Having got more and more annoyed with my yamaha unadjustable stock suspension I looked into getting a replacement for the rear shock. It was pretty bouncy, needed nearly all the pre-load to set it up for my 14st bulk and zippy braking was out as the front dive was massive.
I looked around on the web and found three options for non-racers with a budget. Hagon, Ohlins street and Nitron sport. The Hagen had no adjustability and was 300 odd quid, the Nitron was 350ish and the Ohlins was 450 ish. Both the Nitron and the Ohlins have preload, height and a single compression/rebound adjuster.
Nitron seemed a good bet for the money, and I am told is a better shock as the Ohlins one is an emulsion shock, but they didn’t have the bike listed so I emailed. They said they didn’t do one for the bike but they would happily spec one for me if I got my bike to them. They would get their main technician to set it up too.
I sent my bike, my weight etc, what I wanted etc and one week later I have a nice shiny new rear shock (and a really cheap looking stock one in a box). First impressions:It’s beautifully engineered, it is fully rebuildable and looks it.They put a spring in for my weight and set it up for meI’ve backed off the pre-load a little and left the rest of the settings as the technician had set itSo has it made a difference? I’ve had crap weather to test but even around town it has transformed the bike. It absorbs the bumps better, it’s well planted around corners and hard breaking/acceleration is no longer the see-saw it once was.
Couldn’t be happier, faster now seems easier and safer than slower riding was before.
The shock is great and Nitron couldn’t have been more helpful. I don’t think you could spend £350 on a bike and get a better result.
With so much moaning on forums I thought I would write a good news story. Recommended.
