Air shocks vs Works vs Ohlins

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Hobot

Hobot

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Ms Peel is seeking adjustable everything shocks 15" long with 5" travel.
Just saw air shocks mentioned in the Dreer Undressed thread and got me spending finger twitching. $900 US is rather cheap compared to Ohlins. What's the advantages/features of the French air shock over spending 50% more for more famous dampers? Wonder if air shocks available in 15" length to fit Cdo's?
Peel has air station to work em on the fly if that's possible. Elite dampeners have electronic tuneing on the fly - manual or automatic now. Variable rear spring rate would be fantastic feature!

http://www.fournales.fr/
French site, but they do seem to have them for Commandos http://www.fournales.fr/catalogue/2_Rou ... Yamaha.htm
If you need more info, you can write them at infos@fournales.fr I don't know if they will reply in english, but if you need help, send me a PM and I will contact them for you. Jean
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I am looking at those shocks HARD, but $830.00 is "a bit rich", they did tell me to send them the extended length so it sounds like they will make whatever you want. I will see what pops up at Barbers as shocks are "on my shopping list".

Vince
 
I've been looking at high end rear shocks for years but I have yet to find any that are made to fit a MKIII. Maybe regular MKII shocks would work but I don't want to be the guinnea pig dealing with rear disc clearance ect. If something is designated to fit, I'd buy it no questions asked. My shocks now are not anywhere near 15". I think my Hagons are 12" or 13" long. I'd even like them a bit shorter to lower the rear end a tad.
 
I'm very familiar with Works performance shock and ran one on a BMW K bike. They work very well, but still pricey. The owner races a Manx! :D It's an interesting internal design with a circular plate drilled with small to large holes backed by a spring loaded ball bearing. As pressures increases the next orifices opens. Simple but efficient design.
 
Thanks, I think. Price is delaying me me on a number of items to finish Ms Peel.
I'm in a piss poor mood lately with so many other things car to mowers and home repairs suddenly draining reserves right before winter work slow down : (

The only shock I see any glowing reports on in cycle rags are Ohlins. I got ATV front set a few years ago but they will not fit d/t the external reservoir fouling the top mount. They will fit upside down, but didn't know it that was a no no, so called Ohlin America to find out that was fine - just reverses the rebound adjustments.
Then found out how much more money to re-valve-re-spring for a light cycle : (
So will sell them off to help pay for a cycle specific set ~$1300.

I just don't know what Peel wants besides going by the Bling factor. Off road is more my concern but Peel performance over laps form that in road race loads. If I'm in fearless-stupid state- to enter blinds at speed, Peel can out run the hot Blasters with wreckful teenagers on THE Gravel. Just like the elite road bikes I run up on em in my comutes - which then excites them so the game is ON!
Only thing I ain't been able to out do em so far is the spung donuts in tight circles, Peel tends to cork screw sharper right into the ground while they can swing wider to keep radius stable. Peel on slight down hills can out zigzag and accelerate deer in pastures. Trixie Combat can out run deer in about straight lines but can't handle their zigzags. Bumps bother both bikes in those fun runs.
I like my SV better than the dirt bikes but SV sucks on rough pasture so bad I never take it over pasture but in careful slowish rates.

On pavement Peel likes to fling up to land sideways. The landings are fine on Hagons, but the little jostles before luanch are a bit of a scare. SV with GRSX upgrade shock is too unstable to approach those wind up and release loads.
Also the fat race tires don't have enough grip to hit it with torque spike on leans to catch air long enough to align right on landing. SV will get air born too but is a wigglely terror like other rigid so can't have my way with em like on Peel.
To me the ultimate corner device is rear linked Isolastic Cdo, seek gooder shocks to expand my comfort zone.
 
Within the last year, I was introduced to Gil Vaillancourt, the owner of Works Performance, at the AHRMA races at Willow Springs. Spent maybe an hour sitting on the tail gate of his transporter, talking to him about his Manx Nortons and what he has had to do to return them to better than new performance levels. The man is a benefactor of classic racers, he preserves a great heritage, and for not much return, he provides products for obscure British machinery.

If I was in the market for shocks, no doubt in my mind, I would buy a Works Performance product. What's more, his facility is less than 10 miles from where I sit.
 
I bought,years, ago Work shocks for my -93 Vmax and still do not really like them: they are to harsh even after breaking up. On my Commando and other bikes I have Ikons and I've decided they are in the "best" league of shocks absorbers with Ohlins etc, at 1/2 the price!
Philippe
 
Yeah I've been internally debating the shock thin for quite awhile now . My friend fitted new 7610 Koni's on his MK3 when he restored it in the early 90's . They required some slight mod to make them fit but I don't remember what it was . It might have been having a different bushing machined for the top mount .Ikon doesn't list a variable rebound damping shock for the Commando that I could find . There is a guy on Ebay sometimes who sells rebuilt and cosmetically restored Koni's . I'd like to talk to him . That's as high up as I would go . If I need to go faster than that I'll be on either the Ohlins or Penske equipped Ducks.

Ron
 
prmurat said:
I bought,years, ago Work shocks for my -93 Vmax and still do not really like them: they are to harsh even after breaking up. On my Commando and other bikes I have Ikons and I've decided they are in the "best" league of shocks absorbers with Ohlins etc, at 1/2 the price!
Philippe
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Each Works shock must be tuned to the individual's riding style. :wink:
 
Supposedly the icon shocks for commando sold through holland norton works are direct reproductions of the old koni model.
 
I run the modern Ikons (which I understand to be basically equivalent to the old Koni Dial-a-Rides) and I like them fine, but they were about $400 I think. From Hobot's message I think the Ohlins must be about 3-4 times that price?

Yeah, never heard a bad word about Ohlins that didn't involve the price. If I had the scratch, no question which shocks I'd buy.
 
I'm more than happy with my Ikon shocks. The tooling for them was bought from Koni when they gave up production of motorcycle shocks. The word is that they are better than Hagons.
 
pelican said:
Supposedly the icon shocks for commando sold through holland norton works are direct reproductions of the old koni model.
Click to expand...

The IKON shocks sold by Holland Norton Works are not direct reproductions of the old KONI model but the new fully adjustable IKON ones!

Air shocks vs Works vs Ohlins


I use those for road and race, excellent!
 
Thanks for expanding my awareness. I've test fitted Ohlns to Peel prior, the only mod i had to have done is narrow the shock eye bushes to pass bewteen the upper mount plates. Apparently modern cycles with two shocks have a ~1/8 wider space.
I have seen the beginings of shearing distortion in Peels thin factory shock gussets.
That is solved by carpenter squares welded against outside of each gusset.

IKons maybe be world class construction and function, but lack the world class on the bike no tool 25-30 click each, rebound and compression dampening adjustment, as well as mounting length adjustment and positive bottoming composite bumper or external reservoir for more consistent fluid thermal viscosity and bragging rights.
http://www.ikonsuspension.com/index.shtml
Air shocks vs Works vs Ohlins



Works, look good to me and have all the bells and whistles as Ohlins, just don't know the price difference and availabilty in 15" - 2" longer Commando versions.
http://www.worksperformance.com/html/vintage.html

Air shocks vs Works vs Ohlins



http://www.helmetheadcycle.com/product/ ... ycle-shock
http://www.ohlinsusa.com/us/catalog/Rec ... 6-10_1.pdf
On sale free shipping $1440.oo where I found a photo of my favorite model.
Air shocks vs Works vs Ohlins
 
Since I did not find any shocks at Barbers I am still "on the hunt", so far:

NJB, just don't look right to me

Emgo, no

Fournales, too much $

Ohlins, WAY too much $

Hagon, maybe...

I have an email in to Ikon, if I can get them fully valanced I will probably go that way.

Unclviny
 
I have come to realize that I really should have studied German but all the girls at School were taking French so I took that instead!

Vince
 
I use ikon's on two of my most used Commando's (850 mk1 & mk3) , very impressed with the difference they make, only downside is that the springs can foul the chainguard so "adjustment" is needed and the springs are rusting after just 2 years so the chrome could do with being better other than that highly reccommended
 
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