Upgrading suspension instead of replacing bike

[Chiefblueman]

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.

I'm thinking Traxxion Dynamics Omni spring kit with guides and fork oil change. T-D will discuss your riding habits and weight, etc and recommend the spring rate and which oil to use. I'd guess 1.05+ fork spring for you based on what I used. I'm 235 in gear. I've heard just springs and oil can really improve things up front. This and a $400 Gen 3 shock should come well under $1000. I bet you'd like it a lot!

 

[Alex]

ChiefBlueMan I think you definitely have a good point. I freshen up the front save $ on the labor by doing it myself then $400 for the new genIII

I watched the video linked above and my bike bounces around just like the bike being looked at. I set it up way too soft after following someone's suspension recommendations off the forum. The presenter definitely sounded like he knew what he was talking about. I woukd be comfortable jumping to the optimal setup right away. I'm not going to push the bike super hard after making suspension adjustments, you would be crazy to trust a fresh setup 100%

 

[03silverbullet]

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

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

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 have my Ohlins rebuilt every year or 30k miles and it seems to work for me. Having it rebuilt every 10k miles seems rather excessive.

There are several company's doing fork upgrades including GP Suspension. I have their 25mm cartridge kit and couldn't be happier with it.

I have my forks rebuilt every year or 30k miles as well but for maximum performance I should probably have it done more often.

 

[escapefjrtist]

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

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

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

<snip> I have my Ohlins rebuilt every year or 30k miles and it seems to work for me. Having it rebuilt every 10k miles seems rather excessive.

If that works for you, great, continue down that road. For oil and seals, I'll be spending less than $50 annually to freshen up the forks and shock...

YMMV

--G

 

[03silverbullet]

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

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

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

<snip> I have my Ohlins rebuilt every year or 30k miles and it seems to work for me. Having it rebuilt every 10k miles seems rather excessive.

If that works for you, great, continue down that road. For oil and seals, I'll be spending less than $50 annually to freshen up the forks and shock...

YMMV

--G

Damn thats cheap - you must do the work yourself

 

[nkavanau]

I just added a Hagon to my 06, Built to my specs, including 1/2 inch shorter on the shaft, and external damper. Completely rebuildable. All cost in and delivered to my door (In Canada) $780.00 CDN Love the shock, Easily on par with Penske and Ohlins I have had.

 

[stealth1]

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.

That makes the extra grand for the ES look like a really good deal. You are saving 1300 on the rear shock alone.

So I guess the answer is, buy the ES and trade it in every 2 years and let someone else eat the shock replacement cost.

 

[Fred W]

Or just jam an aftermarket replacement shock in there as a replacement? Probably have to figure out how to spoof the SCU, but may be able to keep the electrically adjustable damping up front.

I'm hoping that the shock lasts as long as my stock '05 shock did, which was about 50k miles. Others claim that theirs blew out before that, but I am not other people.

 

[stealth1]

Or just jam an aftermarket replacement shock in there as a replacement? Probably have to figure out how to spoof the SCU, but may be able to keep the electrically adjustable damping up front.

That got me to thinking (always dangerous), what happens on an ES bike if there is some sort of communication failure between the control unit and the suspension?

Something like a loose or corroded connector?

Does it go into some sort of fail safe mode or does it shut down?

I was looking at an ES bike this week (Tenere) and the electronic suspension model looked good but was wondering about longevity of the system.

 

[Bounce]

Like any advanced tech or increased complexity when it fails. You wallet is drained more quickly.

 

[MCRIDER007]

Or just jam an aftermarket replacement shock in there as a replacement? Probably have to figure out how to spoof the SCU, but may be able to keep the electrically adjustable damping up front.

That got me to thinking (always dangerous), what happens on an ES bike if there is some sort of communication failure between the control unit and the suspension?

Something like a loose or corroded connector?

Does it go into some sort of fail safe mode or does it shut down?

I was looking at an ES bike this week (Tenere) and the electronic suspension model looked good but was wondering about longevity of the system.

My guess is that there will be an error message on the dash and the settings will be locked in the last position they were in before the error. It would be fairly easy to find out, just pull one the connectors on the forks or the big connector on the shock.....my bet is that Fred will test it as soon as it is too cold to ride.

 

[pcarnut]

I just added a Hagon to my 06, Built to my specs, including 1/2 inch shorter on the shaft, and external damper. Completely rebuildable. All cost in and delivered to my door (In Canada) $780.00 CDN Love the shock, Easily on par with Penske and Ohlins I have had.

+1 for Hagon. I bought one for my 07, opted for the remote preload adjuster and it made a dramatic improvement in handling. It was slightly over-sprung for my weight at 190lb so I should have asked for one step lighter spring but otherwise it was a great shock. Plus for me they have their stateside facility just a few minutes away and I was able to go in and order it. Liked the shock so much I also put Hagon 2810s on my BMW and Bonneville.

 

[Fred W]

My guess is that there will be an error message on the dash and the settings will be locked in the last position they were in before the error. It would be fairly easy to find out, just pull one the connectors on the forks or the big connector on the shock.....my bet is that Fred will test it as soon as it is too cold to ride.

Ha ha... You are reading my mind.

I just read through the manual and it appears that you are correct. There will be an error code present on the instrument panel, but in all cases it says the bike will still run and can be ridden. My assumption is that it just won't be able to adjust whatever is FUBAR. But we will need to determine if we can have one end still be functional when the other is not.

I was trying to figure out exactly what damping the rear stepper motor can adjust. The adjuster is at the top of the shock body so I believe it would be the combined compression and rebound that is being varied, but the manual is not very specific.

 

[henwil]

I just added a Hagon to my 06, Built to my specs, including 1/2 inch shorter on the shaft, and external damper. Completely rebuildable. All cost in and delivered to my door (In Canada) $780.00 CDN Love the shock, Easily on par with Penske and Ohlins I have had.

+1 for Hagon. I bought one for my 07, opted for the remote preload adjuster and it made a dramatic improvement in handling. It was slightly over-sprung for my weight at 190lb so I should have asked for one step lighter spring but otherwise it was a great shock. Plus for me they have their stateside facility just a few minutes away and I was able to go in and order it. Liked the shock so much I also put Hagon 2810s on my BMW and Bonneville.

Thanks for mentioning the Hagon shock guys!

I just ordered mine. $399 delivered.

 

[pcarnut]

I just added a Hagon to my 06, Built to my specs, including 1/2 inch shorter on the shaft, and external damper. Completely rebuildable. All cost in and delivered to my door (In Canada) $780.00 CDN Love the shock, Easily on par with Penske and Ohlins I have had.

+1 for Hagon. I bought one for my 07, opted for the remote preload adjuster and it made a dramatic improvement in handling. It was slightly over-sprung for my weight at 190lb so I should have asked for one step lighter spring but otherwise it was a great shock. Plus for me they have their stateside facility just a few minutes away and I was able to go in and order it. Liked the shock so much I also put Hagon 2810s on my BMW and Bonneville.

Thanks for mentioning the Hagon shock guys!

I just ordered mine. $399 delivered.

Be interested to hear how you like it (or not).

 

[A41Billy]

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.

That me and my FJR in that video. Glad you found the information helpful. I am looking to buy a 2014ES this weekend. Want to buy my 06 with the Ohlins already mounted? BTW, the aftermarket shock is completely transforming. I am counting on being just as happy with the ES's suspension.

 

[leclairk]

That's awsome. I figured it had to be someone on this forum. I've already got an 06', what I want is an Ohlins shock! Sounds like I'm looking at $1600 for an Ohlins rear (S46HR1C1) and some Race Tech springs in front. That price is without doing a revalve kit in front.

Let me know if you want to do a shock swap with some cash.

My rear shock has 7K miles on it.

 

[Fred W]

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.

Options for improving the stock FJR Front forks

Basic service - If your forks have been on the bike for a while, like more than 30k miles, with no servicing, the suspension oil is probably pretty well broken down and thin. This will make it so you can't get enough damping on either compression or rebound.

If it is a Second Gen the sliders are most likely riding on bare metal bushings (the Teflon coating has worn off) which will make the fork resistant to move due to the friction of the bushings

A rebuild of the forks with new bushings and fresh oil will go a long way toward restoring the performance you had on day 1. I'd also replace the seals (even if they are not leaking) since you will be removing them for the bushings.

Replacement Springs -

You can upgrade the springs for a little over $100. This could be done as a part of the Basic Service or not. You want to calculate the correct spring weight based on the weight of the bike, the load you intend to have on the bike most often including passengers, gear and cargo, and your goals of the suspension upgrade. Many of the spring rate calculators will give you a race or sporty spring rate. If you want the forks to be more compliant for comfortable touring you'll want to go a bit softer or stick with the stock springs.

After upgrading the springs with some of a higher rate, you'll need to increase the rebound damping adjustment and decrease the compression adjustment.

Damping upgrades -

This is where the majority of the money is spent on a full upgrade, and the biggest part of that is in the labor. If you can do the work yourself you can get re-valving kit from GP Suspension for about $300. Of course, if you add this to the spring upgrade (> $100) and the regular service items, the total will be around up to ~$500.

I don't have any experience with the other shops, but I believe the GP kit is one of the cheapest.

To send your forks to GP (or one of the other shops) and have the work done will be more than double that cost, plus the cost of shipping the forks around, and being without your bike wile the forks are always, unless you are lucky enough to live near one of them.

 

[henwil]

My Hagon shock just arrived! Next step is to read the service manual and FJRTech.net, and start wrenching

 

[Fred W]

Nice. Looks like a (nice) shock to me. Good to see all the preload range on it