Rear shocks

Hello!

I recently got myself a well kept '89 XJ900F. As luck would have it, I also landed a pair of Öhlins shocks from XJR1300 on the cheap.

Now if I got everything right, the stock rear shocks are 310mm and the Öhlins are 325mm. That shouldn't cause me too much trouble? One mechanic I met said that they could cause wobbling in my front end when breaking etc.

My plan was to swap the shocks and see how it feels, but that mechanic got me wondering so here I am. Anyone changed longer rear shocks on their bike?

Cheers,
laakkeet

 

you are essentially changing the bike's geometry, actually steepening the rake.
The turning radius will be tighter and this is why the mechanic mentioned it.
Raising the rear end is common practice converting street bikes to race bikes, gains ground clearance & quicker steering.
What you're contemplating shouldn't present any danger.
You can go back easy enough.

 

Thanks for the reply!

Figured along those lines myself but just wanted to double check after the chat with the mechanic.

 

Nothing says bling better than Ohlins, we need pics, drooling already

 

Sure thing! Just got the bike fired up and took it for a short test ride. Front end is mushy and leaks oil so gotta take care of that first.

 

Ohlins is a good way to burn up all your traveling money though.

 

Maybe, but they are well worth the money, as is any shock of decent quality that can be revalved and resprung to suit the rider, chances are the XJ1300 shock will be better but they wont be as good as one tailored to suit bike and rider

Any OE shock on any XJ is well past its use by date, any decent new shock appropriate for the bike can transform ride and handing as can proper front end mods but so few people spend money in this area even on modern bikes

 

Fair point, but I did get these really cheap. Hard to justify buing shocks that cost nearly as much as the bike, no matter how much of a improvement.