Rider
Well-known member
RFH, it would be interesting if you changed it without telling him and see if he notices... maybe that would be a bad idea?
Replaced Gen II shock with a Gen III shock
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Redfish Hunter
Gone Fishing
Now that idea has some merit! The trick would be to get the bike away from him without him knowing it. During the summer he is often on the coast for weeks at a time and he has no idea what is happening at his house. This time of year he is close to his fireplace. He has also been riding the bike very often for the last couple weeks and has been letting me know it too.
I will just have to see how this plays out. It would be terrible if he beat my *** and I had to report it to all of you! I will probably just have to talk to him about it and get it over with, that would be the safest thing.
HotRodZilla
GOD BLESS AMERICA
It's a super easy swap by the way. Two hours max.
When you sell his '07, I call dibs on the windshield. Lol...
When you sell his '07, I call dibs on the windshield. Lol...
Redfish Hunter
Gone Fishing
A progress report is in order.
The shock arrived, the FJR was dropped off at the dealership because I am STILL working straight nights and did not have time to deal with it. While they had it they found that the steering head bearings were shot. Pop was actually happy about it. He told me that he knew something was not right in the front but he was waiting until I could take a look at it.
Waiting on the service department now, Pop is handling that so I am not sure when we will get it back. At least the weather sucks right now but I expect that to change very soon.
The shock arrived, the FJR was dropped off at the dealership because I am STILL working straight nights and did not have time to deal with it. While they had it they found that the steering head bearings were shot. Pop was actually happy about it. He told me that he knew something was not right in the front but he was waiting until I could take a look at it.
Waiting on the service department now, Pop is handling that so I am not sure when we will get it back. At least the weather sucks right now but I expect that to change very soon.
Millsaps2
Well-known member
You may want to consider the ALL-Balls replacement bearings for the steering head bearings which have been reported to be much better.
paulo888
Active member
Will the Gen3 shock fit the Gen 1?
fjrbird
Well-known member
Can this shock fit gen II AE? I don't see any reason why not but might be wrong.
Redfish Hunter
Gone Fishing
Ironically, the "All Balls" brand steering head bearing are tapered roller bearings, not ball bearings like the OEM, so yes you need to remove both races to "upgrade" to them.
But I have never heard of anyone replacing just the balls and leaving the races. It is typically the races that are worn or dimpled, not the stainless steel balls. I think you'd want to extract and replace the races in either case.
Redfish Hunter
Gone Fishing
Another Progress Report.
Pop picked up his bike from the dealership this morning. It cost him a good bit of money but he is happy. I have not seen the bike so I can only repeat what Pop told me.
They replaced the rear OEM Gen2 shock with an OEM Gen3 shock.
They replaced the steering head bearings with tapered roller bearings. (Do I have my favorite bike salesman to thank here?)
They replaced "Something!!!" that I think was the starter relay but might have been the starter solenoid. I have to check on this.
Pop said the bike is better. Much better. He says he sees no difference in ride height but sees a great deal of difference in ride quality. In particular he mentioned the small, washboard type bumps are seen but not felt. He was very pleased with how much smoother the bike rode than before. He said that he does not remember the bike riding that smooth ever, but it has been so long since the bike was new that he was not positive. I asked about handling and he replied that he "Harley Rode" it home, he did not feel like playing today. In any case it was a huge improvement.
He paid for the labor, the bearings and whatever was done to the starting circuit. We have not discussed the price of the shock. Yet.
Pop picked up his bike from the dealership this morning. It cost him a good bit of money but he is happy. I have not seen the bike so I can only repeat what Pop told me.
They replaced the rear OEM Gen2 shock with an OEM Gen3 shock.
They replaced the steering head bearings with tapered roller bearings. (Do I have my favorite bike salesman to thank here?)
They replaced "Something!!!" that I think was the starter relay but might have been the starter solenoid. I have to check on this.
Pop said the bike is better. Much better. He says he sees no difference in ride height but sees a great deal of difference in ride quality. In particular he mentioned the small, washboard type bumps are seen but not felt. He was very pleased with how much smoother the bike rode than before. He said that he does not remember the bike riding that smooth ever, but it has been so long since the bike was new that he was not positive. I asked about handling and he replied that he "Harley Rode" it home, he did not feel like playing today. In any case it was a huge improvement.
He paid for the labor, the bearings and whatever was done to the starting circuit. We have not discussed the price of the shock. Yet.
ionbeam
2 FUN
Glad to hear that so many things apparently went well. If the old shock was getting tired *any* new shock will be better but a Gen 3 shock should be bestest.
The FJR starting system does not have a solenoid. There is the starter button, starter relay, starter motor and starter clutch/gears under the same engine cover as the stator.
The FJR starting system does not have a solenoid. There is the starter button, starter relay, starter motor and starter clutch/gears under the same engine cover as the stator.
Redfish Hunter
Gone Fishing
Finally made it to Pop's today to check out the bike. With the original shock I could flat foot easily, I cannot remember if that was true when the bike was new. With the new Gen3 shock I cannot even come close to flat footing, I am on my tip toes just as I am with my '15 ES. I bounced the rear of the bike a bit and found that it was noticeably more controlled than before. Of course that is not much of a test.
I would have taken it out for a ride but I was in the truck and did not have my riding gear with me. Since it was raining and Pop just washed the bike when he returned from the dealer I did not want to ask him if I could borrow his gear.
We had a somewhat one-sided conversation concerning the cost of the shock. Pop insisted I take the money for the shock, I felt badly that his dealership visit had cost him over $800 already in parts and labor, not counting the shock which I had already paid for. He insisted that it was worth the money. I hope it was.
I would have taken it out for a ride but I was in the truck and did not have my riding gear with me. Since it was raining and Pop just washed the bike when he returned from the dealer I did not want to ask him if I could borrow his gear.
We had a somewhat one-sided conversation concerning the cost of the shock. Pop insisted I take the money for the shock, I felt badly that his dealership visit had cost him over $800 already in parts and labor, not counting the shock which I had already paid for. He insisted that it was worth the money. I hope it was.
Redfish Hunter
Gone Fishing
Another progress report.
Called Pop at 3:00 pm today and he was on his bike. He left his house at 7:30 am this morning and had been riding all day, he had to run some errands in order to renew his Coast Guard Captain's License. The ScalaRider made our brief conversation possible.
Pop says that he has set his rear suspension to "Hard" and the bike is performing very well. He never used the "Hard" setting very much before because it made the ride very harsh but he felt that he should have used it. The Gen3 shock lets him set the bike up better for his weight but does not feel as harsh as the Gen2 shock did when he was trying to make it ride smoothly. We are somewhat confused by how a stronger spring can make the bike ride smoother but we will take it. Pop also reports less "smush" in the curves which equates to more cornering clearance, better handling, higher speeds, and more foolishness.
We discussed the fact that any new shock would be better than his old shock but he is positive the Gen3 shock is better than the Gen2 shock ever was. He is probably right.
Money well spent.
Called Pop at 3:00 pm today and he was on his bike. He left his house at 7:30 am this morning and had been riding all day, he had to run some errands in order to renew his Coast Guard Captain's License. The ScalaRider made our brief conversation possible.
Pop says that he has set his rear suspension to "Hard" and the bike is performing very well. He never used the "Hard" setting very much before because it made the ride very harsh but he felt that he should have used it. The Gen3 shock lets him set the bike up better for his weight but does not feel as harsh as the Gen2 shock did when he was trying to make it ride smoothly. We are somewhat confused by how a stronger spring can make the bike ride smoother but we will take it. Pop also reports less "smush" in the curves which equates to more cornering clearance, better handling, higher speeds, and more foolishness.
We discussed the fact that any new shock would be better than his old shock but he is positive the Gen3 shock is better than the Gen2 shock ever was. He is probably right.
Money well spent.
Here's a theory:
When you have more spring you can back off on the compression damping adjuster.
The damping on the FJR shock is a compromise between fast and slow, compression and rebound damping. You only get one adjuster so you set it where you can.
The ideal damping is on the light side for the fast response, so you can suck up the bumps, and on the high side of the slow response, so you don't get compressed in corners, screw up the steering angles and do a bunch of wallowing.
So having a stiffer spring, but less damping dialed in, may actually feel more plush.
When you have more spring you can back off on the compression damping adjuster.
The damping on the FJR shock is a compromise between fast and slow, compression and rebound damping. You only get one adjuster so you set it where you can.
The ideal damping is on the light side for the fast response, so you can suck up the bumps, and on the high side of the slow response, so you don't get compressed in corners, screw up the steering angles and do a bunch of wallowing.
So having a stiffer spring, but less damping dialed in, may actually feel more plush.
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fjrbird
Well-known member
My bike has turned over 50k miles and the shock starts to throw around over bumps. I think its time is done. Placing the order with boats.net for 2013 shock costs me $427. Looking forward to the better ride soon. I noticed the rear shock for 2016 model year is way cheaper $361 (part # 1MC-22210-50-00) but hesitated to change my order since I'm not sure about its fitment over gen II (part # is different 1MC-22210-10-00). . But it's a great deal.
I'd be willing to bet that the 2016 "A" model shock will still fit all of the prior years.
RaYzerman19
Go Wings!
I'd bet it will fit too, but there may be a length change or something........ there will be opportunities soon to verify.......
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