Wilbers rear shock

OK, just fitted my new Wilbers, full remote opperated rear shock,meaning,you can adjust the damping and most importantly,the preload(the hardest thing to adjust) all from a control unit attached to the frame

If had known what I know now, and hadn`t spent endless $ on trying to fit donour shocks,and modifing them to suit my riding style,I wouldn`t have done it.

I first started with rebuilding my standard Bandit shock with a better spring and gold valves,and it seemed good,but I wanted more control out of the shock, and not just a fixed setting as the standard shock basically is.

Then came the Hayabusa shock, 99-07. In standard form,it was alot better than the modified Bandit shock,as it has 22 click of compression and rebound control,and just tracked the road alot better.

Then came the GSXR 1000 07-08. I had this rebuilt to suit my ridding style. New spring, gold valves and reshimmed. It has hi/low speed compression and rebound control. It felt fantastic. But i`m a fussy bugger, and in certain situations, I still wasn`t happy. But all of these changers were so much better than standard.

So...now enter the wilbers. It shits on all of the others. How can I explain it. Its plush and soft, to the point that you think its designed for touring. But when you hit a corner, with the road conditions either rough and wavey,that has upset all the other shocks i`ve tried, it is so planted and direct,yet still feels soft. You sit still, and the wheel tracks the road,and keeps full contact with maxium grip, and gives you overwhelming confidence.

I love this thing, and for the money i`ve spent on the others,I could have had this to begin with. It wasn`t cheap,but its exactly what I was after,and suits my ridding style. Tour or track,it`ll do it.

Come on, out with it , how much ? We all know the best doent come cheap .

i`m not shy or embarrassed about the price,as it suits me down to a T. $1400 big ones

Fornicate a Mallard!

Any reports from "fussy buggers" are more than welcome - you get the best information. Thanks.

what the hell is a Mallard?
and do I really want to do what Peter suggests?

ok its a duck .. I'd rather eat it

any money spent on the suspension on a bandit is money well spent IMHO

I`ve had my Bandit 8yrs now,and never plan on ever getting rid of it. I will plan on only ever collecting bikes from now on, unless i think something is a piece of shit,then it would be off to a better owner.

I`m starting to save for the front end now,and in about 1 1/2 to 2 years, i`ll be putting a full Ohlins,or equivalent quality front end on. This will require lots of machining and altering of the front end to suit. Once again,I want full damping control,and something that tracks the road correctly.

Some may say- "will it still be a Bandit!!"

"why don`t you buy a bike that has all this sort of thing already on it!!"

I still like the look and character of the Bandit,and I still like the simplicity of the oil banger,to which again I am modifing.

I`m trying to build my ideal bike.

Re-Cycled wrote:Fornicate a Mallard!

That's the best bit of censoring yet

Good to hear you are more than happy with your investment. I went for my first biggish ride today since I have done the modest upgrades to mine. The front end just feels so rock solid. The rear is a big improvement over the stock set up and I am very happy with the result.

Glad to hear the wilbers work well
Just ordered one but without the hydraulic preload adjuster.
Love my bandit.

Bit late with a reply , bought my wilbers in 2010 with out preload adjust , have done 122,000klm with it plus i do about 5,000klm per year towing a trailer , haven't had it serviced yet  never had an issue , great shock.

It would be wise to get it serviced. 
The oil turns to shit, along with debris from wear,  acts like a cutting compound, and wears the bushes and bore out quicker.
They're not a $5 item, so look after it. 

You are correct about the oil so i will put it into Hoey and get it serviced before summer starts , but it is a great shock

Ever notice the sideways movement in lower shock mount? About 2 mm

I've got no movement in the shock, but the linkage mount to the frame does,  by design alone.

It's not bossed with a bearing, only a bolt going through a cleat from the frame, so not a close tolerance.
  
Poor design there really.

Picked up my shock from Hoey last week , cost $179 for a full service which included a full service kit. The shock had done 122,000 klm with out a service , Hoey said the  internal bush was good and no abnormal wear . Went to Burra last weekend towing my trailer and all I can say is what a difference it made with a serviced shock.