Fox Shocks

[Guest Jlewis50]

Anyone had experience with Fox street shocks. I have the opportunity to get one for Dirt cheap. Will Fox still work on them? WIll a Ohlins or other spring fit it?

[JETS]

Anyone had experience with Fox street shocks. I have the opportunity to get one for Dirt cheap. Will Fox still work on them? WIll a Ohlins or other spring fit it?

Absolutely! I bought a Fox Twin Clicker for a CBR and sent it to Fox for normal rebuild. They changed out the valve shim stacks to meet their archives specs for VFR's. You can get the correct spring from Hypercoils for 90 bucks or so. It works great, but you do have to shim it up to maintain original shock length specs.

[Burns]

Just installed one a little while back.. certainly an improvment over the stock thing... and the 929 I had on there, also.

Jamie D. says he works on the Fox's, also.. aside from tossing work towards fellow VFR guys, I also imagine he's inexpensive compared to Fox..

[Baileyrock]

Basically any Suspension shop can work on any shock including Fox. A Fox will be an improvement over stock but not as good as the premimum shocks like Ohlins, Penske, etc., but if you can snag one cheap jump on it. I picked up one off flebay for like $150 and ran it on my Vtec until i found a nice Ohlins to replace it with.. :biggrin:

BR

[JamieDaugherty]

I'm being told that folks are having more and more trouble finding suspension shops to work on Fox street shocks. Since Fox does not sell replacement parts for the street models, shops are considering it more of a liability to work on. Luckily I have found some ways around the Fox supply issue for most parts.

Personally I love the Fox shocks. If you open one up you'll find that it is strikingly similar to an Ohlins. In fact, the Fox shocks have some additional features above and beyond the Ohlins shocks, so in some ways they are nicer. If the shock looks good overall it should be fine. I'd grab it up and enjoy the ride!

[Beck]

IIRC, Fox quit making motorcycle shocks some years ago to concentrate on bicycle/MTB shocks instead.

I always woondered if the shocks were so good and so well priced, why did they quit making them???

Like always, now everyone wants to get what's not out there anymore..... :offtopic:

[gll429]

IIRC, Fox quit making motorcycle shocks some years ago to concentrate on bicycle/MTB shocks instead.

I always woondered if the shocks were so good and so well priced, why did they quit making them???

Like always, now everyone wants to get what's not out there anymore..... :491:

becouse at the time..

they had limited machinery.. they could build motorcycle shocks that had lots of other brands to compete with..

OR build bicycle shocks with the famous fox brand logo and crush any minor competition by other upstarts brands.

and it worked!

as for rebuilding your fox toad shock..

its a snap!

look up "Catfish Racing: Fox Racing Shox Setup Manual" :blink:

this was for the vfr 700,

but they are all the same.. and its just o-rings and oil :491:

this was NOT writen by me ... i am greg the great silly deaf guy :huh:

Fox Shock Rebuild

by Dave Gowland

Fox Rebuild

Remove the shock and clean the outside . Measure the pre load on the spring

and length of the shock and write it down . Remove the bottom clevis .

Loosen spring tension till spring is free . Push bottom spring seat up till

you can see the wire clip and remove it . Slip seat and spring off . Loosen

the set screw in the end cap and turn the cap off ( its threaded ) . Now

let the pressure off the reservoir . Push on the air fitting till the

reservoir end is in far enough to remove the wire clip . Use pliers to pull

the end out . With the shock in the vise push down on the seal head till

you can see the wire ring and remove it .Now you can pull the shaft from

the body . Push the adjuster on the reservoir in till you can remove the

wire and that end will pull out . Piston in the reservoir will push out

either end now . When you disassemble the shock shaft set things out

carefully , draw a picture if you have too . When shims and piston are off

,slide the seal head and end cap off . Clean everything with a soft brush

and clean solvent . Change the seal and both o rings on the seal head . Put

new wiper in the end cap . Just put on what you take off being careful not

to scratch anything .

Reassemble

Clamp shock upright in the vise . Put valve assembly back in reservoir and

install the wire clip . Thread a .25 x 6'' bolt into the piston for the

reservoir in push it into the other end . Fill the shock with oil and

stroke the reservoir piston back and forth till no air bubbles in the shock

. Remove the bolt and install the air chuck end and clip . Put 50 psi of

shop air in the reservoir to hold things in place . Fill the shock almost

full of oil . With the shaft reassembled slip it in the body and work the

piston to get rid of the air . Keep the shock full of oil . When no more

bubbles push the seal head down . Oil will squirt out the side of it if you

have enough oil in the shock . When its down to the o ring release the air

in the reservoir . Push the seal head down the rest of the way and install

the clip . Put 50 psi back in the reservoir to push the seal head up to the

clip . Thread the end cap on tight and do up the set screw . Reinstall the

spring and clevis . I had a welding gas supply store charge my shock . A

hydraulic shop could charge it also if they fix accumulators . Tell them to

charge it to 300 psi , just release the shop air first .

Notes to remember

- Read the Fox manual ( ask Steve , he has it posted )

- Use 5wt oil meant for shocks , not fork oil

- There are 4 wire clips , 3 are the same and the big one is for the spring

seat

- When installing the clips make *SURE* they are in the groves or when the

shock is charged parts will fly ( very bad <g> )

- Draw a picture or make notes because you will forget something or how it goes

- The shock piston has a few little hole on the top side , keep track its

easy to put on upside down .

- Clean , Clean , Clean

* I'm not a mechanic, just trying to help out . It was fun to do and cheap

also . The rebuild kit from Fox is 17.00 . You will be surprised at the

sediment that comes out of the shock . I personally am going to start fresh

each spring , you don't need the seal kit to change the oil if you are

careful . After you do it once its easy to do in less than an hour .

Good Luck

Dave Gowland