rear shock option

[Nanahanman]

I have narrowed my choice for a replacement rear shock on the '06 FJR to the stock one from a newer bike (gen 3)or the Hagon.

The basic Hagon is a tad less money but the Yamaha would (hopefully) allow for the usual adjustments.

Don't want to spend more money as I am not a serious carver on the twisties but at 60,000 km, I should replace the one I have.

Opinions on results from either of these 2 choices welcomed.

 

[RaYzerman19]

Don't replace it with another GenII shock, get a GenIII shock if going stock.

 

[MCRIDER007]

Hagon is a very good budget shock, especially for the classic dual shock models which have $10 OEM shocks, but it's unlikely that it will perform as well as a Yamaha GEN3 shock.

 

[Nanahanman]

Don't replace it with another GenII shock, get a GenIII shock if going stock.

That's what I meant by "newer bike"

 

[falsus nomen]

I joined here to ask this. I just blew my rear shock on my gen 1. Every time I hit a bump, the rear makes a ka-thunk. It is toast. So, are the Gen1 & 3 compatible? Including the hard/soft switch?

I am 260 lbs, my wife is 135, and sometimes we load up on gear, so close to 500 lbs. Is there a better shock than stock that I should consider?

 

[MCRIDER007]

I joined here to ask this. I just blew my rear shock on my gen 1. Every time I hit a bump, the rear makes a ka-thunk. It is toast. So, are the Gen1 & 3 compatible? Including the hard/soft switch?
I am 260 lbs, my wife is 135, and sometimes we load up on gear, so close to 500 lbs. Is there a better shock than stock that I should consider?

Good news and bad news. The good news is that the GEN1 and GEN3 shocks are totally compatible and the GEN3 shock has a much heavier spring in the HARD position than the GEN1. The bad news is that the GEN3 spring is still not heavy enough to adequately carry the 2-up load you are describing. If I were in your situation, I would buy a Penske with a 1100 lb spring for riding 2-up and a 900 lb spring for riding solo. The preload on a Penske is easy to adjust for fine tuning the ride height and the springs can be swapped in your garage (will take 10 minutes plus the time to remove and install the shock). If you split your riding between solo and 2-up and don't want to swap springs, split the difference and go with a 1000 lb spring (and crank up the preload and damping for riding 2-up).

 

[audiowize]

I would suggest looking for a used Penske. Yes, they are incredibly expensive, but a used Penske can be rebuilt indefinitely, can be transferred to your next FJR, or can be sold for roughly what you paid for it when you decide to sell your FJR.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Echoing '007, a stock GEN III shock will be woefully under-sprung for a load approaching 500 pounds. A Penske with a spare spring is what you're after...'007 is spot on for spring rates to begin with. I switch from a 6" - 850 for solo riding to a 6" - 950 for two-up and loaded on trips. Total two-up load is ~440 pounds.

Regarding the Penske spring swap. I swapped springs on my Penske with the shock on the bike. After backing the preload collar waaay off, there's just enough space to remove the lower mount and spring perch. Easy and can be done fairly quickly.

--G

 

[Nanahanman]

For those that have swapped out a gen 1 or 2 to a gen 3 shock, how did you like it?

 

[djon]

I did a change out in the spring and my butt dyno could tell the difference but I haven't ridden double yet. I like keeping the option of the selector switch but that may not be important to you. To me it was worth it and I am at 235 lb. Just finished a Race Tech valve and spring install on the front forks and now I am really a happy camper.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

For those that have swapped out a gen 1 or 2 to a gen 3 shock, how did you like it?

We don't like it. We LOVE it. We did this for Dad's '07 and it honestly transformed the bike. It rides smoother but still provides more cornering clearance and better handling.