Which replacement shocks?

[Bonz]

Hey all,

My 80 SG Special has a light oil film on the left rear shock body, so it's giving up the ghost.

I can't find a lot by "searching" on the forum as it relates to what shocks guys have run as replacements, and if the least expensive ones from JC Whitney or Mike's XS perform well. I have to believe any new shock will work better than the old ones that are starting to wear out. I am tall, and weigh about 290# all up with riding gear.

I see Mike's XS has some good options, 1) are they compatible with an 80 Special and 2) if they are, does anyone know the differences between the shocks, as they all have the same description, but different part numbers.

The JC Whitney shocks look to be the same as Mike's in terms of the pictures, and these list a 4 way adjustment for the damping as well, where as Mikes XS shocks do not mention that one way or the other.

As well, is it best to stay with a 12.75 (325 mm)or close to it eye to eye measurement, or go up to a 13.25 (335 mm) or thereabouts? I wouldn't be opposed to going up a bit in eye to eye to raise the rear end, probably sharpen the handling a bit.

Ok, thanks, look forward to the responses.

[ManitoulinLad]

Mikesxs shocks

Hey HBonser: I got the mikes a couple yrs ago @ 12.75 & they work great. They do have a 4 way adjustable, but I have just left them on the lightest setting and haven't bottomed out yet. They are a great deal for the price. I can't see replacing them anywhere in the future as they still work fine & look new. Some others on the site have had them on their bikes for yrs. Can't go wrong for the price - Dan

[Bonz]

Thanks Manitoulin, that's the feedback I'm looking for.

Do you see any benefit or a detriment, to going with the 13.25" shocks? Any clearance issues, etc? Out of curiosity, how heavy are you, and do you feel that these shocks leave anything to be desired in term of mostly solo riding vs. carrying a passenger?

FWIW, I have searched a bit more, using "MikesXS shocks" and found more info, relative to searching for "replacement shocks".

[crazy steve]

...Do you see any benefit or a detriment, to going with the 13.25" shocks?

The only downside specific to these bikes to changing shock length is it changes the geometry of the driveshaft. While you have a u-joint in the front, there's none at the FD. The spline connection at the FD does move, so altering ride height will change the angle of the spline engagement slightly. Enough to cause problems? I doubt it, although it may mean lubing this is a bit more important...

[Bonz]

Thanks crazy steve,

What you say sounds correct, however hear this out and let me know if it changes your thoughts?

By raising the rear end with a slightly longer shock, I don't believe it changes anything relative to the rear wheel, in terms of the rear final drive angles?

The rear wheel is still on the ground (duh) and the drive line is still coming back at the same level from the middle drive unit (which has the u joint). I could only see what you mentioned being in play if somehow the axle line was raised or lowered, which is not happening by putting longer shocks on. The shocks are simply raising the bike frame above the swing arm pivots, but not causing a dimensional change in terms of the drive shaft coming back to the rear end. With that said, my pea-brain says if there was any change, it would be that the frame and engine would be slightly rotated forward relative to the rear, and the u joint would make up for that and the FD would not be involved in terms of spline angles changing.

Does that make sense or am I way wrong in my thought process?

Thanks much!

[Bonz]

Just got a response from MikesXS, and they say the shocks they sell only have preload, and no adjustment for damping.

Probably go with the JC Whitney units, as they have damping adjustment. Any experience with their shocks on the XS? They appear identical to MikesXS, other than they say they have damping on the JC shocks.

[Bonz]

Ok, I stand corrected by my own follow up... JC Whitney does not have damping adjustment. My apologies to myself for that!

[cywelchjr]

I personally would suggest you find a set of XJ1100 shocks and go with them, There are a few quirks with getting them on, but once one they work better than most of the other options, and they do have dampening adjustment.

[Bonz]

cywelchjr,

I see you have the xj shocks on your bike. What extra stuff needs to be done for them to fit?

[crazy steve]

...By raising the rear end with a slightly longer shock, I don't believe it changes anything relative to the rear wheel, in terms of the rear final drive angles?

Ah, but it does. The centerline of the u-joint and the swingarm pivot points aren't quite on the same plane; the u-joint pivot point is located slightly ahead of the swingarm pivots. So when the swingarm moves up and down, the 'effective' driveshaft length changes, as does it's angle into the FD. It's not much (maybe 1-2 degrees?), but it's real. I've seen this, as I modified my swingarm for a larger tire and cut out the indent in the arm to make it deeper. While fabbing the filler piece, I watched the shaft move when moving the swingarm through it's travel, so I had to make the slot a bit wider to account for this. Here's a pic of the mod before I covered the driveshaft: [IMG][/IMG]

This is 'at rest', but when the swingarm is moved up (i.e. compressing the suspension), the gap under the exposed shaft gets smaller. Total movement at this visible point is under 1/8".

[DiverRay]

I ran 13.5" rear shocks on my "daily ride" for about 20K miles. They were progressives with HEAVY springs. Worked great, and DID give me a little more ground clearance. I did NOT have any noticeable noise from the rear end, and didn't see any wear when I changed tires and greased the slide/socket on the rear end.

[jetmechmarty]

hbonser,

How do you ride the bike? Mike's sells shocks for the XS650 and it weighs over 100 lbs less than the XS1100. Mike's and JC Whitney sell cheap shocks. They are much better than leaking worn out shocks, but I would not expect them to be good, only adequate.

If you ride in a sporty fashion, I would suggest something else like Progressive Suspension heavy duty units to support your weight. They make a world of difference!

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

Shocks

cywelchjr,

I see you have the xj shocks on your bike. What extra stuff needs to be done for them to fit?

1st, the adj shocks both front and rear were some of the higest claim to fame these bikes had from bike mag's when they came out. You can find the "right" used shocks on ebay or other places for cheap, why would you spend more $ in" hopes" to get it to work as well as OEM

[Pat Kelly]

When you buy OEM used shocks for your XS you are buying 30 year-old shocks. The description may accurately state they don't leak, but for how much longer. You are also getting 30 year-old technology.
On the flip side... I bought some JC Whitney shocks and put them on my E. The bike has the touring stuff on it. Bags and trunk empty, but a full tank of gas, had the bike weighing 685 pounds. I weigh 245 (tubby) so the shocks were stressed in my opinion. I had them on for a while and I was unhappy with them. We swapped them for the OEM shocks on wifes XS750.
I am looking to get a set on new progressive shocks with the appropriate weight springs. Downside is they are costly.
As always, YMMV

[Poprock]

XJ shocks work pretty good. They'll take up to about 55# of air and have 4 levels of dampening. They work pretty well for me @250# geared up. I have carried 200#+ passengers with 25# in the shocks, only bottoming on severe bumps. Next time I'll air up to 40#.