| Author | Message | ||
     Dmac |
I have a2002 lighting.It acts like a pogo stick .Is it possible to put oil in the reservoir ?If so how much and what type?It was this way when I bought it.Really do not want to spend the money for a works may have to. Thanks Guys | ||
| Midnight_rider |
No ..under pressure have it rebuilt | ||
| Essmjay |
Have you tried different settings for rebound and compression? Is there oil leaking from the shock? Check both these things before assuming the shock is bad. | ||
| Thejosh |
Same thing happened to me, those showas are garbage, if you have it rebuilt it's still gonna set you back a couple of bills, you may find a NOS one on eBay but they still might want a pretty penny for it. If you go with a Showa, you're probably gonna be in this predicament in a couple thousand miles anyway. Mine would constantly leak oil until eventually it started to pogo as you described, best investment is a works performance shock, bike is way better now that it has a works shock on it. I would recommend it. Josh | ||
| Thejosh |
By the way, if it was like that when you got it and it wasn't cheap, I'd be feeding the douchebag that sold it to you a bare knuckle sandwich. The stock Showa shocks are known for leaking. Josh | ||
| Yo_barry |
Don't assume it's bad until you do as Essmjay says. Also get someone to help you set the preload before setting compression and rebound. The owners manual or factory manual are good starting points for compression and rebound. I've got 76K on my original Showa shock. | ||
| Thejosh |
Well, the fact that he said it's pogo-ing tells me it's bad, not all of the Showas were bad, just most of them. I had the choice of rebuilding for $300, buy a new Showa for $400, or get a Works for $700. The works is made in USA and has a lifetime warranty. For me it was a no brainer. Even if the preload adjustment is set all the way to soft, It should still dampen. The fact that he said it is pogo-ing is all too familiar to the shock that I scrapped. I bet it leaked all the oil out and the guy that sold it cleaned up all the evidence when he sold it which is why its hard to figure what the problem is, I would look for oil around the shock, but I'd be willing to wager that the shock is blown. Josh | ||
| Two_seasons |
I bought a Penske from American Sport Bike. Also made in USA, Reading PA to be exact. Depending on your budget, buy a new one if you can afford to. | ||
| Preybird1 |
penske is way overpriced and you don't need that much adjustment for it either. If your not a serious racer then it's not needed. I have a fully adjustable works perf. And i hardly ever use all the adjustments that it can do. Even at track days i didn't use all the settings. I got it at cost because mine leaked all over jtsperformnce's shop floor. And terry was nice enough to get it at cost for me and have it drop shipped to my house. | ||
| Dryheat |
My showa was a leaker and I sent it to Race Tech, basic rebuild was $150 plus shipping another $30 dollars round trip. What you can afford right. | ||
| Thejosh |
I was thinking about having mine rebuilt, but $150 every couple thousand miles can add up, the Showas aren't worth rebuilding in my opinion. Josh | ||
| Littlebuggles |
I had my Showa rebuilt in '07. It's holding up just fine. I have no idea how long you've had your Buell Josh but your opinion on the Showa is pretty strong. I've had my 2000 Buell since the spring of 2001, had the shock done once, not "every couple thousand miles", and I had it tuned for my riding at that time, probably the best $300 spent on my bike. While I've got a Works shock in my garage I've got no motivation to put it on since my bike just doesn't need it yet. Umm, 25K on the clock at this point I believe...so it's only seen about seven thousand miles since the rebuild. Fork seals go bad on performance motorcycles, hell, the service interval on a car's suspension is only 30-50 thousand miles. Why such a ruckus over a shock? Probably because they're a pain to have rebuilt as few companies offer the service... but still, the Race Tech deal is pretty good if you haven't got the money, or just don't want to spend it. | ||
| Thejosh |
Like I said, there are a few good Showas. The people that have them think they are okay, they wouldn't have had to recall them if most of them weren't going bad. I would rather have a lifetime guarantee that my performance shock will last, than take a chance with an ill designed, poorly assembled shock. Josh | ||
| Littlebuggles |
They weren't recalled for the seals going bad, they were recalled in order to install a stronger part. There was concern that the smaller eye would fail. The large eye part was not recalled. Remember the noisy wheel gets the oil? People seldom "complain" about a properly functioning part. You only hear about the bad one's here. The aftermarket parts are nice because they are more friendly to the end user and can be rebuilt in the owner's garage, rather than requiring a shop to do the work. I'll let yal know, when I eventually put my Works shock on, if there's an improvement over my custom valved Showa. It didn't need a new spring just adjusted to preload and I was good to go, I did trim back compression a quarter turn since I primarily commute, will have to add back the compression damping when (or if) I go the the track again. | ||
| Thejosh |
I had a Showa shock fail. As far as 40-50k miles for a car suspension, that's okay because it only costs $100 to replace shocks on a car. The tube frame Showas are junk. I have a Showa on my Uly and it works great, had one on the X1 and it never worked right and eventually pissed all the oil out of the shock. I put a Works shock on and it made a world of difference. If you put yours on it may or may not be as good as the one tuned for you, the shock that I got was tuned for me by the works guys and it's awesome. As far as I'm concerned, the works is lighter, tougher, more reliable, and looks better and would not recommend another Showa or a rebuild, but if someone would like a Showa core, I got one that I will not be using......ever. Josh | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Josh, if you are happy with your expensive shock that's great, of course when we spend a lot of money we want it to be worth it. I've not seen the huge performance increase in any of the high zoot parts I've gotten. I've found my bike tends to bring just as much performance from general tuning of many of the stock components. Going from a blown shock that is behaving like a high horsepower pogo stick to a good shock will always be night and day. I also agree regarding the looks of the shock, the canister of the Showa is ugly, especially compared to the early WP's and the Penske/Works options. That was one of the changes that came into play with the additional HD purchase into Buell, and one place where the bikes went a step back instead of forward. I've got to say that for a person that's been on the site less than a month you sure do like to think you are the be all, end all authority on things, you own several Buell's but why do you want to be that guy? I believe you are starting to show a pattern, this isn't the only pissing match you've wanted so I'll just put that out for you as well as the rest, remember one opinion, just as my own, is just that. -Mike | ||
| Buell_bert |
GEEZ Louise what happens to someone that likes to ride a GOL DANG Hard tail. And I really like to ride mine but still like to ride my stock M2L also. Keeristmas what works for some is definitely not ever going to work for all. You have me thinking of what would happen if I put a ridgid front end on it? I really should try it before I retire. At least before the cheap insurance is gone. Life has so many options, does it not? | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Bert ...are you talking about a fully rigid cruiser? Or just a rigid front end on your Buell? Would serve you right, either way  I get that what works for one maybe doesn't for another, that's life, or mass production and perfectly understandable. My issue is this, I've spent about $350 on my rebuilt production part. That's $87.50 per year since it's lasted four years (so far). At that rate it would take me over nine years to see that value out of a full price ($800ish) Works shock. Even longer for a Penske. So? I would like Josh, or any of you to help me understand if you believe a part is trash. But you can't just tell me something is crap and not tell me why. The showa on my bike was not recalled, so saying they are all crap because some were recalled is also not a valid, or even remotely convincing point. I've even helped him with his argument, aesthetically the Showa's don't look as nice. What I'd like though, is to know that there is valid information there. So far there isn't except that I know another Bueller doesn't like the stock shock, thinks it's crap actually, and really likes the aftermarket options. His description of his stock shock's failure is standard failure mode for the stock shock, nothing new there, but we know his shock failed in similar way as the rest of ours. But I'd be willing to put money down on the table, that if the aftermarket shocks loose their seals they'll piss all over the garage floor as well, and probably ride like a pogo stick too. Josh, according to your profile you own several bikes, and live where you could conceivably put in a lot of miles. If you want to help others here educate us, but you've got to enlighten us a lot more. I believe it's possible you have information that could be useful to everyone. Saying, "that part is crap" or "that method sucks" is trollish, especially when you've been here such a short time and it makes you suspect. If you are here to help and be helped, rather than spouting off unsubstantiated comments, then wishing to argue your point, it doesn't do anything but protect the ego. Personally, as a long time member on this board I find it offensive, which is why I'm pushing the point. These bikes are no longer in production, we really should try and help one another here and keep as many of them on the road as possible. -Mike (Message edited by littlebuggles on October 26, 2011) | ||
| Thejosh |
So what you are saying is that because I havent been on this site as long as you have this discredits me? Are you freaking serious? That's your logic? You've been on a website longer than me, so automatically you have an extensive mechanical background? Holy crap, if that's all I need then I'll just linger around here for a while then spit my two sense about everything. The fact is that I've been wrenching on bikes and cars for as long as I remember, I've had to make custom parts as well as retrofit others to make things work. I ended up trading my shovelhead chopper that I built for my Ulysses, not because I was tired of working on bikes, far from it. I did it because I could not fund two projects at the Same time, the other restoring a 65 AMC Marlin. So I found someone that I would trade for a Ulysses, seeing that I already had an X1, I imagined that owning another buell would be quite satisfying. Now that I have two I figured it was time to acquaint myself with other buell enthusiasts. So only bieng a member for a month renders no validity. I did my research, Showas are not worth the rebuild. As for retards that thing a dial torque wrench is better, they might have to learn the hard way about torque variance. Bottom line, the dude picked up a pretty sweet ride with a spring loaded coke can for a shock. If you love your shock that's great, but it is you that is trying to discredit everything I say, you are one person that hasn't had their shock blow, whoopee. It's up to whomever to do what they want, I recommended an aftermarket part that has a lifetime guarantee, you rebuttled by attacking my statements, rather than state your opinion, you wanted to paint a portrait that the showa shock is everything that it isn't. You can tell me til you run out of breath that your Showa shock is good but I won't believe you, why? Because I have a brain attached to eyeballs. Same thing with the bearings on my Uly, the stock ones were garbage. Sorry if I offend you, but I call em like I see them, who knows, maybe your in tight with the repair shop and you're just trying to drum up some business. Either way I would not recommend a Showa shock for anything other than a paper weight, if you want your paper to get oil all over it. | ||
| Mick |
I feel its a weight issue really, the standard shock is sprung for an average weight rider, and if you don't fall into that category ( like me ), the benefits of a tailor made shock is well worth the money as far as handling improvements go, but a standard shock rebuilt the same way, with better valving and damping will do the same job. I myself bought a Penske when my shock started to pogo, tailor made for my weight and riding style, and the improvement was vast. Any shock that is overloaded will eventually fail. I discovered some oil under my bike that looked like it was coming from the front elbow on the Penske where the reservoir attaches ,so I sent it away to get checked out, no leaks were detected but all seals and dampers were replaced, only cost me 125$ including freight so I was happy  either way , whatever floats your boat is a good thing, the rest is just bragging rites. (Message edited by mick on October 26, 2011) | ||
| Preybird1 |
Hmmm? Interesting. Some reputable shock companies have have successfully rebuilt the "stock garbage to be an improved product" Which more times "I" have heard of than the more expensive upgrade shocks......All of the Buelle'rs i know of are more of do it D.Y.S and have great success with rebuilds. I was after performance and was gracefully given a 7 yr old shock leak...Which resulted a great deal!! Stock was actually great until it leaked? I was going to budget rebuild it. But i could afford it so i splurged.    "Little buggles is right on here" He knows what he is talking about and is well respected here as are many bueller's here. This is a buell lovers site and is for help not the B.S. and should be treated likewise. | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Thanks Russ. Josh, It helps us to know you, it helps to know your background and where your statements are coming from. Knowing you are a mechanic now helps us judge the weight of your statement - "Showa's are garbage", now it's a mechanic's opinion instead of some dude on the internet. Time will tell us more about you, but to think you can talk to anyone with any weight to your opinion without people knowing you is foolish. My time on the website, in the same way as yours, simply gives others time to know me, and judge my statements accordingly. If I made that unclear I should apologize, but I thought I was making that clear and was fairly careful in my statements above... This part helps since, as a new member you are not well known yet: "The fact is that I've been wrenching on bikes and cars for as long as I remember, I've had to make custom parts as well as retrofit others to make things work. I ended up trading my shovelhead chopper that I built for my Ulysses, not because I was tired of working on bikes, far from it. I did it because I could not fund two projects at the Same time, the other restoring a 65 AMC Marlin. So I found someone that I would trade for a Ulysses, seeing that I already had an X1, I imagined that owning another buell would be quite satisfying. Now that I have two I figured it was time to acquaint myself with other buell enthusiasts." You did also say in your response to Dryheat's statement was your opinion and I may have missed that. I apologize to Dmac, though, looks like Dryheat answered his question. I had mine rebuilt by Aftershocks, but it looks like they've gone out of business. They did a great job on it. It was one of the short, newest model shocks with the large eyelets. I'll find a pic to post. I wouldn't bother to rebuild one of the recalled units though. They were recalled due to some breaking at the eyelet. (Message edited by littlebuggles on October 26, 2011) | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Newest, latest, greatest tuber Showa looks like this:  | ||
| Oldog |
I wonder, Having rebuit my own shocks and forks over the years, why you consider the showa "garbage"? I rebuilt my shock at 23K miles, it now has almost 48K, no leaks and no pogo. all it needed was a new seal, and fluid.. for non track use its ok when not compromised.. | ||
| Thejosh |
Exactly, you had to rebuild yours, as well as buggles, you just keep proving my point, everyone here has had to rebuild, I can't in good conscience advise that. That is like saying " why do you hate that toothpaste?, it's only rotted 5 of my teeth!" | ||
| Guell |
So what if you have to rebuild your works eventually? You would have no arguement then. All littlebuggles was saying was that he had a good rebuild, that has worked well for him and it cost a fraction of the works. No need to be an ass about it. | ||
| Thejosh |
I won't have to work on it, it's warrantied for life "if" it breaks or leaks, send it back and they rebuild it for free! Showa parts are hard to get, and it is a very poor design. Plus I've already got double the miles on my works shock than the Showa lasted...... So it's already twice over in quality. | ||
| Harleyelf |
Mick speaks wisdom. The rider and road determine a shock's suitability to a vehicle. What works fine for one will crap out for another who happens to weigh twice as much or to ride harder. My stock shock leaked after seven years; the upgraded design has been fine for four. Can't we all just get along? Toothpaste doesn't rot teeth. Candy rots teeth. Your driving habits and/or failure to properly set compression and rebound ruined your shock, not its design characteristics. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Plus I've already got double the miles on my works shock than the Showa lasted...... So it's already twice over in quality. Just some quick math for fun... According to your profile, you have 14kmi on the X1, which means the stock Showa lasted around 4,700 miles and you have about 9,300 miles. That makes your Works twice as good as your Showa. My bike (S3) has 22kmi on it. I still have the stock, original, non-leaking and non-blown out Showa. That makes my stock Showa roughly 2.36 times better than your Works, so far. Again, just for fun. | ||
| Greg_cifu |
Hey, Josh...just sayin'  |
