Need Help: How do you decided on a rear shock...

[Sunny]

I have started thinking of replacing my rear shock (since it is in pogo stick mode now) .. but Honda or the aftermarket shoks are very expensive (reaching $600 to 1k) + the expensive install , So i have 2 Questions for the people who have changed / upgraded / refreshed their shocks .. :

1) If I get a used shock form ebay, how do I test its fine ?

2) I see the Honda shock has 2 eyes at each end, so if get a shock that is simialr in dimensions (and same motorcycle weight range ) etc to Honda shock , will it work?

e.g. something simialr to this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/YSS-Rear-Shock-Adjustable-MZ456-395TRL-02-X-Yamaha-XT-600-Z-Tenere-1985/303088034558?epid=2255818530&hash=item46917462fe:g:hrUAAOSwlG5cgQo-

PS: I may try to do the install myself (with some help form friends) ..

 

[mikesim]

You can "try" to re-engineer something on a might fit basis, but I would strongly discourage it. Unless you replace the OE shock with an OE part you will lose any preload ajustability that you currently have. Have you firstly tried to adjust the preload on your existing shock before considering replacement? Are you sure yours is bad? I only know one or two folks on the forum that have had their shocks fail as it is a rather robust part. I usually buy my parts from Parts Fish.com and they have the replacement listed (52400-MEW-305) for $711.04 which is considerably less expensive than Revzilla and some other sites that I looked at.

Hope this helps!

Mike

 

[Sunny]

Thanks Mike. My bike bounces around a lot at the std 11 clicks setting. I bumper it up 1 click at a time and and will test by trial and error ...

The Honda Mechanics also checked and told me that the rear shock is shot when they replaced the tires last year...

I am also disappointed that the shocks went kaput at < 18k miles ...

PS: all this because of the super fun I had on the twisties I did on the Hawks Nest Ride .. now trying to tune both my rides ..

 

[DarylCincy]

Thanks Mike. My bike bounces around a lot at the std 11 clicks setting. I bumper it up 1 click at a time and and will test by trial and error ...

The Honda Mechanics also checked and told me that the rear shock is shot when they replaced the tires last year...

I am also disappointed that the shocks went kaput at < 18k miles ...

PS: all this because of the super fun I had on the twisties I did on the Hawks Nest Ride .. now trying to tune both my rides ..

I'm going to work on the rear suspension next year, I have a shock off my 94 CBR 600f2 it's a reservoir shock with rebound,,compression damping and preload adjustments it's a direct bolt on but 1\2 shorter so I will have a 1/2 add to the mount ,hope I have enough room for the reservoir behind the right side cover?

 

[Hondafan]

Rear shock failure is generally a blown seal and the oil will leak out and be visible.

 

[Sunny]

Rear shock failure is generally a blown seal and the oil will leak out and be visible.

hmmm... no oil leak that I can see of ...



@DarylCincy: Can you tell me the part number ... it would have been great if you were closer I could have learnt form you...

 

[DirtFlier]

1. There is no practical way to "test" a used shock other than put it on your bike and ride it.
2. The Honda shock, like most shocks, only has one eye at each end. Shocks are all mounted at different angles (it makes a difference) and some even use linkage to make shock compression more progressive. Finding one with the same eye-to-eye length doesn't mean it'll work perfectly on the NT, plus the bushings at each end may be different dimensions (ID and width) requiring some custom fabrication.

ps. I had Works Performance make an NT shock to my specs about 6-8 yrs ago. It wasn't cheap but I was then and still am happy with the results.

 

[ARKNT]

A used NT shock may be a good inexpensive option if you can find one, and then there is the question if it is any good till you get it mounted and try it out.
The other option is a suspension specialist company like works performance or hyperpro. They have the knowledge to fit a shock for the weight, angles, and linkages of different bikes.

Brad

 

[DarylCincy]

hmmm... no oil leak that I can see of ...



@DarylCincy: Can you tell me the part number ... it would have been great if you were closer I could have learnt form you...

The OEM shock from my CBR would cost a fortune from Honda I replaced it around 85,000 miles with a 20,000 mile one off Ebay the CBR had the most complaint ride of any motorcycle I've rode the shock worked better than any after market shock I've used however with all that ssid its really unforeseen how well it would work on the NT. You may want me to be the guinea pig before you try it.

 

[Hondafan]

hmmm... no oil leak that I can see of ...



@DarylCincy: Can you tell me the part number ... it would have been great if you were closer I could have learnt form you...

The nitrogen could have escaped out the shock, but there is usually some oil as well. I wonder if your preload adjuster is working.
My shock is on the stock setting and works very well. I am 170lbs and fairly aggressive.
I have checked the nitrogen on other bikes, and with the spring off, it usually takes about 70lbs to compress the shock 1". So if the nitrogen leaks, you lose a certain amount "spring", and the suspension would sag a bit more.

 

[Sunny]

The nitrogen could have escaped out the shock, but there is usually some oil as well. I wonder if your preload adjuster is working.
My shock is on the stock setting and works very well. I am 170lbs and fairly aggressive.
I have checked the nitrogen on other bikes, and with the spring off, it usually takes about 70lbs to compress the shock 1". So if the nitrogen leaks, you lose a certain amount "spring", and the suspension would sag a bit more.

interesting ... my last 6 clicks on the low side are almost free... it takes no effort to rotate to ZERO And then from zero to 6 clicks also almost free... anyone else have this behavior ...

at 11 clicks, if I push the rear down, it takes 2-3 waves/bounces before it settles, my understanding is that a good shock should rebound once and settle down ..

 

[Phil Tarman]

When I bought my NT in 2010, the dealer talked me into buying a 4-yr extension on the warranty, giving me 5 yrs total. At first I was reluctant to do that, but they threw in the first two services and installed LoJack for a total warranty extension cost of about $450, IIRC. Since the first two services would have cost that much, I bought it. It more than paid for itself. I got a final drive rebuild out of it, a muffler, and the whole pannier latch setup, plus some other relatively minor stuff. My shock failed at 96,600 miles two weeks before the warranty extension expired. Honda ruled that it was wear item, not a warranty item. After nearly 97K miles, I couldn't really argue with them, especially since I got the new shock at dealer cost ($300 in '15).

I had been riding with the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association guys down to Aurora to visit an automobile museum and it had seemed bouncy when I was on my way down. After we had visited the museum, we rode to a nearby restaurant for lunch and it was much bouncier. When we got to the restaurant, I looked under the bike and there was oil on the tire and wheel and after we'd eaten there was oil on the ground. I wouldn't have thought a shock could have held that much oil!

It had been 45K miles since I'd serviced the forks, so I decided to have them serviced while the new shock was being installed. About six months after I replaced the shock, from out of the blue, a Forum member sent me a new shock that he had bought and never used. I decided I didn't need to make money on it and passed it on to somebody else on the Forum. Too bad for you I don't still have it!

 

[Sunny]

Too bad for you I don't still have it!

you snooze you loose... :LOL: does the LoJack still work ???

PS: I am guessing that my shock was shot so long ago that all oil is washed off...

 

[Phil Tarman]

does the LoJack still work ???

I don't know. Back when I bought the bike, most of the Greeley police had LoJack antennae on their trunks. If they still did, I'd ask them to see if it does. I know it did a couple of years after I bought the bike. I was in Colorado Springs for a 3-day retreat and headed toward home so I could do a wedding rehearsal when I decided I had time to stop at Wendy's for lunch on my way out of the Springs.

After I ate, I came out and realized I hadn't turned the bike off -- it had stopped running when I put the sidestand down. After 40 minutes, it had enough juice left to make the solenoid click when I tried to start it, but that was it. I learned that if it doesn't have enough juice to run the fuel pump, you can't bump start it. I had to call a wrecker to tow it to the Honda dealership and when we were about halfway there, LoJack called me to see if I knew where my bike was. I guess I'd be surprised if it's still working.

 

[DirtFlier]

I looked in my records and found the rear shock was replaced at 30k miles in early-2013 so my guess of "6-8 yrs" was dead on.

The standard shock still worked OK but the remote adjuster had failed so there was no way to adjust preload which meant I was riding on the softest setting all the time. Cranking the knob on the remote adjuster made absolutely no difference. Without some preload, the rear bottomed much too often.