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Hi, I red few posts about suspension upgrade on Vfr1200 and decide to ask as in new post; I am looking for best curving performance, solo street aggressive ride. What can I get as recommend from someone's experience? P.s. I could noticed that one of the best combination are ohlins shock and cartridge forks nix 30?

I have a blown replacement shock for my VFR VTEC (2005) which has already gone off to the makers and they have given me a 5-week turnaround I have a 'dead' VFR800FiW (98) with original and WP aftermarket shocks available .. can I fit either one? (even if it's not 'optimal' ) as I have to commute by bike and it will cost me $1000 in car fuel/parking costs extra in that time as well as an hour more a day.

Hello All, Just got a nice new rear shock for my 5th gen and was wondering what everyone does to keep their rear shock protected from salt, rust, mud and sandblasting from rear wheel. Are huggers the answer, or neoprene shock socks? Don’t care about looks - just want it to last as long as possible. I’m worried the hugger doesn’t protect enough and that the sock will trap moisture/dirt inside. Not sure what is best. Washing the bike after every ride is simply not an option. All advice welcome. Stray

Hi all, In the middle of doing a Nitron shock install on my 1999 VFR. All was going well, removed the linkage plates, found the top mount nut, and then I discovered I didn't have the large hex bit required to undo the bolt securing the connecting link. I attempted to undo the nut on the opposing side but suceeded only in rounding it slighty - it was tight as hell. So, one taxi ride to Halfords and back later and I have the hex bit, bit because it's so damn tight I rounded the bolt head - now I'm truly screwed. The way I see it, I cannot manoeuvre the old shock out of position without getting the connecting link out of the way, and I cannot get the top mount off the shock (to allow the shock to come further down and possibly allow me to articulate it out of the way) because access is so damn poor. I'm in crisis mode here - save me people!!!! The pic will hopefully show the extent of the problem.

I have been searching everywhere and I must be entering the wrong terms, so I thought I would ask. The previous owner relocated the rear shock adjustment knob inside the bike under the seat vs. on the right passenger pegs. This makes it look nice, but it eats up space. I am looking to add a fuse block, and now this knob is taking up real estate so I want to put it back outside. Only issue is that I do not have the bracket for it, and I cannot find what it's called. All I have now is the shock knob (attached by the hose to the shock) and the right passenger footpeg. I will need the following: The bracket, bolts, and nuts These circled collar extensions If there's a specific name for it that'd be great, then I can search the forum or eBay for anyone that is selling them

Hello all - After joining with Duc2V4 for a couple weekend rides, then chasing crazybrother, BrianF, tc339, St. Stephen, and RC1237V around the Sierras a couple weekends ago, I am finally facing the need for suspension upgrades to my Gen 5. I've enjoyed about as much research as I can handle, and I'm down to choosing either a Daugherty CBR929RR shock converted for my VFR [$420], or a new Penske or Elka correctly configured [$800-950]. The cost of a purpose-built shock may be justified, even though my VFR is more quality Henckel chef's knife than it is scalpel. Question 1 - does anyone know of a used Penske or Elka for sale? I'd be looking for one already configured for the Gen 5 VFR, knowing I'd still have to have it sprung and valved for my application [I'm 225 lbs all geared up]. It's easy to find used Penske and Elka shocks for other motorcycles, but I checked with Penske, and converting a ZX10R or GSXR shock to VFR spec adds up quickly: $162 for a shock body, $40 for a hose, $95 for an eyebolt, $150 for the service, $100 for a spring, and $45 for bushings = $592 plus the cost of a shock. A new Penske double adjustable shock with remote reservoir, valving, and spring to spec = $950. New Elka = $800. Question 2 - does anyone have contact info for the vfrd group purchase of Elka shocks that happened in the past? I'd like to contact the correct person at Elka to see if they might have remaining stock or would be willing to give me the group price. Anyone interested is welcome to join me in instigating a fresh 2016 vfrd group purchase from Elka. Regarding front suspension, I've reigned in the impulse to consider an R1 fork conversion, and have even managed to temper my desire for better brakes via F4i or VTR forks. I'm saving my sheckels for a pure track bike, so have decided against any front suspension for the VFR that requires triple clamps or more to implement. I emailed Jamie Daugherty asking if his revalve and spring service combined with his rebound upgrade was the equal of his complete cartridge package. On his website, the two approaches seem equivalent - for the revalve/spring/rebound, you send your forks to DMr, but for the cartridge package, he sends it to you, and you install it yourself. I look forward to his feedback. Thanks for any input.

Just had my first ride with the new Jamie Daugherty setup... I bought his CBR600F4 w/mount for the rear, and the fully adjustable front cartridge kit for the forks. I did not want to learn fork internals, so I shipped him my OEM units for him to install the cartridge kit in (plug and play for me). I am very satisfied with the pricing, service, and shipping - I would absolutely recommend his work to anyone. Install notes: FRONT: Get Jamie to install the cartridge kit in your forks, drink beer. Bolt forks back into place - use your service manual! I raised my forks 10mm in the triples REAR: You WILL need to take off the exhaust and undertail tray. Get over it. I didn't want to, and I ended up with a scratched up shock and then had to remove that stuff anyway. Leave the top mount loose so you can angle it as you push the shock into position, then torque mount bolt once its standing in its new home. I trimmed the undertail tray front left corner ahead of the clip, to allow the remote reservoir hose to sit comfortably. I drilled 3 holes through the battery tray to zip-tie the remote reservoir. Works great 1-up, 2-up it is slightly rubbing so I will continue to tweak. Ride report: Wow! It seems that everyone who has upgraded their suspension says it is the best money you can spend - but having only ridden my VFR and Ninja 500, I don't have the experience to know what a good suspension feels like. Now I understand - the ride is slightly more stiff, but you can feel the suspension working to absorb all imperfections on the road and keep the bike planted, and going into corners you have 100% confidence and control. VERY happy so far, it truly feels like a new bike, and more importantly it feels like how the bike should have come from the factory. Update: This install worked fine for 1-up, but for 2-up riding the remote reservoir was juuuust slightly contacting the brake line/chainguard bracket. It probably wasn't a big deal, but a brake line isn't something I want to play around with. I decided to tear down the rear again, take out the undertail tray, and trim the area above where the res was currently mounted so it could sit up higher. If you look closely at the right side of the bracket, you can just see where the res was contacting. Tore down the rear: Undertail tray with the initial cut outline: (I did the whole cut with a Dremel and then cleaned up with a utility knife) Cutting has begun: Cutting complete: Reinstalled and mounted: Removed the front zip tie for a cleaner look, and sealed the strap hole with RTV Complete! Happy to have the install fully completed to my satisfaction - and the bike feels better than ever!

2004 ABS, 40K. All stock, suspension never serviced. Ordered a CBR600 shock from DMs and also want to upgrade the front. Going to order Racetech front springs - I'm 170 no gear and ride aggressive street (shitty streets of Atlanta). In a perfect world I'd get .925 rate but they only offer .90 or .95. Should I go with the stiffer .95s and run 5 weight Maxxima oil? Will probably try raising the rear a little as well. Also this is my first time servicing the front...can someone confirm I have the parts needed and right amounts in my Bike Bandit cart - I've attached pic. Thanks to the instructions on this site I yanked my snorkel, PAIR crap and did the flapper mod today. Sounds beefier. Do I need to use resistors in the 02 sensors now that I've done that or does it not matter? Down the line I'm planning on getting a PCV w/ autotune so from what I've read I'll need to get catless headers from a 98/99 right? And then of course some slip ons. Also going to switch the rear sprocket to a 45. Also attached an interesting pic - one of my low beams was out so I went to replace it and the socket connector looked like this... Thanks for the help in advance-

Hello again - Here are pics of the 6-gen ABS shock I am considering buying to replace my non-ABS shock (I really want the remote preload adjust for 2-up). The adjustor hose has been disconnected at the banjo bolt for removal... can anyone spell out the process for filling/bleeding this part of the system? I want to make sure it is something I can do before I go and buy it. Looks like all the hardware is present and the shock is in good shape, was used for roughly 10,000 km. (6k mi) Thanks! Pics:

Quick question - I have an '02 Non-ABS... looking to buy a used OEM ABS rear shock with remote preload adjust. I have found a fellow who will sell me one for a reasonable price - it has only been ridden for 10,000km (~6k miles), but has been off the bike for just over a year (he upgraded to a Penske). He has advised that I should have the shock refilled since it has not been under pressure/load for a year. Is this necessary? I wouldn't think so, as I'm imagining buying an OEM unit from Honda that may have sat on a shelf for 5 years... but maybe its different if it has been ridden on versus not? Feedback appreciated!! Thanks Mike

Hi all, first post here, so greetings from the UK. I've searched forever looking for this info and hoped one of you fine gents might just have the answer I need. I bought a 2nd hand Ohlins rear shock that came from an older Fireblade. The kind that has the external oil reservoir on a hose. I know that the Fireblade shock is shorter but this was not a problem as there was heaps of length adjustment on the shock. So I adjusted the length to match the shock that came off and it fitted straight in nice and easy. I'm pretty sure the rear spring rate is ok because I get 10mm static and 35mm rider sag. The only problem is the shock that came off was a cheap aftermarket job, and I have no idea if the length is correct for the bike. The reason for needing to know is: After installing the Ohlins front fork springs I had to reduce the spacer by 25mm, I thinks that's 1 inch to you guys, to get the front low enough for the bike to handle properly. The front was riding way too high and understeering wildly! Now either the rear is too low or the front is too high, only way I can tell is by having the exact rear shock length, mid lower mount hole to mid upper mount hole in mm please :p So if any of you guys have an OEM shock sitting around in the garage could you please measure it for me? It's easier to measure by putting two thick bolts though it and measuring between the centers of the bolts for better accuracy. Thanks guys, peace Martin

After the last long ride on my Gen7, I've "caught up" with all those on this list that realize the suspension needs work to handle any sport riding. Been doing the research on front and rear mods, but hadn't considered rebuilding/revalving the rear, that is until Jamie Daugherty at JMr said he could make the stock shock work quite well, for a fraction of the cost of an aftermarket shock. I'm a bit skeptical. Anybody have JMr rebuild their stock Gen7 shock?

Hi Just been tweaking my stock rear shock on my 06 and from what i have gathered the standard rebound setting is about 1 1/4 turns out from full hard. I went to adjust mine and it had only half a turn. I started playing with it as it was wallowing. I have increased the compression from the stock 2 clicks to 4 clicks. I am 100kgs. I know the stock shock sucks generally but have heard people similar to my weight can make do with the stock shock. Does this sound like normal behavior from the stock shock or does the valving sound worn or stuffed? Cheers Shane

I have a WP suspension spring and am looking at other OEM springs of theirs. I am not entirely sure how to read their numbers. For example, the one shock is marked 85-160. I've read that the first number is N/mm, and the second is the spring free length in mm. 85N/mm = 8.66kg/mm? That seems really really light. The stock VFR is 15.3kg/mm or thereabouts.

So I am no Rossi, but I do ride at a pretty good pace through the turns. I feel that I push pretty hard while still being with in reason. Anyways, going over my bike the other day and I am looking at my tires. My rear shows that I have used it all the way to the last mm of the edge to the sidewall. But looking at the front shows that I have plenty left, more like a centimeter left. So to cut to the chase, I am wondering if I need to adjust something. I have the rear at the standard height and the front lowered about a half of an inch. I wonder if maybe I should raise the rear some or increase the tire pressure in the rear etc... I had both the front and rear at 32 psi last time I checked. One thing that I have noticed after dropping a lot of weight off of the bike is the rear feels pretty harsh. I weigh only about 165 fully geared and I have pulled a lot of weight off of the bike. I know a lot of people say that the bike is under sprung from the factory, but I feel at this point that my front spring rate is about right and my rear spring rate might be a little high. My front preload is one line out from full stiff and has fresh honda pro oils in it per you guys advice. My rear is at full soft and I am not really sure about the rebound, I cant seem to find a good spot. I think I may just need a new shock, as I am sure that they get cooked with there location to the rear exhaust primaries... My bike is a 2007 with 46,000 miles. Hoping to hear back.

First of all I want to publicly thank Fred (Huntinggunns) for coming over yesterday and doing most of the work (I passed him tools...does that count?) of reinstalling my Jamie Daugherty rebuilt forks (re-spring, re-valve), installing new steering head tapered roller bearings, and swapping out my stock shock for a Jamie Daugherty re-sprung, re-valved F4i shock. If there is a motorcycle Heaven, I'm sure Fred is going! Thanks again! Anyway, after a test ride on our washboard-bumpy pavement yesterday, I came to the conclusion that my settings were off. I haven't contacted Jamie yet, but following Keith Code's method for determining and setting rider sag, I still have some questions. I was surprised to find that to get 38mm rider sag on the forks I had to crank the preload down to only one line showing on the adjuster. I was also disappointed that the rider sag initially was too soft due to the rough ride I experienced yesterday...I was hoping it was set too stiff! Maybe I am expecting too much in the balance between comfort on rough roads and having it stiff enough for hard braking and cornering. The shock was also disappointing to find that preload was set about right (again I was hoping it was set too hard so I could back it off). I determined that rider sag on the rear shock is 41 mm. So, 38 mm front and 41 mm rear rider sag. This set up feels much stiffer than my stock set up did as it should. I guess I was hoping for more compliance (comfort) as well. Since Jamie did not replace the fork caps, but just the springs and valves, I believe I am right in assuming that I have no rebound or compression damping adjustments just as before. I do however now have compression damping adjustment on the remote reservoir for the shock. I do not know how to make this adjustment...there is a slotted screw that turns about 1.5 turns from stop to stop. Is this the adjustment screw or just a set screw? The screw is in a fitting that could possibly be turned with an appropriate spanner, but none of my wrenches really fit on it, so I didn't want to booger it up without asking first. What rider sag are others using on a 6th gen?

Look what came in the mail today! From some dude in Indiana... And so it can sound and look as good as it handles! And the end result. I'd like to give a big thanks to Jamie for the great service and super quick turnaround. Now I had previously done the 929 conversion and have race tech 0.95kg springs in the front. But seeing as I am the better part of 250lbs I knew the setup was less than ideal. As I was riding down to go get the shock trying to pay particular attention to how my bike handled, I was anxious to find out if I would really notice "that much" of a difference from what I was currently running? So I set to the task of swapping out the shock and installing the Delkevic high mount. within an hour I was listening to the sweet rumble of my new 14" carbon pipe(spud out). And then I went for a ride, the only word to describe the new handling characteristics..."PLANTED" during my shakedown ride I found myself looking down at the speedometer thinking F&%K!!! this is quick!! Pretty much the best money I've ever spent on the bike. what a difference! Thanks again Jamie. Yeah the muffler is cool too. :) Jess

Hi everyone, The winter is almost done and i didn't upgrade anything.....THIS MUST BE SET WRIGHT I was thinking, does any one know what OEM rear shock could be swaped in my 3th gen VFR. I know that CBR 929 rear shock will do the trick but what about something with compression and rebound settings.

I've been collecting parts for my suspension and brake upgrade for a few months now and I nearly have everything. Just need some 2" longer SS brake lines but I'm holding off for those since I found out last week I'll be leaving Jan. 18th for another deployment to return August 15th. Love the Navy!! I have my new JDM shock to install also. 2005 Yamaha R1 front end w/ 1k Racetech springs and JDM shock I figure I'd rather spend my last few weeks/days riding than wrenching so it's all going on the shelf until I return. Sucks but what ya gonna do. Until then I squint at my bike and try to vizualized the purdy new front end.

I remember reading a while back that a VFR member was pretty good about rebuilding shocks and doing it at a good price, too. Can anyone here remind me about who that is? I have a set of 954 fronts and a stock rear that need a little lovin'.