Shock length and effect on ride height

[spanky]

Evening all,

The standard nc30 shock is 315mm - if I fitted a 330mm shock could I just wind back the preload and let it sag back to normal, or slightly above normal ride height (shock travel permitting of course)?

Come to think of it how much higher would the back sit with a 15mm longer shock? I'm trying to find a reasonably priced aftermarket shock with 'fork' style lower mount but they all seem to b a bit long...


Cheers,
James.

[Trinirides]

link deleted

[spanky]

I've been looking out for an RS250 shock but they're thin on the ground and all seem to need rebuilding. Now if the rebuild is under £100 then it makes sense but too many people seem to end up paying for rechroming of the shaft - add everything up and its an OEM shock for £200 - £250.

I've seen a few aftermarket bargains about that look like they could be made to fit, if I can get away with the length....
Cheers,
James,

[Trinirides]

I suppose it depends what you really want to achieve??

I would recommend rebuilding/refreshing any used shock you purchase and getting it set up for your weight etc
Can you get a OEM shock for 200-250?? even if you can I would spend a bit more around 300 and get a Hagon..

[spanky]

Sorry didn't explain that well... I meant that by the time I've bought the RS250 shock, then paid for a rebuild I'll have spent about £250 but still have an OEM shock - granted it'd be in full working order, but still a shock that was built to an OEM price.

For the same money you can pick up good condition Maxtons, Technoflexs, Ohlins. Like I said though, the lengths are rarely spot on hence why I want to know what will happen if I loose the extra length as additional sag....

[Drunkn Munky]

Im no expert but adjusting the sag to compensate for a longer shock sounds like madness and a sure fire way of screwing up your suspension. Most people want to increase the ride height of there NC's so a longer shock isnt a problem.

Plus taking a fancy shock from another bike and making it fit is just the start of it, You've then got to have that shock rebuilt to suit the bike so your going to have the rebuild cost whatever you choose.

Where are you finding these maxton and ohlins shocks for £250?

[spanky]

It's no that hard finding decent shocks at sensible money - you just have to get lucky. As an example I watched a lovely 600rr Maxton, rebuilt 2 months earlier with all paperwork go for £157 on ebay in the summer. There's a 600rr Fox on ebay now for a BIN price of £250 - it's been on for three weeks so far. I'm not saying they won't need revalving and springing, but just some examples I can think of.

So back to the original question, does anyone know the ratio of shock length to ride height - how much higher will the back sit with a 15mm longer shock?

Cheers,
James.

[CMSMJ1]

The back will sit nicely with a 15mm longer shock. Don't worry about it.

I run an RS250 shock and an RVF linkage on my bike. It sits pretty high but is the better for it.

[alexwitham]

My NC30 sits approx 15mm higher than standard too and I prefer it. It seems to dive into the corners better.

[RickOliver]

Laying a few misconceptions to rest...

The standard shock length on an NC30/35 is 305mm, not 315mm.

315mm is the length we commonly specify for an aftermarket shock. The 10mm increase when multiplied up by the shock linkage ratio raises rear ride height by around 35mm - this improves cornering clearance and sharpens the steering to just nicely on the quick side of neutral.

If more is good, lots more is not better! A 330mm shock will give a ride height increase of around 75mm and far too much oversteer for comfort - it will make your bike very twitchy, prone to unsettling tankslappers and likely to tuck the front end and dump you in the ditch on tight bends with marginal grip (i.e. almost any `A` road roundabout in the wet...)

Rick