Maxton rear shock.

[marktheaxeman]

Hello. I'm getting a Maxton NR4 shock made for my short frame v11 to hopefully improve on the ride quality. The original Sachs unit seems really hard and downright pain full over potholes on our crappy UK roads. 

Maxton have asked for confirmation of some measurements first though. 

Does anybody know the dimensions? 

They said the last one they made for the v11 was

Length between centres - 280mm

Top eye size - 22 mm across flats x 12 mm hole. 

Bottom eye size - 22 mm across flats x 12mm hole. 

Also they recommend making the shock a little longer than stock to make the back end sit higher - I think I read somewhere that the ohlins unit was a bit longer. Would this be a good idea to speed up the steering or would it make the bike unstable. ?

Many thanks,

Mark. 

[Lucky Phil]

59 minutes ago, marktheaxeman said:

Hello. I'm getting a Maxton NR4 shock made for my short frame v11 to hopefully improve on the ride quality. The original Sachs unit seems really hard and downright pain full over potholes on our crappy UK roads. 

Maxton have asked for confirmation of some measurements first though. 

Does anybody know the dimensions? 

They said the last one they made for the v11 was

Length between centres - 280mm

Top eye size - 22 mm across flats x 12 mm hole. 

Bottom eye size - 22 mm across flats x 12mm hole. 

Also they recommend making the shock a little longer than stock to make the back end sit higher - I think I read somewhere that the ohlins unit was a bit longer. Would this be a good idea to speed up the steering or would it make the bike unstable. ?

Many thanks,

Mark. 

Maxton are a reputable company so why don't they know the dimensions already? I had a Wilbers custom made for my bike and they knew all the dimensions. I can get the dimensions for you tomorrow as I have a std shock in the workshop. You can only go I think it was 10mm longer or you run into drive shaft fwd universal joint contact with the swingarm tunnel issues.

 

Ciao

[LowRyter]

So long as bringing up the subject, the Sachs shock is rebuildable, multi adjustable and configurable.  You might also consider that as alternative.  

[Scud]

I had a hyperpro shock made once and they offered me both dimensions, the Sachs or the Ohlins (which was longer). The Ohlins manuals are available on this site for download, probably have the specs. Matching the length of the Ohlins is a good idea, even on a short frame bike. I had Ohlins on a Greenie I had for a while, it was a big improvement. And I think one of the main reasons to replace the Sachs unit is their tendency to crack one of the mounts.

[marktheaxeman]

10 hours ago, Lucky Phil said:

Maxton are a reputable company so why don't they know the dimensions already? I had a Wilbers custom made for my bike and they knew all the dimensions. I can get the dimensions for you tomorrow as I have a std shock in the workshop. You can only go I think it was 10mm longer or you run into drive shaft fwd universal joint contact with the swingarm tunnel issues.

 

Ciao

That would be great if you can get the dimensions Phil. I was surprised they wanted me to confirm the dimensions seeing as they made the shock for the isle of mann TT bike years ago.

[marktheaxeman]

5 hours ago, Scud said:

I had a hyperpro shock made once and they offered me both dimensions, the Sachs or the Ohlins (which was longer). The Ohlins manuals are available on this site for download, probably have the specs. Matching the length of the Ohlins is a good idea, even on a short frame bike. I had Ohlins on a Greenie I had for a while, it was a big improvement. And I think one of the main reasons to replace the Sachs unit is their tendency to crack one of the mounts.

Does the slightly longer spring make the bike more twitchy and quicker steering? Im not sure I want to sacrifice stability for quicker steering. 

I'll have a look for the ohlins specs on here, thanks..

[Lucky Phil]

1 hour ago, marktheaxeman said:

Does the slightly longer spring make the bike more twitchy and quicker steering? Im not sure I want to sacrifice stability for quicker steering. 

I'll have a look for the ohlins specs on here, thanks..

Quicker steering, yes, more twitchy depends on what frame your bike has. The long or short frame. An English 2002 bike, not sure. Does it have the additional gearbox support?  

Ciao

[docc]

The Ohlins was a stellar addition to my RedFrame Sport. Much sharper handling and helped it loose the tendency to high speed weave.

[Lucky Phil]

16 hours ago, marktheaxeman said:

Hello. I'm getting a Maxton NR4 shock made for my short frame v11 to hopefully improve on the ride quality. The original Sachs unit seems really hard and downright pain full over potholes on our crappy UK roads. 

Maxton have asked for confirmation of some measurements first though. 

Does anybody know the dimensions? 

They said the last one they made for the v11 was

Length between centres - 280mm

Top eye size - 22 mm across flats x 12 mm hole. 

Bottom eye size - 22 mm across flats x 12mm hole. 

Also they recommend making the shock a little longer than stock to make the back end sit higher - I think I read somewhere that the ohlins unit was a bit longer. Would this be a good idea to speed up the steering or would it make the bike unstable. ?

Many thanks,

Mark. 

Length Ctr to Ctr 278mm

Bolt dia 12mm

Bush O/D both ends 25mm so with a around a .6mm radius on the OD edge it's 23.75mm across the flat face. 

Ciao

[marktheaxeman]

On 11/26/2021 at 9:26 PM, Lucky Phil said:

Quicker steering, yes, more twitchy depends on what frame your bike has. The long or short frame. An English 2002 bike, not sure. Does it have the additional gearbox support?  

Ciao

I have the short red frame bike. I'm not sure if it has the extra gearbox support tbh.

It was imported from Japan so its not a UK bike.

 

cheers. ta.

 

[Lucky Phil]

6 minutes ago, marktheaxeman said:

I have the short red frame bike. I'm not sure if it has the extra gearbox support tbh.

It was imported from Japan so its not a UK bike.

 

cheers. ta.

 

Ok red frame is the supposed less stable one. My bike has a slightly longer Wilbers shock and the forks dropped through the triple clamps 8mm and is ok as far as I'm concerned.

 

Ciao

[marktheaxeman]

18 minutes ago, Lucky Phil said:

Ok red frame is the supposed less stable one. My bike has a slightly longer Wilbers shock and the forks dropped through the triple clamps 8mm and is ok as far as I'm concerned.

 

Ciao

Many thanks Phil. I only find mine a bit hairy when really pushing on on very bumpy roads.

[guzzler]

G'day

I have a Hyperpro 460 shock on mine ( would assume same length as std ?) and also have forks up through the triples by 8mm and happy with it too!

As for the hairy handling on bumpy roads, I think this may be due to holes in compression side fork leg and oil blowing through them instead of the valving as per previous threads.

This can then lead to a hydraulic lock and strong rebound which can be interesting in the right environment to say the least.

Since I had the new shock and mods to forks ( but not blocking the holes ) it's been a LOT better than before and we have some roads here that could double as MX tracks!   I can still feel it on big hits but a lot less than before due to good suspension technician.

I mean to have these holes blocked and forks re-valved again + change progressive springs to straight weight when I have the suspension serviced soon and would think that this wee aberration will be gone for good.

Cheers Guzzler

[docc]

On 11/26/2021 at 2:14 PM, marktheaxeman said:

Does the slightly longer spring make the bike more twitchy and quicker steering? Im not sure I want to sacrifice stability for quicker steering. 

I'll have a look for the ohlins specs on here, thanks..

So, +1 on raising the forks in the triple trees. I settled on 5mm on my RedFrame Sport. Also, best practice to spec the springs, front and rear, for your weight in gear and "riding style." Tire selection and tire pressures also will affect stability.

@marktheaxeman, I seem to recall your V11 Sport is a 2001 Short/RedFrame (rather than a 2002/longframe as shown in your profile). You should have no trouble with "twitchy steering" with a slightly longer shock and the proper spring rates, tires/pressures. Once set up, you can "tune" the trade-off between quick and twitchy by adjusting the fork height in the triples.

If you had a VERY early V11 Sport. That triple tree angle might be less forgiving. Your 2001 should be fine.

 

[motortouring]

On 11/27/2021 at 2:08 AM, docc said:

The Ohlins was a stellar addition to my RedFrame Sport. Much sharper handling and helped it loose the tendency to high speed weave.

I have the original Sachs (on a longframe), but that is really far from any speedweave. Either with luggage or without. At what speed is the weave approximately, usually around 140-160 km/hour, isn't it?