shocking

[Mickle]

Morning org
Firstly I have searched but can't find anything recent that fits the bill.

I have a 2oo2 curvy 's' which is on its original shock at 36000 miles. I would like to replace it with one that I can either order sprung for my weight or can disassemble to re spring.
It spends most of its miles on bendy country roads in the dry.
Price wise from what I have seen so far, the sky does not seem to be the limit; more somewhere near Mars!! I am after basic but effective on a limited budget.

So fellow orgers what do you think?

Thanks in advance

Mike

[peatland]

Hi Mike

Put a Nitron Sport shock on my 2002 Curvy ~2 years ago. I know it is frequently said the difference it makes over stock to the handling is night and day but it is more than true.

However, they are not cheap but do hold their value.

At the time I searched the org for the various discussion threads and the alternative 'other makes' second hand shock prices were bit crazy compared to a brand new, sprung for your weight and riding style and fully rebuildable: they also hold their value.

Looked at Wilbers and Ohlins at the time but went Nitron-glad I did


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DougieG]

An old gsxr or zx shock is your best bet

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[Bibio]

have you upgraded the front end?

putting a good shock like a nitron on the rear will show up the front more. if you have already upgraded the front then i would recommend a Nitron sport. when ordering a nitron they dont just spring it for your weight they will also shim the valve for the kind of riding you do so tell them when ordering. there is no point putting a race shock on if your riding bumpy single track B roads.

another point that is almost always overlooked is the rest of the components that affect your suspension movement which are the swingarm bearings and knuckle bearings, if these are seized or worn then you will not get the true benefit of a decent shock. best to inspect and service/replace the bearings while fitting the shock. its a bit like putting braided lines on to counteract seized calliper pistons, aint going to work.

[650]

Originally Posted by Bibio

have you upgraded the front end?

putting a good shock like a nitron on the rear will show up the front more. if you have already upgraded the front then i would recommend a Nitron sport. when ordering a nitron they dont just spring it for your weight they will also shim the valve for the kind of riding you do so tell them when ordering. there is no point putting a race shock on if your riding bumpy single track B roads.

another point that is almost always overlooked is the rest of the components that affect your suspension movement which are the swingarm bearings and knuckle bearings, if these are seized or worn then you will not get the true benefit of a decent shock. best to inspect and service/replace the bearings while fitting the shock. its a bit like putting braided lines on to counteract seized calliper pistons, aint going to work.

Wise words.

[Mickle]

Originally Posted by Bibio

have you upgraded the front end?

putting a good shock like a nitron on the rear will show up the front more. if you have already upgraded the front then i would recommend a Nitron sport. when ordering a nitron they dont just spring it for your weight they will also shim the valve for the kind of riding you do so tell them when ordering. there is no point putting a race shock on if your riding bumpy single track B roads.

another point that is almost always overlooked is the rest of the components that affect your suspension movement which are the swingarm bearings and knuckle bearings, if these are seized or worn then you will not get the true benefit of a decent shock. best to inspect and service/replace the bearings while fitting the shock. its a bit like putting braided lines on to counteract seized calliper pistons, aint going to work.

Yes makes perfect sense Bilbo

The front end will also be sprung for my weight, going to do the seals and guides and change the oil,

I had the rocker out last spring, when I last had tyres. cleaned it all up and greased. Didn't do the swing arm, but with the wheel and rocker out it moves smoothly with no noticeable play.

[Bibio]

Originally Posted by Mickle

Yes makes perfect sense Bilbo

The front end will also be sprung for my weight, going to do the seals and guides and change the oil,

I had the rocker out last spring, when I last had tyres. cleaned it all up and greased. Didn't do the swing arm, but with the wheel and rocker out it moves smoothly with no noticeable play.

sounds just the ticket

while you have the forks apart i would recommend that you weld the rebound holes up on the dampers and give the check valves a good clean out with degreaser. depending on the spring rate dont go higher than 10w oil and use silkolene RSF,think its called maintain rsf now.

[Mickle]

Hmmmm what does welding the damper rod holes do? Are we blocking them right up or reducing the diameter of the hole?

[Bibio]

fully close them up. they are small pin hole size on the upper end of the damper rods. dont go welding up the bottom holes... lol

normally you would leave the rebound bleed holes alone but since the SV's check valves leak like a sieve you want to increase the rebound effect and welding the holes up helps do this. it also lets you use lower viscosity oil which lets the compression act without the possibility of hydraulic lock occurring. you have to remember that your not just trying to control compression while braking but also over bumps, if the compression is to 'stiff' and you hit a pothole the forks wont get a chance to react quick enough.

the compression on the SV (contrary to popular belief) is not too bad its the rebound that causes the problems as its too fast and not controlled. remember that 99% of bikes (and yes that includes racing) the front end dives under braking, this is ok its controlling the rebound 'pop' when you let go of the brakes thats the biggest problem as it unsettles the chassis more than what compression does (under braking).

you know when its right as doing the basic 'bounce' test the forks should go down then come back up and stay there with around 0-5mm overshoot then settle. if the forks come up and overshoot then go back down and come up again (pogo effect) you have it wrong.

to get it right requires a lot of patience in mixing the correct viscosity. buy a bottle of 7.5w and a bottle of 20w. start with 7.5w and see how you go then remove 50ml and replace with 20w then test again (keep a log), repeat till you have the correct mix for the rebound. it takes a few weeks to get right (letting the oil mix) but once you do you know what to mix the next time.

suspension is like brakes you need to keep them well serviced to get the best from them.

[Mickle]

Good one mate now I understand what and why
Thanks