Anybody ever use these shocks? Any opinions?

I was at Milwaukee Cycle Salvage to pick up some alternator brushes since they had them in stock. Saw these in one of the glass displays. They are brand new.
Don't know anything about the company. They are made By FORSA Enterprises. The brand is MDI. I got them for $60.

 

They look good. I'm not sure if I need any yet since it isn't ridable. I've bounced around on it but that can't tell you much. I like the black progressives but I may not pop for those.

 

They sell for $95 or so on JCWhitney... about 50 less than the progressive (unless you go with those sweet 412s or something) but they have got to be better than mine if not the same... plus they'll look nicer. $60... couldn't pass it up

 

They look a bit lightweight...........

 

Well... here is what I got from trooling around online...
The ones I got are 13 1/4 inch shocks. The ones sold for the Yamaha xj 550 are 12 3/4. I hope that 1/2 inch doesn't make that much of a difference.
They are 440 pound load so they should handle my 140 lbs like nothing and my woman weighs about 165-170. Either way its about 300 +/- pounds less than half of the time. They were cheap and look cool and I can't immagine they would be as bad as the stockies I have on there now.
If so, I can use them til I get a better set.

 

Chuckles, you just committed THE cardinal sin! Telling all of us how much your woman weighs, we'll check the obits.javascript:emoticon('post', 'message', ':lol:')

 

I just looked at a pair of those yesterday and I liked them. I will probably pick them up Saturday to put on my bike. I think they will look good with my gloss black paint. That is just my opinion.

 

you can make a better suspension out of bubblegum and string than the stock suspension... so good score

 

I'm sure those come in different sizes too; I would try and get the recommended length for the bike if they will exchange them.

Schooter is correct though; the original KYBs were junk right off the showroom floor.

 

Surely the price is a comment on their quality or on labour costs. Last week I fitted new Ikon shocks, $460 delivered....not flown in from overseas...they are rebuildable (hopefully never) yes they were pricey, but should be th last shocks I ever buy for this bike.

 

well I put the suckers on. Forget to bring my camera but I will next time. Also cut out a cardboard template for the side civers. Did have to cut a square out for the rectifier but I actually like the look a bit. Can't wait to see what the diamond plate will look like...

Oh yeah... back to the shocks...
Look a million times better with the black. Milwaukee cycle salvage sells a lot of things nobody ever used... but if you find more than of of a specific item, you are lucky! They don't have anymore of those shocks. The half inch difference in length doesn't make much of a difference. But on the center stand the rear wheel is almost touching. But no big deal.
They feel different just sitting on the bike. The other shocks didn't budge even if my buddy got on and bounced... they would move with a lot of force. The new once are stiff, move with general force but also come back up really nice. Much smoother. Can't wait to see what they feel like riding. But they do look cooler for sure.

Oh yeah... and when one has never changed shocks on a bike before and doesn't really know what the hell they are doing... it was a b**ch.

 

I do believe you are correct on that one. Your poor front forks are now hiding in shame from their new sexy high-tech counterparts to the rear.

Piggyback reservoir? PICTURES might be nice....

 

No piggies .........think Koni of yore.... they look like this http://www.ikonsuspension.com/content/p ... ocks.shtml

 

OOOHHH... adjustable damping too. Wowzas. Now I've got to see how long it takes to wear out a set of Progressives.

Those look like they would truly be the solution to any shaft-related handling quirks. Good choice and I'm jealous. Might have to use those on the 650...

 

No never used them. Looks like an Asian made model. Here's one I found. http://stores.ebay.com/Casken-folie I've ordered 2 pair from this guy in France. The shocks show up in about 2 weeks from mainland China.
I'm putting this last pair on the 750. I'll post pics when I get her back up on it's wheels.

 

Are you talking about the stock suspension when new or twenty years later when it's worn out and rooted?

MDI are budget priced rubbish, probably ok if you don't do to many miles but if you use you bike all the time do yourself a favour and save up and buy something of better quality

I wouldn't put them on my wheelbarrow

 

I put a set on my Turbo and it turned into a hardtail. Absolute junk.

 

Hay Mr Fitz.. any of those "shaft related handling quirks".. I don't mind at all.

No chain and sprockets to oil, adjust, throw in the bin, buy new one's. Oil, adjust, etcetera, ad infinitum. One of the reasons I bought it... And been for a coupla rides with th new shocks..mmmmuch better.. will havta do th front next,
as you surmised.

 

You get what you pay for!

 

So finally a couple people with experience on these shocks...
I figured they've gotta be better than stock and looked MUCH nicer than the stock squishies which didn't squish at all.
Just sitting on the bike there is a difference. The shocks actually move when I bounce. The old ones did not move at all unless I hit like a speedbump a 200mph. Well... looks like I am still getting those progressives eventually but for now I am finishing the project then after the first few rides I'll start working bugs out. And yeah... I ride a lot and for a lot of miles at a time. I have been up at 6am to put 150 miles on before work at 10am. Junk shocks won't do for very long... but they were $60.

 

My point being that the adjustable rebound damping would allow you to pretty much tune out any trace of "shaft related handling quirks."

As for the front It's truly amazing what nothing more than a set of quality springs and slightly heavier oil will do for the stockers.

 

Hey Bushy, I'd to see a picture of those IKONs on your bike too if you don't mind.

 

Perhaps not as much as you might think, that would depend entirely on the internal valving being in the ballpark, if it isn't no amount of adjusting will fix it without the shocks internal valving being changed

It is also entirely possible that if you tune out any "shaft related handling quirks." that it may upset something else, I didn't ever find shaft drive that much of a problem to ride around, it wasn't better or worse it was just "different"

We are lucky in that we have New Zealand's top suspension tuner on our local NZ forum who is quite happy to offer us advice and provides an exceptional backup service for any purchaser of his products (Ohlins) and even a considerable amount of advice for those that don't

And if you fit emulators it will improve it considerably over that again

 

I think I might have gotten suckered too. Got mine from ebay...$70 shipped from someone who had put them on and said they were too stiff. Well they seem too stiff for my 750 seca (and 200# @$$). I just finished installing, and have yet to go for a ride (don't want to wake the wife :twisted: ) but bouncing around in the garage hurt my butt for sure. I took all the preload out. I'll give them one ride - 50 mile round trip. Then you might see them on ebay again.

I'm not convinced they will be better than the 28000 mile stockers (and those had turned into "air" shocks...the fluid's all gone)

 

After reading all of this, I have to ask:
What kind of springs do you guys recommend for a 1982 750 Seca, in terms of looks and performance?

 

My guess is...if you don't want to try a bunch of different things out, you should check out chacal's catalog. They are about $250 or so and come with all the bushings.

Update: I rode to work with these MDI shocks and WHAT A DIFFERENCE! Now, instead of bouncing around every time I hit a bump, the shocks barely compress at all and my a** cheeks get to do the dampening . My tailbone is none-too-pleased.

I'm guessing the "progressive" (that's in qoutes because just being progressive isn't enough :roll: ) spring rate is way off.

So I wonder...what exacly is the complaint with the stock (new) shocks? Was it the springs or the dampening? I can hear air woosh in and out of my stockers, so I assume the dampener seals are gone (as is much of the fluid). Do the springs wear out? I ask because I assume the springs, while not progressive, are at least somewhat tuned to the bike. Can I just pull them and put the on the MDI shocks, to get some (unadjustable) dampening, and a proper spring rate? I assume I need a proper spring compressor, will automotive ones work (as in...should I go to AutoZone and borrow one)? I should probably take my own advice earlier in this post...but I'm having fun trying to save some money.

 

Yep... sometimes ...one gives oneself good advice...he thinks..."yeah spend th 2fiddy n get good ones".....

 

ok ok...noted...but just like a member who keeps asking how to tune for pod filters...I still want to know what was so wrong with the original shocks, and if the old springs in the new shocks sounds like something worth trying.

 

Well for me, the original shocks were absolute junk. Worse than these MDI peices of junk. It was either too stiff to dampen anything or too smooshy to hold my ol' lady and I. The stockies had to go.
MDI shocks are pretty useless (other than sporting an obviously new set of shocks) they havn't incresed the comfort much at all. I will say this, they do like my woman. It seems they aren't too bad when were are 2 up but with just me, I might as well be struttin'. What was schooter's wording? Oh yeah, in reference to stock shocks, "you can make better suspension out of bubble gum and string...". Well add some black paint and you have the MDI shocks. But they were cheap. Haha.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/yamaha-V ... ccessories


I got those shocks- sporty looking, and with about 100 miles I'm satisfied with how they handle and absorb.

 

Hey... anybody want some pod filters? haha.

 

I have an update of on this thread. With a little research I figure out EXACTLY what is wrong with these shocks...they are sprung all WRONG. They are duel rate (not progressive as I mentioned before).

With the bike on the center stand, you can see that the tighter wound coils are REALLY close to binding. A springs rate is inversely proportional to the number of active coils (a little counter-intuitive for me). So before these lower coils bind, the spring rate is lower.

But put the bike on the side stand (much less sit on it) and the lower coils bind (become inactive). Now the only coils that can deflect are the upper ones. The spring rate increases before you even hit a bump! They aren't too stiff...the lower coil is too LOOSE.

I was thinking of trying to switch my stock springs with the new shock...then I just bit the bullet and took the progressives chacal sells...MUCH better (tho my wallet feels quite a bit lighter).

 

Schooter - pls update this post when you get more miles on these "Asian KYB" shocks.

 

LOL yeah no kidding, and at only 140 lbs he makes me feal to heavy at 215 lbs, he he he.

 

I'm pretty sure I got a set of those for $50 back in 1999 from JC Whitney (or maybe it was Dennis Kirk) for the '82 XJ650RJ I had just been given. I wish I still had the old shocks so I could see what they were; I'm not sure if they were OEM. The bike was pretty rough when I got it, and is still pretty rough

Anyway, the shocks feel cheap, and stiff. Not unpleasantly so since I don't put many miles on them, but compared to my more modern BMW & Suzuki bikes the XJ has always felt almost like a hardtail. Riding with a passenger is great though.

 

Spring rate is to high then and probably the valving is wrong