Rear shock absorber

That's clever.

Just had the rear shock changed on my MKII to a Hagon, the original one failed the MOT, not bad it lasted about 55000 miles. As posted earlier the Hagon shock makes the bike feel taller, the biggest difference is the bike does not squat under acceleration anymore and feels more stable in the corners,
It feels like a new bike.

Bondy,

Here are the pics of Hagon Shock fitted to MKII, hope this helps, The spring adjuster is now located at the top end of the shock, unlike ther original TDM where the spring adjuster is too close to the hugger

Thanks for the input guys i'll be on the phone to them shortly.
Now will they do a shock with a yellow spring like the original?

Ta
Bondy.

Nah - it's 'cos Chris keeps getting caught short, innit?:

Well done looks good

Now thats how I look to everbody else!!!

Chris G..........Carpe Pocket Billiards Champion, 2007 !

Jeez, if that's what an aftermarket shock does for yer I don't think I want one!

Hi Guys, need a little help as I have no experience with shock absorbers, thanks

Got to replace the rear shock on my '92 Mk1 but am undecided what to to.

Question1. Has anyone replaced theirs with a Yamaha one? Can you get after market standard shocks to reuse the dual spring arrangement?

Question 2. If not why not?

Question3. When you use a Ohlins or Hagon etc, do they sag much when you carry luggage.

If you set the spring rate for a loaded bike wouldn't it be too hard when you ride by yourself or are they adjustable?

The original dual spring rate levers were so easy to use ie soft or hard depending on load & by setting the spring to hard so it didn't bottom out it got me out of the bush & back to civilisation when I lost all oil in the original yammie shocker.

I've used the search function here but I can't find any comments re loaded bike weight/ unloaded bike weight setting availabilty or am I just missing something here.

Any suggestions/comments would be appreciated

Cheers

Edited by masterbrewer, 13 April 2008 - 12:48 pm.

I just adjust mine with the remote adjuster, simple.

Hagon will also make the shock any length you like, I had mine made 25 mm shorter.

Though I'd stick in my twopenneth worth as I spent a long time doing research before I replaced mine.

The original shock, although a bit soft, is a quality unit. Most dealers will tell you standard units are rubbish, but if you speak to the specialists who actually repair them, they will tell you the build quality of the parts on OE stuff tends to be exceptional. Its a myth you can't rebuild a standard shock, you just need the right tools and knowhow. You can have it rebuilt for a lot less than a new one, and upgrade the spring if needed.

If the original is knackered (i.e snapped - a common TDM problem) you have lots of options.
1. Cheapo replacement for less than £200 i.e. Beta etc if all you want is an MOT.
2. Mid range units form £250 ish (Hagon) to £450 (WP, EMC, Nitron)
3. Race units at £650 - £800 such as Ohlins etc.

The cheap and mid priced units (except Nitron) are all emulsion tube shocks. This means the gas charge and the damping oil share the same chamber and the oil emulsifies when it is squeezed through lots of tiny holes and gets nice and warm. This is a cheaper method of making a shock, and means the performance tends to fade when the unit gets hot. It also limits the effectiveness of the damping adjustment. These shocks will have either rebound only adjustment, or combined rebound/compression on a single adjuster as per the Hagon.

Expensive shocks such as Ohlins etc use seperate the gas and oil in the chamber with a piston in between. This means the oil doesn't emulsify and the damping qualities are more consistant. In order to keep the oil cool, they use seperate (remote) reservoirs and will usually offer more adjustment i.e seperate rebound and compression, plus ride height as well as preload, but you pay for this.

Of the mid priced units, Hagon is probably the best value in terms of performance versus cost. Although its an emulsion tube shock, it does actually work really well. The build quality is good and they will rebuild/service it for you. The reality is that you probably don't need lots of adjustment for the road, the TDM simply isn't that type of machine. You can also specify overall length and spring stiffness when you order. I have a Hagon on one of my bikes and I would say its a good replacement for the original shocker at a really competitive price.

Beware, some manufacturers (WP for example) make both types of shock. So the cheaper "road" unit is an emulsion tube whilst the race shock is the fully adjustable type. However they imply that the road unit is a simplified version of the race one, when this is not the case. The WP race units are up there with the Ohlins shock in terms of quality etc, but they cost £700 and are a different product altogether to the cheaper units they offer. The dealers are trading on the name. Don't spend £450 on a WP unit when the Hagon is every bit as good.

There is a British manufacturer called Nitron who build some really good quality units. They use seperate gas/fluid reservoirs as per the Ohlins etc. They do a road based Sport shock which like Hagon can be made to order with any overall dimension/spring stiffness and which has adjustable ride height so you can play with the overall height of the bike. I had mine made to the standard length, but with +10mm of adjustment so I can jack the back end up. The other advantage is that because it is the same actual body as the race unit, just without the remote reservoir, you can upgrade it to the fully adjustable type, with seperate rebound and compression adjustment and with remote adjusters etc any time you like. I've had mine for over two years now (bike gets used all year round, probably washed twice in that time) and it still has no sign of corrosion etc so I can vouch for the quality of the build. I paid about £400 which is pricier than the Hagon, but a damn sight cheaper than an Ohlins.

Hope this is some help.

Just ordered a Hagon unit for my bike (92 MK1) Can't wait to fit it and see how it goes. Will Update when i have a few Kilometres on it.

A great bit of factual info Skite, thanks

The 3rd type is the one I use which is the Fournales air only shock. It has the air and oil emulsified in the same compartment and uses 23 BAR of air pressure to suspend the bike. The main advantage of it is that it's progressive and that suits the 850s just fine.

Hey MB
I have had my rear shock rebuilt, the guy upgraded the valve in it and checked out the spring rate, after weighing me he reckoned that the standard spring was close enough.

The guy was in Victoria and calls his business suspensionrus.

Mick

Thanks Mick.

I've located a s/h Ohlins for $200 which I'm gunna try before getting it reconditioned.

Been reading up on setting them up in the Ohlins manual & also trying to get other guys opinions in different threads as well (ie how many clicks out do others have), as I dont have any experience with adjustable shocks.

So far it seems quite a lot smoother, but early days of trial & error.

Cheers

Edited by masterbrewer, 07 May 2008 - 12:18 pm.

i've got to replace my shock at some point soon too, does it have to be specific to a tdm or are there other yam shocks that will or won't fit, r6, r1 for example?

Not aware of any other models that fit, but the shock on a Mk2 is identical to a Mk1 (except the colour)

Edited by ChrisG, 24 July 2008 - 08:44 pm.

Yeah I thought that too till recently. There is some diff in em as the preload length specs are diff (or at least the points of measurement are) Was in too much of a hurry at the time to look intwit. But mkII will fit the mkI and works fine.

qualiy. that's gonna broaden the net a smidge!!

Any 900
had ever changed the rear shock or front springs? Any recommandations?