Which replacement shock? XL1000

[Interceptor]

I have a 99 Varadero with 34k mls on it - the back shock is bottoming out on bumps and has traces of oil on the piston/cylinder under the spring so I guess the seals are shot. I have the preload turned up to max. It passed its MOT last year so I guess its only recently failed.

There is a guy on eBay who is rebuiding standard shocks for ~£85 and I am thinking of giving him a try. Would I be better off spending £275 for a new Hagon or Honda OEM shock?

Thanks,

'cptr

[R0vers]

Originally Posted by Interceptor

I have a 99 Varadero with 34k mls on it - the back shock is bottoming out on bumps and has traces of oil on the piston/cylinder under the spring so I guess the seals are shot. I have the preload turned up to max. It passed its MOT last year so I guess its only recently failed.

There is a guy on eBay who is rebuiding standard shocks for ~£85 and I am thinking of giving him a try. Would I be better off spending £275 for a new Hagon or Honda OEM shock?

Thanks,

'cptr

IMHO It shouldnt really have started to go after that little mileage- unless youve been riding across africa on it fully laiden - is there not an adjusting ring (CASTELLATED NUT) at the top of the shock to compress the spring so its harder...this can be done easily on the africa twin,so i would imagine its the same for the vara - and you should have a "c" spanner within your toolkit to do it?

try this first..

[Dee Duble Yuh]

Unfortunately 34k isn't unusual for Honda shocks. If it's bottoming out it's because the spring is compressing so far the coils are touching each other; altering the pre-load isn't going to help (after all, that pushes them even closer!) By all means try it first though; the Vara should have a remote preload adjuster.

Can't recommend a shock from personal experience, but search the threads. I'm sure people here and on other sites recommend Maxton for giving a superior ride quality at a modest price. (Many also buy replacement fork springs from Maxton at the same time as they are relatively cheap and "match" the ride front and back.)

[allyw71]

My 99 vara decided that oil in the shock was no longer required last year (about 40k miles), so yours seems about normal. Remember it is 10 years old now. I bought a hagon replacement for £250 from Wemoto, which is good, but I have to remove it to adjust the preload, which is a complete bugger. You can buy them with a remote adjuster but its about another £150. To be honest I would of tried the ebay guy if I had noticed him before ordering the new one, because I'm a tight arsed Scotsman and parting with cash is against my religion

[Jackdaw]

My 99er is now on its third shock. (It's done 90k miles) First time it went I had it reconned. Second time I fitted a Hagon. Advantage of the recon job is that you've still got your preload adjuster. Fitting a new shock means your off the road for less time. Either way its a pain in the butt!

[jasonbc]

Originally Posted by Interceptor

I have a 99 Varadero with 34k mls on it - the back shock is bottoming out on bumps and has traces of oil on the piston/cylinder under the spring so I guess the seals are shot. I have the preload turned up to max. It passed its MOT last year so I guess its only recently failed.

There is a guy on eBay who is rebuiding standard shocks for ~£85 and I am thinking of giving him a try. Would I be better off spending £275 for a new Hagon or Honda OEM shock?

Thanks,

'cptr

Mine packed up at about 20,000 miles i got a direct replacement from David Silver on the 2-3 week wait £260

[pete h]

Sounds pretty similar to the shock going on my 99 vara - story of that is here: Shock problem

I ended up buying a hagon shock from wemoto £250, and £15 fitting charge at my local bike shop.

I'm happy with the performance from the hagon unit - no problems on long trips, one or two up. The only other thing I did was fit a hugger to the bike to try and keep excessive amounts of road crap off it.

[Interceptor]

Thanks for all the replies - I'm going to go the rebuild route and I'll report back on the results. The guy who rebuilds them will machine a new piston rod if the old one is beyond service for small money. David Silvers want £410 for a new one and it'll be over £300 by the time I pay shipping for either Hagon or Maxton.

Oh well, I'll just have to commute on the Gixxer for a week or two...

'cptr

[jasonbc]

Originally Posted by interceptor

thanks for all the replies - i'm going to go the rebuild route and i'll report back on the results. The guy who rebuilds them will machine a new piston rod if the old one is beyond service for small money. David silvers want £410 for a new one and it'll be over £300 by the time i pay shipping for either hagon or maxton.

Oh well, i'll just have to commute on the gixxer for a week or two...

'cptr

was the price from david silver on the 2-3 week wait as it is a lot cheaper than standard

[Freerangestormer]

+1 for the Hagon, better adjustment although you loose the "remote" preload, good value for money.

Can you actually get the original rebuilt economically ? The piston rod on mine was so shot it wasn't worth even considering, 56klms (abit40k miles) nearly all road. Didn't want to do it again in another 40k