Rear Shock recomendations

[BD 87]

My factory rear shocks are shot. Does anybody have an aftermarket replacement they recommend?



Going on a 2004 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad 1500. Wife rides fairly often and I have a trailer I pull on longer rides.

[DragonLady58]

Originally Posted by BD 87

My factory rear shocks are shot. Does anybody have an aftermarket replacement they recommend?



Going on a 2004 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad 1500. Wife rides fairly often and I have a trailer I pull on longer rides.

Progessive 412 HDs....you won't be disappointed....

[andyvh1959]

Yup, Progressive or Hagon. I especially recommend any aftermarket shocks that can be serviced and rebuilt about every 20,000 to 30,000 miles. That is the problem with stock factory un-rebuildable/tune able shocks. After 20K miles, stock shocks are nothing but springs with little or no damping control. VERY few stocks shocks from any cycle brand are any good after 20K miles, with the exception of factory installed Ohlins or similar shocks.

The other huge benefit of quality rebuildable aftermarket shocks is you order them to your specific riding weight, riding load, riding style, and whether you ride solo or two up. The shocks are built to put all that right in the middle of the shock adjustment range. When you adjust them for ride or handling quality you really feel the results. It takes some effort to properly tune the shocks but the results are SO worth it. AND, I bet you get much better tire mileage.

If you plan to keep and ride your bike for many years, the dollars on quality aftermarket shocks are probably the best bucks you'll ever spend on your bike.

[ringadingh]

I too went with the Progressive shocks, they are working out well.

[Tortuga]

When it came time to replace my Yamaha Venture shock I got a shock when I saw what Yamaha wanted for a new one. Their rear shock was a disaster and they never fixed it. I searched and found Hagon, a British company that made a great replacement shock for far less money. A friend also used them on a twin shock bike (the Yammy is a mono-shock bike). I've emailed them to see if they're still available in the U.S. and will pass on any info I get.

[redjay]

Hagon has been around for many years in the U.K and are a very reputable company.

Yamaha rear mono shocks are available from SS Custom Cycle and are made by Progressive.

https://sscustomcycle.com/product-ca...n-v-star-1300/

[andyvh1959]

Good info to know about Hagon.

The issue with installing factory OEM shocks is they'll be worn out again in 20,000 miles and if they aren't rebuildable you'll spend way too much for shocks that don't really improve the ride for you. Keep in mind any stock shocks are a cost driven compromise to get the most spring to support the load with the least expensive damping system. Also, the stock shocks are spec'd to suit a range of rider weight/load/riding style for a 125lb rider up to a 300lb rider. Its been a classic example of stock suspension for decades: over sprung and under damped, because its the cheapest suspension option for the factory to chose.

Custom, quality aftermarket shocks are built to your exact specs for weight/load/riding style/ride preference, to get your specs exactly in the middle of the shock tuning range. Then once installed on your bike you can adjust the shocks to your needs and really feel the difference in ride quality and handling. Almost any quality aftermarket shock will be a huge improvement over the stock shocks as they are more tunable and rebuildable.

[VNGreenKnight]

Hello, regarding vn1500g Nomad 1998-99,
Anyone installed the TCMT HD Air shocks? With the small compressor and air canister?
Rgds // thanks

[andyvh1959]

Even the Kawwy stock air shocks could be plumbed to a central filling tee location with a small guage. I plan to do that, and use a blood pressure cuff gauge/hand bulb as the pump source. Air shocks only need maybe 20 psi of pressure to function, so a hand bulb is ls plenty of a pump to do the job. I may also create an ABS plastic reservoir to mount under the rear fender, and plumb the hand bulb/tee to the reservoir. The greater volume of air will provide a smoother air rise when going over bumps, or greater volume to support the rear suspension when riding two up and gear loaded for touring. An ABS pipe plumbing reservoir can easily handle over up to 100 psi.

[mick56]

Originally Posted by andyvh1959

Even the Kawwy stock air shocks could be plumbed to a central filling tee location with a small guage. I plan to do that, and use a blood pressure cuff gauge/hand bulb as the pump source. Air shocks only need maybe 20 psi of pressure to function, so a hand bulb is ls plenty of a pump to do the job. I may also create an ABS plastic reservoir to mount under the rear fender, and plumb the hand bulb/tee to the reservoir. The greater volume of air will provide a smoother air rise when going over bumps, or greater volume to support the rear suspension when riding two up and gear loaded for touring. An ABS pipe plumbing reservoir can easily handle over up to 100 psi.

Despite what everyone says, i pumped my shocks up to 65 psi, with a garage tyre pump, and never had any problems at all, in over 64,000 miles

[redjay]

Why 65 psi ? 30 psi was plenty when I had a passenger.

[mick56]

Originally Posted by redjay

Why 65 psi ? 30 psi was plenty when I had a passenger.

I was towing a 350lb trailer too mate.

[andyvh1959]

Mick is right, to pump the shocks up that high should be no problem for the shocks. The only caution to pumping up the rear shocks is to not use a large compressor or high output shop air as it might fill the shocks too quickly. Some form of hand pump or low volume output small compressor is ok.

[mick56]

Originally Posted by andyvh1959

Mick is right, to pump the shocks up that high should be no problem for the shocks. The only caution to pumping up the rear shocks is to not use a large compressor or high output shop air as it might fill the shocks too quickly. Some form of hand pump or low volume output small compressor is ok.

I dd use a high volume compressor That was the point of my comment