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Suspension upgrade or rebuild in EU


Walker1

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Hello guys from Ireland ! I have been considering upgrading my suspension and even the forks. The roads here are bumpy and the ride on country roads is not comfortable, either solo or two up!

The bike is all stock. Daugherty motor sports is the recommended go too guy and I have spoken to him. Very helpful!

 

The question for me is if anyone has any experience with a rebuild or upgrade that can be done in Europe?

 

The pricing is currently out of my budget plus I’m not sure how upgrading will effect insurance policy (again, any experience do let me know!)

Also shipping from USA to eu... 21%ish on top i believe.. ouch! (I could be wrong.. feel free to correct me!)

 

I am planning on keeping this bike for the foreseeable future and intend on riding it. Daily commutes (after restrictions), touring and two up riding.

Thankyou

 

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Not sure how many miles you have on the bike and if it warrant rebuild,  but I would start with changing fork oil with proper viscosity one and making sure gap is correct. Next step would be suspension adjustment to your specific weight. Somebody will be here soon with rear shock service recommendations.... don’t know how that specific model get serviced.

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Brooks Barn have rebuilt a shock for my CBR @£160

 

Given the age I’d go for a Hagon or YSS unit @£300

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45 minutes ago, Magneto said:

how many miles you have on the bike

Good point! I have 24.5k miles currently.

 

46 minutes ago, Magneto said:

start with changing fork oil with proper viscosity one and making sure gap is correct

Good idea. I have never done this before. Will check the manual. Exactly what gap am i checking?

47 minutes ago, Magneto said:

suspension adjustment to your specific weight

Also am currently looking into this. From what i understand the springs in the stock are for a relatively light rider. I’m not exactly heavy but 180ish in the buff.

12 minutes ago, Thumbs said:

Brooks Barn have rebuilt a shock for my CBR @£160

 

Given the age I’d go for a Hagon or YSS unit @£300

Appreciate the response Thumbs. Unfortunately due to brexit I would be warranted to pay 21% for postage both ways for a rebuild. I will check those units out you’ve mentioned!

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I have bought and installed 3 YSS shocks now, and I am very happy with them.   While I'm sure other "Premium" shocks will ultimately perform better, I find them to be an amazing value.  The quality, performance, fitment and supplied spring rates seem to be very good.  The main ebay store for them will fit whatever spring rate you want for an additional charge.  The last one I bought for a Hawk GT arrived in a timely manner too.

 

On a slightly related note:

Although they have a pretty generous separate ride height adjustment, if you do some research with the part numbers, you can sometimes find shocks with the same configuration and spring, but are a little longer (or shorter) than listed in the Application Guide for a model.  Very helpful when I was fitting for the VF1000F and R.  I went longer of course, especially for the "F", as the stock length is a bit shorter than the "R".

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9 minutes ago, Captain 80s said:

installed 3 YSS shocks now, and I am very happy with them.

Thats awesome! How do you find it works when riding two up?

 

Thats an awesome collection you have!

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4 minutes ago, Walker1 said:

Thats awesome! How do you find it works when riding two up?

 

Thats an awesome collection you have!

 

Sorry, I can't say, I don't two up on those bikes.  I will likely be fitting one to my 98 ST1100 at some point, but it has pretty low miles and the shock isn't screaming at me to be replaced.

 

And thank you!  Obligatory picture of a YSS fitted machine:

spacer.png

 

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Fitted an YSS on my VF500F2 years ago. So happy with it I bought one for my (second) VFR750f as well last year

 

IMG_20200810_185600.thumb.jpg.9cb70014b7e8cf348a358bfb612ae027.jpg

 

 

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I went with YSS on my VF500F after not being able to find Hagon in U.S. Works much better than factory unit it replaced. If doing 2-up, pick stiffer spring that you can use with no pre-load 1-up. Then add preload + damping for 2-up.

 

Similar upgrade on my Ninja 250 for 2-up. Needed doubling of spring-rate for street 2-up. On Ninja 250 race-bike, I use +50% spring-rate over stock.

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Whilst the mileage may not have worn the suspension much, the years will have so as a minimum you need to replace the fork oil, however VFRs come as standard with very neutral suspension and for many they definitely benefit from some money spent on them.

 

There are plenty of suspension shops in the UK that you could phone for advice; I use MCT Suspension in Stowmarket (01449 777161). They've replaced the front & rear on my 1200 and serviced and tuned the front & rear on my previous Crossrunner. Transformational!

 

The best value you can spend your money on a VFR IMO.

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1 hour ago, Skids said:

...

 

There are plenty of suspension shops in the UK...

I have hear that UK lost 68% of business due to exiting from common market. I think OP is trying to tell us that UK shops are price prohibitive due to current duties. What a pity 🙁

 

OP, 24k that is not that many miles. If that was me, before spending serious money, I would do basic service and proper bespoke weight adjustment. Pay particular attention to fork fluid viscosity - btw what you guys use/ recommend for comfort ride? - and correct amount of fluid added to each fork (air gap - space b/w fluid surface and top of the fork - to small air volume results in harsh ride). Service would include fork and dust seal replacement. It is not a dIfficult job but will require some shop space and wrenching skills. 

Rear shocks are more forgiving than front ones, see how the ride is after basic adjustment are made. 

 

Are there shocks available on used market from newer bikes that are commonly swapped for the fifth gen?

Some info on swaps here...

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31 minutes ago, Magneto said:

trying to tell us that UK shops are price prohibitive due to current duties.

Exactly!

 

32 minutes ago, Magneto said:

basic service and proper bespoke weight adjustment

Ok.. I imagine i should give a go at the basic service before adjusting the weight. Perhaps a job for the mechanics so I can observe how its done.. at least the first time around!

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1 hour ago, Magneto said:

there shocks available on used market from newer bikes that are commonly swapped for the fifth gen?

This thread didn’t load the first time around Magneto, thanks! I am going to look at the nr4 shock and see what those guys at Maxton say. I know its UK but I believe if items are made in the UK they may not be subject to some form of tax  (i could be wrong)

 

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16 hours ago, Magneto said:

I have hear that UK lost 68% of business due to exiting from common market. I think OP is trying to tell us that UK shops are price prohibitive due to current duties. What a pity 🙁

 

 

Not heard that, but things are still very quiet over here so who knows when things get back to some sort of normal which is why I didn't suggest he buy from a UK shop (as that would be exporting to the EU and therefore more expensive) but call them to ask for advice.

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18 hours ago, Magneto said:

Service would include fork and dust seal replacement.

Would this be what I’m looking for?- https://www.wemoto.ie/bikes/honda/vfr_800_fi-1/01/picture/fork_repair_kit_-_slinky_glide

 

Would this be unnecessary - https://www.ebay.co.uk/c/1574495947

 

thanks. I might see about an aftermarket spring perhaps.

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1 hour ago, Walker1 said:

Would this be what I’m looking for?- https://www.wemoto.ie/bikes/honda/vfr_800_fi-1/01/picture/fork_repair_kit_-_slinky_glide

 

Would this be unnecessary - https://www.ebay.co.uk/c/1574495947

 

thanks. I might see about an aftermarket spring perhaps.

At 24k I would not expect need to replace bushings, particularly with aftermarket ones. Once you disassemble the forks bushings are to be inspected and replaced when needed. Spring clips are usually OK although I had some that were completely corroded and unusable. 
What you need for sure are oil seals and dust seals. Ones from dealer can be pricy, I usually get the OEM from fork manufacturers to save bit of money for exact same goods. I did not have good results with aftermarket seals. Even Japanese aftermarket suppliers cut corners, got simplified seals once with lesser lip count than OEM.
similarly with manual I rather have OEM shop manual, easy to locate these days on PDFs.

 

Fork oil viscosity selection is crucial for what you want bike to do, people often go for lesser viscosity than specified by OEM for more comfortable ride. See what people recommend here for you bike....

 

Manuals can be bit dry. Search ytube and see few videos to know what the job involves.

Quick one as example here, many others available. DIY with tricks on special tools are ones you want. Pro seal drivers are pricey

 

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My 2000 VFR ex England ??? miles rear shock was non-existent in terms of dampening - i.e. zero. Like riding a pogo stick.  I went the way of a CBR929 shock modified to suit, but haven't ridden it yet to make an opinion.

OK all you knowledgable forum peoples - which is it...457ml fork oil, or 130mm space above oil level when compressed?  The manual says both - but....

 

Cleaned out forks, rebuilt, topped up initially with 450ml oil, pumped away for a while till no air bubbles from tube or dampener rod - and I have approximately 35ml above oil level - WTF? I was expecting to add 5-10ml oil to make the right level.  What gives? Something is wrong - oil volume, oil level or there's a damn big air bubble down there that won't move.

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8 hours ago, Magneto said:

At 24k I would not expect need to replace bushings, particularly with aftermarket ones. Once you disassemble the forks bushings are to be inspected and replaced when needed. Spring clips are usually OK although I had some that were completely corroded and unusable. 
What you need for sure are oil seals and dust seals. Ones from dealer can be pricy, I usually get the OEM from fork manufacturers to save bit of money for exact same goods. I did not have good results with aftermarket seals. Even Japanese aftermarket suppliers cut corners, got simplified seals once with lesser lip count than OEM.
similarly with manual I rather have OEM shop manual, easy to locate these days on PDFs.

 

Fork oil viscosity selection is crucial for what you want bike to do, people often go for lesser viscosity than specified by OEM for more comfortable ride. See what people recommend here for you bike....

 

Manuals can be bit dry. Search ytube and see few videos to know what the job involves.

Quick one as example here, many others available. DIY with tricks on special tools are ones you want. Pro seal drivers are pricey

 

Whew! Can I employ this guy to work on my bike?

Hmm...on second thoughts, no. No. and NO.

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2 hours ago, Kiwiwannafly said:

My 2000 VFR ex England ??? miles rear shock was non-existent in terms of dampening - i.e. zero. Like riding a pogo stick.  I went the way of a CBR929 shock modified to suit, but haven't ridden it yet to make an opinion.

OK all you knowledgable forum peoples - which is it...457ml fork oil, or 130mm space above oil level when compressed?  The manual says both - but....

 

Cleaned out forks, rebuilt, topped up initially with 450ml oil, pumped away for a while till no air bubbles from tube or dampener rod - and I have approximately 35ml above oil level - WTF? I was expecting to add 5-10ml oil to make the right level.  What gives? Something is wrong - oil volume, oil level or there's a damn big air bubble down there that won't move.

Mystery solved: Don't trust a kitchen volume measure.  My rough 450ml of oil was well off. All happy on 130mm down from top of tube.

For those about to embark on this task: the final adjustment of fork oil level requires smaller than anticipated adds or subtracts. 2-5ml of oil = about 2-5mm height difference.  Don't quote me on this ratio - its an about figure.

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1 hour ago, Magneto said:

Yer funny Kiwi. Mericans get job done but it can be hard on gentile eyes... I do use pvc seal driver myself but much shorter. It works...

 

How do you like Kevin?

 

 

Technically much better instructional video...

 

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