Stock Shocks Updates - Part II

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griff

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Just a little update for y'all. My friend Rick has finished the new front shocks for me, which have the OEM spring on them. He sent me a pic....

griffs_shock.jpg


The red knob near the top is the rebound adjustement, it also has a threaded spring retainer for fine-tuning the pre-load.

I have a chart of the OEM shock on the shock-dyno, but he forgot to send me a chart of the new shock to compare it to.. I can post the OEM's chart if anyone is interested.

THE REAR SHOCK:

I know this is the one a lot of you are waiting to hear about. He has the rear shock in hand, and has already began take'n it apart. From what hes been able to discover so far is very promising, its easy to re-valve & recharge, AND he may be able to replace the shaft to accomodate a rebound adjustment system :D So basically improved valving, along with adjustability. The spring also looks like a good one, but for heavier guys he can put a different spring on it, and adjust the valving accordingly.

Should know more on Monday.
 
What kind of price and will he do other members shocks? Depending on certain criteria I may be interested.
 
Hey Griff what kind of shock body is that??
Click to expand...

Steel, powdercoated. Aluminum end-caps. The shock has a full floating seperator system (keeps nitrogen gas/oil from mixing, which reduces heat build up and minimizes fade).
 
I should have prices for ya guys next week. He has to finish messing with the rear shock 1st, and do the parts list breakdown for them (and for the fronts he built).
 
Another update, on the rear shock.

Apparently the shock is actually made by Yamaha, and is not a Showa or KYB (which kinda surprised me).

Its pretty easy to revalve, but I'm going for the " heart transplant" option (what he calls it). Basically putting in a new valve assembly and shaft. The new valve assembly will support rebound adjustment, and the new shaft is to accomodate the adjuster.

The stock springs worked well for me at my weight (175-180 on any given day), and the measured spring rate seemed consistent with that conclusion (at a minimal pre-load setting).

SO far so good. Will have more info in a few days......
 
How much does the front shocks cost that u have on that pic? Is it posible for me who live in Sweden to buy 2 front shocks :)
 
May I ask what he uses as replacement parts for the "heart transplant"?
Click to expand...

From what he tells me, it involves a brand-new compression valve stack and related misc parts, and a adjustable rebound valve assembly, all of which includes a new primary shaft (and mount point) that is gun-barreled to accommodate the rebound adjustment knob to the stack it adjusts.

He has several distributors that make a wide variety of universal parts, most of which are standardized and interchangeable. It essentially allows him to mix & match as needed to make custom configs and do upgrades.

Thats about all I know.
 
Some more info...

I spoke with him today, and hes shipping out all 3 shocks on Monday, so I should have them by next weekend. Hopefully the wife & I will be able to head out to one of our riding places and test them out.

I asked him about pricing to the public, and he'd prefer to wait until I can test them and give him feedback. He wants to make sure everything works well with the mounting, damping, etc etc.
 
Thats pretty neat, I was just curious to where he was gettting these parts from, Its not everyday a shop has inter-changeable shock components.
 
Suspension is all he does, he has several distributors that make nothing but shock parts. Some are in the USA (and a couple local to him), some stuff in imported from Europe. He or his distributors keep all kinds of stuff on hand. The distributors handle everything from NASCAR suspension, to quarter-midget stuff, to motorcycles & ATV's.

I should add that a lot of Japanese an European shocks use a lot of the same type of parts, in the same sizes, same threads, etc etc. Many of them get their shock parts from the same sources. Makes it a lot easier and cheaper to do.
 
OK, I have all the shocks back.....

new_rap_shocks.jpg


The two custom built fronts using OEM springs...

AND the upgraded OEM rear shock, with a new shaft, valving, and rebound adjustment. I'll have them mounted up in the next couple days, hopefully I'll be able to test them out this coming weekend.
 
if this works out good for you, and everything works a lot better your friend could have some serious buisness from warrior owners.

keep us updated on the ride quality. i dont even have a warrior anymore and im interested haha.
 
I'm set on shocks, but damn those look good. Let us know how they work out for you. So long as they are better than stock, this would be a worthwhile upgrade for a project warrior in the future. Thanks for all the info you've posted so far.
 
Thanks guys. Hopefully I can find out this weekend.

Unfortunately, my cat is suffering kidney failure because of that damn contaminated food thats been recalled. We're treating him at the moment, but hes sketchy at best. If he's doing any better, I'll take my Raptor out Saturday.
 
OK guys, I finally got a chance to take out the Raptor with the new shocks installed. I had my friend make a valving change on the front (needed a little more compression damping on the valve stack), so I had to ship them back, and wait, etc.

I spend some solid time getting the pre-load and the damping adjuster dialed-in for my taste, and the result was awesome!

As you all know, the stockers and shitty, and theres just no comparison to real shocks, the performance is outstanding with these aftermarkets. The rear is a different animal, with the right pre-load and properly setup valving, its an enormous difference from stock. Very smooth and graceful in most conditions, not bucking and bouncing like the POS stockers. I'm very very happy with the results.

I know most of you are interested in the rear shock upgrade, I'll get some pricing from him tomorrow.
 
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