fitting new Falcon alloy rear shocks

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SteveBorland

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I tried fitting my new alloy Falcon shocks on the bike last night. They are lovely, very light compared to the Hagons that were there before, but...

I'm having problems getting it to clear the chainguard. It looks as if I need about 7mm of space, which is a bit too much to simply move the bottom mount over by.

Before I start looking at modifying the chainguard etc., I was wondering if other people had noticed any problems similar to this?

There are so many variables on the Commando, it's hard to know what the problem could be - swingarm, rear iso (or front actually), frame, top mounts....

Oh, the joys of owning a 45 year old bike :)
 
Do you have any photos of the problem, as I am considering the same set. Have been waiting until he gets his source back for chrome springs.
 
I thought 'Fast Eddie had those shocks (brand) on his 850 ?
 
Koni's had the same issue with chainguard clearance and created a Commando shock using thinner components eg single rate spring instead of the fatter multi rate spring, when I got some Hagons that were supposed to be mounted spring down I ordered them with spring up, which they can do if asked, so there was clearance to the chainguard.
 
I just realised I don’t have a stock chaingaurd!

Not sure how helpful they’ll be, but he’s some shots of mine:
fitting new Falcon alloy rear shocks
fitting new Falcon alloy rear shocks
fitting new Falcon alloy rear shocks
 
cNw.

But yours is a track bike innit?

Don’t need no stinkin’ chain guard on a track bike...
 
I have recently fitted Falcon alloy shocks to my 1972 750 with the spring at the top without any problem. They can be fitted either way up. I've only done about 100km since fitting them, but the inital impression is that they are excellent
 
cNw.

But yours is a track bike innit?

Don’t need no stinkin’ chain guard on a track bike...

Used on both road & track - that way I can be reasonably certain that it does not blow up on the first lap of Spa....

Yes, I could dump the chain guard, but then a lot of shite ends up being chucked all over the back end.
Which is why I'm interested in alternatives to the standard guard.
 
I have recently fitted Falcon alloy shocks to my 1972 750 with the spring at the top without any problem. They can be fitted either way up. I've only done about 100km since fitting them, but the inital impression is that they are excellent

Interesting - I tried both ways round and still had the interference problem. Robin at Falcon was surprised when I talked to him - they've sold heaps of shocks to Commandos, and have not had this issue before.
 
Glen, around Gerard’s bend at Mallory Park last year I had rather alarming front end judder. That’s despite having Lansdowne internals. I also noticed from ‘action photos’ taken on the track that the rear springs were too soft.

So, long story short, shocks were replaced with these:
fitting new Falcon alloy rear shocks



Fork internals similarly so:
fitting new Falcon alloy rear shocks


Certainly feels good on the road, not tested it on the track yet though...
 
It is unlikely that your springs were too soft, much more likely that there was not enough damping. With more damping the shocks pump down lower, so the spring is compressed more. Mostly when the front of the bike feels bad, it is the rear wheel jumping which causes it, you just feel it to be at the front. If you up the spring rate, you just end up riding a pogo stick. If you have soft springs at the rear, you get more suspension travel which can help the bike to steer better coming out of corners under power, instead of tending to run wide.
Many years ago, I was racing my Triton and it felt so bad in the front, I was afraid to ride it fast. A friend was watching and saw the rear end jumping as I went down the straight. Because I was actually on the bike, I could not see it happening. We took the Konis off and upped the damping a bit, and fixed the problem. The bike became much better. Something such as that can destroy your confidence. I have never had any real problems with the front end of any bike I have raced, except for yoke offset and I have never used any special set-up. The rear is critical.
 
Aluminium shocks might be lighter, but also might be more likely to fail in service, unless they are hard anodised internally. To be hard anodised, the aluminium needs to have low copper content, so is probably lower in strength. Might depend on whether you have the mindset that you use the shocks until they stop working, then throw them away - but get the low weight advantage in the meantime. Personally I like things to keep working and not fail in service.
 
When I was a kid I watched Geoff Duke race the Gilera four at Fisherman's Bend in Victoria. I was very disappointed that the four pipes on the Gilera were not chromium plated. Aluminium shocks on a race bike might be a bit like that.
 
I had a look around the Maxton site, no prices listed, that generally means, " if you need to ask you cannot afford"
I wonder if they sell the decals only ? :)

Glen
 
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