Replaced Gen II shock with a Gen III shock

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At 44,490 miles my 2006 stock shock was well beyond its useful life. After a recent spirited ride with some friends I knew I had to do something soon. I started looking into Penske and Ohlins replacements when MCRIDER007 suggested using a Gen III as a replacement. Since the Gen III shocks are said to have a heavier spring and better damping...and could be had for only $432 shipped, I started looking closer at this option. I immediately check with a good friend who bought a 2013. He is the type to replace factory shocks with aftermarket almost immediately, but had not done so on his 2013. I spent several days last summer chasing him over a bunch of passes in Colorado and can attest that his 2013 handled very well. Since he was completely satisfied with the 2013 shock I order one. Removal and installation were straight forward using the available how-to posts here and on fjrtech.com. More on that in a bit.

Right to the bottom line...the new shock is a winner. No special mounting problems since it is the same physically as the old shock. The spring is definitely heavier. I can actually ride in the 'Soft' setting! Damping seems very good though I haven't played around with different settings as of yet. I took it out for a spin on a local road with some nice sweepers and undulating pavement. It handled everything with ease. I recognize that any new shock will be significantly better than that worn out one, but the seat of the pants feel is that this is a very good shock at a very reasonable price.

Back to the removal and install. Two areas were a bit of a problem, the top mounting bolt and the control cable routed above the electronic control. Instructions say to remove the connectors from the electronic control box since the preload control cables run over the top of them. I struggled to get those connectors loose and finally decided it wasn't worth the effort since the shock was headed for the trash. I just cut the preload cable with a pair of side cutters and moved along.

The other troublesome area is access to the bolt head on the right side of the upper shock mount. The ABS module and associated hoses are in this area, but you can get in there with a little work. If you remove the machine screws holding the rear master brake you will likely have enough wiggle room to get in there. The orange arrows indicate what needs to be removed.

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The hose running from that master cylinder is what is in the way more than anything else. I also removed the machine screws that secure the plate that holds the electronic control box and the mounting studs for the preload adjuster. There are two allen screws on each side. This provides a little extra wiggle room.

Here are the mounting bolts for the plate on the right side. Remove these for some extra wiggle room.

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A wider shot of the right side.

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Here are the mounting bolts for the left side of the plate.

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When replacing the bolt slide it in from the left instead of the right. It makes the job MUCH easier. You will knock out, if you haven't already, the green metal spacer sleeve that goes in the right side of the bike's shock mount. Put the bolt in from the right and then slip the green sleeve onto it from the right. Once it is sitting on the bolt you'll need to maneuver the shock until the sleeve is in a position to slide in place. Spray some WD40 or similar product in there before you start so you have a better chance of things sliding together. A long screw driver is NOT the to use to shove the green sleeve into place since many are somewhat magnetic. Mine had just enough magnetic attraction to pull the sleeve off the bolt a couple of time. I switched to a chopstick and that issue was solved.

The green arrow points to the reinforced hose coming from the rear master brake cylinder. The red arrow points to the upper shock mounting bolt on the right side. In stock position this would be the head of the bolt. I reversed the bolt so you are now looking at the nut end.

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I'd be glad to clarify any of this. Just ask.

 
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Excellent post! This is good news indeed for those of us intent on staying with our prior gens and in need of rear shock therapy on a reasonable budget. It is especially nice that you retain the ability to switch soft/hard for 1-up vs 2-up days.

One little suggestion here on your procedure: Rather than removing the 2 bolts shown below to move just the master cylinder...



You can remove the two bolts indicated below on my 1st gen and the entire footpeg assembly can be moved out of the way...

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Might make the fitting a bit easier?

 
It would definitely be worth the little time it takes to remove it. Anything that gives even a little extra space would help.

 
Interesting point: I priced out a GEN II shock at one place: $611. Same place Gen III shock $407. Wondering why a Gen II shock would be so much more than a Gen III?

 
Interesting point: I priced out a GEN II shock at one place: $611. Same place Gen III shock $407. Wondering why a Gen II shock would be so much more than a Gen III?
Once the word is out Yamaha and dealers are going to have lots of Gen II shocks that they can't sell.

 
Yeah--for the price of that shock, to have a 'plug and play' replacement for a tired OEM unit, I think a lot of people may do this. Keep us updated on your thoughts. My shock's over 45K and I've thought about replacing it maybe next year. Under 500 bucks seems tolerable.

 
Interesting point: I priced out a GEN II shock at one place: $611. Same place Gen III shock $407. Wondering why a Gen II shock would be so much more than a Gen III?
Once the word is out Yamaha and dealers are going to have lots of Gen II shocks that they can't sell.
No worries, they don't stock them anyway...... we should be more concerned that Yamaha will increase the price.

 
Thanks. Very good post!

Definitely considering this option.

I assume the 2013 shock is not rebuildable but at the price that would not be a deal breaker.

 
So who is selling the Gen III shock in the $400 range? I had no luck finding one for this price.

 
So who is selling the Gen III shock in the $400 range? I had no luck finding one for this price.

I just checked one place - cyclepartswarehouse.com and they are selling a 2014 A model shock for $452.

Which I may add is a HELL of a lot cheaper than the $2850 for a ES model shock!!!

 
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A friend purchased one from partshark.com for $385 shipped. Expect a wait of a couple of weeks as I'm sure they are not a stocked item. PS - I could not connect to their website this morning to verify the price........

We changed the shock on my friends 2010 in about 40 minutes with no real difficulties whatsoever, no removal of rear master cylinder, etc. Except for disconnecting the rectifier connectors due to the cable routing........ it was a straight swap in swap out.

Edit - finally was able to access their website, current price U$394. There was free shipping a month ago, but that may have changed. I'd say check it out with them to be sure.

 
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How does the heavier spring rate affect the bike overall? I am assuming minimal change in overall ride height? Does the heavier spring make the bike ride any rougher? Or is it smoother? How does this affect the adjustments needed on the forks since the rear is now "upgraded"?

I was discussing this option with Pop yesterday morning but I am far from an expert on suspension.

 
How does the heavier spring rate affect the bike overall? I am assuming minimal change in overall ride height? Does the heavier spring make the bike ride any rougher? Or is it smoother? How does this affect the adjustments needed on the forks since the rear is now "upgraded"?
I was discussing this option with Pop yesterday morning but I am far from an expert on suspension.
My experience with the new shock turned out to be short lived. I longed for the days when a sport touring bike didn't mean a 600+ pound bike. As a result I set out to build up a light weight sport touring bike. Here is the final result:

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But back to the shock, Any ride height change was insignificant. The ride firmed up but not even close to being harsh. I hesitate to say the old shock made the bike wallow, because that implies side to side as well as up and down. On the old set up the suspense would compress quite a bit with any rolling road surface or sharp turns giving the feeling of wallowing while still tracking true. It is not a good feeling at speed. That was gone with the new one. Much steadier and a much better feel with no harshness. I kept my forks where they were before and everything was good. Hope this helps. Glad to answer any other questions.

 
When the shock on my ES goes and if it is after my 5 year warranty expires, the ES functionality will be sacrificed . . . . .

 
Resurrecting an old thread here...

I ordered Pop a new Gen3 rear shock today. He does not know it yet. I already paid for it, we will see how this argument goes. I expect some irritation on his part.

Pop only has about 40K on his '07 FJR, probably a bit less. The bike needs some help in the rear suspension for sure.

I have a few issues with his current setup.

1. No cornering clearance. When we first started riding together, me on the ST1300 and him on the FJR, he had more lean angle than I did. He could easily carry more corner speed than I could. Over time he began touching his pegs at exactly the same time as my ST1300. This last year he was touching his pegs when I was not. There is no way an ST1300 should out corner an FJR.

2. Kickstand is too long. Over time the kickstand seems to have grown longer. The bike has slowly lost ground clearance to the point that getting off it is a balancing act. Once off, the suspension straightens enough for the kickstand to work.

3. Won't safely follow my '15 ES. I realized that Scar ('15 ES) has much more ground clearance than Dad's '07. The two parked side by side made that obvious. The ES has waaaaay more available lean angle than the '07. I no longer have any reference as to how fast I am leading Dad into a corner. This worry has been increasing as my familiarity with Scar increases. I am throwing the '15 FJR around more aggressively than I ever could with my ST1300 and I am afraid of leading Dad into a situation where he does not have enough lean angle to follow. Since he will be 70 this year... Well, crashing would not be good.

I had a serious talk with Dad about "upgrading" to a Gen 3. I felt certain I could find a lightly used 2013 for an excellent price, or we could look for either a '14 or '15 A brand new. Pop would not discuss it. He loves his '07 and feels that we have modified it into The Perfect Bike. So, I guess I will modify it some more.
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