Rear Shocks

Are there any significant differences between the Hyperpro, Nitron and Ohlins shocks for the S2R800? I will be going for the base versions without remote adjuster and I don't do any track riding (I barely ride on the road nowadays!)

Are there any other brands worth looking at?

[Nickj]

Mostly price I'd say as unless you're really picky or pushing the envelope on handling you probably won't notice too much difference if it''s set up for your weight and riding style.

Having said that my 748R has the top end, for their era, showas front and back and compared to any of the Monsters I've owned or ridden feels a bit like a magic carpet to ride.

[chris.p]

Take a look at Wilbers.

Importer, https://wilberssuspension.co.uk/

Wilbers base rear shock.

https://www.wilbers-shop.de/en/Motor...ur=1&year=2000

[stopintime]

Don't know about the others, but despite it officially only being rebound adjustable - the Öhlins is 'automatically' compression adjusted when the rebound is adjusted - a nice bonus.

My experience is that the S2R800 front is even further off than the rear. Have you done the front?

Thanks for the responses

Not done the front yet. My plan was rear shock then potentially get the andreani kit or something for the front later on. On the subject of the front would a simple spring upgrade be sufficient for normal riding?

[stopintime]

Originally Posted by rac3r

Thanks for the responses

Not done the front yet. My plan was rear shock then potentially get the andreani kit or something for the front later on. On the subject of the front would a simple spring upgrade be sufficient for normal riding?

"Normal riding"?

If you're more or less happy with it as it is, maybe you don't actually need upgrades. Just a thought....

Spring change might help a little, but the damping is still lacking. Cartridge kits are almost affordable, so....

If you get a good shock the front will feel quite a bit worse than it does now. My experience is that harmony front/rear is key. Better to have medium front and rear than one good and one lacking .

[Jez900ie]

Originally Posted by rac3r

Are there any significant differences between the Hyperpro, Nitron and Ohlins shocks for the S2R800? I will be going for the base versions without remote adjuster and I don't do any track riding (I barely ride on the road nowadays!)

Are there any other brands worth looking at?

I made this price comparison a couple of moths back.

Prices inc VAT
Ohlins DU046 £998 with remote preload – discontinued but available via eBay in Italy
Ohlins FE 321 £564 without remote preload
Nitron £462 Lightweight aluminium/ add £180 for remote preload
Hagon £358 -Stainless/ add £151 for remote preload
Wilbers £455 add £183 for remote

I read every review I could find, spoke to suppliers, fitters and riders with the shocks. All seem to have their fans, though none had any very major complaints.

I bought a used Nitron from Zimbo, with servicing £120 and spring £70 shipping I saved some money which was nice. It also made my decison simple!

I think you have the same front forks as I do? I haven't made a final decision yet -no hurry as its ****e out!- though I'm leaning towards:

"Maxton Fork Conversion" (no cartridges) approx £516
"Maxton Fork Conversion (with cartridges SD25) £830
Andreani (full internals change) Misano complete £870
KTECH piston kit £660

All prices include drive in / drive out fitting.

The majority of the shops are reccomending the cheaper upgrades based on my description of normal road riding as I don't plan on track days.

Being able to turn up and have the work done is important to me, so location is a consideration. Richard the owner/ CEO of Maxton was really helpful and informative too and that counts a lot to me.

I found it confusing when making comparisons with different suppliers. A "Fork Conversion" at one shop will be valves and springs, at the next place "Fork Conversion" includes cartridges but reuses your springs, at a third place its different again...

Thanks Jez that's really useful, saves me some work!

Normal riding for me is just local city roads and some bumpy B roads, I don't ride that hard. However, I'm not that heavy and I've found the bike gets quite unsettled over bumps. The worst was a bump I hit whilst joining a dual carriageway, it shook it's head like crazy!

[Flip]

My two penn'orth worth.

Firstly suspension is a very personal thing as everyone will 'feel' something different. I also think the various ages and types of suspension fitted to Monsters over the years adds another dimension to this 'feel'.

The standard set-up on any motorcycle will always be a compromise as the manufacturers need to cater for all shapes and sizes so having the correct suspension spring weights for your own weight (remember to add that of your riding kit) will be the biggest thing you will notice, particularly if you are at the ends of the 'average' spectrum i.e. like Danny Pedrosa or Yamamotoyama.

Moving on from this if you have never touched the suspension, changed the fork oil etc. and your motorcycle has either covered a big mileage or is knocking on a bit then again, you will notice the change a refresh will make.

Quite rightly, the suspension does need to work in harmony so changing the rear will almost certainly make the front feel worse (although overall, riding the bike may well still feel better if that makes sense?).

As Nick has mentioned referencing his 748 'magic carpet ride' comparison, is that the earlier bikes (up to the 6/796/1100 on I would say) are inherently quite 'flighty' when pushing on a bit down bumpy B roads and the like because their suspension is quite basic.

The standard (certainly Marzocchi) forks, have too much compression damping over small movements making them kick off bumps under acceleration, but not enough compression to support them over large movements such as hard braking. Couple that with not enough rebound damping making them 'pogo' when you release the brake and a spring that is too stiff for most rider weights means there is a lot that can be improved upon.

Starting off with Showa forks gives you more options and I cannot really comment on those other than to say that personally I am a big fan of Maxton's customer service and the improvements their cartridge conversion made for me. You can go around a lot of houses spending a lot of money and still not be a whole lot better off, so going to a well respected suspension company/specialist will be a lot cheaper with a greater (and quicker) reward in the long run.

As for the rear shock, again I can only comment on the original fitted to my 1997 900 which never really felt nice compared to that of my Suzuki GSX-R750WT which I owned at the same time. The shock was eventually changed at about 8000 miles in 2005 (my mate who bought my Monster new only put 800 miles on it in two and a half years or so) for Nitron's NTR R1 (Sport as it was known back then) which has quite simply been brilliant over the last 25,000 plus miles.

It went back for it's latest service a couple of years ago, came back like new with a new spring fitted as I'd put on a little weight- (middle age spread) and my bike has never been better to ride as a result and I love it more than ever.

However after all that, by comparison my 12,000 mile 1996 Yamaha Thundercat still on it's standard original suspension (fork oil changed and linkages stripped and greased etc. recently mind) along with it's extra 20 (or so) Kgs. is still a much more composed ride down a bumpy road though.

The last thing to consider is probably cost versus how long you intend to keep your Monster- quality work costs but if it's a keeper then do it, if you get it done right you will not regret it.

[Jez900ie]

Originally Posted by rac3r

Thanks Jez that's really useful, saves me some work!

Normal riding for me is just local city roads and some bumpy B roads, I don't ride that hard. However, I'm not that heavy and I've found the bike gets quite unsettled over bumps. The worst was a bump I hit whilst joining a dual carriageway, it shook it's head like crazy!

We have a great deal in common! Skinny/ Monster / fun relaxed riding and bouncy B roads!

Glad to share the info. I'll let you know what happens next.

[Jez900ie]

Originally Posted by Flip

However after all that, by comparison my 12,000 mile 1996 Yamaha Thundercat still on it's standard original suspension (fork oil changed and linkages stripped and greased etc. recently mind) along with it's extra 20 (or so) Kgs. is still a much more composed ride down a bumpy road though.

Great advice Flip and very clean bike! Impressed...

This is a very important point imo. Changing the suspension on a bike to make it corner better, may not make it more comfortable/ composed to ride leisurely down bumpy roads & lanes.

Its really important to get across to the supplier how you want your bike to ride like after the suspension has been upgraded/changed. Otherwise you might find it turns on rails but is bone hard and that might not have be the desired result!

[Flip]

Originally Posted by Jez900ie

Great advice Flip and very clean bike! Impressed...

Thanks- it does get used though honest! But it also cleans up pretty well for an old'un.

Originally Posted by Jez900ie

This is a very important point imo. Changing the suspension on a bike to make it corner better, may not make it more comfortable/ composed to ride leisurely down bumpy roads & lanes.

Its really important to get across to the supplier how you want your bike to ride like after the suspension has been upgraded/changed. Otherwise you might find it turns on rails but is bone hard and that might not have be the desired result!

To clarify my statement there, don't get me wrong, my Monster simply feels more 'alive' than the heavier and softer sprung Yamaha. Along with the motors' character, it's what makes it such an engaging ride that never gets tiring or fails to put a smile on my face.

The fact I physically fit the Monster well means I can easily do 300+ miles days in comfort on it but now the suspension is sorted it just feels so much nicer to ride whatever road or speed.

[Blah blah]

S2r 800 front forks are pretty poor and they were the first thing I noticed when I bought mine, they lacked any feel and really crashed over bumps but I felt that the rear was alright if a bit soft / wallowy.

However I'm now running (occasionally!) ST4s TiN front forks and ST4s ohlins rear shock, and the difference is night and day - the forks came in a box with the bike with unknown history and the shock was bought second hand but both have been through MTC for a service and set up (stuck in a box and in the post, then returned a couple of weeks later and thrown on)

Now the bike feels a lot more settled when on a mission allowing me (you?) to not worry about what the suspension is doing but to just press on, find a corner, chuck it in, onto the power and away to the next... Lovely and with plenty of 'feel' although it has taken a bit of time to get used to as it's like a different bike.

The ST4s rear shock is virtually the same length as stock but the back of my bike was raised about 15-20mm (static) which suggests that the original shock had too much static sag despite trying to reduce it. The only problem I have though is the 2 reservoirs for the rear shock and where to put them - I've had the hoses changed twice and I still can't get them to fit as I'd really like them to, IE hidden under the seat and out of sight so they may get hung from the frame (or it may get sold and replaced)

I do have a spare ohlins spring if you fancied changing the stock S2r one (it was cheaper / quicker for me to buy a new ohlins spring than to get the old ohlins spring powder coated) and I have read that that can make a bit of difference to the stock shock.

If you aren't adverse to moving one of the coils and cutting other bits off then other Ducati shocks can be made to fit (IE 999) relatively easily and may be another slightly cheaper option.

And for the price of a set of fork cartridges from Maxton, you could get a used set of ST4s / S4r forks, then get them serviced / re-sprung and they bolt straight in, you'd also have cash left over for a shock - I also seem to remember that GSXR600 forks could be used but it's been a while since I've looked into it and I may have had a glass of wine or 2

If I had my time again, I'd probably go with the ST4s / S4r front forks (serviced and set up) and Nitron shock without the remote reservoirs so I didn't have to fug about trying to get stuff to fit where there isn't any space, but if it were one or the other then I'd go for forks first.

If you're in the area, you're welcome to have a look at mine.

The bike is a keeper so I plan to do it all bit by bit. Ideally I'd just like to change the fork internals rather than get new forks which are a different size which makes things more complicated/long winded. Also I don't I have a suspension place nearby so my plan is collect the parts and get Proteam to fit them (not sure I have the skill to DIY). Then if need be I can ride to Harris Performance to have the setup fine tuned.

Also on the comparison front I also have a CBR500 which feels like a sofa in comparison, but that is only on potholed city roads. I'm sure it won't be great when pushing on. I'm not looking to have the Monster become a sofa, I just want a bit more composure to give me that confidence in not going to be thrown off when I hit a bump. The bike I've been most confident on has been a second gen Street Triple R, I did no suspension mods or setup to it at all!

[Flip]

It can seem a bit daunting when you start looking at what's available, particularly when it comes to the forks.

If you don't want to go down the Maxton route of them junking the original internals and fitting their own cartridge conversions, then the first thing to find out is what can be done to yours using what is in there. This will range from basic spring change to one of a more suitable weight matched to perhaps different weight fluid to re-valving and shims tuning.

Changing forks for those from a better spec'd model is great in principle (it's a bit more difficult to find some for the earlier bikes with 17mm axle, different brake callipers and front mudguard etc.) but you do need to know which ones are going to fit and can still bring it's own problems if as I said earlier you are at either end of the weight spectrum.

If that's the case then you will likely need to change springs anyway, along with any other valving adjustments that are required and as with most modifications, this is made more awkward (expensive) if you are then going to get someone else to do the labour fitting them etc.

The rear shock is probably an easier decision as much of it can be down to how much you want to spend as even the cheapest will be better than a tired bouncy original but if the bike is a keeper as you say, then consider the future costs of getting it serviced- do the manufacturers offer that service themselves such as the likes of Öhlins, Nitron etc. who know what they're doing and will have the parts or will you have to trust a third party to carry out what they can and hope for the best?

Or worse and it be another 'consumable' type unit like the original where you'll be going through this again in a few years time.

My advice would be as Jez has done most recently, ping out some emails or better still chat, either in person or on the phone and get a feel for the people you'll be dealing with.

Factor in a time scale as those companies who supply race teams will be getting booked up soon ready for the new season and people who are busy are usually busy for a very good reason and those who aren't....well that's probably for a very good reason too.