Koni vs. Ikon

swooshdave

swooshdave

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Koni vs. Ikon

Koni vs. Ikon


Koni vs. Ikon

Koni vs. Ikon


So I picked up some NOS Konis. I had recently put Ikons on my 850 and I think they are fine.

Koni vs. Ikon


My 750 has some older EMGO shocks so no loss if they get replaced.

So which shocks would you use for the bike you ride the most? Koni or Ikon? The Ikons appear to have progressive springs which should be nice. But then there's the classic aspect of the Konis.
 
Put the Ikons on the PR. The Konis on the 850. But make sure all the rubber and seals are good on them -
 
I have Ikons on my Commando and period Konis on a couple of vintage Japanese bikes I have and they all work very well.

One thing to be aware of, the older Konis contained a honey-coloured latex or natural rubber damper to cushion the rebound stroke at the top of the shock internal. This damper breaks down over years and decades and will end up clogging the internal passages of the shock. I took apart a NOS set of Konis a number of years ago as well as several sets of used ones and they all had this problem.

Fortunately, they are easy to rebuild, you need a pin wrench to open them up but otherwise they are straightforward.
 
+1 on the need to ensure that the possible gunk of the damper needs to have been addressed somewhere in the Koni's history.
Otherwise, the 76-1282 is probably the best for Nortons, just that the upper bushing may need to be thined down a bit to fit inside the upper mount.
Nice feature of the Koni's is the adjustable rebound. Although I have made sure the rear shocks are copasetic, I focus the most attention on the front forks for my riding pleasure.
 
Those Koni's appear to be short on the lower shaft for Norton.
You may have to space it out to clear the stock chain guard.
Maybe not, just an observation.
 
Do not fit these until you have stripped them, removed what remains of the top out washer and cleaned out the gunge from the damping holes. If you do not they will seize and possibly bend the shaft. I had a set of NOS 76 series and stripped them and the washer was a pile of gunge in the bottom of the shock.
 
Last edited:
kommando said:
Do not fit these until you have stripped them, removed what remains of the top out washer and cleaned out the gunge from the damping holes. If you do not they will seize and possibly bend the shaft. I had a set of NOS 76 series and stripped them and the washer was a pile of gunge in the bottom of the shock.
Click to expand...
Is there a good picture guide on what to look for and where?
 
Deckard said:
+1 on the need to ensure that the possible gunk of the damper needs to have been addressed somewhere in the Koni's history.
Otherwise, the 76-1282 is probably the best for Nortons, just that the upper bushing may need to be thined down a bit to fit inside the upper mount.
Nice feature of the Koni's is the adjustable rebound. Although I have made sure the rear shocks are copasetic, I focus the most attention on the front forks for my riding pleasure.
Click to expand...
the 76 series koni shocks dont have adjustable rebound . the 7610 series do have the adjustable rebound .

Eldert
 
swooshdave said:
The hope that’s only on shocks that have been used for years and exposed to the elements.
Click to expand...
Mine were several years old but were clean and hadn't been used in bad weather. I used a hot air gun to warm the body in the end as a last resort and they came loose. Other people told me they had struggled too but, as you say, they were used ones too. Just wanted to give you a heads up to not go at it half-hearted. :)
 
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