Need suspension help for a 78 750, rear shock suggestions

[Guest]

Hey guys, so I replaced my front saggy springs with sonic 1.0kg/mm last year and am now looking for some input on affordable aftermarket rear shocks.

I'm 6 ft 220 lbs and have no idea what to get and availability in Canada. I've heard of hagon and everyone here seems to like them but where can I get them in Ontario, Canada? Are there any other options?

I've been offered a used set of koni's and a set of fox shocks off an 81 gs1100e for $150 a pair but the owner has no information about them, i.e. spring rates, progressive or straight rate or if parts are still available.....etc. etc. etc They don't look like their in pretty good shape either.

Would I be better off spending a little more money on newer shocks? And which ones?

What spring rate and shock should I get for my bike?

Cheers

[one_civic]

Someone please help! I know this has asked many times and I have used the search function, I just want to know if their are any other affordable options for our bikes?

[allojohn]

I put these on front and back and haven't looked back. Some think they're a bit pricey, but worth every penny IMO.

[one_civic]

I already have sonic straight rate springs on my front forks so progressives are not going to work out.

[azr]

Any new shocks you get you will have to order from the US and have them shipped. The great thing about Koni's are that they are rebuildable and you can still get parts for them. The Hagons are a great shock, I ran a set with progressives up front. Talk with CharlieG here on the site he just bought a set of 2810's for his 1100G. Hagons are the next step up from Progressive shocks, at least I feel they are. If you are buying new any reputable company will talk with you about what bike the shocks are going on, how you ride, what your weight is, if you double up, etc...and find the best shock set up for you. Some companies even allow one spring exchange at no charge. The thing to look at with those older shocks are the chrome shafts, if there's a bunch of rust on them they are probably toast, grab em and see what they feel like when you compress them, are they showing signs of the seals being blown out, etc...etc... Oh, and there's no rule about having straight springs up front and Progressive shocks in the back.

[Nessism]

First of all, if you can get a set of Fox shocks for $150 you should grab them (assuming the shafts aren't damaged). There are guys out there that can rebuild them if needed. Fox shocks are worth a fair chunk of change, so you can sell them again and most likely make a profit if you don't like them for some reason.

Progressive shocks are tried and true. The common Chinese made Emgo shocks are reputed to be decent, but stiffly sprung. At 220 lbs these may be a good choice though. The rubber grommets are reputed to be junk though so you may have to replace them at some point in the future (basscliff has a tutorial). YSS are a cut above these others but more expensive. Not sure about availability in Canada and not sure about pricing there either. They are worth investigating though if your bike is a long term keeper.

[Steve]

The common Chinese made Emgo shocks are reputed to be decent, but stiffly sprung.
At 220 lbs these may be a good choice though.

They will only be a 'decent' choice if most of his riding will be 2-up.

We have a set of those on my son's 1000G. When I am on the bike, I find it brutally harsh, and I am about 230 lbs. My son is about 290 and finds them 'acceptable', but he's still young. He has said that when he has a passenger, they feel pretty good.

My wife's bike has Progressive fork springs and Hagon shocks.

My bike has Sonic fork springs (1.1 ) and Koni shocks. I forget what the numbers are, but they are the stock springs.

The last GS in the stable (650L) has Progressive fork springs and some longer-than-stock, OEM-looking shocks, not sure what they came off.

.

[one_civic]

[one_civic]

[one_civic]

Sorry for the large pictures but these are the shocks that are being offered to me for $150 a pair, the fox ones look pretty rough but the Koni's don't look too bad, There is no additional information about them. I'm leaning more toward the Koni's but I don't know anything about them or how much it would cost if they need to be rebuilt,

All I know is that they both came off an 81 gs1100e

[one_civic]

Does anyone recognize the koni's?

[Steve]

Does anyone recognize the koni's?

Not really, but I think I see at least one blue dot on the spring. Look for other colored dots, they will be the code for the spring rate.

Here is a (not very close) shot of the Konis on my 850:

[one_civic]

Thanks Steve, I'm still debating on taking a chance and buying the koni's or buying the RFY's and have them rebuilt.

[Steve]

If you get the KONIs, you can get rebuild kits for them through IKON.

IKON bought everything from KONI when they went out of business. Well, everything execpt the name, so they moved the "I" to the other end of the word. All the model numbers are the same. Virtually all of the rebuild kits are still available. IKON is based in Australia, but they have an American distributor in San Fransisco, so parts are readily-available.

.

[Chuck78]

What shocks did you end up getting? Those Fox's are somewhat sought after, & Evolution Suspension makes &/or sources all of the parts for them
Fox Street Shox. I think they only have a shim washer stack for compression dampening, and have a fixed orifice for rebound. good ride still. Nitrogen port at top for pressurizing slightly or adding remote reservoirs if you want to turn them into piggyback style.
The Koni are a good shock, more consistent dampening as they are a twin tube design. There is an outer chamber with the air cushion, and an inner tube that is the main cylinder. They are connected at the bottom by a foot valve & ports, so that the oil that is directly against the air/gas and gets foamed a lot will stay away from the valving. Foamed oil dampens totally different from straight oil with no creamy air bubbles. Almost as consistent as the DeCarbon design (piggybacks or internal floating pistons).

IKON's & the slightly newer or higher model Koni's have the "Dial-A-Ride" 4 click rebound knob, but basically all of the internals are the same. I was told Ikon said they don't have all the parts for the old Koni's anymore, but Konimon / RHaagUSA on Honda forums & eBay has sourced them & sells them.

Those are the aluminum body 76F's. I am considering buying a pair. They go for $250-350 in good shape. Not as advanced as newer shock valving, but they are far better than stock. They will likely ride more consistently over the long haul after bumpy sections than the Fox, but the Fox has a larger piston, which helps.

With any used vintage shock or fork, if the chrome shafts or fork stanchions have any rust pitting or scoring that would affect the sealing of pressurized oil mixture in, then things get costly. The price should reflect that. Shafts should be available. Definitely for the Fox, & the newer Ikon 7610 shaft&damper may just drop into that body. The new version of that Koni 76F (Ikon 7614-1296) retails for like $550-600. I think it can be ordered through a Triumph shop New Bonneville for under $500, seems to be the place the Honda CB guys go to for them.

The problem with the Koni's was that over time, they have a rubber top out bumper internally that degrades & chunks of rubber then get stuck in the valving & render them nonfunctional with the dampening jammed shut or stuck open. Its recommended on any unknown set to do a tear down & inspection followed by a meticulous cleaning & reassembly, good time for new seals/o-rings & new top out bumper.