Upgrading suspension instead of replacing bike

I have enjoyed my 07 since day one picking it up in Cullman. Recently after riding a 2013 it became apparent just how horrible the suspension is on my 60k mile bike.

I'm on my 3rd factory rear shock and this one is tired. I trying to decide the best aftermarket option for us. My wife and I ride 2-up 75% of the time so I definately want remote preload adjustment. I've contacted Mark at RaceTech and have spoke with a rep from Ohlins.

I'm stuck in the middle right now and would like your collective knowledge to help sway me either way. I want the best but also don't want to have to rebuild it very often if that is possible.

On a side topic, I recently purchased an aftermarket device that plugs in the rear of the tank and it transformed the throttle to feel just like the much smoother genIII and every other mod has already been completed. I just don't see much reason to move to the 14' except for the fantastic color!

Thanks in advance!

Save some money and buy a GEN3 shock. I don't know how long they will last but they are great for going from solo to 2-up since the "hard" spring has been upgraded to about 970 lbs.

Great advice from '007 Alex. Seems the GenIII rear shock is a cost effective upgrade vs the aftermarket.

Alex said:

<snip> I want the best but also don't want to have to rebuild it very often if that is possible.

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I recently had my Penske rebuilt after 30K miles and it was way overdue. Based on feedback from my local shop [Konflict Motorsports], I'll be doing an oil change / seal kit every season or 10K miles.

--G

I intentionally skipped the ES and bought a non-ES bike so I could upgrade the suspension. I liked Wilburs on BMW's and have heard good things about Penske. Or I might go Ohlins all for not much more than OEM replacements.

I'll throw another in the mix https://www.traxxion.com/sporttouringsuspension.aspx . email Dan Anderson <[email protected]> for more info. Your looking at AK-20 service of 20-25k and the penske rear at 50k. IMHO a matched suspension upgrade is the cats azzz. Money well spent. Without a doubt a "new" bike.

Even if you spend $2k on your suspension stuff you'll be money ahead of buying a new bike.
But when you do get a new bike you get a lot more than just a new (better) suspension.
If you are 100% happy with your current ride in all regards except the suspension, then the upgrade is certainly the way to go .

I'd be really tempted to try a 3rd Gen rear shock as the rear upgrade. The damn aftermarket shocks all require rebuilding too often, IMO.
If the current prices continue, you could keep replacing w/ 3rd gen shocks when they wear out (which seems not as fast as the rebuilds) and still be ahead of the game financially.

kurt said:

I intentionally skipped the ES and bought a non-ES bike so I could upgrade the suspension.

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Yeah, that was my plan too. Then I rode an ES. The rest, as they say, is history.

I figure now that I can probably still replace the ES stuff with regular aftermarket if I need to in the future. I'd just be throwing away $1k of added ES suspension cost, and have to figure out how to satisfy the SCU. A grand isn't all that much coin when it comes to suspension stuff.

kurt said:

I liked Wilburs on BMW's and have heard good things about Penske. Or I might go Ohlins all for not much more than OEM replacements.

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Nah, the 3rd gen rear shock is cheap (for some reason). Less than $400 last I heard.

Funny you should ask. 2004 with 54k, bought a used 2013 shock(< 1000 miles claimed) and new fork springs for my fat ass as well as all of the

OEM inner bushings, seals & oil. Parts were $650.00 and labor to install was $300.00, which included mounting fresh meat front & rear.

Changed the bike, more stable at speed and quite settled when entering & exiting corners. NOW how am I gonna pay for tickets & bail ?????

The Gen III overall is certainly an upgrade over the older generations but the more I see of the ES I'm not sure if I would go to full electronic suspension. I'm thinking it may be better to buy the A version and then take the price difference between the two bikes and put that money into an aftermarket suspension that is properly setup for my riding style and weight.

I have done the odd track day in the past and still ride dirt bikes and I think I can tell when a suspension setup is working for me or not. I like having a little stiffer spring in the forks and as soon as you do that you will probably find the stock fork valving wanting. The stock rear shock just does not have enough pre-load adjustment to get the ride height correct which affects handling.

All forks and shocks need servicing if you are looking for optimum suspension. Suspension oil in both the forks and shocks gets contaminated and should be changed as a normal service maintenance item. This becomes problematic with a stock shock which I don't believe are rebuildable. For the average rider having an aftermarket shock rebuilt every two years, changing fork oil every season and changing fork seals and bushings every two years is not all that objectionable. I having a hard time believing rebuilding an aftermarket shock is as expensive as buying a new OEM shock from Yamaha every two years.

The big stumbling block for me is a lack of an AE version of the Gen III on this side of the pond. I don't want or need a clutch lever.

I have an '08 that uses the HyperPro street box, which comes with progressive front springs and a rear shock. The Kit is $699. The rear shock can be rebuilt for $150.

Ride quality improved 100%. Rear shock also has progressive Spring so you do not hook up the soft/hard lever thingy. https://www.epmperf.com/streetbox.html

yamafitter said:

I having a hard time believing rebuilding an aftermarket shock is as expensive as buying a new OEM shock from Yamaha every two years.

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No, what I was saying was that if you have to rebuild the aftermarket shock twice to every stock shock replacement (which is about what it seems) you come out about even, but never had to buy the aftermarket shock.

Funny this came up, it is currently a heated topic (no, not by myself eitha!) on my Ski-Doo Forum as to whether to keep buying cheaper stock shocks vs the more expensive aftermarket and keep them going; ...being that they need more frequent (periodically) maintenance/rebuilding.

Riding style and weights come into play on both. (OP)- You mentioned 2-up riding 3/4 of the time, but did not mention any aggressive or spirited riding. I think you're on the lesser of dollar signs with your needs and upkeep. Some folks need both, and to me there's always a slight trade off when needing both, but you are in the lucky pool this time.

What Yamafitter says makes sense, but upgrading to a whole new bike (as Fred says) gives you so much more than just suspension. It's too bad these bikes are tuned for a little skinny Japanese guy, otherwise right out of the box, this bike would be setup for us hambuger n fries guys. (No sushi here!)

Good luck!

Thanks for all the replies everyone. Your not making the decision much easier

Where are all these aftermarket genIII rear shocks that you speak of? I could go with the gold valves and replace springs upfront and 3rd gen in the rear. I guess now it comes down to price difference. I'm still able to get 20 points off RaceTech and I could snag a rear for $300 or less that might just be the best option.

We moved to the Black Hills last year and I have the opportunity for much more spirited riding here. The curves really are where I'm noticing the failing suspension.

My next bike, even if it is the gen4 or adv bike, I'm still going to keep this bike. It was the first motorcycle I paid cash for new and have had too many good memories with family and friends going on epic trips.

For buying aftermarket shocks Gen 2 = Gen 3 (A)

But folks are also talking about buying an OEM Gen 3 (A) shock as an upgrade to any prior Gen bike. The part number is 1MC-22210-10-00.

Here's one for $395

Fred W said:

Even if you spend $2k on your suspension stuff you'll be money ahead of buying a new bike.

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This ^^^

It has amazed me at the number of people who think chasing more power (on their bike or car) is the first windmill to joust when the factory suspensions of most seldom put the OEM power to the ground as well as it could.

Upgrading the suspension (front and back) is one of the best ROI for most any bike. Ohlins, WP, or Wilburs all are better than ANY (and yes, I mean ANY - IMO) factory suspension for the FJR.

You might spend a grand but long after you forget writing the check you'll be smiling about the results. Make sure you work with someone who understands what/how you ride and can apply it to a balanced solution. Suspensions are things of magic and myth and there are a lot of well-learned people on every other bike subject that are shooting in the dark WRT to suspensions. Traxxion Dynamic is a good turn-key source as are others.

As with saddles, you can pay for another cookie-cutter option and get minor improvements (or not) or you can apply that money to a better solution and get a great result. Last I checked, the cost of entry (high to low) was Ohlins, WP and then Wilburs. For me the Ohlins wouldn't have been cost-effective simply because I would be riding 50% of my investment (because of my skill set). I like Works (WP) because, last I heard, they are "old school" in their design which makes them easier to service by a local moto suspension shop. I have Wilburs because they were comparable to WP and there was a group buy (via this forum) "back in the day". After the "soft spring issues" we all had, I got it dialed in (Traxxion Dynamics would have done that as part of their service) and have been VERY happy ever since.

I had a Wilburs on my '03 FJR and loved it - provided my weight and riding preferences and it was spot on. A little pricey, but worth it, IMO.

Top Speed:

Ya had some good thoughts there. However, ya might wanna try learning a little Japanese and tryin' some of that Sushi. For what it's worth the right kinda diet might keep a few of us around a bit longer.

Gary

darksider #44

Alex, if you're going to spend the dough on suspension I'd recommend talking to a vendor that knows FJRs specifically. Traxxion Dynamics and GP Suspension come to mind. Lee Spitler at T-D is very knowledgeable about these bikes and provided me with some of the best customer service I've ever had. GP is very popular here in the NW among the FJR crowd. The suspension performance difference is amazing.

A little off topic, but I wonder how far the new ES shock will go before it needs attention. Is it rebuildable? At $2300 replacement https://www.partshark.com/oemparts/a/yam/52869a0bf8700230dc2a753e/rear-suspension I hope it is.

This is my problem (as well as most people). I don't want to take credit in anyway for the video. I ran across it during my search for suspension and found it really helpful. I assume it is people from this forum.



This is exactly why I need suspension. At 240lbs my bike could be considered dangerous to ride. Especially with an additional 50lbs of gear on it.

Many people are talking about rear shocks but what about front? The Traxxion forks look great, but at over $1000 I can't spring (ha ha) for that. What are some options for the front that will give me an improvement that doesn't cost too much, like less than $300? I would love it if I could give the bike an upgrade for less than $1000.

Wilburs, WP, Ohlins and others will have replacement springs based on your needs. The trick is knowing the magic incantations needed to tell them what that need is. That's where the wizards at places like Traxxion Dynamics come in. They know this magic and can get the right bits into your bike based on your requirements. You might pay a little more for the quality stuff and the services of someone who understands what works and how to set it up for you, but in the long run it's money well spent.

I know many a worthy bike mechanic that steps back when suspension talk starts. I've known at least one rider who helped set his wife's bike up and ended up with the rear so sloppy and the forks so out of whack (trying to get it lower for her) that it created a very dangerous situation. It's not that he intentionally wanted something awful to happen to her, it's that he didn't understand the complexities involved.

It's a unique skill set.