| Author | Message | ||
     Denimo |
I recently posted an ad thinking my isolators are going after riding back from a mountain and dirt road and feeling vibrations in my footpegs. After working on the bike last weekend changing oils and the like, I find the under shock is leaking oil at the front, the shock is a showa. The belt is only marginal out of spec tightness. It feels sometimes its slipping on acceleration or on corners, thats me thinking its the belt, it could be something else. I do however think that the shock is the problem as I'm feeling the ride different there and a bounce in the back at times. SO to me this would definitely make sense. Again the bike has been on a lot of dirt roads and bumps recently, I felt the vibration after leaving one and coming back down through a mountain. Now I thought this is the issue as the shock would have gone just like that, and given an immediate effect of vibration through the pegs, as opposed to isolators. After tightening primary with the oil and filter changes, it appears better and even at times not there, but its still there most times. I am thinking this is the problem. Can anyone share any experiences here, with an undershock. How are these shocks on dirt roads? Any stories? I've just done 25,000 miles on this bike. What actually is this leaking oil coming out? How does this shock operate? There looks to be a gas chamber attached to the shock, is this actually for the oil? Can the shock be rebuilt? What other brands has anyone replaced with and at what cost? All the tips and opinions are all very appreciated ! Dennis (Message edited by denimo on July 09, 2006) | ||
| Tattoodnscrewd |
I just went through replacing my shock on my 99 M2, had to ride for a week and a half on basically a spring, which if the fluid has leaked out, is ultimately what you are riding on. Surprising enough, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be .. but no freeway riding, no hard leaners in the corners, and no fast turns over bumps. My experience with a bad shock was that the rear gets very squirrelly when maneuvering around, and the ride is softened reminding me of the days when I drove around old 70's RWD boats (70 Ford LTD, 72 Olds 88.. etc) I don't do much on dirt roads, and I can't say vibrations picked up a ton or not, but the ride dynamics definitely changed, I wouldn't ride around too much on a bad shock either, losing fluid in the shock is going to make the rear not hold the ground as well. I'm sure others will have more to say than I, as this was just what I experienced in little more than a week waiting for a replacement shock. | ||
| Denimo |
Thanks Tattoodnscrewd, good point maybe the oil leak makes the rear wheel slide as it hits the road and then the rear tyre goes over the oil ??? Hoping others can make more comments please.. | ||
| Tattoodnscrewd |
That is a possibility that I honestly didn't even think of(oil causing the wheel to slip), but it is something else to consider. I actually was referring to the loss of the shocks rebound and damping effectiveness, basically the ability to keep the rear wheel on the ground. You will lose traction without those capabilities, especially when riding rougher terrain, or pushing the motorcycle to it's limits. Damping of the shock's compression is what eases the harshness of the bumps, rebound is what basically puts the rear back to the ground to keep constant traction. With the loss of oil you probably have a softer but bouncier ride, with less traction. Hope that helps some. That being said, I'd be looking for a replacement shock, I was told by a few places that the shock could not be repaired, refilled, etc.. | ||
| M2buelligan |
So where does one look for a replacement shock? My 99 is fine at this time, but the info would be nice for when the shock does go bad. | ||
| Tattoodnscrewd |
The only thing I can say is search e-bay, there may also be people here that have one sitting that they can part with as well, post it in the parts wanted section, that is how I found mine ... or you could pay $412 for a new one from the dealer or pay more for an aftermarket one. |
