What are these?

[Guest]

Hello all,
wondering if any of you can tell me what shocks these are? They came on my 82 Katana and I have no idea what they are. The main body has grooves in it to select preload with a circlip. The spring(s) are separated by a nylon washer. Also, they have a Schraeder air valve at the top (to adjust air spring preload?). Hopefully the pics will load up too...Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
Jody

[Nessism]

Works Performance?

[Smokinapankake]

Would there be a way to tell what they are if I got them apart? It appears to have a thread-on cap at the bottom of the shock body with flats milled on it. Presumably this would allow a wrench to turn the cap, allowing disassembly and replacement of leaky o-rings, etc.... I spent many many years fiddling with bicycle suspension stuff and many more years before that fiddling with radio control cars' suspensions so am no stranger to the basics of it all.... I understand these can be complicated but they cant be THAT complex.

[madjack57754]

Not works, they weren't rebuildable. Not surewhat. Possible they are Olin? Check the body of the shock under the spring and look for engraving or stamping on the barrel of the body. Might be something there that will give a clue

[first timer]

i am pretty sure those are Fox shocks, Fox were red and blue springs.



they sound rebuildable, are they in good shape? or need some work? I am pretty sure Works shocks can freshen them up, i think works bought out Fox back in the day.

if they are in good shape I wouldn't mess with them, especailly since you don't know their specs like what weight or amount of shock oil you will need after you open them up and spill it out. or what air pressure is needed or if is nitrogen filled and not air.

Your swing arm doesn't look standard either, got some pictures of the entire bike?

[Smokinapankake]

Hi Madjack,

I've had them off the bike and done just that...I didn't see any engravings or anything on the body of the shock...Not even a spot where a sticker might have been. I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and tear into them. Probably not until winter. It's not fixin' time now-its ridin' time!!

[Smokinapankake]

Hi Firsttimer,

You're right, it's a Metmachex swingarm. Quite a lot of work went into this Kat before I bought it. Things I know for sure: Swingarm, aftermarket mystery shox, Dyna coils, super-duper mystery plug leads, steel braided lines, Progressive springs, ATK fork brace, custom fancy-schmancy seat reupholstery, some sort of mystery front fender, and to top it all off, a nice, cut rear fender (D'oh!!) The bike had wires hanging out the front and some strange fairing probably off a 750ES or something similar. Gas cap was missing lock core, ignition key switch was buggered (but not beyond usability), the side switches in the side panel were rigged up with lamp cord wire to act as some sort of ignition bypass, and the shift lever and rod were some hacked up welded homemade job. I bought it for $200 last summer from a guy who spoke fluent dude-speak. Said his buddy used to drag race it at Rocky Mountain Raceway and I found a RMR tech inspection sticker dated 2004 so I guess that part was truthful. It didn't take too much to make her roadworthy and reliable. I was originally planning to part it out but after finding all the goodies underneath I decided to keep it and fix it. Runs really well and was the best 200 bucks I ever spent. Now I'm just trying to figure out what these shox are so I can rebuild them. They seem to be leaking fluid (or have in the past sometime) so I just want to know what the status is....Hopefully I can find some pictures of the whole bike.....
Thanks for the help, that 78 is sure a nice ride!!

[Smokinapankake]

This is probably the best shot I have......

[first timer]

i am almost posotive those are fox shocks, they were the hot stuff back in the day. Take a picture of them and contact Works, see what they say, I am sure they have the rebuild kits if it is a Fox, plus they seem to have pretty resonable rebuilt prices too.

Good find, BTW

[Hap Call]

Good find, BTW

That is a classic understatement!:-D

[Mysuzyq]

That is a classic understatement!:-D

+1!. You picked that up for $200?!! Amazing.....what exhaust is that on the bike?

Tony.

[j.w.napier]

you lucky dog

Man i wish i could find buys like that around here i'd even drive up to a couple hundred miles away for a deal like that:shock: great find\\/ good luck with the shocks

J.W.Napier

[Smokinapankake]

Thanks for the compliments all but I assure you it wasn't that pretty when I picked it up. Stripped the tank, searched eBay for months on end for a reasonable fairing, and have found many many little things that needed attention (nuts, bolts, etc...) Regardless, I love it. The exhaust that came with the bike was a gutted Muzzy 4-1, i.e., no internal at all. Just a big, noisy expansion chamber. I've since replaced it with a right side stock canister off a Huyabusa. Works pretty good and is quiet(er). Also this allows me to put almost any aftermarket pipe in the world on if i feel so inclined. Will send off a photo of the shox to Works and see what they tell me. Thanks again for all your help....