grnmtnbird Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Hey Guys, I have searched the forum but couldn't find the answer to a very simple question...is the rear shock on my 2003 Blackbird rebuildable? And if so, does anyone have any recommendations on where to have the work done? I am fully aware of the benefits to be had by installing a new aftermarket unit but honestly do not have the coin to do it right now. Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Hey Guys, I have searched the forum but couldn't find the answer to a very simple question...is the rear shock on my 2003 Blackbird rebuildable? And if so, does anyone have any recommendations on where to have the work done? I am fully aware of the benefits to be had by installing a new aftermarket unit but honestly do not have the coin to do it right now. Thanks in advance! Check with Traxxion, Lindemann, GP, ect....most of them will try to sell you aftermarket rather than working with inferior OEM equipment, but rebuilding OEM shocks is something they'll do if you're on a budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grnmtnbird Posted December 30, 2008 Author Share Posted December 30, 2008 Thanks for the reply Redbird. From what I can tell the internals of the rear shock do not look rebuildable. Of course one could put a new spring on it if they wanted to but as far as a fluid change and nitrogen recharge I don't see how it could happen - there is no shrader valve to recharge the nitrogen and so on. My last bike was a 2002 FZ1 and I sent the shock out for a rebuild - but of course the FZ1 had a higher end suspension (fully adjustable) front and rear. I have 27,000 miles on the bike and although the ride feels OK I know that the shock MUST be pretty tired. I have yet to price an OE replacement but if I am going to go that route I likely would be better off spending a bit more and getting an aftermarket shock...the issue for me is that I may not keep the bike much more than another summer so I would hate to drop $800 on a new rear shock and then turn around and sell the bike. Is there anyone out there who has been in a similar situation? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockmeupto125 Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Many people have. Here's your least expensive options. 1. "I have 27,000 miles on the bike and although the ride feels OK...." The ride feels okay. Then leave it alone, and ride the thing. 2. Look for a low mileage stock shock from someone who has upgraded, or from a salvage bike. After that, it gets real expensive real quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redxxrdr Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I did a quick search on Ron Ayres today. Parts found with Part Number: 52400-MAT-003 Description SHOCK ABSORBER, RR. Price $343.78 Add to cart I know Rick from Cogent had a couple different options for Penske shocks during the group buy. I don't remember the price, but they were more than stock. Now that the front is done, I wish I had done the rear as well. But with the wife crashing, I will save my money until she is back at work. Mike (X1rider) also put a Penske on in the spring. He had good comments about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HANKSXXX Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Get in touch with Rick at Cogent Dynamics... He is a very clever guy with years of experience.. I've seen him rebuild "non rebuildable" shocks before. He will give you good advice and service at more than fair prices. IIRC, Race Tech offers a Gold Valve for that shock. If so, it must be rebuildable. BTW, Cogent Dynamics was just named the largest Race Tech center in the world. Rick has both a "shock clock" for real world, on bike, testing and a new shock dyno for in house testing of shocks and forks. Tell him you're a member here... Hank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redxxrdr Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I'll attach the link to the Cogent group buy for contact info. Group Buy I would like to HiJack a little bit. I am a suspension idiot. What benifits are obtained from the different shock options. For the day to day rider, is it necessary to go from a stock style ( with better internals), to one with remote adjustment and cylinders? I rarely ride two up, or do track days, so once set for my weight, do I really need the fancy stuff? I will always be on a budget, and wonder if adjustability is really necessary for my type of riding. Would a spring/shock combo for my weight and riding skills do most of what I want? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Thanks for the reply Redbird. From what I can tell the internals of the rear shock do not look rebuildable. Of course one could put a new spring on it if they wanted to but as far as a fluid change and nitrogen recharge I don't see how it could happen - there is no shrader valve to recharge the nitrogen and so on. If you thought you knew the answer, why'd you ask the question? If you look at pricing at many suspension sites, you might note that it's cheaper to rebuild a shock with an existing valve. I assume this is because they'd need to install a valve on shocks not already so equipped. I think once you look into the cost of rebuilding the OEM unit, you'll decide to either source a lower milage unit used (they're pretty cheap) or save up for aftermarket. Rebuilding might be cheaper, but it's also far less value for your dollar. Craig- the damping adjustments (or settings, if it's not adjustable) on shocks have little to do with your weight. Yes, running the proper springs/sag is an important first step, but the ability to tune the damping a bit is key to getting the bike perfect. A good option for you might be a lower end Penske set up by a pro for your weight and riding style. You'd spend more than rebulding the stocker, but it's money better spent, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon haney Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I had Race-Tech rebuild and put a bigger spring on my stock rear shock and it made a noticeable difference. If you weigh more than 180 lbs. it's well worth it. The stock compression damping is a little stiff so have them put in one of their gold valves also. They were supposed to put one in mine, but somehow didn't get the message. I would have sent it back, but I wanted to get back on the road. Another thing you could do is buy the after-market shock, enjoy it for a year and then when you want to get rid of the bike, you can put the stock shock back in and sell the after-market shock to someone (me) on this forum. :icon_shifty: BTW how much do you weight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RXX Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I had Race-Tech rebuild and put a bigger spring on my stock rear shock and it made a noticeable difference. If you weigh more than 180 lbs. it's well worth it. The stock compression damping is a little stiff so have them put in one of their gold valves also. They were supposed to put one in mine, but somehow didn't get the message. I would have sent it back, but I wanted to get back on the road. Another thing you could do is buy the after-market shock, enjoy it for a year and then when you want to get rid of the bike, you can put the stock shock back in and sell the after-market shock to someone (me) on this forum. :icon_shifty: BTW how much do you weight? I have a race-tech OEM rebuild shock on mine also....it had a schrader valve put on it for the N2. I bought it used, though, so I cannot give you a rebuild price. Go th their website & find a tech near you, get the particulars from him. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fast Eddy Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 I called Lindemann and he said he does rebuild stockers. He even has racers winning on his rebuilt stockers. If I recall correctly it was $200 for stock rebuild, $300 for upgrades & $400 included respring. Respring only needed if your lighter/heavier than what the stock spring can accommodate. http://www.le-suspension.com/ Lindemann I keep meaning to send him a shock to rebuild for me but haven't gotten to it yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Para045 Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 I called Lindemann and he said he does rebuild stockers. He even has racers winning on his rebuilt stockers. If I recall correctly it was $200 for stock rebuild, $300 for upgrades & $400 included re spring. Re spring only needed if your lighter/heavier than what the stock spring can accommodate. http://www.le-suspension.com/ Lindemann I keep meaning to send him a shock to rebuild for me but haven't gotten to it yet Yeah they can be rebuilt, JAWS in the UK gets them rebuilt and upgraded to oil over oil as opposed to oil over gas or something like that Another alternative which I did was to put in a rebuilt/re sprung 95 CBR 900RR shock on my XX, made a huge difference Cost ~$460AUD all up (~$135AUD inc s+h from eBay US, ~$125 rebuild and ~$200 for an Eibach spring), obviously it would be lot cheaper over there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banshee Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I had the stock rebuilt locally by a racetech specialist on my '98. Made a fantastic difference & I'm about 165lb (75kg). While it is not a 'rebuildable' shock, it can be done. They stripped it down, put in new oil, a Racetech Gold Valve & a schrader to repressurise with nitrogen. At the moment, I have a rebuilt '94 900RR with remote res on my '07. This one has compression adjustment that the OEM lacks even after rebuild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sondance Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 At over 40K miles on my 2000 BB, I've been researching a lot of shock info across the web, I'm definitely in the market for an upgrade of some sort. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that rebuilding the stocker is definitely the cheapest way to go, with the CBR 900 shock option not too much more (depending on how much you spend for the shock) but with the added feature of compression damping. Say $450 - $500 ish when all is said and done... I've noticed Traxxion has their Penske "Sport Shock" (no reservoir) for around $600 and then the double adjustable Penske 8983 for around $800. I haven't spoken with Rick yet, but intend to for a comparison, he might be able to do better and/or offer something more at that price... dunno. I don't intend on selling my BB anytime soon, but I am a bit tight with funds, so I'm leaning towards their Sport shock and Fork springs for this year and then next year adding a reservoir to the Sport shock and going for the Penske/Race Tech valves for the front. Kinda doing it in stages, if you will... A lot of different ways of looking at your scenario, but I'd guess there would be enough of a market for a used Penske that even if you got $200 - $300 bucks for it, you'd be right around a rebuilt stocker price with the added benefit of having a fresh, new Penske to use while you keep the BB this summer. On the flip side, you might be able to get something out of a used rebuilt stocker in comparison, but I'd think the %'s would favor a used Penske... Tough call... but in my case it's a no brainer... you could always do what I've been doing so far... realize the suspension is crap and just ride the thing... and then sell it, when you wanna... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 I called Lindemann and he said he does rebuild stockers. He even has racers winning on his rebuilt stockers. If I recall correctly it was $200 for stock rebuild, $300 for upgrades & $400 included respring. Respring only needed if your lighter/heavier than what the stock spring can accommodate. http://www.le-suspension.com/ Lindemann I keep meaning to send him a shock to rebuild for me but haven't gotten to it yet E-mailed them to see what options they offer. It's hard to say if I even need it. Can't say I notice an issue, but really...for how I ride I doubt any shortcoming would be that obvious to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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