hagon rebuild price

[callam_nffc]

yes i was under the impression you could kind of control how firm the suspension was so you can change it easily for when your two-up?

the problem i have is i do a mixture of thrashing/two-up riding - I could ideally do with two bikes

And as you probably guessed, i have very little knowledge when it comes to suspension

[popkat]

Preload will make it feel a bit firmer but it'll mainly alter the ride height , if you have no other option then you can increase preload to help out with two up riding but it's not the best way to do it. If the preload is would too far then there will be no sag in the shock and it will top out, it'll feel firmer but the back wheel will be more prone to lifting, you probably won't get much feeling from the back end either.

[callam_nffc]

hmm so do you think its the best option in the given situation? because changing my suspension set up every time i carry a pillion would be a pain in the butt

[popkat]

Your not going to get any new shocks with compression adjustment for less than about £550 so options are limited.
How about ringing this place http://www.brooksuspension.co.uk/ endorsed on here the other day. They do shock rebuilds for standard firestorm shocks, worth asking if they can revalve and respring a standard one to your requirements, you won't get hydraulic preload but you'll still have the easy to use c spanner click adjustment for preload so it'll only take a few seconds to alter. should get to chose spring colour too.
Rebuilds are just under £100, can't see a revalve adding too much on top of that, Springs are usually about £50.

[callam_nffc]

hmm certainly food for thought

i just assumed i would be better off having the hagon one rebuilt, but will certainly weigh up all the options

[popkat]

Well if you can get a std one revalved it'll be as good if not better than the Hagon, then you could sell the hagon on to someone who needs a lower firestorm, I reckon you'd get at least half your money back, maybe nearly all of it on ebay.

If you speak to Brook suspension tell them the std shock seems over sprung and under damped, think most on here would agree with that,

[AMCQ46]

Preload will make it feel a bit firmer but it'll mainly alter the ride height , if you have no other option then you can increase preload to help out with two up riding but it's not the best way to do it. If the preload is would too far then there will be no sag in the shock and it will top out, it'll feel firmer but the back wheel will be more prone to lifting, you probably won't get much feeling from the back end either.

Problem is if you don't add preload when 2 up, then the back sits too low and you have slow steering and poor ground clearance. I just add 5mm extra preload and 4 clicks on the dampers and due to the extra weight I have no problems with topping out

[callam_nffc]

I'm assuming the shock clicks into some sort of notch each movement?

[popkat]

The standard shock preload clicks into position, Hagons and most other aftermarket shocks have a wind down collar, on hagon you have to undo a grub screw then get a c spanner and turn it down the threads, on Ohlins and similar you have to undo a locking ring then wind the collar down to preload the spring, not a quick process, but std shock is easy.

[popkat]

Preload will make it feel a bit firmer but it'll mainly alter the ride height , if you have no other option then you can increase preload to help out with two up riding but it's not the best way to do it. If the preload is would too far then there will be no sag in the shock and it will top out, it'll feel firmer but the back wheel will be more prone to lifting, you probably won't get much feeling from the back end either.

Problem is if you don't add preload when 2 up, then the back sits too low and you have slow steering and poor ground clearance. I just add 5mm extra preload and 4 clicks on the dampers and due to the extra weight I have no problems with topping out

Good job the std shock doesn't have much rebound adding more rebound slows the rate of return, add a pillion and it slows even more which will cause the bike to jack down at the rear over bumps reducing ground clearance and potentially making it unstable, at this point your relying on the spring to try and overpower the damping which if the spring is firm enough and the damping not enough it will do.

The best bikes I've had when I've taken pillions have had Ohlins shocks, it's still a bit of a compromise as they've been race set up shocks so maybe a little firm in the spring for ultimate comfy road work (but you can soften off compression) but they've work ok two up, all I've done is add compression damping to account for the pillion. rebound I leave alone once set.

I've taken my daughter on the back of the firestorm and it doesn't have too much of an effect, haven't taken the missus though, it'd be like a wheelie chopper ........good job she won't read this

[AMCQ46]

Mine is a Nitron shock with the spring set for my weight.........standard shock was great for pillions becuase it was way too stiff for 1 up.

as the shock is the base model it only has a single combined damping adjuster, so I dont have the option to leave the rebound alone if I need to up the compression........so a bit more preload and a bit more damping works well as a compromise