When Do You Need to Upgrade the Rear Shock?

[learnin4life]

OK, then. Now I need to answer the "what" question, i.e., Penske, Ohlins, Wilburs, etc.. I gather from the posts on the site, I can get as many suggestions on the "what" as I may have time to read. I swapped fork springs earlier this year, and there was a noticeable improvement in dive with the front feeling more planted in curves. I'm inclined to think that any of the major brands will be sufficient to meet any suspension challenges I may be able to generate on the bike. I'm not sure about the piggyback versus remote reservoir pluses & minuses, or whether I even need that type of adjustability. I'm guessing that is where the Q&A part of speaking with the vendor comes into play.

 

[DeweyIsgod]

I just replaced my stock rear shock two weeks ago with a used Penske purchased from a forum member.

I can say that while the degradation is definitely gradual, 41,500 miles was way too far. I first noticed performance issues around 30,000 miles. The rear end wouldn't hold corners as well. I spent the last few months and few thousand miles trying to figure out which aftermarket was the right one for me because there are so many options and so little way to tell the differences. My ranking put Ohlins in the #1 spot followed by Penske and Wilbers in a distant third but still a big upgrade over stock. Pick what your wallet can spare. If you ride two-up often, you'll probably want a remote pre-load adjuster; if not, go with the cheaper versions.

Here in south Texas, we don't have that many curvy roads. But just replacing the rear is a noticeable difference. I can also tell that most of the bumps I'm feeling are originating in the front where I'm in need of some work. I would say that if you're at the point where you're starting a thread, you need to replace/rebuild.

I'm onto research front options.

 

[Auburn]

OK, then. Now I need to answer the "what" question, i.e., Penske, Ohlins, Wilburs, etc.. I gather from the posts on the site, I can get as many suggestions on the "what" as I may have time to read. I swapped fork springs earlier this year, and there was a noticeable improvement in dive with the front feeling more planted in curves. I'm inclined to think that any of the major brands will be sufficient to meet any suspension challenges I may be able to generate on the bike. I'm not sure about the piggyback versus remote reservoir pluses & minuses, or whether I even need that type of adjustability. I'm guessing that is where the Q&A part of speaking with the vendor comes into play.

Best bet is to talk to the shock vendor. They can explain the differences and probably recommend the shock that best suits how you will ride the FJR. On the front end, you may want to include a set of cartidges. You will definitely want to let the technician know what you have in the front because it will affect how the rear reacts. You may need to do further changes to the front to get everything working together.

The shock vendor is your best bet to get good answers.

 

[dcarver]

Nothing to offer other than there is no better relatively-cheap fix for an FJR other than a suspension upgrade.

I went the GPS route and am very happy. Others have used other shops and are satisfied as well.

Long story shot - upgrading from stock is well worth whatever your budget can afford.

 

[LAF]

Really all one needs is to browse the form and then decide how much money you have to spend.

I put a Pensky and new springs in mine at 0 miles. I could not really afford the valving and such and since I did not want to part with my forks it was the logical thing to do for me. Not a hard task to replace springs and fluid. I used Traxxion for the springs, spring buffers, and Pensky shock. Lee is pretty versed on FJR setup. It came all set up and after install, the settings Lee said would work for me,did.

Including the spring and settings on the Pensky.

I may send them back for the upgrade valving but not untill I get a few more miles on. I only have 23,000 on it and would like to sneak 40,000 out of them.

 

[lnewlf]

I've got a Works Performance remote reservoir shock which can be retrofit to the FJR with a new clevis and spring..with a rebuild it will run me about 4 bills. Anyone use one on a FJR ?-it transformed my FJ1200.. cost me almost 7 hunnert 12 years ago..

 

[HaulinAshe]

Maintaining a "balanced" suspension is foremost and critical. Make sure whatever you do to the rear shock is nicely matched on the forks. If you are headed into full aftermarket rear shock then you also need to at least re-valve and re-spring the OEM forks, or opt for a full fork cartridge and spring upgrade. Balance is critical.

I noticed your bike is a 2009, which probably means you don't have a boatload of miles on the stock components yet. The stock rear shock is an extremely and rugged design with long service life. Contrary to what you often read, the Gen-II stock suspension components can commonly last 50-60k miles with some periodic fluid changes to the forks. But most riders will begin to outride stock suspension before the components reach their end of life. You typically gain confidence and speed with time, and continue to push the FJR while gaining odometer clicks.

In order for any aftermarket shock to substantially outperform the plain-Jane stock unit, it needs a remote reservoir. That gives the shock greater fluid capacity and a means to dissipate the heat generated by a more "active" suspension setup. The extra adjustments provide a more personalized ride that simply isn't possible with OEM. But like all good suspension, it ALL begins with the correct spring rates. Both Front and Rear must be matched to your typical payload and to each other.

Choose a vendor that has ongoing support and who takes your calls and questions. Because it's rare that anyone gets it exactly right the first time. Close yes, dead-on... rarely!

 

[HaulinAshe]

The heat of South Texas would definitely shorten the typical lifespan of anyone's suspension.

I just replaced my stock rear shock two weeks ago with a used Penske purchased from a forum member.

I can say that while the degradation is definitely gradual, 41,500 miles was way too far. I first noticed performance issues around 30,000 miles. The rear end wouldn't hold corners as well.

 

[learnin4life]

Thanks for the feedback. From your prior posts I know that you know your stuff when it comes to FJR suspension bits and tweaks. You've outlined my plan perfectly. Front and rear at the same time, and from the same vendor that takes the time to talk to me about my size, riding style, and other details relevant to matching components to rider and bike.

Maintaining a "balanced" suspension is foremost and critical. Make sure whatever you do to the rear shock is nicely matched on the forks. If you are headed into full aftermarket rear shock then you also need to at least re-valve and re-spring the OEM forks, or opt for a full fork cartridge and spring upgrade. Balance is critical.

 

[road runner]

Maintaining a "balanced" suspension is foremost and critical. Make sure whatever you do to the rear shock is nicely matched on the forks. If you are headed into full aftermarket rear shock then you also need to at least re-valve and re-spring the OEM forks, or opt for a full fork cartridge and spring upgrade. Balance is critical.

I noticed your bike is a 2009, which probably means you don't have a boatload of miles on the stock components yet. The stock rear shock is an extremely and rugged design with long service life. Contrary to what you often read, the Gen-II stock suspension components can commonly last 50-60k miles with some periodic fluid changes to the forks. But most riders will begin to outride stock suspension before the components reach their end of life. You typically gain confidence and speed with time, and continue to push the FJR while gaining odometer clicks.

In order for any aftermarket shock to substantially outperform the plain-Jane stock unit, it needs a remote reservoir. That gives the shock greater fluid capacity and a means to dissipate the heat generated by a more "active" suspension setup. The extra adjustments provide a more personalized ride that simply isn't possible with OEM. But like all good suspension, it ALL begins with the correct spring rates. Both Front and Rear must be matched to your typical payload and to each other.

Choose a vendor that has ongoing support and who takes your calls and questions. Because it's rare that anyone gets it exactly right the first time. Close yes, dead-on... rarely!

WOW Jeff is out of hibernation.

Words of wisdom.