StormShadow Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Yeah, I'm quickly finding out just how awful the shock and forks are on this bike. A real disappointment but one that can be remedied if I find an ABS shock. And if I can't find an ABS shock by mid-winter, I'm probably going to just go with an F4 unit from Daugherty. A guy on advrider offered me his abs shock in the states Sent from my Stream using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lint Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 A friend of mine is the managing partner of Motorcycle Service Centers in Camarillo, Ca. He is a new distributor of Nitron shocks. Each built custom to your needs. Kinda spendy, but they will be exactly what you are looking for, fully adjustable too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormShadow Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 is their an easy to follow pictorial guide for installing the rear shock, im going to do it my self, with a wilbers 641 i brought customised for my weight and panniers and top box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer ggathagan Posted December 9, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted December 9, 2013 is their an easy to follow pictorial guide for installing the rear shock, im going to do it my self, with a wilbers 641 i brought customised for my weight and panniers and top box There is a guide for a 5th gen: http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/6970-how-to-install-an-ohlins-shock/ I don't believe there is a significant difference between 5th and 6th gen for the shock, but I'm not 100% certain of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Duc2V4 Posted December 9, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted December 9, 2013 is their an easy to follow pictorial guide for installing the rear shock, im going to do it my self, with a wilbers 641 i brought customised for my weight and panniers and top box There is a guide for a 5th gen: http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/6970-how-to-install-an-ohlins-shock/ I don't believe there is a significant difference between 5th and 6th gen for the shock, but I'm not 100% certain of that. If I recall, there really isn't much different between the two except maybe access to the top shock bolt, but I did find it easier to remove and replace the 6 Gen vs. 5 Gen. Also, although it would make the shock replacement easier to remove the headers like in the tutorial above, I was able to R/R both the 5 and 6 Gen shocks without doing so. This does require moving the swing arm up and down for easier/better access to get the shock in where it needs to go, in this case a helper would make it an easier job, but if you have a scissor jack like the one in the tutorial, that should work too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 is their an easy to follow pictorial guide for installing the rear shock, im going to do it my self, with a wilbers 641 i brought customised for my weight and panniers and top box There is a guide for a 5th gen: http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/6970-how-to-install-an-ohlins-shock/ I don't believe there is a significant difference between 5th and 6th gen for the shock, but I'm not 100% certain of that. If I recall, there really isn't much different between the two except maybe access to the top shock bolt, but I did find it easier to remove and replace the 6 Gen vs. 5 Gen. Also, although it would make the shock replacement easier to remove the headers like in the tutorial above, I was able to R/R both the 5 and 6 Gen shocks without doing so. This does require moving the swing arm up and down for easier/better access to get the shock in where it needs to go, in this case a helper would make it an easier job, but if you have a scissor jack like the one in the tutorial, that should work too. Yeah, only real difference is length where the 5th gen is close to 1/2" longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormShadow Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Perfect. I've got sandy catless headers I have to modify to make fit so do em both together at my cousins factory. Sent from my Stream using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted December 10, 2013 Author Share Posted December 10, 2013 is their an easy to follow pictorial guide for installing the rear shock, im going to do it my self, with a wilbers 641 i brought customised for my weight and panniers and top box There should be one somewhere here! Be sure to pull the rear wheel and use a jack to move the SSSA up and down as needed thru the shock replacement process. If i remember correctly you jack up the swingarm all the way to pull the shock out. Enjoy and good luck. BR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormShadow Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 question, when i remove the shock, will the ducktail drop down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted December 10, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted December 10, 2013 When you un-bolt the rear shock and remove the bottom shock link then you can lower the jack and take out the shock .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Duc2V4 Posted December 10, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted December 10, 2013 question, when i remove the shock, will the ducktail drop down? No. The duck tail is attached to the sub-frame, so as long as you do not loosen or remove the sub-frame bolts, the duck tail will stay put. However, once you get the shock bolts removed the swing arm will drop, so be prepared and use a scissor jack or other support device. I had a few different length 2x4s that I keep for just such an occasion. I think the next time I do a fork and/or shock replacement I'll have my wife or helper take photos, I would love to take pics of when I'm doing work, but it slows down the process and greasy hands/gloves and cameras are not the best mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormShadow Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 That makes me feel better. Thouggt of time lapse? Sent from my Stream using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HzE Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Hi! I own a 2002 VFR and I'm planning to do some maintenance regarding the shocks. I was thinking of changing the rear shock for F4/F4i shock. I'm 5'9" (175cm) and 165 lbs (75kg). So what I'm asking: 1) I read the F4/F4i shock is 11mm shorter. Can I install it without a spacer and compensate it by lowering the front? I would really appreciate even a little reduction in the height. 2) Since I'm not that heavy, will the shock need a stiffer spring? I appreciate any tips :) Best Regards, Hasse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 Hi HzE, welcome! If you use the F4/F4i shock w/o a spacer the rear end will be dropped 30-40mm because of the ratio factor(something in the 3-4 to 1 range) and your not that short. Yes if you would then drop the front end a similar amount you could maintain most of the bikes balance, but again don't think you want to lower the entire bike over an inch. Spring wise, the stock vfr spring is too soft(15.3kg) and the F4/F4i is softer (around 14kg). I suggest you at least change out the upper mount bolt to a longer one (caution a standard bolt head will hit shock w/o grinding or using a flat head bolt) and at least add washers to gain the length needed. Install a 17-18 kg rear and .85 - .90 kg front springs. I think you can control the stiffer spring with the adjustable damping of the F4 shock, ideal no but worth trying on a tight budget. BR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HzE Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Thanks for the quick answer and detailed answer! I probably need to dig up a bit more to see which are the other viable options if I don't want to go high with the budget. The lady is getting old so I wouldn't want to put too much money in her but it could be that the biggest obstacle here in Finland might be availability. I can find some F4/F4i -shocks but certain others might be more difficult to find. And yes, atm. the height is pretty okay for me. I can get my heels to the ground but very barely, so even 10mm would help me. I blame my parents for the short genes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HzE Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 I've been going through some aftermarket options as well. Of course the choices here in the other side of the ocean are a bit different but maybe someone could share opinions regarding some shocks?-Wilbers 630/641 -630 (adjustable preload and rebound damping, no remote reservoir) -641 (remote reservoir + high/low compression dampening) -Öhlins HO 043/203/605 -HO 043 (adjustable preload and rebound damping, no remote reservoir) -HO 203 (same as HO 043 but with a hose mounted hydraulic spring preload adjuster) -HO 605 (with remote reservoir, cooks, slices, irons) As I'm pretty much a newbie with shock absorbers and (yet?) I do no track days, does it make any sense to go for something with more adjustments? Would you suggest having something with a remote reservoir? At least I found some online store selling HO 043 + front springs + oil with ~ 800$. That alone doesn't sound such a big investment on safety :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanOon Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Any idea what is the spring rate for stock VFR800 VTEC fork spring rate?Progressive or linear? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HzE Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 I got an offer on Wilbers 641 + front springs (including shipment) with ~860$ Should I go for this or is Öhlins the only good choice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share Posted December 12, 2014 Any idea what is the spring rate for stock VFR800 VTEC fork spring rate?Progressive or linear? All 800's seem to be fitted with .744 kg fork springs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted December 13, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted December 13, 2014 ^^^^ And way to soft , I ran .90kg's front springs and they flatten out on me. Gonna get in contact with Jamie move up to .95kg's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer JamieDaugherty Posted December 15, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted December 15, 2014 I got an offer on Wilbers 641 + front springs (including shipment) with ~860$ Should I go for this or is Öhlins the only good choice? Out of the box, Ohlins shocks need some work to perform best. They are mass produced just like the OEM Showa units - and suffer because of it. For sure they perform better than the OEM shock, but do not be fooled into thinking you are buying the best - in fact that is far from the truth. If you consider an Ohlins probably best to consider sending it off to get the correct spring rate and valving package installed. FYI! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted November 11, 2015 Author Share Posted November 11, 2015 ^^^^ And way to soft , I ran .90kg's front springs and they flatten out on me. Gonna get in contact with Jamie move up to .95kg's David, did you ever make this change? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted November 12, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted November 12, 2015 ^^^^ And way to soft , I ran .90kg's front springs and they flatten out on me. Gonna get in contact with Jamie move up to .95kg's David, did you ever make this change? No Kevin planning doing it as a winter mod. Also need to email Jamie about it. When I first install the forks and the rear shock the combo was awesome. That was middle February and by the middle of October both front forks and the rear shock were flat and adjusted to max. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted November 12, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted November 12, 2015 Unless the hose to the adjuster is cut / removed, R/R'ing the rear shock on a 6th gen ABS is a royal PITA. Turns what should be a short job in to an all day project. I had Jamie rebuild my ABS shock, but I could see why some wouldn't. Well worth it though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted November 12, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted November 12, 2015 Unless the hose to the adjuster is cut / removed, R/R'ing the rear shock on a 6th gen ABS is a royal PITA. Turns what should be a short job in to an all day project. I had Jamie rebuild my ABS shock, but I could see why some wouldn't. Well worth it though! I reviewed the post and yeah I am dreading it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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