- Progressive Suspension 412 series,
- Ikon basic model 76-3005;
- Hagon brand
- Others?.
I only use and swear by Hagon. You used to be able to buy them direct, but Hagon apparently closed their US office, although their web page is still running. The bottom of the line shock is wonderful. I've purchased 4 pair so far without any issues.
You can find them on Ebay and some BMW dealers, like Capital. Most Airheads want the ones that are 340mm center-to-center. (Please measure your old shocks to be sure.) The shocks come with the tool, which can double as a head post lock nut wrench.
If you order directly from Hagon, then they will fit springs to your load weight. This can make a big difference if you always carry bags with 30# of rain gear, or always have the significant other on pillion. Generally speaking (if you're not road racing), it's Total Weight/2 that equals the rate of Lbs/In of the spring. IOW, I weigh ~200# and ride by myself with empty bags, so I ask for springs at 100lbs/inch.
Hope this helps.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Thanks Richard for your experience and expertise on ordering Hagons. I chose instead a pair of the IKON Basic 76-3005 from Capital Cycle. They're mounted on a fully refurbished R90/6 which I intend to sell in Springtime. New shocks + regreased & retorqued swingarm bearings + a SJBMW reinforced swingarm will be strong selling points for the Next Owner.
When I next need shocks for a cycle I'll build as a long term Keeper, I 'll go with Hagons and a set of bespoke springs to match my weight. A matched set of spring+shock is a great tip, thanks for the advice.
Those are very good shocks. You won't be sorry. I had a Ikon on a single sided and it was fabulous.
The only difficulty I experienced was with Ikon CS who could not tell me what the next softer spring was, even though they offered 5 or 6. The only thing they could tell me was the spring part numbers (which I could see for myself on their web page). Their solution was to buy their $75 springs until I found one that worked !! My calm and polite conversation went on for a month while seeking clarification. I even asked to be handed to the Director of CS and he knew even less.
Ikon is the new name for Koni shocks, which they replaced.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Is there anyplace to get just the shocks themselves-- to keep the original springs, covers, etc? Or just the bushings? The ones I have don't seem to do a bad job; they're just grungy/rusty looking.
I don't know of any source right off the bat.
However, I have looked at this. I also like the OEM shock cover and spring adjust handle. On other brands of shocks with the top spring "cotters", you can remove the cover, spring and spring adjuster, and swap those parts around. But the OEM Airhead shocks use an assembly method that defies my disassembly skills. I was never able to get those parts off to see what other brand shocks they might fit.
It's a funny thing about rear shocks. They are completely over-shadowed by the front suspension, but your bike will never handle correctly until you replace the rear OEM units. And rear shocks degrade so slowly that it's hard to gauge exactly "when to replace". But take it from me, any Airhead still riding around with OEM rear shocks needs a new set of rear shocks.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
On the pre-'70 ones, I think you had to squish the top cover down on the spring, to separate it from the top eyelet, and there appeared a flat near the top of the shaft of the shock that you could put a wrench on. Then unscrew the top eyelet and everything comes off the top. The shock itself was (fine) threaded into the bottom eye--I think I used a pipe wrench to get those two apart.
Any thoughts or brand recomendations for 90/90 18 Frnt 120/90 18 Rear for my 94 R100RT. Looking for good wet weather manners, Abilty to handle tar snakes, good mileage characteristics.
any help would be appreciated. GregF
Any thoughts or brand recomendations for 90/90 18 Frnt 120/90 18 Rear for my 94 R100RT. Looking for good wet weather manners, Abilty to handle tar snakes, good mileage characteristics.
any help would be appreciated. GregF
This is a message about TIRES in a thread about SHOCKS. Black HTML characters are expensive, but the Club can afford it. We're going to move this to its own thread out of respect for the other posted messages.
Thanks.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
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