Help me pick out a rear shock...

[sktrs_kpr]

Well I've been having a ton of fun on my little ninjette, but its time for a new rear shock.
Why? Several reasons. Primarily I want adjustability and and re-buildability. I don't like that the stocker is neither.

What I want the new one to be able to handle:
-aprox stock ride height, pref adjustable
-adjustable pre-load (adjustable damping is a plus)
-not too harsh for my scrawny (120lb) butt.
-able to easily handle two-up riding without bottoming out all the time... i bottom the stock thing out several times every ride when two up!

With that in mind I went looking through the wikis and forums, and found a bunch of options... now I'm trying to decide which would work best for me. Its largely a commuter bike but I do love to get into the twistiest on the parkway etc.

I've looked at:
1) new-gen shock. has adjustable pre-load, but thats it. not re-buildable?
2) ex500 shock, seems to have about the same pros as #1
3) zx600 shock, re-buildable, adjustable, relatively easy install. Cons: more pricey than 1 or 2 and all of them are older (pre 97?)
4) zx6r shock, 3-way adjustable. Not sure if re-buildable. Harder to install, but thats not a big deal. Newer and cheaper than #3

I'm leaning towards #4. Anyone have any input?

[kkim]

what's your budget?

[sktrs_kpr]

Cheap is good.

Since you can get zx6r shocks that are only a few years old for <$50, unless something out there drastically out-performs them for not terribly much more I'd say about $50 or so is what I'm looking to spend.

[Snake]

Although it is not rebuildable several members here have installed the new gen shock with very good results.

[greg737]

It's from England.

Very good quality, adjustability, really makes the bike responsive (assuming you've upgraded the front suspension also). It's not a racing shock (no remote reservior - emulsion type, but I'm not a track racer so I don't care).

Here's a listing that includes the Hagon along with a few other possibilities, http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Aftermarket_Shocks

In my opinion, for everything short of multi-lap track racing, you can't go wrong with the Hagon.

Although, it seems that a lot of the EX-250 world is (rather myopically) centered around low-budget solutions (the lower the cost, the longer the install write-up will be about how cheaply the mod was done). I forget that fact sometimes and post something like this only to get lectured on how expensive it is. But I do hang around to read the later posts where the really-cheap EBay ZX-600 shock starts leaking oil like an early 1960's British car.

[Grn99Kawi]

The new gen shock is plenty for me.. why do you need rebuildable? Are you going to keep the bike for 15 years? Why do you need so much adjuability? The F chassis doesnt lend itself to 'getting in there to adjust' anyway..

Here is my experience with the J shock.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17382

[sktrs_kpr]

Greg - the hagon looks nice, as do most of the other aftermarket shocks, but when sufficiently good shocks are available for < $50 its hard to spend $400+!

Adam - do I need rebuildable? no. But it would be nice to at least be able to change the oil. I plan on keeping the bike for a while... it may be my first bike, but I've had my first car for the past 6 years and have yet to 'upgrade' as so many people call it.
Furthermore I am a tinkerer. When I put coilovers, bigger brakes, swaybars, poly mounts, swap motors, etc on my '91 ford festiva (which to most people is just a crap car) did I need it? no, but I have fun with it.
I have a welder, grinder, drill press, etc. so installing a zx6r shock isn't a big deal. If I can get one of those for the same price as a J speck shock, and have the advantage of re-buildability and further adjustability, why not? I may never actually see the benefits of the additional goodies. But before I go and spend my $50 on a new shock I just want to try to find the best of the options.

With the air-adjustable dampening on the zx6r or gsxr shocks I could ride with a relatively low spring rate when one up and not much air pressure then when ridding double up I could bump the dampening by putting in 5-10psi. Maybe this isn't necessary... but then again, thats why I'm asking!

Thanks for the input so far guys! After I get something done with the rear I'm going to install ex500 springs in the front... I can't stand the nose dive every time I stop!!

[M]

I'm using an '08 'J' shock on my '05 250. The pre-load is nice to adjust between 2-3 depending on the amount of gear I'm carrying. I previously have a re-built Fox twin clicker with remote reservoir. I decided it was overkill for me, as I'm only doing about one track day a year right now. Plus, the $$$ selling it bought me some Givi luggage...

[Africord]

Part of the issue with shock changes is what do you want from your ride. My 2006 has a 2004 EX500 shock which give me an almost perfect highway ride and works well in the twisties. (No canyons in E. Nebr.) You should also ask yourself what you plan to do with the front end. I found that I needed to change out fork springs after the mod. I'm using .70kg Sonic Springs. I little more firm than I would like but the EX500 springs would have been too soft.

[nyricanf15]

I changed the rear shock to a 07 GSX-R600, it was pretty simple to do especially if you have a file and a drill. I also changed the front spring with racetec .80 springs and emulators, that took care of the nose dives when stopping and more manageable on the track

[sktrs_kpr]

I'm planing on using the 500 springs in the front and perhaps emulators as well... I haven't decided whether or not the emulators are going to be worth the $.

Since I'm such a lightweight I don't think I really need a much stiffer spring in the rear, as long as I can adjust the preload for when riding 2-up and get better damping. I wouldn't mind a little stiffer spring, but most of what I'm seeing as far as spring rates is in the 500+ range (stock 250 is 440lbs from what I understand).

Maybe a 500lb spring wouldn't be that bad, but I don't want it to be too bouncy given some of the roads I have to ride.

[kkim]

up the front fork spring rate with a couple of steel washers to preload the stock springs. cheap and effective.

on my dirt bikes, I've been pouring in an additional 1oz of one step heavier fork oil and preloading the springs with steel washers from Home Depot. I think 1 1/8" washers will work in our ninja forks. If not, the 1", for sure.

[TheDuck]

Originally Posted by sktrs_kpr

-able to easily handle two-up riding without bottoming out all the time... i bottom the stock thing out several times every ride when two up!

I'm 250lbs and bottom the thing out alone! I took a big heavy lesbian friend of mine for a ride on there once, we bottomed it out immediately.

Originally Posted by sktrs_kpr

With that in mind I went looking through the wikis and forums, and found a bunch of options... now I'm trying to decide which would work best for me. Its largely a commuter bike but I do love to get into the twistiest on the parkway etc.

I've looked at:
1) new-gen shock. has adjustable pre-load, but thats it. not re-buildable?
2) ex500 shock, seems to have about the same pros as #1
3) zx600 shock, re-buildable, adjustable, relatively easy install. Cons: more pricey than 1 or 2 and all of them are older (pre 97?)
4) zx6r shock, 3-way adjustable. Not sure if re-buildable. Harder to install, but thats not a big deal. Newer and cheaper than #3

I'm leaning towards #4. Anyone have any input?

#4

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=36055

Its a relatively cheap configuration but takes some work to install:

The shock was a parts bin special.. something I already had, I think I put about $15 into new bolts washers and spacers.

[sktrs_kpr]

I've got one in the garage now, its actually from an 09 R6 that had 2k miles on it.

picked it up on e-bay for around $30. I'm considering putting the stock spring on it since according to the calculators its about right for my weight, and then using the pre-load adjustment for when riding 2-up. Most of the time me and my riding partners weight is around 250lbs combined... were small people

The little bike definitely likes small folks... a friend of mine w/ a 250 honda and I were riding and I flew past him @ 70mph... he weighs quite a bit more than I do, and it makes all the difference!

[TheDuck]

Originally Posted by sktrs_kpr

I've got one in the garage now, its actually from an 09 R6 that had 2k miles on it.

That actually might fit a whole lot better because of the reservior placement.

Whats the length of it from the center of each bolt hole?

[sktrs_kpr]

From what I've read online its 295mm... but i haven't measured it myself yet. I'll do a detailed writeup w/ pics etc. once i get it done, hopefully in the next week or two. If 295mm is too short (Stock is 320 I believe, so that puts it at 25mm shorter than stock) I'll have to look into other options.

This is the shock I have:


As you can see the reservoir sits lower than on most, and I'm hoping this will make installation a little easier. We'll see, but thats one of the main reasons I picked this shock to try!

[TheDuck]

Originally Posted by sktrs_kpr

From what I've read online its 295mm... but i haven't measured it myself yet. I'll do a detailed writeup w/ pics etc. once i get it done, hopefully in the next week or two. If 295mm is too short (Stock is 320 I believe, so that puts it at 25mm shorter than stock) I'll have to look into other options.

Yep, the 250 shock is roughly 320mm. I think the ZX6/ZX10 shock is more like 340mm.

The R6 always had a short shock, I didn't realise the new R6ers had a forked bottom though. While that shock may be a little short, you might be able to redrill those shorter links that came with it and use them to raise up the rear of the 250 after the R6 shock has dropped it.

Give it a shot!

[ROADandTRACK]

You need at least the same length of shock, preferably 5-10mm or more length. Adjustable ride height would be best. for racing

[2WheelGuy]

Originally Posted by ROADandTRACK

You need at least the same length of shock, preferably 5-10mm or more length. Adjustable ride height would be best. for racing

+1

I run +9mm of ride height in my bikes. My Penske shock is ride height adjustable. My old Fox shocks don't have the height adjustment so I shorten the dogbones.

The new gen shock is a good cheap replacement on the old bikes because it is 5mm longer and gets you close to the proper height.

I've heard that with a little grinding a shock from a 1979 Gold Wing will fit, you could give that a try.

[Verus Cidere]

Has anybody besides me heard anything about the SV650 shock on a pregen?

[Apex]

Originally Posted by Verus Cidere

Has anybody besides me heard anything about the SV650 shock on a pregen?

I have seen it done before. I just cannot remember where I saw it.

[Verus Cidere]

Do you remember if it required modification to the shock itself? I'm looking for something that is a direct, bolt-on replacement that might be easier to find than a newgen shock.

[null0]

Originally Posted by Apex

I have seen it done before. I just cannot remember where I saw it.

There was a write up on ninja250.org that got taken down. If I remember right, it was a hack and slash on the plastics and some removing some material on either the clevis or ball joint.

[Hunsy34]

I have done a lot of reading on the sv650 the 2nd gen 2003+ will fit better then the 1st gen. From what I read the 2nd gen you don't have to do any grinding or anything. You do have to drill out the race bushing area at the top to put the old one back in. For the bottom part you have to drill the hole a little bigger since they are so close in size you can't just drill a new hole up farther. As for the rear suspension I would also get new front springs to get rid of the dive when putting on the front breaks quickly when needed. I can dig up some links if you want them.