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Will a rear shock from a 6th, 7th or 8th gen VFR fit a 5th gen?


Snapper

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Just wondering what options I have for changing the (worn out) rear shock on my VFR800Fi (2001) 🙂. There are several used ones from later models for sale locally, but I don't know if any of them fit or can be modded to fit.

 

What do you folks know 😀 ?

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The short answer is yes but...The length of the shock, the amount of travel it has and the damping and spring rates are usually different, so regardless of what shock could fit, you’ll really benefit if you have it rebuilt to suit the bike and rider. DMr (www.daughertymotorsports.com) use to sell modified shocks for both the 5 & 6 gens. Some were rebuilt internally and others internally and modified externally. The CBRF4 shock I believe is the one he modified externally with a small aluminum block at the upper mount so its length would match the 6 Gen. 

 

As to the question in the title, the 6 Gen is the closest fit but the shock is a few mm shorter than the 5 Gen, not sure if the 8 Gen differs from the 6 at all but I’m pretty sure the 7 Gen is different all together. Someone with more knowledge of the 7 & 8 Gens might be able to provide a better answer.

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The 6th gen shock has a shorter stroke, which isn't a good difference, but might be acceptable in the "real world"?  They come up on eBay.  I got a nice Nitron for my '01 about a year ago; I've seen Ohlins and others pop up, too.  Are you patient?

 

Ciao,

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I went with a Daugherty revalved shock and a cartridge kit for my 98 vfr. Haven't looked back , I've always ridden in a spirited manor but found I was scraping the pegs a lot with the old setup. ( I think the bike used to squat when cornering lowering the ground clearance ) now it's a new bike behaving very nicely. It does raise the rear a bit so if you have ducks disease like me be warned. I thought spending money on a second hand shock was to much of a risk on maybe getting another newer worn out one . You can get your old shock rebuilt here in oz so that might be an avenue to look at where you are. If you only replace the rear shock at least service the forks. 

IMG_0447.JPG

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Thanks for the input, folks 🙂!

 

I'm based in the UK and on a budget, so going to DMR isn't an option for me (due to shipping/import costs), sadly. I know that I can get a custom made shock here for around about £500, but having splashed out a lot of money on this (old) bike already, I can't really justify that. Finding a shock that provides a moderate improvement at a bargain price is all I was really thinking about.

 

Anyway, I am tall and heavy, so I would need a 'heavier' spring rather than anything lighter and shorter than stock. Must do some more research, or else forget the whole idea and just ride slower 😐.

 

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Though pertaining specifically to VTEC's and not your 5th gen, the write up below has a nice comparison between various shocks.   Somewhere back in the memory vault I seem to recall that someone swapped in a shock from a Super Blackbird - but I can't scrape enough rust off that memory to recall where I might have seen it.  The Bird's spring rate is higher, so is a good candidate for a heavier rider.  From the link it does appear to be a direct bolt in to a 6th gen - not sure about a 5th.  Since the XX is still common in England, they should be fairly easy to find.  One thought might be to contact Jaws and see what they might know about that subject and if it's a good fit for a 5th gen, where to find one.  Also, you might email Jamie D. on the subject - he builds them for both and probably would know for sure if it's a direct swap. 

 

https://www.vfrdiscussion.com/index.php?/forums/topic/19712-vtec-shock-options/

 

 

 

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Well, that's more within my price range. Even a new 'stock' replacement would be an option, as long as it fits the 5th gen (albeit with a spacer, maybe) 😐 ...

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HONDA-BLACKBIRD-CBR1100XX-YSS-REAR-SHOCK-ABSORBER-97-07-New/302019120877?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

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 Cogswell bringing up that other thread reminded me about ‘Dahose’ over at Vfrworld used a Kawasaki shock I believe on his 5 Gen, he did a write up about it too. Let me see if I can find it and I’ll post it in this post with an edit.

 

Found it!  http://vfrworld.com/threads/discovered-a-great-shock-upgrade-for-5th-gen.54848/#post-579759

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8 hours ago, Snapper said:

Well, that's more within my price range. Even a new 'stock' replacement would be an option, as long as it fits the 5th gen (albeit with a spacer, maybe) 😐 ...

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HONDA-BLACKBIRD-CBR1100XX-YSS-REAR-SHOCK-ABSORBER-97-07-New/302019120877?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

If you can spend £250, then you can buy one of those made for a 5th gen...

 

Ciao,

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I am a tall, heavy rider, i went with a used VFR1200 shock and a 4mm shim to get back to the stock height. its a major improvement over stock! i picked it up for 75£ on ebay (4£ for the shim)

 

it did require some easy adjustments to fit, i had to rotate the piston 180deg to get the rebound adjuster pointing out the left side, and i had to rotate the line going to the preload adjuster so it pointed towards the back of the bike. (i put a thread on here of me fitting it with pictures) 

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Ohlins data:

VFR1200F: Length 321.5mm, Stroke 50.5mm, Spring 01092-74 (1,028 lbs/in)

VFR800Fi:  Length 325mm, Stroke 58mm, Spring 1092-59 (857 lbs/in)

 

The spring rate is probably more suitable now (Hondas are usually undersprung), but you can't fix the significantly shorter stroke with a shim.

 

Ciao,

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Thanks for all of you replies 🙂 .

 

It seems that there is no standard shock from any other generation of VFR that will drop straight into the fifth gen bike, so I know now that I need to concentrate my search on those designed specifically for that model. That said, I don't really know how worn my shock is, so I probably need to get an expert to look at it first.

 

 

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I replaced mine with a Hagon from Wemoto. It was about £300. You can read 100 reviews and get 100 different viewpoints on these things, but mine bolted straight on and transformed the handling once I'd made a few adjustments.

 

You get what you pay for.

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You're thinking that your 17 year old shock might be worn?

It was never good to start with.

A new one will transform the bike, do the front as well and it will be even better.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/9/2018 at 9:43 PM, VFROZ said:

You're thinking that your 17 year old shock might be worn?

It was never good to start with.

A new one will transform the bike, do the front as well and it will be even better.

 

 

Yep, there's no getting away from it, if I'm going to try and improve the ride on this bike then it is going to cost 😐. So, I have decided to get a custom-made 'NR4' rear shock from Maxton ...

 

https://www.maxtonsuspension.co.uk/files/nr4.html

 

Not cheap, but if this doesn't improve the ride then nothing else is likely to. I'll leave doing anything with the front until I've fitted and tried the new shock.

 

Thanks for all of the input on this one 🙂 .

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