Rear shock???

[Sylvester]

Good friend called yesterday. He and his wife stopped for gas not far from home. When he got back on the RSV it sounded like a goose underneath everytime he bounce on the seat. I asked him if it felt like a pogo stick, but that wasn't the case. I told him that I was 99% sure his mono shock gave up the ghost. He is taking it to the dealer for warranty.

 

Whatcha think?

 

[Brake Pad]

don't bother. it will stop.

but have him look under the bike to make sure the bottom seal isn't shot

[Tom]

Good friend called yesterday. He and his wife stopped for gas not far from home. When he got back on the RSV it sounded like a goose underneath everytime he bounce on the seat. I asked him if it felt like a pogo stick, but that wasn't the case. I told him that I was 99% sure his mono shock gave up the ghost. He is taking it to the dealer for warranty.

 

Whatcha think?

 

Trust me...you really dont wanna hear GOOSE Underneath a Bike!!

[V7Goose]

Trust me...you really dont wanna hear GOOSE Underneath a Bike!!

Naw, I'm OK uner an RSV - it's just under them ugly refrigerators where you gotta worry!

Goose

[geep]

don't bother. it will stop.

but have him look under the bike to make sure the bottom seal isn't shot

 

Ok so the bottom of my shock looks oily, still holds air, sounds like a goose when you push down, doesn't bounce when you you push down, on a 2005 RSTD set up for solo riding, with 60k kms, do I need I a new shock? I would diffinately go with aftermarket, really have no need for air IMO

[allwx]

FYI I just ordered an oem Yam shock for my RSV from Yamaha Sports Plaza out in OR, cost was $426 with about $30 in ground shipping. Order also included a few other smaller odds and ends I need. That was the cheapest I could find from what appears to be a large reputable dealer. Local dealer wants list price for everything. Here's their url:

 

http://www.yamahasportsplaza.com/

[Sylvester]

Being oily isn't necessarily the kiss of death for these shocks. They pick up oil from the drain tubes under the bike and from the road. In the case of my friends shock last year, it was toast.

 

[allwx]

Ok so the bottom of my shock looks oily, still holds air, sounds like a goose when you push down, doesn't bounce when you you push down, on a 2005 RSTD set up for solo riding, with 60k kms, do I need I a new shock? I would diffinately go with aftermarket, really have no need for air IMO

 

Thge screech is a bad sign, but it *could possibly* be one of the needle bearings in the linkage rather than the shock itself. Not that I've ever seen any of these go bad in my very limited experience, but any bearing could go bad.

 

As for do you need a new shock, with those miles, I would say yes. It doesn't seem likely that these things retain close to new damping ability after around 30k miles. Most shocks are shot by then. And, that doesn't necessarily mean the thing would bounce. Shocks can be shot well before they lose all damping ability and start bouncing. Shock function isn't just about absorbing bumps, but also about proper chassis performance, and is a definite handling and safety issue.

 

I just ordered a new stock shock for mine, with 25k miles on it. I think I'll install it as soon as it gets here, and keep the old one as a spare in case... since it isn't leaking and I think it still has a breath of life left in it. I'm curious to see how different the new one feels compared to the old one. In the past, whenever I've changed out shocks on bikes I felt an immediate improvement in ride, including on my 97 RSTD which I replaced the shock on at around 40k, as I recall.

Edited October 10, 2011 by allwx
add info

[Sylvester]

Allwx,

Just fyi, I have over 150,000 miles on my rear shock. It is doing great. I ride the NC mountains single and two up with no problem.