In need of new shocks.

603 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Mr Magic Fingers, Jul 14, 2009

speeddemontbn86

Discussion Starter · Jul 14, 2009

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I bought a wing today. It's clean, very clean. But it overheats (see other thread) and needs new rear shocks. They don't hold air longer than 5 mins, and bottom out frequently (Scary w/ 2up). My question is, what are my options? I have heard about rebuilding the factory ones. I have also read about a shock called a "416". OR... is there an aftermarket non-air replacement?

Thanks!!!

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exavid

· #2 · Jul 14, 2009

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Progressive 416s are the trick. They really improve the bike's handling and weight carrying. Progressive springs in the forks really top it off to make a better handling machine. You may not need new shocks the problem may be leaks in the air system. Best thing would be to mix up some soapy water using bar soap which makes better bubbles than dish soap and paint on all the hose connections to look for leaks. It's also possible the control switch itself could be leaking, you can check it the same way. Spring shocks aren't very convenient with the hard bags because it's very hard to adjust them to set up for solo or two up riding.

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brianinmaine

· #3 · Jul 14, 2009

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This page has a pair for $75 without air:
https://www.partsnmore.com/cat_index.php?model=gl1000-1100&category=chassis
but I put new seals in. I like the air, some people change the springs inside to better ones (I didn't cause I'm cheap). You might also have air leaks in the hoses to the shocks? Put some air in and spray with soapy water, look for bubbles...

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speeddemontbn86

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jul 14, 2009

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I have noticed the bottoming out to be less frequent, but more evident when I set the air to the top of the blue zone.

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speeddemontbn86

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jul 14, 2009

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brianinmaine wrote:

This page has a pair for $75 without air:
https://www.partsnmore.com/cat_index.php?model=gl1000-1100&category=chassis
but I put new seals in. I like the air, some people change the springs inside to better ones (I didn't cause I'm cheap). You might also have air leaks in the hoses to the shocks? Put some air in and spray with soapy water, look for bubbles...

I saw those today while looking around. My question would be if they could handle the weight of the baggage and my 250lb butt.

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Bschofield

· #6 · Jul 14, 2009

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i am ordering progressive replacement springs for mine, i am ordering them from bike bandit , i think they are around $60 and i have fixed my air leaks. and after putting new fluid , seals etc.. i'm looking forward to a better than factory ride.

Barry

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speeddemontbn86

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jul 14, 2009

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I guess tomorrow i will check for air leaks while I have the bags off. Then investigate some way of fixing the factory ones.

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jlparker77

· #8 · Jul 14, 2009

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They are not hard to repair. If the seals are still good, they can be cheap too. Just a quart of atf and some time. You will need compressed air to do it though. There are some good threads on here to help you through it, but you should be able to do it in a matter of a few hours. If you wanted to spend the money, progressives are pretty good, but for new expect to spend 300+.

Jade

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plainmech

· #9 · Jul 14, 2009

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rebuilt mine put prog. springs wow what a difference, cheap and easy:action::waving:

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speeddemontbn86

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jul 14, 2009

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Who knows where to find the rebuild thread? I am having bad luck with the search function.

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brianinmaine

· #11 · Jul 14, 2009

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http://www.goldwingfacts.com/forums/forum9/14189.html
is for a 1200, but is the same.

http://www.goldwingfacts.com/forums/search.php?s=&q=rebuild+shocks
lots of threads to read about pros/cons of progressives or whatever.

Hope this helps!

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Mr Magic Fingers

· #12 · Jul 14, 2009

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Hi again Speeddemontbn86,

Rebuild them.

I just did mine. It was very easy to do. Actually, I didn’t rebuild them as much as “refresh” them. The only thing that you would probably have to do different would be replace the seals if they are leaking fluid. Mine were great (not leaking and in good shape). Refreshing them is only a few dollars compared to $100’s of dollars for Progressives. Progressives are great though.

I did both the front and the back. It worked out AWESOME. I would recommend that you do both. As a matter of fact I would HIGHLY recommend that you clean up and clean out that air compressor and air lines when you address your cooling problems. You're going to have that system out anyway.

I had to do mine as it was full of shock and fork oil. It was a mess to say the least. I replaced the desiccant which only cost me a few dollars. If there is oil in that chamber the desiccant is toast. Lets face it… it probably has never been done in close to 30 years and is long since used up. You don’t want moisture in that system.

If your loosing air, could their be an air leak in the line somewhere? Have you lost fluid or just air? My fluid was like molasses and that’s where all my problems were. Use soap and water put on by a brush to find an air leak.

I ride now like a Cadillac now. A bottle of ATF is pretty cheap and only a few hours of your time if your slow at it. After replacing my fork fluid and rear shock fluid it made a WORLD of difference. They great!

Here’s the thread for for what I did for the front:

http://www.goldwingfacts.com/forums/forum1/73104.html

Here’s the thread for the back:

What I did:

http://www.goldwingfacts.com/forums/forum1/73007.html

What helped guide me:

[url]http://www.goldwingfacts.com/forums/forum1/28603.html[/url]

and

http://www.goldwingfacts.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=14189&forum_id=9&highlight=where+to+buy+springs%3F

Really, it’s worth a try.

Tim.

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