REAR SHOCKS

Kiwipen · Post by **Kiwipen** » Mon May 06, 2019 7:28 am

Can anyone help a guy across the other side of the world?
I have a rear shock leaking on my ‘94 400 ssn. Over here in NZ it may as well be from outer space as it was never a local model.I am trying to source seals etc and hopefully I am successful but if not can you recommend a supplier in the UK who can supply replacement ?even second hand is in ok.
I have looked online but I would prefer the original style if at all possible
Thanks and hopefully someone can help.
Cheers Chris

fossie · Post by **fossie** » Tue May 07, 2019 7:38 am

The 400 wasn't available here in UK either So the same issues with parts ..possibly to lesser extent , I had mine rebuilt by a specialist way back. But nowadays aftermarket units are readily available in the same style much much cheaper and easier. Uncle bob may be able to supply a photo of his possibly YSS .
It all depends on if it's the original you particular like.. Bare in mind even low milage ones are 20 years old so will be less effective than anything new.

Kiwipen · Post by **Kiwipen** » Tue May 07, 2019 8:37 am

Thanks for the reply mate.
Yep I have seen the yss but they don’t look the part.Does anyone have any experience with the Chinese ones on Ali express? They look good but Chinese?..........???.?

Uncle Bob · Post by **Uncle Bob** » Tue May 07, 2019 11:18 am

Have you been looking at the piggyback YSS when you say they don't look the part? See images of them on my bike below. The YSS are Preload, Compression and rebound adjustable plus also have a small amount of height adjustment if required (360-370mm). and I think look pretty damn good! I think YSS was setup from ex-employees of White Power. They aren't cheap (but not Ohlins expensive) and mine cost £480 about 3 years ago (the bike only cost me £700!)

I had the same issue as you with leaky Showa piggy backs but wanted to keep the same piggy back look. I didn't wanted the cheap Chinese ones as I saw lots of reviews / comments on the build quality (plus I like to ride my bike so want something that also handles). There was a guy in the states buying them, stripping them and then rebuilding properly, and they were still cheapish with that.
http://chrislivengood.net/wp/product/rfy-shock-rebuild/

I thought the YSS would still be better and looked better though. The model number of them is RG362-360TRCL-02 so Google that.

Other alternatives were a lot more expensive like Wilbers, Ohlins and also Australian company called GAZI.

The GAZI ones are interesting in that from their main website https://www.gazisuspension.com/ they only list their expensive ones, but I think (though you might need to research) that they do a cheaper range aimed at the Asian market. I did email them about this and they said they did for the build wasn't as good as it was for the local market, There is a guy in Italy that sells them (the only place i have seen outside Asia) and they look good to me and the price is good as well. He sells them on Ebay and you can get black, red and yellow springs - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/titanium-GAZ ... 4214750273
I saw a pair of those on a GS750 race bike at Spa a couple of years ago on a bike who's owner I know. He got those from Grumpy1260 ( http://grumpy1260suzukispares.co.uk/ ) I think. I was going to get a set of those for the 1100 but at the time they weren't supplied with the end fork required, so got a very good price on non piggyback YSS from a show bike that was being revamped.

I was tempted by the cheaper GAZI for the 400, but in the end the YSS got it for me.

If you have someone local (or Australia?) that says they can rebuild Showa then that could be another option.

Hope that helps - let us know how you get on.

Rob

pookie · Post by **pookie** » Tue May 07, 2019 2:59 pm

G'day, I've had the Chinese 'piggy back' shocks (RFY branded) on my 250cc Kat for over four years now, like you my original KYB Kayaba shocks were only fit for the bin, so I saw these on E-Bad in the USA for only $45us including postage and they arrived within a week, they have been great but I've only covered about 7000 kms in said four years, they are quite soft but I like them that way, as my Kat is only a hobby bike I couldn't justify spending a lot of money on them, to sum up, if you intend to keep the bike for some time or if you need quality shocks for track days etc then get the best you can afford, but these generic Chinese shocks will do the job fine.

Kiwipen · Post by **Kiwipen** » Wed May 08, 2019 9:43 am

Thanks Rob yep those yss ones DO look the part I will definitely look at them ,and thanks Pookie I will check the Chinese ones as well.I just like the look of the piggy back shocks, Pookie when you say soft can you crank it up at all to stiffen them? Rob do you know if the yss can be serviced ? I presume the Chinese ones can’t Pookie?I need to look at the future as I want to hang on to the Kat for a long time so servicing is probably a good idea ,
Thanks to both you guys for the replies it is much appreciated.
Regards Chris

pookie · Post by **pookie** » Wed May 08, 2019 7:03 pm

No worries Chris, the Chinese shocks on my Kat could probably be adjusted to make them firmer but I'm happy with them as they came out of the box, think they can be stripped and rebuilt but at the price it would probably be easier to get another set, it's a throw away world these days, as I mentioned they have been on my bike for over four years and are still performing well.

Kiwipen · Post by **Kiwipen** » Thu May 16, 2019 9:25 am

O.k I have decided to go with the RFY shocks off Ali express they are $212 NZ delivered. I have a couple of mates who have these and for normal use (one of them even says for hard use) these are fine . So time will tell I guess but after reading reviews about build quality I (think) I am happy .I will post a review after they arrive about fitting and impressions of quality.Thanks to you who replied to my post

pookie · Post by **pookie** » Thu May 16, 2019 6:52 pm

Check out the CL MotoTech website, he's an American guy called Chris who rebuilds the RFY shocks using different oil, bearings and springs, if you read the write ups the RFY shocks seem to suffer from the same problems that all Chinese products have, being that they are built to a price (cheap) but fundamentally well made and with a few parts changed can be as good as shocks that cost many times the price.

Uncle Bob · Post by **Uncle Bob** » Thu May 16, 2019 9:09 pm

pookie wrote:Check out the CL MotoTech website, he's an American guy called Chris who rebuilds the RFY shocks using different oil, bearings and springs

I put the link to that guy in my first posting... http://chrislivengood.net/wp/product/rfy-shock-rebuild/

I had read quite a few reviews about lack of damping oil in them. RFY shocks rebuilt by him aren't that much more really.

Katana Owners Club U.K.

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