Topic: Best Aftermarket Shocks

[birdy]

My 750K2 came with Marzocchi's - are these any good? I suspect the answer is that they are ancient and fit for the bin.

[MRieck]

Yes, the engine guy on the team was not pleased, as he thought horsepower was the greatest contributing factor in going fast!   Not in road racing...as the goal is to turn every corner into a straight away. ie: can't have engines that "hit hard" and must maximize the drive out of the corner with great midrange power.


KOS

That statement begs the question...are lightened cranks good for roadracing? I have my opinion and experiences.

 
   You're such a tease Mike.  I'll go out on a limb and say that for road racing...balanced yes though lightened only as much as it takes to balance it...unless it's better off with a heavier non-balanced crank? Are you looking at center of gravity...torque? Both? OMG!!! So many questions...

Mike

That's it Mike. Modern cranks are not that heavy compared to old iron. The stock weight crank gives a smoother drive out of corners.....that's what I've found.  Lightened rotors aren't a bad idea

[Terry in Australia]

My 750K2 came with Marzocchi's - are these any good? I suspect the answer is that they are ancient and fit for the bin.

That's right, they're rubbish mate, but as you've got so much junk already in Britain, (London Bridge, Big Ben, every British car ever built, etc etc) send those horrible old Marzoc's to me and I'll dispose of them thoughtfully!

Ha ha, all BS aside, the Marzocchi Strada's were great shocks, standard equipment on Ducati's and Laverda's of the day (some would say the best thing on Ducati's of the era........) and occasionally you'll find someone selling NOS seal kits for them on EBay. I had them on my Kawasaki Z1 900 back in the early 1980's and although nothing will make a big Kawasaki handle (that's why they are so popular with drag racers, they only go a 1/4 mile at a time, in a straight line) they certainly helped. Cheers, Terry.    

[birdy]

Thanks Terry; seals not leaking though - either they've been rebuilt, or reflect the mileage on my speedo (15000 miles (?) ).
Or of course they're empty....

[Terry in Australia]

They're probably fine mate, high mileage kills the seals, but if the bike's only done 15000, and most of that was probably on the OEM pogo sticks, they should be OK, they're relatively easy to dissassemble, so you can probably give them a service and change the oil in them without any special tools. Cheers, Terry.

[birdy]

Thanks, I'll see how it rides once I get the carbs sorted...

[Whaleman]

I was interested in these shocks and could not identify them from their website. I sent them the picture and got this response. Maybe a little to spendy for me. Dan

[Terry in Australia]

That's a lotta money for unproven Taiwanese shocks mate, there are better shocks out there for a lot less money!

[Duke McDukiedook]

Yss are made in Taiwan, I thought they were made in France by the Coneheads.

[Terry in Australia]

Here you go mate, read all about it:

http://www.yss.co.th/

 

[scunny]

"Eldy, the shocks we all bought from that guy in Colorado (can't remember his name, but he was a nice bloke) were German "Boge" shocks"
Was his name Tom ? Think he married a Kiwi and went to Australia.

[grcamna2]

YSS shocks are ok,got a pair of them.

[MRieck]

YSS shocks are ok,got a pair of them.

I have them on my CB....piggy backs with adjustable compression and rebound. They are a quality shock

[Terry in Australia]

Wow, this thread has been brought back from the dead. 12 years have passed, and I have to agree, while YSS shocks were pretty awful originally, they've improved out of all sight since, and I have them on both my Kawasaki KZ1000 and Z1-B 900 hotrod. Ikons are better, but more expensive too, so if you're on a budget, the YSS shocks are a good entry level shock.

[scunny]

Just making sure everyone is up to date 
I have far too much time on my hands at the moment. Haven't ridden a motorcycle on the road for a 1 1/2yers, going to try the 250 round the block soon.

[Justplainjose]

FWIW, I have a set of Ikon Basix for my CB550. Bought directly from them last year for $320 shipped! They are the lower tier shocks with 3 position preload adjustments but can be completely rebuilt. I plan to upgrade the forks with their progressive rate springs when I get extra cash but have switched to 15 weight fork oil for now. Pretty decent ride quality for the type of riding I like to do. I like to push my 550 hard in the twisties but have never seen a racetrack.

[Terry in Australia]

Yep, the thing to keep in mind is that the OEM shocks were crap back in the day and haven’t improved with age. Just about any new shock will feel better than 50 year old shocks that lost their damping when we all lost our virginity. I have cheap Ebay OEM replicas on my K0 and they feel ok, they don’t make the bike wobble and wallow all over the road, but the ride is harsh, so I’ll throw some better shocks at it eventually.