Gen I FJR shock problem

[moto2wheelin]

Anyone here know of any of the fixes or which shock can be bought for the best price?  My dad just bought this bike and loves it but the back end needs some work!  I have heard of a shim fix, but don't want to register for any more forums just for this one question!  It is way too soft right now.  Any help or advice is much appreciated.  Thanks!

[squeezer]

Ohlins and Penske are the ones mentioned most often at fjrforum.com.  EPM Performance offers a respringing kit, but I assume it takes special tools to do the job. They're at http://www.epmperformance.com.

You should talk your Dad into registering at fjrforum.com if you don't want to. It's the best source of info on the bike. Have him read through the FAQ section at least.

[FJRmgm]

the stock rear shock is good for about 20k miles before it gives up.

I have a Wilbers suspension on my '05 FJR and it was the best thing I ever did to it.

Aftermarket shocks may seem pricey at first glance but the fact that they can be rebuilt at intervals means they last forever and just keep working.

[Snapping Twig]

WORKS has several nice offerings.

[st ryder]

Anyone here know of any of the fixes or which shock can be bought for the best price?  My dad just bought this bike and loves it but the back end needs some work!  I have heard of a shim fix, but don't want to register for any more forums just for this one question!  It is way too soft right now.  Any help or advice is much appreciated.  Thanks!

There were some folks who added a split spacer/washer to Gen 1 shock springs and reported very good returns, as opposed to buying a new aftermarket shock. The issue was not enough pre-load availability with the 2 settings. There were 2 or 3 different washer thicknesses being used for rider weight differences IIRC. Try a FJR specific forum.  

[Wanderer]

Don't shim it.  There are about eleventy-four reasons not to. The least of which is that shimming is a fake fix.  All you're doing is preloading the spring.  The whole problem stems from Yamaha dropping the ball on the rear shock.  It's got poor internals and a much too soft spring.  

EPM Performance offers a respringing kit, but I assume it takes special tools to do the job. They're at http://www.epmperformance.com.

This is what I did.  Both ends got new springs and heavier fork oil for $300.   I did my rear at home with strut hooks, but next time I'd easily pay a suspension shop the small fee to install the rear spring. You could almost certainly bribe a local shop to pop it on for $20.  The forks are really easy. It's certainly not Ohlins or Race Tech, but it did make a rather large, positive difference in the bike.  

You should talk your Dad into registering at fjrforum.com if you don't want to. It's the best source of info on the bike. Have him read through the FAQ section at least.

I would recommend this as well.  Even if he doesn't register, definitely lurk around over there, there is an insane amount of FJR specific knowledge collected. Start with the 'FAQs and Common Historical Info' forum.
Some days I honestly wonder if a topic exists that hasn't been hashed out already on that forum. Alot of it's members began posting about 15 minutes after laying down the deposit on the first 03's.  I'd be surprised if there was a single part on that bike that hasn't been taken apart, examined, and debated about.  Everything from plastic screws to transmissions.   If the answer exists, you'll find it there.

[Baz]

the stock rear shock is good for about 20k miles before it gives up.

I have a Wilbers suspension on my '05 FJR and it was the best thing I ever did to it.

Aftermarket shocks may seem pricey at first glance but the fact that they can be rebuilt at intervals means they last forever and just keep working.

I am seriously considering pulling the trigger on a Wilbers. From what I can see there is a huge price difference between Wilbers and Ohlin, and I am struggling to see why.

Anyone have any insight?

[FJRmgm]

I am seriously considering pulling the trigger on a Wilbers. From what I can see there is a huge price difference between Wilbers and Ohlin, and I am struggling to see why.

Anyone have any insight?

Wilburs ain't made of gold like the Ohlins.....

Seriously, any good aftermarket suspension will make a HUGE difference.

[Ignacio]

Anyone have any insight?

Wilbers is far superior to stock, but mine failed twice (a 640) during long rides including once in the Iron Butt Rally.  Most Wilbers are a similar "emulsion" system the same as stock.  However, they're beefier and rebuildable.

I upgraded to a Penske (and considered an Ohlins) and they are far superior, longer lasting, and a different type of technology.  You also pay for that.

In my personal hierarchy:

Ohlins and Penske - Tier 1 Golden
Wilbers - Tier 2 Value Oriented
Stock - Tier 3 Suckage

[Baz]

Ingacio;

Thanks for the input.

My FJR is nearing replacement time, and it is always great to hear others experiances. I am leaning heavy towards a Wilber due to price.

[SVTNate]

How would you guys rank the (relatively new) RaceTech custom shocks in comparison to Penske or Ohlins?

Also, I'm looking at RaceTech gold valves/springs up front and *something* out back.  See, the stock bike is undersprung for my 270 pounds, which has become a concern as I do more aggressive riding.  However, my FJR only has 4k miles on it.  Should I pony up for a new shock now, or just re-spring the still fairly new OEM shock with a RaceTech spring suited for my weight?

[Bounce]

I have a Wilbers suspension on my '05 FJR and it was the best thing I ever did to it.

+1 on the Wilbers here too. i originally did a shim and it helped some but the Wilbers was the actual fix for me. i agree with iggy's tiers but tier 1's were too expensive for me. Works is in there and somewhat like a Wilbers tier but with more vendors state side.

as for pitching one FJR forum (dot come) over another, that's inappropriate for this thread. they are both resources. one has a wealth of information while the other has a wealth of whining little bitches.

[Bounce]

I DID say there was a lot of great information there...a good place to READ.  But if you want to POST and TALK about something whiiiiiiiiiiiine

[lionswings]

Not trying to start anything here Bounce, just stating my opinion.  The admins have done a great job there with all the information and lots of work.  As a new guys point of veiw (Shared by many) if you have not been part of that forum for many years you will never be "Part" of that forum.  Love the info there and learned a lot.  

[moto2wheelin]

Guys,  thanks for all the good info.  I have read up on the bike so much, I just had to have one.  I have been riding an '05 now for a week and love the bike.  The spring is not near as weak as the one on my Dad's '03 though.  I have pointed in the direction of some of the above mentioned advice.  Thanks!

[Huron52]

 I changed out my stock shock in 2006 for a Wilbers. Maybe it was a little bit early to change out the stock at the time back but it was a group buy.

                  Can't pass them up eh?

Fast forward to last year.... I started to notice the lack of strength in the spring of the Wilbers so this spring I sent it away to have it rebuilt. They installed a heavier spring and man do I ever notice the differance. It was long over due for the rebuilt. Love the feel of it now!!!

[sprint_st]

Don't shim it.  There are about eleventy-four reasons not to. The least of which is that shimming is a fake fix.  All you're doing is preloading the spring.  The whole problem stems from Yamaha dropping the ball on the rear shock.  It's got poor internals and a much too soft spring.  

This is what I did.  Both ends got new springs and heavier fork oil for $300.   I did my rear at home with strut hooks, but next time I'd easily pay a suspension shop the small fee to install the rear spring. You could almost certainly bribe a local shop to pop it on for $20.  The forks are really easy. It's certainly not Ohlins or Race Tech, but it did make a rather large, positive difference in the bike.  

I would recommend this as well.  Even if he doesn't register, definitely lurk around over there, there is an insane amount of FJR specific knowledge collected. Start with the 'FAQs and Common Historical Info' forum.
Some days I honestly wonder if a topic exists that hasn't been hashed out already on that forum. Alot of it's members began posting about 15 minutes after laying down the deposit on the first 03's.  I'd be surprised if there was a single part on that bike that hasn't been taken apart, examined, and debated about.  Everything from plastic screws to transmissions.   If the answer exists, you'll find it there.

+1  
I did the HyperPro spring upgrade at $300 and later for $2000 AK20's and Penske shock.  If I had it to do all over again, I would have stopped with the springs.  Yes, the high priced option did handle noticeably better, BUT NOT $1700 better.  If you do some research on shocks you WILL find a bunch of cases of Wilbers shocks failing on FJR's but I've yet to hear Penske or Ohlins having a pattern of failures.  IMO, if you do your homework and some research about the HP springs, you'll see the shock spring addresses most of the basic issues needed to fix the very poor stock FJR shock.

as for pitching one FJR forum (dot come) over another, that's inappropriate for this thread. they are both resources. one has a wealth of information while the other has a wealth of whining little bitches.

Yep, lionswings made an inappropriate comment.  Then again so did you, didn't you?  The major difference is his was factual and yours was just vindictive.  Tyrannical regimes and their zealots do have issues with getting the facts right.

[birdrunner]

Ingacio;

Thanks for the input.

My FJR is nearing replacement time, and it is always great to hear others experiances. I am leaning heavy towards a Wilber due to price.

hey Baz.   I've a Wilbers on my XX,  they're generally considered undersprung, and many of the people on the FJR and XX forums that got into group buys had them fail for this reason.
The early units were covered under warranty but the distributer changed and later units were not fixed.

I had mine rebuilt by a very good shop in Portland which also does Penske and Ohlins,  they said there was absolutely nothing wrong with the Wilber, except for often being undersprung.

I've the heaviest spring they could find in my rear as I'm usually hauling A LOT of weight on the bike  (2up, 3 Givi's and a trailer).  Suspension changed the bike.  

[WBill]

Unless Yamaha comes out with a really significant upgrade for the 2011 FJR, I'm going to hang on to my '05 (50 KMiles) and upgrade to an Ohlins suspension.  

One concern I have, though, is how to adjust the new suspension, front and rear, for me and my wife  I haven't read anything about this here.  I adjusted my stockers according to "Haulin' Ashe's" suggestions, posted on the FJR forum, and I like the performance.  

Maybe there's something in the instructions for the Ohlins manual?  WBill

[sprint_st]

Unless Yamaha comes out with a really significant upgrade for the 2011 FJR, I'm going to hang on to my '05 (50 KMiles) and upgrade to an Ohlins suspension.  

One concern I have, though, is how to adjust the new suspension, front and rear, for me and my wife  I haven't read anything about this here.  I adjusted my stockers according to "Haulin' Ashe's" suggestions, posted on the FJR forum, and I like the performance.  

IMO,  the stock shock isn't just bad, it is designed poorly.  Police models of the FJR sold mainly outside of the US have the HyperPro spring on the same internals as the production shock.  The constant rate HP shock helps the non-adjustable stocker (actually two setting) significantly.  The more weight you put on it just moves into a tighter section of coils.  Not sure what Ashe has now but he later published an article where he did the HP mod.   IIRC those settings Ashe recommended were starting points, but no matter what they were no setting changes could compensate for the spring system on the stocker.

[fhaze]

Sell a kidney, get a Penske or Ohlins rear, and Traxxion Dynamics AK-20 up front. Doo eeeet! Make sure you get the correct springs, and set sag properly. Doo eeeet!

[jeepinbanditrider]

I'm looking at upgrading my bike's legs now