Has anyone experimented with a longer shock?

ChopperCharles · 08-11-2021, 07:12 PM

Curious as I'm a heavy guy and I am often hitting the tire on the underside of the fender and airbox when riding heavily pot-holed and/or rocky terrain. My preload is turned WAY up, but I think the solution is a 1/2" longer shock.

Charles.

Lukas · 08-11-2021, 08:29 PM

I also thought about it and turned up the shock absorber tension, but these motorcycles originally had smaller wheels and therefore thinner shock absorber you need to remember that the motorcycle must stand steadily on the center stand such a shock absorber on aliexpres costs about $100, because it must have a thick spring.

ChopperCharles · 08-12-2021, 01:26 AM

So? I need a longer shock to keep from knobby tires from hitting the underside of my fender and my airbox. I've already turned the preload up as high as I can get it to go.

Charles

pyoungbl · 08-12-2021, 02:23 PM

Have you considered a stiffer spring?

ChopperCharles · 08-12-2021, 02:58 PM

What would be the point of that? It would not limit the travel and it would still bottom out.

Charles.

pyoungbl · 08-12-2021, 03:51 PM

If the spring is correct for your weight it would not bottom out. Have you measured the sag on your suspension? When you are sitting on the bike wearing normal gear you'd expect about 30% sag. Adding compression to the stock spring can only compensate so much for the weight being carried. That's why a spring change may well solve your problem. Hyperco makes springs for lots of applications. I tried 650 and 600 springs on my RX4, finding the 600 to be the better of the two. Once you have the dimensions of your stock spring you can see what hyperco has to offer for that length and diameter spring coil. As I recall the springs were less than $100 each. CSC might even have some spring options.

One thing to consider if you change shocks is that the OEM shock only has a small amount of travel. I do not remember what that is but, as an example, the RX4 has 120mm of rear wheel travel and its shock only has 50mm of travel. The linkage is making up the difference. Any replacement shock should have roughly the same amount of travel or you'll be back to square one...tire hitting the fender on full compression.

ChopperCharles · 11-03-2021, 09:35 PM

So, I just cut the dogbones and removed 6mm, then welded them back together. This gave me 3/4" rise. More than I had intended, but it means even with a Shinko 244 the tire never touches the airbox or inner fender, even when hitting speed humps fully loaded.

With the extra rise in the back, and the super tall 244 tire, i had to slide the fork tubes down in the trees 1/2" to keep from having a high speed wobble. Switching to a 3.50-18 instead of a 3.00-18 also helps tame that, or going with a Kenda big block rear tire instead of the 244. (that's the setup I have now)

Charles.

Working_ZS · 11-04-2021, 11:15 AM

If you still need more height in the front to correct for the lift in the rear, CSC does carry the 19" wheel for the RX3; it's currently $200. It is an upgrade over the 18" wheel that comes on the 2015-2017 RX3's, but became the default option on 2018's onward. In addition to lifting the front, you will be able to take advantage of a wider selection of off road tires available in the 19" wheel size.

Another option would to be to rebuild your existing 18" wheel into a 19" using the stock hub and spokes, but with a new 19" aluminum rim. This would run about half the price, but require more of your time.

ChopperCharles · 11-04-2021, 11:29 AM

Yeah, I just put a tire on the 18" wheel, so I'm gonna burn that up before upgrading to the 19". But where can I get an aluminum rim for under a hundred bucks? I can lace and true a wheel easily, but rims aren't that cheap. Especially black powder-coated rims (so the front matches the rear).

Charles.

Working_ZS · 11-04-2021, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChopperCharles

...But where can I get an aluminum rim for under a hundred bucks? I can lace and true a wheel easily, but rims aren't that cheap. Especially black powder-coated rims (so the front matches the rear).

Charles.

I got my 19" front and 17" rear rims directly from Warp 9 several years ago, but right now 19" front rims are very hard to find; looking at Warp 9 Racing's website all I can get to come up are 21" rims, it's the same at Rocky Mountain ATV's site. If you want to try a 21" front rim instead of a 19", hit up Warp 9 here:

https://www.warp9racing.com

and Rock Mountain ATV here - I used a 2015 HONDA CRF450R as my make and model equivalent:

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/t...ront-p?v=11961

The rear rim on the RX3 is also 36 spokes, like the front, so the 2015 Honda option won't fit, since it's 32 spokes. Warp 9 has 36 spoke rears if you want to give that a try.

You can see SpudRider's old Rear Wheel and 21" Front Wheel threads here:

Rear Wheel: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=14974

Front Wheel:http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=17732

muhoboy · 11-05-2021, 02:01 AM

You need to find such shock absorbers. Choose a suitable one depending on the load. 405 mm. provide a suspension lift of 1.5 inches, 415 mm. provide a suspension lift of 2 inches. Installed on a motorcycle without alterations.
https://skybike.ua/7669/
https://skybike.ua/7649/

muhoboy · 11-05-2021, 02:08 AM

A video from a friend of mine who installed this shock absorber.

ChopperCharles · 11-05-2021, 11:08 AM

What shock is that and where do I buy it? Is the spring rate comparable?

Charles.

muhoboy · 11-05-2021, 11:36 AM

Dear friend.
The spring is much stiffer and provides a 1.5-2.5-inch suspension lift.
At the moment, this shock absorber is sold in Uraine and Russia.
Look for it, all Chinese enduro motorcycles are the same, only they are supplied under different names to different countries. If I find these shock absorbers on aliexpress, ebay, amazon, I will throw off the information for you. Give me time.

Lukas · 11-05-2021, 02:25 PM

Unfortunately, but on the video you can see that the springs are the same length but it is thicker in zongshen is 11.5 and this one is 12, only the mount length is different, so if you would install such an extension, it will come out the same such shock absorbers are on aliexpresshttps://pl.aliexpress.com/item/40001...66161f75BmnDMf, but they have 450 zongshen have 395 I will try first with extensions is a cheap alternative.

08-11-2021, 07:12 PM	#1
ChopperCharles Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: RDU, NC Posts: 683	Has anyone experimented with a longer shock? Curious as I'm a heavy guy and I am often hitting the tire on the underside of the fender and airbox when riding heavily pot-holed and/or rocky terrain. My preload is turned WAY up, but I think the solution is a 1/2" longer shock. Charles.
	0

08-11-2021, 08:29 PM	#2
Lukas Join Date: Jan 2021 Location: A small Polish empire Posts: 244	I also thought about it and turned up the shock absorber tension, but these motorcycles originally had smaller wheels and therefore thinner shock absorber you need to remember that the motorcycle must stand steadily on the center stand such a shock absorber on aliexpres costs about $100, because it must have a thick spring.
	0

08-12-2021, 01:26 AM	#3
ChopperCharles Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: RDU, NC Posts: 683	So? I need a longer shock to keep from knobby tires from hitting the underside of my fender and my airbox. I've already turned the preload up as high as I can get it to go. Charles
	0

08-12-2021, 02:23 PM	#4
pyoungbl Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA Posts: 632	Have you considered a stiffer spring?
	0

08-12-2021, 02:58 PM	#5
ChopperCharles Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: RDU, NC Posts: 683	What would be the point of that? It would not limit the travel and it would still bottom out. Charles.
	0

08-12-2021, 03:51 PM	#6
pyoungbl Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA Posts: 632	If the spring is correct for your weight it would not bottom out. Have you measured the sag on your suspension? When you are sitting on the bike wearing normal gear you'd expect about 30% sag. Adding compression to the stock spring can only compensate so much for the weight being carried. That's why a spring change may well solve your problem. Hyperco makes springs for lots of applications. I tried 650 and 600 springs on my RX4, finding the 600 to be the better of the two. Once you have the dimensions of your stock spring you can see what hyperco has to offer for that length and diameter spring coil. As I recall the springs were less than $100 each. CSC might even have some spring options. One thing to consider if you change shocks is that the OEM shock only has a small amount of travel. I do not remember what that is but, as an example, the RX4 has 120mm of rear wheel travel and its shock only has 50mm of travel. The linkage is making up the difference. Any replacement shock should have roughly the same amount of travel or you'll be back to square one...tire hitting the fender on full compression.
	1

11-03-2021, 09:35 PM	#7
ChopperCharles Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: RDU, NC Posts: 683	So, I just cut the dogbones and removed 6mm, then welded them back together. This gave me 3/4" rise. More than I had intended, but it means even with a Shinko 244 the tire never touches the airbox or inner fender, even when hitting speed humps fully loaded. With the extra rise in the back, and the super tall 244 tire, i had to slide the fork tubes down in the trees 1/2" to keep from having a high speed wobble. Switching to a 3.50-18 instead of a 3.00-18 also helps tame that, or going with a Kenda big block rear tire instead of the 244. (that's the setup I have now) Charles.
	0

11-04-2021, 11:15 AM	#8
Working_ZS Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 365	If you still need more height in the front to correct for the lift in the rear, CSC does carry the 19" wheel for the RX3; it's currently $200. It is an upgrade over the 18" wheel that comes on the 2015-2017 RX3's, but became the default option on 2018's onward. In addition to lifting the front, you will be able to take advantage of a wider selection of off road tires available in the 19" wheel size. Another option would to be to rebuild your existing 18" wheel into a 19" using the stock hub and spokes, but with a new 19" aluminum rim. This would run about half the price, but require more of your time.
	0

11-04-2021, 11:29 AM	#9
ChopperCharles Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: RDU, NC Posts: 683	Yeah, I just put a tire on the 18" wheel, so I'm gonna burn that up before upgrading to the 19". But where can I get an aluminum rim for under a hundred bucks? I can lace and true a wheel easily, but rims aren't that cheap. Especially black powder-coated rims (so the front matches the rear). Charles.
	0

11-05-2021, 02:08 AM	#12
muhoboy Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Russian Federation Posts: 30	A video from a friend of mine who installed this shock absorber.
	0

11-05-2021, 11:08 AM	#13
ChopperCharles Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: RDU, NC Posts: 683	What shock is that and where do I buy it? Is the spring rate comparable? Charles.
	0

11-05-2021, 11:36 AM	#14
muhoboy Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Russian Federation Posts: 30	Dear friend. The spring is much stiffer and provides a 1.5-2.5-inch suspension lift. At the moment, this shock absorber is sold in Uraine and Russia. Look for it, all Chinese enduro motorcycles are the same, only they are supplied under different names to different countries. If I find these shock absorbers on aliexpress, ebay, amazon, I will throw off the information for you. Give me time.
	0