2003-2006 FJR Suspension GROUP BUY!!!!!!!!!

[sgoat]

Well now, that certainly was easy. Just talked to Dave and he's shipping my fork springs out on Monday. Thanks WC for making this all possible! :clapping:

 

[twowheelnut]

I dunno, I'll ask....

Thank you.

I asked that question by email and this was the response:
As to the Fork kit, Yes and no. Yes If the customer has all the special

tools and knowledge, and NO if above is not true. Our labor charge is

not that much on this group buy. Let us know We could always set up a

time for you to ride in and ride out the same day

Judging from the SM, it doesn't look to be that big of a deal. Maybe best to give a ring after WC determines the viability of a separate category for the buy with the vendor. No biggie, I'm just getting cheaper (broker?) in my old age and if I can save some coin, well, that'll help pay for more Fixodent and Depends down the road...

 

[Wolfhound]

Got confirmation my forks arrived today !

 

[quicksilver]

Is shipping included in the pricing?

Did a quick sanity check.

Tricktape's everday price for the Penske 8981 is $50 more, but shipping is included in the price.

TrickTape

Just trying to compare apples to apples.

Thanks for the hard work.

 

[GP Suspension]

Is shipping included in the pricing?
Did a quick sanity check.

Tricktape's everday price for the Penske 8981 is $50 more, but shipping is included in the price.

TrickTape

Just trying to compare apples to apples.

Thanks for the hard work.

Went to their web site to check things out. <_< They list that they sell Lockhart-Phillips shocks, all of the LP shocks I have seen over the years where all under damped and under sprung. Not to say there's are too but all the one's I have worked on where like that. The shocks that you are purchasing at GP Suspension are all custom built to our spec's. When we order a shock from Penske in PA we tell them what valving and and spring rates to install based on info we recieved from the customers. Extra fuel cell's, extra bags, 2 up all the time, etc. I know there are probably cheaper blowout houses out there, but at GP Suspension we only do suspension. Where not a blow out everything out at 5% over cost, To me that's a hard way to due business. I hope this clarifies things about the Penske shock, also we are offering an mount bracket, instead of hose clamps and rubber grommets. Cost will be $40.00 to clean up mounting the reservoir.

Is shipping included in the pricing?
Did a quick sanity check.

Tricktape's everday price for the Penske 8981 is $50 more, but shipping is included in the price.

TrickTape

Just trying to compare apples to apples.

Thanks for the hard work.

Also one other note of intrest, Penske Racing shocks pulled the plug on Lockhart-Phillips as a distributor this year from what I have been told from Tim Godshall at Penske. If they have any shocks in supply it will probably be in short supply. Just a heads up.

 

[Fencer]

Is shipping included in the pricing?
Did a quick sanity check.

Tricktape's everday price for the Penske 8981 is $50 more, but shipping is included in the price.

TrickTape

Just trying to compare apples to apples.

Thanks for the hard work.

Quick - I did a shop around too and found some for more or less the same price as the GB. BUT the GP folks are tuning to my fat ass and include a mount. This make up any $ diff to me. I look forward to setting up my order on Monday.

 

[SilveradoSlick]

Any provision for ride height adjustment on any of these shocks?

 

[opt8low]

Any provision for ride height adjustment on any of these shocks?

From what I understand is that the Penske's do, and I don't know about the Ohlins but I am willing to bet that it does. Give the guys at GP suspension a call and find out for sure....

Dana

 

[snikr]

Any provision for ride height adjustment on any of these shocks?

That's why I love my Wilber shock. Ordered it with the ride height adjustment.

Tom

 

[Warchild]

After one week's time, the GP Suspension Group Buy stats are as follows:

Eibach fork springs - 11 orders

Ohlins rear shock: 6 orders

Wilbers overhauls - 9 orders

Penske rear shock - 21 orders

Fork Rebuilds: - 35 orders

There are seven (7) days remaining on this Group Buy.

 

[Warchild]

FYI: this post is originally from MCRIDER007. It has been relocated to this thread,

I decided to skip the International Motorcycle Show in Seattle this week and check out GP Suspensions in Portland instead. The weather here has really been crappy but we seemed to be between storms this morning so I made a mad dash at 5:00 AM and crossed my fingers. When I got to GPSuspension I was pleasantly surprised to find out they have an ongoing FJR group buy and since I had my FJR forks with me it seemed like a good opportunity for a total rebuild. :clapping:
The guts of the rebuild is a total replacement of the OEM compression and rebound damping pistons which use several small holes to flow fork oil. The GPSuspension pistons use a spring loaded shim that flexes with oil pressure and provides much greater flow when needed. I went there thinking I knew a little bit about damping and forks and that was confirmed, I know a little bit but those guys know everything and have the machinery and the ability to make just about anything. Most of their parts are actually machined in-house. I spent 3 and half hours watching my forks get rebuilt and it was extremely interesting and educational, both Dave and Ben went out of their way to explain suspension and how they manufacture the parts.

How do the new forks work? Maybe I will get to test them tomorrow but after what I saw today I am sure it will be a significant improvement.

My advice to others waiting for a fork rebuild -- BE PATIENT. The rebuild is a labor intensive effort and Dave is swamped right now with not one but 2 group buys. He is not going to hurry anything, quality is much more important to him than quantity, and he is currently waiting for Yamaha to deliver fork bushings (I got the last 2 he had in stock). He is also going to have to manufacture a lot more kits since the orders he has already received is much more than his inventory.

Another thing everyone should be aware of is that the quoted group price does not include replacing bushings if your are worn out so don't bitch if your price turns out to be a little higher than $572, I paid $600 and I think it was a bargain after watching the whole process. :yahoo:

MCRIDER007

 

[Windjammer]

Hey, this is great news! Real help for the front suspension is something I'd been thinking about for awhile. The Wilbers rear shock transformed the rear suspension, but changing the fork springs and oil didn't do as much as I'd hoped for the front. I'll definitely be in for the fork rebuild.

Thanks WC - I'm amazed (but pleased!) to see you organizing another GB!

 

[steveb]

Thanks, WC and GP for setting this up. I'm tempted. I got a couple of questions:

It's not too big a deal to pull my forks off and to change my rear shock is it? I'm OK in the garage, but I don't wrench regularly. Just looking for some reassurance here ;-)

What's the time frame? Do I have to send my forks up to GP before Dec. 4, or do I just have to sign up by then? Do I pay when I sign up or when I send my forks up?

Thanks.

 

[MCRIDER007]

Real help for the front suspension is something I'd been thinking about for awhile. The Wilbers rear shock transformed the rear suspension, but changing the fork springs and oil didn't do as much as I'd hoped for the front.

I thought the Wilbers fork springs made a significant improvement in the front end but when Ben measured the spring rate of my Wilbers fork springs, it was a whopping .75, the same as the OEM fork springs. The only difference was that the Wilbers springs were 15mm longer than the OEM springs so when the same internal spacers are used, the Wilbers springs have an additional 15mm of internal preload. Dave said that a higher spring rate with less preload gives a better result and the Eiback spring they recommend for the FJR is .95.

 

[MCRIDER007]

It's not too big a deal to pull my forks off and to change my rear shock is it? What's the time frame? Do I have to send my forks up to GP before Dec. 4, or do I just have to sign up by then? Do I pay when I sign up or when I send my forks up?

The answer to the first question is that it is not a big deal to change the shock or remove the forks. You will have to put a 2x4 under the header pipes to support the front end when the forks are off but if you have a mostly empty gas tank and fill each saddlebag with 20 pounds of magazines, there will be minimal weight on the header pipes once the front wheel and forks are removed.

You need to call Dave to discuss the details and timing of the fork rebuild but I do not think you will get charged anything until the forks are shipped back to you. Since he already has a month's backlog of work, you should try to schedule a day for your forks to be rebuilt and then ship them accordingly to minimize the time your FJR is sitting on blocks.

 

[Warchild]

Thanks, WC and GP for setting this up. I'm tempted. I got a couple of questions:
It's not too big a deal to pull my forks off and to change my rear shock is it? I'm OK in the garage, but I don't wrench regularly. Just looking for some reassurance here ;-)

No, it is not. Though removing the shock is particularly easy if you have a non-ABS FJR. Still reasonably do-able, even for the casual mechanic.

What's the time frame? Do I have to send my forks up to GP before Dec. 4, or do I just have to sign up by then? Do I pay when I sign up or when I send my forks up?

You need to sign up before COB on Monday, Dec 4th to be eligible for the GB price structure.

After that, issues such as when you actually send in your forks, make payments, etc, all that is between you and GP Suspension.

 

[FJRPierre]

The answer to the first question is that it is not a big deal to change the shock or remove the forks. You will have to put a 2x4 under the header pipes to support the front end when the forks are off but if you have a mostly empty gas tank and fill each saddlebag with 20 pounds of magazines, there will be minimal weight on the header pipes once the front wheel and forks are removed.

Modify your 2x4 like this and put all the wt on the engine, not the header pipes. For even more stability over longer term, put a standard size brick upright under each end of the 2x4 after it's lifted on the jack. They fit just right.

..... x.....x

xxxxxxxxxxxx

br.....J........br

br.....J....... br

 

[yamahlr]

I'm a bit unclear on why it's recommended to rebuild the Wilbers as with the shocks we bought on the previous Group Buy, the Wilbers carry a 5 year warranty for such work at no charge. Same for the shock spring change. I had my bike (04 ABS) back to Wilbers and corrected the ride height problem no charge. He advised he would also be able to rebuild it no charge if no one else tried to service it or take it apart at no charge as well. Doesn't seem worth it to pay for something we can get at no charge.

Obviously the fork rebuild its another animal all together and really looking hard at that, of course $$ a bit tight this time of year, but seems like a great upgrade. If I ask Santa.....

 

[SkooterG]

I'm a bit unclear on why it's recommended to rebuild the Wilbers as with the shocks we bought on the previous Group Buy, the Wilbers carry a 5 year warranty for such work at no charge. Same for the shock spring change. I had my bike (04 ABS) back to Wilbers and corrected the ride height problem no charge. He advised he would also be able to rebuild it no charge if no one else tried to service it or take it apart at no charge as well. Doesn't seem worth it to pay for something we can get at no charge. Obviously the fork rebuild its another animal all together and really looking hard at that, of course $$ a bit tight this time of year, but seems like a great upgrade. If I ask Santa.....

I wonder why (he? Klaus?) told you he would rebuild it for no charge when it clearly states on the Wilbers website that there is a charge for rebuilding the shocks. It also states on the website that the Wilbers shocks should generally be rebuilit between 20,000 - 30,000 miles depending on use. What sucks is that we could have had the first rebuild done for half price if we had it done within 18 months of purchase. Yesterday I myself spoke with Klaus and tried to swing the half price deal, but to no avail. No budging on the 18 months time limit.

Also, per Klaus, a spring change would cost $100. Or only $50 if your current spring is in good enough shape that he can use it and take it in as a trade in. So that ain't exactly free.

 

[MCRIDER007]

What sucks is that we could have had the first rebuild done for half price if we had it done within 18 months of purchase. Yesterday I myself spoke with Klaus and tried to swing the half price deal, but to no avail. No budging on the 18 months time limit.

I don't remember reading or hearing anything about a "18 month rebuild" being done for half price, just that a rebuild would cost around $110-120. What numbers are we actually talking about for a Wilbers rebuild?