Is there a consensus on which aftermarket rear suspension manufacturer is the best for the ST?

[ThrottleItOut]

Hello everyone,
I posted this on the Super Tenere facebook page, and was informed that the suspension experts reside on the forum - so here I am. I've run Cogent stuff on previous bikes and been happy with it, but is there a better option for the rear ST suspension? I'm not gonna say money is no object, but I plan to have this bike for a while, so buy once cry once etc. I searched the forum and didn't find this exact question previously answered anywhere, sorry if it's there and I missed it.

I'm 200lbs without gear, plus crash bars, skid plate, luggage, camping gear, etc. Moderately aggressive rider, riding twisties and moderate offroad. Occasional passenger (what she lacks in weight she makes up for with luggage when we go camping, I'm sure you all know how that goes).

I rebuilt the front completely stock except for SKF green seals and 7.5 weight Belray oil and it honestly feels pretty good, but the back is kind of atrocious. Even without camping gear and passenger I can't get close to race sag, and I'd rather spend money on suspension upgrades instead of eating more lettuce and less burgers.
So without further ado, what rear suspension do you folks recommend? (I might go to straight-rate springs in the front at some point, but I'm focused on the rear for now - squeaky wheel gets the grease and all that).

P.S. It's the non-ES model.

 

[Tenman]

https://norwestsuspension.com revalved and resprung my stock rear. It cost $373.20 (5 years ago) with a 1000lb Ebach spring. I'm 20lbs heavier than you with the same farkles. I can get sag adjusted right now. It's way better than stock but I don't have anything else to compare it to. I just put the straight springs he recommended in the front. They work good enough for me. Not sure what rate they are.

 

[ThrottleItOut]

To add to this, I'm currently considering the following options:

-Penske Triple Clicker ($1375)
-Touratech Extreme ($1795 - their midline offering)
Cogent Dynamics ($759 - this does not use a remote reservoir, so I tend to lean away from this option for this reason)

Certainly open to other options if they're out there.

 

[~TABASCO~]

To add to this, I'm currently considering the following options:

-Penske Triple Clicker ($1375)
-Touratech Extreme ($1795 - their midline offering)
Cogent Dynamics ($759 - this does not use a remote reservoir, so I tend to lean away from this option for this reason)

Certainly open to other options if they're out there.

Ohlins set up just for you is about $1000 or so..... Not off the shelf...



"writing in this post, but to everyone"

(Actually there are people like myself that can take the time to get it all set up for customers. Ohlins does charge a little for the 'custom'. But you can find web-warehouses that buy a ton of Ohlins and sell them for cheaper than the custom. Many people think the shocks are the exact same and they just found a better price................... wrong..... That web-warehouse has two hundred of the exact same shocks set-up for all two hundred shocks. That would be the same for the 160Lb guy, and the 300Lb guy.... One that does only touring, and the same as the next guy blasting the desert... The same ? Absolutely NOT....
No matter the brand anyone chooses to purchase, its very important to have it set up for YOU and how you ride your bike.

Suspention is not complicated but if anyone is looking to spend the time and money its much more than, color, brand, or price. IMOP, I would rather have a "non popular" brand set up for me, rather than a "fancy" brand that was not set up for me, any day. I always suggest finding someone that has been around and talking to them, learn from them, and take their suggestions. It could save you money, and give you a much better motorcycle experience. Im just saying all this with 40+ years of experience. )

 

[Panman]

I've ran both Penske and Ohlins both on my FJR, both are good shocks. I moved away from the Ohlins as the cost of the rebuild to me is high and I moved to Penske on both the S-10 and FJR as the cost to me is significantly cheaper as I have a smart S-10/FJR owner riding buddy who figured out it's not to hard to rebuild the Penske set-up. The Ohlins takes specialized equipment that wouldn't be cost effective to purchase as an individual.
The one thing I liked about my Ohlins is it had a remote preload adjuster but have found I can compensate with the dampening on the Penske and you can change the Penske with a bit more work..
If your not a suspension Grau find a good shop who can help with the first set-up.
Good Luck.

 

[ThrottleItOut]

Tabasco - agreed, whatever I buy will be from a reputable distributor with the spring rate etc set for my weight and intended riding environment. Just need to decide which one to go with. I had Cogent suspension on my old DR and V-Strom, and running Go-Race suspension my WR. Seems like a lot of specific bike models get more attention from a particular source - for example, Go-Race (a shop out of NC, mix of custom parts and Ohlins stuff) specializes in WRs only. Currently I'm leaning towards the Penske shock, which I would likely purchase through Stoltec Moto out of PA.

Panman - I certainly wouldn't call myself a suspension guru, but as a mechanical engineer by education (the first part of my career as a chassis designer for offroad agricultural equipment, then as an aerospace engineer) I've got a reasonable handle on the basics, and historically I've been able to tune my suspension to fit my needs (mostly via trial and error). To my knowledge there aren't any reputable ADV-oriented suspension tuners in the Indy area, so I've never been able to tune to the best of my ability and then have a dedicated suspension shop do their thing to compare results.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Highly recommend Penske. Your choice, double or triple adjustable.

I have Penske's on both Tenere and FJR.. Triple adjustable (8987) on FJR and double adjustable (8983) on the Tenere. Running stock forks on Tenere for now, might change to straight rate springs on first rebuild. Happy with the forks now. The shocks are outstanding performers on both bikes.

Great thing about Penske's, in addition to being a quaity (Made in USA) piece, they can be refreshed with a relatively small $$$ investment. As my buddy Panman indicates, we've purchased a couple special tools, a N2 cylinder and gauge set, replacement bushings/seals and made other tools as needed. Penske even includes rebuild instructions in the shock manual. Easy peasy! I'm an ME by education as well but my career path has drifted to the dark side, EE and Data Center design & support.

~G

 

[ThrottleItOut]

Have you ever found yourself wishing that you'd purchased the triple adjustable for the Tenere? It does sound like the Penske is my best option - being easily rebuildable is a big pro in my opinion, and I haven't heard any cons. Do you happen to have a parts list for the rebuild tooling? Or is that included with the Penske rebuild instructions?

Any regrets going to the dark side instead of staying straight and true on the ME path?

 

[Jdubco]

Anyone have experience with racetech? I have ohlins, penske, and race tech builders/suppliers here in my area and am ready to bite the bullet this year. But, wanted to hear any thoughts on the race tech GS-3 shock.

 

[Eville Rich]

My wife got a Racetech on her Honda CRF250L. It's some really nice kit! I'd go to them with confidence. I can't speak to the S10, but I wouldn't hesitate, especially if Ohlins is becoming a pain.

Eville Rich
2016 S10

 

[flatgrind]

Anyone have experience with racetech? I have ohlins, penske, and race tech builders/suppliers here in my area and am ready to bite the bullet this year. But, wanted to hear any thoughts on the race tech GS-3 shock.

I don’t have the GS-3 shock, but I recently had a local RaceTech shop do my suspension front and back. Resprung and re-valved on the front and OEM rear shock resprung and rebuilt. My original plan was to replace the rear shock, but cost was higher and lead times longer. It doesn’t have the adjustability of a full aftermarket unit, but it has been sprung and valved for my weight and riding style. I’m very happy with it so far. I also like the fact that I have a local guy that I can go back to if I have any issues.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Have you ever found yourself wishing that you'd purchased the triple adjustable for the Tenere? It does sound like the Penske is my best option - being easily rebuildable is a big pro in my opinion, and I haven't heard any cons. Do you happen to have a parts list for the rebuild tooling? Or is that included with the Penske rebuild instructions?

Any regrets going to the dark side instead of staying straight and true on the ME path?

To keep your thread on topic, no regrets with the double adjustable on the Tenere. I've dialed in bit of additional ride height which really helped (IMO) corner tip in and maintaining proper geometry with a touring load. I also have two springs and change for one-up and two-up duty. Takes ~30 minutes to swap. Panman and I have been over Top of the World and up the Dalton and the shocks performed w/o complaint. The Penske manual includes a excellent exploded drawing and BOM. I sourced replacement o-rings from McMaster Carr. Check out RESuspension for speciality rebuild tools. Two tools absolutely needed (in addition to N2 & no loss chuck) are the shaft nut tool and overflow ring. Can make the rest to make it easier.

No regrets going to the dark side. I've been doing the EE / Data Center gig for the last 13 years. (Just about ready to retire!!) Enjoyed different responsibilities, kept the last few years interesting and definitely kept me thinking!

~G

 

[Jdubco]

I don’t have the GS-3 shock, but I recently had a local RaceTech shop do my suspension front and back. Resprung and re-valved on the front and OEM rear shock resprung and rebuilt. My original plan was to replace the rear shock, but cost was higher and lead times longer. It doesn’t have the adjustability of a full aftermarket unit, but it has been sprung and valved for my weight and riding style. I’m very happy with it so far. I also like the fact that I have a local guy that I can go back to if I have any issues.

see your here in colorado as well what shop did you use?

 

[flatgrind]

see your here in colorado as well what shop did you use?

Applied Technology in Castle Rock

 

[MattR]

My experience with Nitron shocks has been good.£800 for a custom built shock of top quality. You tell them how much you and your pillion weigh and what sort of ride you want (I went for road comfort) and they built the shock using the appropriate spring and set it up ready to bolt in the bike. They recommend servicing every 20k miles


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