"Posh Racing Project" rear shocks

[makenzie71]

I weigh 152lbs.

[voivod]

I weigh 152lbs.

well that spoils 1 theory

[makenzie71]

Currently tearing one shock down. The shock itself is made of much better material than the clevis adapter. That's reassuring. Upon removing the spring and compressing the shock by hand I found that it does, in fact, dampen properly, but the spring overpowers it. It's a lot quieter than other shocks. I'm going to try and disassemble the shock and look into adding heavier oil...I think I'll try 20wt and see how that works...if I can get it apart and back together.

I will post pics and more info tonight, as well as update the report.

[makenzie71]

Okay it took way too long to get into this to get pics up, but I will have them posted in the next few days.

I consider this leg of the project a success...but the repercussions were disastrous (it'll be clear at the very end).

My findings are good. The bearings and oil seal are both common sizes, which means the shocks ARE rebuildable. The mechanism is very simple: shaft is attached to a perforated piston which does the damping. The oil was very light...I would say standard hydraulic stuff (about 7~10w).

Disassembly was a PITA! They use a nice glue to hold the cylinder to the casting. After removing the springs I had to lock the cylinder in a vice and beat the reservoir with a mallet to get it to break loose...had to do the same to tighten it all back up.

If you pull one of these apart, be sure there is no pressure in the reservoir or you'll make a mess. After the cylinder is detached, drain it and set it aside. Invert the reservoise and add pressure...if you pull the valve stem you can just blow in it...to drain all the fluid from there.

Filling is tricky and be forewarned, you may damage your oil seal. Start by removing the piston and shaft...just push them through the top. Then, on the bottom of the cylinder, remove the cap (you'll need a spanner or a pair of needle nose and a vice). What you have to do is use either a large drift punch...or, if you're fancy like me, a 3/8" drive extension and a 5/8" deep socket...to punch the seal out from the inside through the bottom. After the seal is out, put the piston and sahft back in from the top and screw the cylinder back into the reservoir casting. Now, fill that bad boy up with 20wt oil...you'll need to add vacuum to the reservoir to completely fill the shock. Then slide your seal over the shaft and use a slide hammer (or, again, if you're fancy, a 5/8 deep socket with a larger 3/4" drive socket over it acting as a slide hammer) to drive the seal back into place. Reinstall the cap.

Ta-da! You now have a shock that dampens well...or I do. Your results may vary, but be prepared to do it all a couple times to get it right.

The damping factor happens mostly on rebound. Bound...not so much. Add pressure to the reservoir for bound.

Uninstalling and reinstalling the springs is up to you. I made a fool of myself trying to get it all done....but I managed without a spring compressor. Tip! A spring compressor would make this much easier. Also, another good tip is to have some superglue handy and glue the lock nut on the shaft before you start putting it all back together...it will simplify the process to great degree...as would a spring compressor. Have a mentioned that a spring compressor is handy for this?

While I had this all apart I examined the mechanical travel limitations. The lock nut will bottom out on the seal cap before you reach the end of travel in the shock

Results! The bike now has noticeable damping...you can feel it and hear it. My opinion of the shock is improving all the time.

Other results! One of the "Posh" adapter broke while trying to reinstall the shocks. The alloy is far too light to be trusted. I will be building a proper clevis mount tomorrow from stainless steel. Also, since the adapter broke (luckily, when it did), I did not get to test ride the new oil.

I didn't get as many pics as would have liked but I got enough to show what the insides look like...I'll try and get them up by the weekend.

Thanks for reading!

[Billy Ricks]

I may have missed this in your thread, but are they pressurized with nitrogen? I know many mono shocks use up to 300lbs pressure of nitrogen.

[makenzie71]

Nope. The eBay listing says they're nitrogen gas charged, but the arrived sans pressure. The instructions actually say to add 2~4bar of nitrogen, or other gas. Not so fancy.

[posplayr]

Just saw the thread

Nice work and good looking shocks. Stiffer springs would be nice if they are that lightly sprung.

Pos

[Billy Ricks]

Charging them with nitrogen will probably stiffen them up on its own.

[makenzie71]

That's the plan...I pump them up with air and see how they handle. If I like the results I put vac to it and head to the local tire shop and have them waste an undetermined volume of nitrogen trying to put 40lbs into a two cubic inch chamber.

[hp1000s]

Other results! One of the "Posh" adapter broke while trying to reinstall the shocks. The alloy is far too light to be trusted. I will be building a proper clevis mount tomorrow from stainless steel. Also, since the adapter broke (luckily, when it did), I did not get to test ride the new oil.

I didn't get as many pics as would have liked but I got enough to show what the insides look like...I'll try and get them up by the weekend.

Thanks for reading!

How about those adapters, huh? They're so cheap you could see it in a photo. Your S.S. replacements should be great!

[fitz21]

I too ordered a set to test and before i received them, this thread was started. Im following it very closely. As everyone else has stated, the adapters are such a cheap grade of aluminum, one would think they are made of plastic. I was planning on having some made out of stronger material, so Maybe if someone has a friend or works in a machine shop and can produce quantities, we should plan on a group buy as more people purchase these shocks based on the positive review by makenzie71. Thanks for the review. Can you make the SS replacements? I will be needing them as well. Once again, awesome review!!!

[first timer]

where are the pics of the shocks all torn apart?

[makenzie71]

Sorry guys I'm at work right now, but I will ge the pics up tonight.

I'll be making a one-piece clevis bit that'll close the gap and be much stronger. I may be able to make a few pairs...depends on how hard they are to mill.

[Mysuzyq]

... we should plan on a group buy as more people purchase these shocks based on the positive review by makenzie71.Once again, awesome review!!!

Maybe I'm missing something, but I understand the review says the shocks aren't that good, as delivered? After the complete rebuild & modifications they may be acceptable. I'm doubtful folks will be willing to entrust life & limb on a product that looks cool, but has questionable performance out of the box....perhaps those willing and able to invest the time & effort to duplicate Makenzie's mods will give it a go, depending on the final analysis.

Tony.

[reddirtrider]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I understand the review says the shocks aren't that good, as delivered? After the complete rebuild & modifications they may be acceptable. I'm doubtful folks will be willing to entrust life & limb on a product that looks cool, but has questionable performance out of the box....perhaps those willing and able to invest the time & effort to duplicate Makenzie's mods will give it a go, depending on the final analysis.

Tony.

It's also possible that the manufacturer will incorporate some of the necessary mods. Possible but not necessarily probable.

If you were running that manufacturing plant what is the incentive to make any costly changes? You're already selling them cheap, which is why most buy those shocks. I'm probably too pessimistic.