[clouddragon9]

imported post

Don't mess with garbage shocks - too much is riding on them in terms of handling and safety - I was (before retiring from manufacturing) the Senior Manager of Engineering for Showa America (who builds nearly all Honda and Harley shocks, including service parts).

Go here: http://www.crescentmooncycles.com/html/honda_gl1100.html

Good folks at crescent moon, they will take good care of you. I haven't needed the shocks yet, but they have been a great help in finding a wide variety of new and/or used parts to support the refurb on my 80 GL1100. According to Frenchy the 412 are better than the OEM and the 416 are superior even to that - I would agree based upon my knowledge of both shock designs.

Again, it's not worth the risks or the problems - you wouldn't ride with a grinding wheel bearing, why would you ride with worn out shocks? Replace them and enjoy the ride for another 30 years!

 

[clouddragon9]

imported post

It is possible to rebuild them - just take your time and pay attention to the order of the internals. The result will depend heavily on how worn the parts of the shock are - you could wind up with a Cadillac or a so-so ride, hard to tell. You could just try the rebuild (lesser cost option) and if it doesn't work, get some progressive shocks per the previous post.