Someone refresh me on the price of this? I weigh 260, plus estimate a full load and this shock will take care of business huh? :question:
Penske Shock Group Buy: IT'S ON!
- Thread starter avc8130
- Start date
still tapping my fingers on this...i hate to have just the rear done and be stuck with a subpar front, i just don't have the quantity/quality of shops nearby that can pull of a fork upgrade - might not be a big deal to some to just do the rear, but it's just how i'm wired i guess. i can overcome it nonetheless...
if you were me, and i was you, would you just go with the rear and be satisfied when the primary reason for upgrading is 2-up enhancement? and if so, is the double clicker alright or is the triple clicker the mutt's nutts and worth the extra dinero? i don't plan on investing hours & hours beyond setting sag trying to tweak this thing to get it just perfect.
i'd rather set it and note the settings for the most common riding i do and be off with my hair in the wind...we only really get maybe march through early november to ride ::26::
if you were me, and i was you, would you just go with the rear and be satisfied when the primary reason for upgrading is 2-up enhancement? and if so, is the double clicker alright or is the triple clicker the mutt's nutts and worth the extra dinero? i don't plan on investing hours & hours beyond setting sag trying to tweak this thing to get it just perfect.
i'd rather set it and note the settings for the most common riding i do and be off with my hair in the wind...we only really get maybe march through early november to ride ::26::
Without down-playing the advantages of the front upgrade, the rear is more significant in my opinion. I would jump on the rear now. Do the front come winter. IA definitely has a season that is less than ideal for motorcycling. Take the bike down for a bit then and have Nick do the front while you perform winter maintenance anyways.Karson said:
With your description of your level of "tinker", I would get the 2-clicker. You probably won't touch the high speed. Most guys have been very happy with the stock Penske high speed setting.
ac
thanks for the input - so just that i understand correctly, the 8983 has high speed damping, it's just not adjustable like the 8987? don't kill me if that's a brain-dead question!
Karson said:
Yes. ALL (quality) shocks have high and low speed damping circuits. The 8983 is designed with a "fixed" high speed damping circuit, ie you cannot adjust it externally. The 8987 is designed with an externally adjustable high speed compression circuit. The user is then able to "tune" the high speed damping for compression.
I bought the 8987 as I was the "test mule" and figured I would be adjusting the high speed to get it "right" and set the baseline the 8983 were built to. Honestly, I think I pulled out 1 click of high speed compression damping.
It is truly up to you. If you are the type to just smack the shock on and never touch it again, don't spend the extra cash. If you are the type that likes to tinker a lot, or just has to have the best of everything, it might be worth the extra cash to you.
Either way you are getting a shock of the same quailty/workmanship and you will be happy. It IS possible to add the high speed adjustment after the fact, but it is more expensive than buying it up front.
ac
~TABASCO~ said:Where are a few pictures of the install or the final ?I need to save for a shock as well.. I'm on the stocker full stiff...
::006::
bike up on your lift Jax, set a jack and 2 by under that fine boulder buster skid plate and lift to deploy center stand, remove brake line bracket on the right, remove 3 bolts as you lever the rear wheel up and down gently with a bar on the lower dog bone bolt, wiggle out OEM shock and reverse course with proper torque values and paying attention to the position of the set screws on the preload collar of the Penske and viola yer done...so easy a numb nuts like me could pull it off. It would take a guy with your talents maybe 45 minutes the first time. So very much worth it!
~TABASCO~
RIDE ON ADV is what I do !
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Looks GREAT !! ::008::
Thanks for the pictures ! I will have to call you and pick your brain about it... I hope to be able to mess with mine this winter..
Thanks for the pictures ! I will have to call you and pick your brain about it... I hope to be able to mess with mine this winter..
Man spklbuk are you sure you want to get that thing dirty? Nice looking piece of kit!
Hey Spklbuc,
Excellent pictures. Thanks.
You mentioned earlier that you are happy with your setup heavily loaded. And I think you mentioned 2-up. That is really good news.
But can I ask what Spring you ended up with? And when you gave them your riding specs, (when you ordered) what did you tell them? Just curious what "words" you used that influenced their spring choice.
And finally, I notice in the picture that you have a lot of threads available for backing off on your preload. Do you have a LOT of preload cranked into it?
Really nice looking shock. So tempting.
Excellent pictures. Thanks.
You mentioned earlier that you are happy with your setup heavily loaded. And I think you mentioned 2-up. That is really good news.
But can I ask what Spring you ended up with? And when you gave them your riding specs, (when you ordered) what did you tell them? Just curious what "words" you used that influenced their spring choice.
And finally, I notice in the picture that you have a lot of threads available for backing off on your preload. Do you have a LOT of preload cranked into it?
Really nice looking shock. So tempting.
Yea, I could see there is a ton of thread surface. But like you said, from the pic I can't really tell how much of it is usable.avc8130 said:
Since you are the front man on this whole Penske build, and for that we should all be grateful
, maybe I can just be less vague about what I am wondering. LolMost riders would be faced with choosing a spring that works really well with their single rider common load, but would want to be able to "adjust" for the occasional heavy load and possible 2-up. If this were the request, the spring recommendation might be weighted toward the single rider load.
But I am first a heavy man (250), and always carry panniers with maybe half a load. So that would be the first data point. But, I cherish the rides where my wife is with me and we are likely loaded to the max. (450+) so I think I would rather have the spring choice be where 450lbs is the "sweet spot". Meaning that running solo would be backing off of the average preload, rather than running loaded being cranking up the average preload. (hope it makes sense)
Besides, while riding solo I am far more aggressive and could live with the stiffer suspension much easier than it is now with the OEM shock being cranked up to max and being "ok" when solo but just barely good enouph loaded. (soft)
Man that Penske is screaming at me.
Thanks for hearing my dribble.
As you know, you can't change the spring rate just by adjusting preload. With that, you realize there will be a compromise. Penske will supply the shock setup however YOU like. If you are confident you want the spring rate setup for 450lbs, just tell Nick.
ac
ac
snakebitten said:Hey Spklbuc,
Excellent pictures. Thanks.
You mentioned earlier that you are happy with your setup heavily loaded. And I think you mentioned 2-up. That is really good news.
But can I ask what Spring you ended up with? And when you gave them your riding specs, (when you ordered) what did you tell them? Just curious what "words" you used that influenced their spring choice.
And finally, I notice in the picture that you have a lot of threads available for backing off on your preload. Do you have a LOT of preload cranked into it?
Really nice looking shock. So tempting.
I'm not sure what the spring rate is, Nick choose it based on the weight stats I sent him for myself, spkldoe and our gear. I also sent him a percentage breakdown of how we usually ride:
I'll look through the literature that came with my shock and see if I can determine what the spring rate is and post up. Based on my limited experience I can tell you this much, send Nick an honest set of stats and he will pick the appropriate spring rate.
Preload is set to 57mm rider sag as per AC's recommendation. Have not adjusted anything beyond that as of yet. I plan to ride the britches off my bike Sunday and I will report any new impressions and under what conditions they occurred.
Ok, thanks for the quick response. But I don't think I said anything about preload changing the spring rate. I probably just did a poor job of asking my question. Truth is, I'm really asking for expert advice on the "compromise" you identified.avc8130 said:
Nick has to decide on a spring based on what the customer says to him.
I'm sure he is good at that. It appears so anyways, considering the reviews here.
But let's say someone told Nick they would have a choice of 2 loads from 200lb-450lb? (average single rider or fully max load) I would suspect Nick would have be forced to choose one end of that wide spread over the other or else he would end up with a spring that is less than optimum for either load.
Fortunately for me, the spread is less narrow, since I'm so heavy solo anyways. And the panniers are never empty. So, the spread narrows to maybe 275 or 450. But regardless, Nick has to choose which load to give preference to. Or put another way, which end of the spectrum to give favor to within the compromise.
The advice I am actually asking is do I tell nick I want him to bias it to being optimum with 450lb load? If I did, would the range of preload reduction be ample to still be really good at 275lb? Or, should I suggest an = bias towards both loads and end up with a spring that is optimum at about 365lbs and thus resulting in the same amount of compromise at either load?
I could be overanalyzing. After all, spring rates come in 50lb increments, right? Regardless of what I tell Nick, it is probably as narrow of a choice as an 850lb spring or 900lb spring.
Spklbuc,
I was typing while you were.
Thanks very much for the info. Yea, your Spring rate will tell me how Nick interpreted what you posted you supplied him with. That is excellent info!
And again, thanks AVC for all your help.
I was typing while you were.
Thanks very much for the info. Yea, your Spring rate will tell me how Nick interpreted what you posted you supplied him with. That is excellent info!
And again, thanks AVC for all your help.
I think you are over-analyzing it. I, PERSONALLY, would want the spring for the conditions where I would ride the bike the HARDEST and expect the most PERFORMANCE from the suspension.
For me, that was solo on the pavement. I run a 750 and weight 250 w/out gear. I am happy (to say the least).
The weight has a fair amount to do with the spring selection, but so does your intended use. If you ride alone and ride on a motocross track, but then cruise down a freshly paved highway with your wife a single spring might be PERFECT for both conditions.
Do EXACTLY what Spklbuk did. Quantify your riding conditions by a percentage and then put some words to match your desires.
With how easily the shock goes in/out, it is not unrealistic to swap springs if you have a MAJOR trip. I know of at least one guy who bought a 2nd spring to use just for a 10k mile Alaska trip with his wife.
ac
For me, that was solo on the pavement. I run a 750 and weight 250 w/out gear. I am happy (to say the least).
The weight has a fair amount to do with the spring selection, but so does your intended use. If you ride alone and ride on a motocross track, but then cruise down a freshly paved highway with your wife a single spring might be PERFECT for both conditions.
Do EXACTLY what Spklbuk did. Quantify your riding conditions by a percentage and then put some words to match your desires.
With how easily the shock goes in/out, it is not unrealistic to swap springs if you have a MAJOR trip. I know of at least one guy who bought a 2nd spring to use just for a 10k mile Alaska trip with his wife.
ac
THAT is what I was asking!!!avc8130 said:
Sorry for taking the long way around.
And swapping springs is an excellent idea if I'm not satisfied with the "compromise".
Thanks