nothings suppose to be easy

[Deleted User 287]

Wow!
You guys have two shocks?
Is one a spare?

REAL airheads have two shocks!

Wow! 27 "tongue" smileys on that site? But I can't find their page with the smileys?

[dwire]

My original shocks look like poop and dampen so well that in one-up setting a big bump might sterilize you and surely make you leave the seat. While I have not been all too worried about rebuilding them (seems likely removal from the bike to be the hardest part) but, are they "worth" being re-chromed? They look as badly as they ride in the bottom mount/through hole region. I don't have friends in "high places" anymore as far as plating goes and would assume the cost could easily approach the replacement value for Koni's/Ikon's in today's market.

Thoughts anyone?

[boxertwinjeff]

My original shocks look like poop and dampen so well that in one-up setting a big bump might sterilize you and surely make you leave the seat. While I have not been all too worried about rebuilding them (seems likely removal from the bike to be the hardest part) but, are they "worth" being re-chromed? They look as badly as they ride in the bottom mount/through hole region. I don't have friends in "high places" anymore as far as plating goes and would assume the cost could easily approach the replacement value for Koni's/Ikon's in today's market.

Thoughts anyone?

Yeh dwire, I can relate when you said Sterilization is a real threat!, my Boges give me a
hair raising Bronco ride at times. Been tempting fate for the last 10,000 kms.
So I purchased a set of Ikon 7610s with CHROME Springs, $AU 550-, they look Smick!!
I'll post a pic when I've got'em both fitted, one down, one to go!
Don't know what re-chroming costs in the States, but if you can afford them,
why not go the way I went. Munich Motorcycles in Perth even threw in Chrome Shrouds
for nicks!

[dwire]

Thanks Jeff, I suspected the cost of labor, rebuilding and the re-plating process (at retail) would likely be no less (if not more) than just buying replacements; although I hate replacing anything that CAN be repaired (well the crappy dampening at least.) I may be able though to get an OK deal on the triple plating assuming I do all of the prep work and etch them as well as get them in with another "sucker's" batch of bits...

IKON's? OK, I get the new and old confused, IKON's are the new KONI's right? - Not the other way around. Will the OEM aluminum covers fit the new shocks? Also, are they available with black springs rather than all the bling of extra chrome? I am a purest at heart, unless it either is a major safety issue/upgrade (like adding horns that can REALLY be heard...) or things that are never seen/hidden. (Don't ask about the seat saga...)

[Deleted User 287]

I am a purest at heart

What seat saga?

I am with you here, Doug! Flat (well, maybe satin, but NOT gloss!) black is so much faster than chrome!

[boxertwinjeff]

Thanks Jeff, I suspected the cost of labor, rebuilding and the re-plating process (at retail) would likely be no less (if not more) than just buying replacements; although I hate replacing anything that CAN be repaired (well the crappy dampening at least.) I may be able though to get an OK deal on the triple plating assuming I do all of the prep work and etch them as well as get them in with another "sucker's" batch of bits...

IKON's? OK, I get the new and old confused, IKON's are the new KONI's right? - Not the other way around. Will the OEM aluminum covers fit the new shocks? Also, are they available with black springs rather than all the bling of extra chrome? I am a purest at heart, unless it either is a major safety issue/upgrade (like adding horns that can REALLY be heard...) or things that are never seen/hidden. (Don't ask about the seat saga...)

I've heard it said more than once that the Boges are'nt worth the effort, I originally had the same
idea in mind to recondition mine. Yes, I believe they have the Patent for Konis, check out Ikons
website for the full story. Your existing Alloy covers will fit, though you'll need to drill a bigger Diam.
hole in the top of the covers. The 7610 Ikons come standard with Black Springs, or if you prefer,
red! or green! ... near non existing Shocks class as a Major safety issue...yes?
What's this about Seats? BTW Dwire, what's your ride?

[dwire]

Sorry! --->1971 R75/5 (04/71

Yeah, I got the run-around on a seat from a friend of a friend in Germany - was supposed to be the dual grab rail as was original on the bike. The original was missing from the bike upon purchase, replaced by an idiot with some giant two person fat-ass king seat so wide my feet would not touch the ground. The new seat I got from Germany ended up being brand new alright, but the same later seat (post 09/71) with the full wrap-around grab rail I could have walked into any US dealer and paid a bit more for and had no hassles with shipping it here.

The shocks, well I don't know, I've never ridden another (brand) bike with shocks so flat as these and occasionally, if I hit a big enough anomaly in the road, the bike pretty well jettisons my ass for a couple milliseconds. I've had this sort of behavior on two identical BMW /5's - so it was not a super-shock, yet I never thought it was a bit like they must have been meant to be.

I cannot imagine, especially since I don't complain much at all about things (like an occasional fork bottoming hole) that those rear shocks should have essentially no dampening affect at all. I went out there a bit earlier while thinking about the discussion here and while I would HAVE TO REMOVE them to know for sure, from pushing up and down on the rear end, I would swear they perform no more action than that which the springs provides! No wonder the bike will drop so quickly in the rear and then come back up to break my tail bone!

[boxertwinjeff]

Woo, what a drama with that seat!.. Re: Shocks, I could bounce the rear end
up and down quite easily, reminded me of a Pogo Stick! These Ikons have stiffened
the ass end up nice, they are very robust looking too.
After dropping the Mufflers, Pannier mounts, and the Foot pegs! job done.
Even fitted my new/old Rear Rack....that's another story!

007 by boxertwinjeff, on Flickr

[dwire]

Nice Jeff! Thanks for the counterpoint with the shocks - I am surely of the school of thought mine are absolutely wasted.

You know what seat I'm talking about - it's the seat you have installed on your bike - fine seat, just not the correct arrangement for my bike...

Very nice work. I think a pair of IKONS will go on the "short list" for the bike this spring; which the full "final" restore is on the burners for the upcoming month(s) this year. Sad to think even with the price of parts and such for these bikes, that finishing a full restore on the bike is likely about as much $$ as four tanks of gasoline in my Jeep Rubicon... (I know what I'll be driving from now on with exception of during storm chasing and other dangerous public safety volunteer type operations!)

[dwire]

DOH!!!!!!!!!!!

Crappy bouncy shocks explained (hopefully) by stupidity. I went BACK out and looked, they were set in 2-up position; putting the springs in the correct setting - big difference! I can hear the oil moving in them and it is darn hard to compress them now! They never "bounced" as such anyway.

I'll take it out and run it through some pot-holes once it is warm enough and not raining and let you know. "Ugliness" does not warrant replacement. They'll clean up well enough for my pocket book and the springs can always take a shot of new paint easily!

Never underestimate one's own stupidity! (Though I recall checking them things before and know darn well I never put them into 2-up mode intentionally; I obviously just messed up I guess...)

OK, double stupid - it was in 1-up position. Tighter springs for more load obviously just bucked me off more! I wonder, I removed bags (if you could call those things "bags") from this bike, you don't suppose someone put stiffer springs on it do you? The shocks are the OEM KONI's. I know stiffer springs "have" been available; was it common to change them to load with luggage? That is EXACTLY what it has always behaved like anyhow - springs heavy enough to rocket you off. (I thought launching was bad before, don't ask what happened in 2-up mode...)