81 GS550 Shocks

[Guest]

81 GS550 Shocks

So the rear shocks are absolutely shot on the GS.
Any recommendations?

Matt

[steveb922]

How big is the budget? Hagon do reasonably priced shocks that perform pretty well and look fine on the bike. Ohlins can be anything up to £1000.

[Grimly]

Depends on your budget.
Hagons are good, but their cheapest are a couple of hundred
There are a lot of budget shocks, but there are a lot of utterly crap ones, too. They don't necessarily coincide, though.
I've been looking at TEC shocks on ebay.uk, but they're shut for the covid duration.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/TEC-Bike-Parts-Shop?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

When they come back online I'll give them another look with an eye for shocks for the XS650.
There's no shortage of RFY shocks at good prices, but they're a bit hit and miss on quality control; if you're prepared to do some fettling they can be be good value. Another thing about RFY, is they're often supplied with springs that are far too strong for lighter / middleweight bikes.

[550Matt]

Mmmmm..... yes, the budget is always the problem.
I was looking at a couple of hundred £‘s.
Are the YSS adjustable ones any good?

[Grimly]

I've read several good reviews of YSS stuff, so might be worth looking at.

[hampshirehog]

I'd rank YSS and Hagon shocks about the same. You can pick up Hagons for around £150 and YSS a little cheaper.

[550Matt]

That’s great. Thanks guys.

ps. Hampshire Hog, let me know if you’re off to any meetings etc. I’d love to see some of those bikes you have. I’m down in Southampton

matt