Replacement rear shock bushings

[rputney01]

Hello all,

I pulled the rear shocks off my '79 GS1000S to clean and paint them and the upper mounting bushings are shot. I have after-market air shocks with no manufacturer's markings that I can see. I have no idea how old they are. They work fine and I need to locate a vendor that can match the bushing by dimensions.

I've tried local bike shops and auto parts dealers with no success. I'd appreciate any leads you might have. Thanks in advance for the help!

[bwringer]

What are the exact measurements you need (in mm, please -- none of that filthy talk in inches, barleycorns or other obsolete measurement systems)?

The shock stud is 12mm, so that's the ID. What's the OD you need?

McMaster-Carr is a great source for oddball hardware and materials:

http://www.mcmaster.com

[SqDancerLynn1]

The only possible place that I could think of would be Works Preformance shocks here in Calif. Temp use some fuel line / heater hose ?

[rputney01]

What are the exact measurements you need (in mm, please -- none of that filthy talk in inches, barleycorns or other obsolete measurement systems)?

The shock stud is 12mm, so that's the ID. What's the OD you need?

McMaster-Carr is a great source for oddball hardware and materials:
http://www.mcmaster.com

Thank you, I'll check with McMaster-Carr. Actually, although the stud is 12mm, there is a metal tube insert that goes over the stud. I assume it was a part of the hardware for installing the existing shock. In any case, the ID of the rubber bushing appears to be 14mm, OD is 20mm, depth is 8mm (I need one for either side of the shock). It also has a 1mm rim on one end of the bushing.

Also, there is a "bumper" that fits inside the springs on the shock rod at the bottom. It appears to be made out of a hard cork material and is also pretty grungy. It is conical in shape, 40mm wide at the bottom, 25mm wide at the top, 22mm tall, with a 12mm hole in it to fit over the rod. I'm not sure what it does. Any ideas.

Thanks for the advice. This is my first rebuild, I've got a lot to learn. Finishing up the cam chain tensioner and caliper rebuilds today, so I may have it on the road by April.

[bwringer]

Can you post a photo of the shocks? I bet someone would be able to ID them and offer suggestions.

Progressive shocks come with a selection of bushings in various thicknesses to handle different bikes, and I bet yours are similar, or might actually be Progressives.

[rputney01]

Can you post a photo of the shocks? I bet someone would be able to ID them and offer suggestions.

Progressive shocks come with a selection of bushings in various thicknesses to handle different bikes, and I bet yours are similar, or might actually be Progressives.

They may be progressives. Based upon pictures I've looked at recently, they appear to be. I'm new to this so I'm obviously uniformed. There is a clip that is adjustable. I can move the clip, but don't know what direction is firmer or softer on the adjustment.

Picture attached. Thanks again.

[rputney01]

They may be progressives. Based upon pictures I've looked at recently, they appear to be. I'm new to this so I'm obviously uniformed. There is a clip that is adjustable. I can move the clip, but don't know what direction is firmer or softer on the adjustment.

Picture attached. Thanks again.

This is how they looked before I stripped the paint.

[Larry D]

Bumping

Bumping this one.
I bought these sweet progressives off ebay for $72.95 delivered. They look brand new with 1367 95/140 springs, which, from what I can find, is the standard rate spring.

The rubber mounting bushings on the top are different. The bottom clevis will fit fine.
The diameter of the mounting stud is 12mm, the inside diameter of the new shock is 29mm. SO...I need to find two rubber bushings with these id's and od's.
I've looked at the progressive site, but haven't emailed them yet. I've looked on McMaster Carr's site, no can find. I've read through the archives and found this thread.
Anybody have any suggestions ? Or, do you have some of these bushings lying around to send me for a small nominal fee ?
Thanks All.

[Larry D]

Hello ?? Anybody home ??

[bwringer]

New Progressives come with a selection of metal sleeves to fit inside the bushing. IIRC, the one you will need is 1mm thick. (I think the shock bushings are 14mm ID or thereabouts, and you need to get them to 12mm.)

What I would do is get some thin 1/2" ID metal tubing -- brass or copper should be fine -- cut pieces the right length, then cut lengthwise slots in those pieces so they'll collapse just a tiny bit to match the 12mm stud. (1/2" - 12.5mm).

You could also fabricate some sleeves from sheet metal. They don't have to be perfect -- they just need to take up the correct amount of space.

[Larry D]

I was thinking about wrapping the shock stud with a strip or two of leftover rubber inner tube to take up the space........

[rputney01]

I've looked at the progressive site, but haven't emailed them yet. I've looked on McMaster Carr's site, no can find. I've read through the archives and found this thread.
Anybody have any suggestions ? Or, do you have some of these bushings lying around to send me for a small nominal fee ?
Thanks All.

I never found bushings for the gas shocks that I have and ended up buying progressives. They came with multiple inserts for the bushings. Maybe you could get a set from the manufacturer?

I even looked for nylon bushings but could never find the right combination of ID and OD to fit. The gas shocks I have are still good. I'll continue to watch to see how you solve this one.

Good luck.

[Larry D]

I never found bushings for the gas shocks that I have and ended up buying progressives. They came with multiple inserts for the bushings. Maybe you could get a set from the manufacturer?

I even looked for nylon bushings but could never find the right combination of ID and OD to fit. The gas shocks I have are still good. I'll continue to watch to see how you solve this one.

Good luck.

I searched the intraweb for a few hours last night with no luck. I emailed Progressive this morning and asked if they sold the bushing and/or inserts seperately....no response yet. Stay tuned.

[Larry D]

So.
Progressives sells mouting kits seperately.
The 12mm sleeves are mounting kit # 5011-001 and the bushings are part # 5025-10.
Ordered two sets of each....duh.
+-$20.00 delivered in about a week. I'll see how it goes when they get here.

[rputney01]

Great. I look forward to hearing how it works out. I like my progressives, but it would be nice to have another option for the gas shocks.

Good luck.