broken shock eye

[wambiker]

Hi all, I've just discovered that the bottom eye on my rear shock has done the breaking up trick. This is even worse as I am going to the Erin rally on Friday. Tried the breakers no joy so have taken the plunge and ordered a hagon shock, any one any experience of these? It was relatively cheap £250 compared to £350-600 for others, but it does not have a remote reservoir. But they can have it with me by courier for tomorrow, so we will see. And then at later date maybe an all singing and dancing shock (or not if this turns out to be ok).

Cheers Gary

 

[wambiker]

Hi again, have just been offered a second hand ohlins from a v11 , so have cancelled hagon shock and will collect the ohlins in the morning.

Cheers Gary

[Martin Barrett]

Sorry to hear about your shock.

 

For what its worth I think BIGJ went for a Hagon replacement, but I can't remember the reason for replacement I don't think the eye had broken.

 

I think you are the fourth reported shock break, that makes them twice as unreliable as something else (which I can't mention due to possible litagation)

I'm going to refresh my boolian algebra just to work out the sets and sub sets

 

Glad that you've been able to source one quickly.

[beauchemin]

... ordered a hagon shock, any one any experience of these? It was relatively cheap £250 compared to £350-600 for others, but it does not have a remote reservoir ...

Reservoir or not, it's bound to be a 100% improvement over the OEM piece of junk. Either Sachs doesn't know how to build a shock, or the Guzzi beancounters got too aggressive with their beancounting in the suspension department (I'm guessing the latter.)

[wambiker]

Hi all, I got hold of the replacement Ohlins shock this morning and fitted it this afternoon,after an initial setting up the shock is so different to the sachs I was amazed.

If any one has ball park settings for rebound and compression settings for the rear ohlins I would appreciate it. I have attached a couple of pictures off the broken shock for reference.

[belfastguzzi]

If any one has ball park settings for rebound and compression settings for the rear ohlins I would appreciate it.

91337[/snapback]

My settings:

Spring pre-load: – 2 from centre groove

Rebound (stock 13 clicks out) 14 from closed

Compression 12 from closed

[Paul Minnaert]

wambiker,

The picture explains all. The steel in the alu eye is so rusted, that it grows thicker, and can't turn anymore. A little oil on there once in a while would have saved it. It may not look like it , but it's a rotation point.

 

Every time I see a british bike it's rusted, the climate must be much worse than in holland.

[belfastguzzi]

wambiker,

The picture explains all. The steel in the alu eye is so rusted, that it grows thicker, and can't turn anymore. A little oil on there once in a while would have saved it. It may not look like it , but it's a rotation point.

91358[/snapback]

Oh yes, I didn't look at that pic before – that's nasty. Martin B: was yours like this too?

 

Every time I see a british bike it's rusted, the climate must be much worse than in holland.

91358[/snapback]

It's definitely damp, especially heading north. Lots of wet weather directly in off the Atlantic. The other devastating factor is all the road salt that gets spread about every winter. Once corrosion starts to get a hold, things can go downhill badly over the course of one winter.

[DeBenGuzzi]

note to self, never buy a bike from the Uk, better yet, never move to the Uk.

 

we have road salt here, some real good and strong stuff but mine has barely any rust anywhere! but I do wash mine every other week and don't ride it in the winter when they are dumping salt either.

[Martin Barrett]

Oh yes, I didn't look at that pic before – that's nasty. Martin B: was yours like this too?

It's definitely damp, especially heading north. Lots of wet weather directly in off the Atlantic. The other devastating factor is all the road salt that gets spread about every winter. Once corrosion starts to get a hold, things can go downhill badly over the course of one winter.

91362[/snapback]

 

 

Not quite as bad as yours. Now a year on best I go and grease it.

[Guest ratchethack]

Hell, Paul - At least SOME o' them Brits have the service thing sussed! Shock eyes ain't on the factory service schedule!........the service schedule is anal retentive.......if it ain't broke, don't fix it!........gotta sweat those assets!..........

 

How d'ya s'pose it looks inside the cush drive, where the steel drive collar with the helical groove cut to retain grease (which likewise comes dry from Mandello) has no doubt been grindin' away? How 'bout them shaft and hub splines?

 

What's shakin', Nog??

[belfastguzzi]

At least SOME o' them Brits have the service thing sussed! ...What's shakin', Nog??

91372[/snapback]

Yeah, as well my clinically sterile rear brake caliper, both ends of the shock are nicely greased and the cush drive / hub internals are a veritable slither of corrosion repellancy. Things have been going bad for Nogbadder ever since he stopped following my maintenance regime. Time to put another coat of paint on the sag, so that it really shines – Nogbad...

[dlaing]

shock eye failure could be deadly.

Glad Wambiker discovered this before it could have caused an accident.

It really should be a factory recall item....but that is not likely to happen.

 

I think we need a sort of "know the rules" faq

Some candidates for the FAQ of things the factory may have gotten wrong and maintenance not in manual schedule:

shock eye needs lubing or it may break.

rear break caliber needs regular cleaning and very light lubing of the piston....but do NOT lube your pads and disk

Make sure there is freeplay at the rear brake lever, and clean and lube the master cylinder and make sure the spring returns it.

grease the shaft and hub splines.

regularly grease bearings on the right side of the rear gear box

Check the rear bearing spacer to make sure there is no clearance between the bearings.

Orange Okie's additions: battery and relays

Ground your tachometer

Run you own wires to the headlights

make sure the compression fitting does not pop out on the speedo cable

etc.

make sure your seat latch spring and engine warm up lever spring were not reversed at factory.

Any more to add????

Any to subtract????

I know some disagree about brake lever clearance and brake caliber piston lubrication, so their objections should be noted. The objection to lubing near the brakes should be mentioned because lube getting on brake pads or disk could pose a serious problem.

Ratchet could write a piece on the importance of zero clearance.

[DeBenGuzzi]

shock eye failure could be deadly.

Glad Wambiker discovered this before it could have caused an accident.

It really should be a factory recall item....but that is not likely to happen.

 

I think we need a sort of "know the rules" faq

Some candidates for the FAQ of things the factory may have gotten wrong and maintenance not in manual schedule:

shock eye needs lubing or it may break.

rear break caliber needs regular cleaning and very light lubing of the piston....but do NOT lube your pads and disk

Make sure there is freeplay at the rear brake lever, and clean and lube the master cylinder and make sure the spring returns it.

grease the shaft and hub splines.

regularly grease bearings on the right side of the rear gear box

Check the rear bearing spacer to make sure there is no clearance between the bearings.

Orange Okie's additions: battery and relays

Ground your tachometer

Run you own wires to the headlights

make sure the compression fitting does not pop out on the speedo cable

etc.

make sure your seat latch spring and engine warm up lever spring were not reversed at factory.

Any more to add????

Any to subtract????

I know some disagree about brake lever clearance and brake caliber piston lubrication, so their objections should be noted. The objection to lubing near the brakes should be mentioned because lube getting on brake pads or disk could pose a serious problem.

Ratchet could write a piece on the importance of zero clearance.

91408[/snapback]

I think my springs were swapped, my "choke" is super hard to turn and the seat latch is super easy

[mike wilson]

The objection to lubing near the brakes should be mentioned because lube getting on brake pads or disk could pose a serious problem.

 

From the Velocette owner's manual of about 1935.

 

"If the front brake is excessively fierce (we are talking about a 6" SLS drum with 1/2" wide shoes) lightly grease the linings."

 

Advice I've seldom had to follow.....