. I still have the original Paoli shocks and the Fournales feel significantly lighter, although I haven't weighed them." Philip Sarich philsarich<at>iprimus.com.au --NO OTHER USER COMMENTS CURRENTLY-- |
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| Falcon - Made in England Quoted from the U.S. importer; "Falcon produces a 36mm Big Bore series in steel and aluminum. There is a possibility to get the Evo ''reservoir'' bodies to work. If we can make sure there is enough room for the charger bracket. On pricing, the Big Bores in steel start @$295 and the alloy bodies start @$395, the Evo's @$695. Shipping from the UK direct to the buyer. The average order/delivery time is 3 weeks. This is due in part to each pair being assembled per order. Making Falcon Shock indeed handbuilt to the bike and for each riders preferences." --NO OTHER USER COMMENTS CURRENTLY-- |
| Hagon - Made in England HAGON Twin Road shocks feature quad-rate progressive springs adjusted by a conventional stepped cam ring, double sealed Nitrogen cells, automatic compression and rebound damping control with hard chrome piston rod. Prices range from $169.00 to $259.00. --USER COMMENTS HERE-- Updated 2.08 |
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| Maxton shocks - Made in the UK Maxton are a small British company specialising in custom-building and modifying motorcycle suspension, and many race bike owners swear by them. They're very highly regarded over here. The twin shocks cost 295 GB pounds ($470) in 2001, and are hand built to your specifications: Maxton asks all pertinent info (your weight, whether you regularly take a pillion passenger, the bike's weight, tyre size and type, frame geometry, your riding style, shorter/longer than standard, etc.). The shocks are aluminium bodied with a seemingly impregnable anodised finish, and the springs also have a durable (plastic?) coating, and have infinitely adjustable rebound damping preload; the preload is adjustable via a threaded ring. The bushes are Teflon-coated steel. The only downside is that Guzzis have 14 mm dia. mounts, but the biggest the Maxton shock bushes can accommodate is 10 mm: the solution is to remove the top frame mounts and tap 10 mm bolt holes (plenty of meat to allow this!), and turn down the swinging arm shock bolts (or make replacements like I did) - this minor surgery only took half an hour. On the road the shocks are brilliant: set up to perfection by Maxton (I haven't needed to alter the preload/rebound settings at all), and suit me perfectly. As they're hand made, you have to wait about 4 weeks for delivery - more in spring as all the racers want new shocks for the coming season! Maxton will also revalve and respring forks to improve them - but remember that many older Guzzis use sealed damper units (unlike most bikes), and these can't be modified! Rich Cutler -- LeMans<at>helius.co.uk -- Brighton, UK --NO OTHER USER COMMENTS CURRENTLY-- |
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| Bitubo - Made in Italy "I have the model G0003 WME 02 on my 1000SP, and a friend have the same model on a LM4. It's good shock better like Koni, but not like EMC. The price for a pair is in France 430 / 460 euros, in Italy 340 euros." Michel chelmi.ryu.nopub<at>free.fr --NO OTHER USER COMMENTS CURRENTLY-- |
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| Some pictures link to a larger version. |
| Elka Suspensions - Made in Quebec, Canada Elka offers a custom build program, and I look forward to posting more information when it becomes available. --NOT TESTED-NO USER COMMENTS CURRENTLY-- |
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| YSS - Made in Thailand Established in 1983, the YSS factory was originally situated in Pradpradaeng in 1983. In 1994, the company was completely restructured. YSS recognized the importance of high quality products and employed a R&D Department devoted solely to maintain the highest product standard. With the 'Continuous Improvement Program' YSS achieved a QS 9000 and ISO 9002 Certification from TÜV Rhineland/Berlin Brandenburg in Germany in 2001. At the beginning of 2005, Offline Racing Australia was recruited by YSS to develop the new generation of gas shocks. Walter Preisig, 25 yr. Racing suspension specialist in Australia & Harry Essen (the father of Low/High Speed Gas Shocks, and the former owner of Technoflex in Holland) joined YSS. With the joining of these professionals, Team YSS won in the Australian Championships, Thailand Championships, Japan Championships and other national racing programs in 2005. From the modern factory, YSS is able to bring you the best gas twin shocks available in the World today. As a dealer of Wilbers products, GuzziTech.com was forced to look for alternatives when pricing increased to a point of near extinction in the U.S. Enter YSS. The U.S. importer EPM/Wilbers starting importing YSS twin shocks mid-2007. I got to test all of the 302 & 366 twin shocks late 2007, and out of the box, they are strong contenders in the twin shock market. While I personally recommend the 366 line, the importer has successfully installed the 302s on HD & BMWs. As a comparison, my lifetime Guzzi riding buddy Rich R. and I spent the afternoon swapping out the RZ/RG 302s & RZ/RG366s, taking notes alongside of his high-end Wilbers and my high-end Ohlins on our Cali Jackals. Rich and I checked/set the sag as our "masses" varied significantly, but we were both very impressed with the quality of ride from all, without touching any of the other settings. Pleasingly compliant ride over choppy city streets, to unflappable stability at high speed, high load cornering. For the price, I feel YSS is one of the best options currently on the market. Comments/questions? Feel free to reach me direct; Todd>at<GuzziTech.com For more info/ordering info. go HERE. --NO OTHER USER COMMENTS CURRENTLY-- |