REAR SHOCK FOR 1VJ
 

my bike is in for a final service before i set off on a trans-africa trip next weekend, and one thing that i need to replace is the rear shock. as the bike (an '88 1VJ) will be fairly loaded, i was thinking of using a heavy duty rear shock, but so far i have not had much luck in finding out what this might be and where i might get it.

i thought this was covered in chris scott's book, but upon closer inspection last night i see it isn't; i have found one place in london that can build me a rear shock for around £250, but this is for a 3AJ, so i am not sure if it is suitable for a 1VJ - are the dimensions the same? and is this a reasonable price? would the original yamaha part be good enough for a trip of this nature?

looking forward to hearing from y'all.

thanks
cabron

[This message has been edited by cabron (edited 21 August 2002).]

[This message has been edited by cabron (edited 21 August 2002).]

3AJ shock will fit also 1VJ.
excellent shocks are produced from öhlins/sweden,
white power/netherlands, technoflex(wilbers suspension)/germany.
check their homepages.
a good quality shock can cost you up to 800 euro.

regards
klaus

If you're desperate, you could get the shock you have rebuilt with new seals and a much stiffer spring. Your spring will be pretty tired by now, even if the seals are good.

Give Dave Lambeth a call, I believe he does a "new for old" replacement, ride in ride out. He will keep the old one a recondition it to sell on. Cheaper than a (very nice!) new shock anyway, but not quite so good.

We have a guy in Holland who repaired the rear shock of my XTZ660. There was no more damping than a bicycle pump and all gas had escaped, also the spring was tired. He restored the damping, so now I have positions 6-10 instead of 1-5 ! Also the spring seat was moved a bit so now I can adjust the spring again. Fresh gas was put in and it works very good. No more 'kontenwippers' for me, no matter how hard I try. It's been a few years and it's still perfect.

------------------
Fred, XTZ660, Holland.

Hi.
If you remove the spring from the shock you will notice a 3 position circlip on the upper spring seat. If you put this clip on the lower groove (and how i like a good groove) you can set the ride height higher. Usually this is all you need to do for a loaded overlander. While the spring is off you can also check the damping is constant and there are no oil leaks. The original yamaha shock is probably the most reliable unit available.