New to board...Retro-fitting shock on 97 VFR

First off, hi Name's Tony and I just got myself a 1997 VFR750. 47,000 miles.
Price: FREE.
Aren't you jealous? lol biggrin.gif
Japanese friend bought it to ride around while living here, time came for him to return to Japan and since I was always helping him with it, he decided to forego the hassle of selling it, and just give it to me....complete with 1985 Toyota pickup to tow it home in.
I was abso-frickin-lutely stunned.

Anyhoo, the problem with the bike is it needs a new voltage regulator (surprise!). So first thing on the list is a GSXR1000 regulator. Next on the list is then to rebuild the forks.

Now, the weak point on a lot of older bikes (my 89 ZX-7 being a big example) is the rear shock.
Well I dont feel like paying $500-$800 for a new ohlins so i started looking around and found a Ducati 748 shock. My plan is to squeeze it in there somehow since it is a very good Sachs race unit that goes on these ducati bikes.

I will definately post pictures/progress as I go along with the retrofitting and if it does work I have the number to a guy who gets these shocks pretty cheap.

vile1, Oct 26 2005, 10:43 PMFirst off, hi Name's Tony and I just got myself a 1997 VFR750. 47,000 miles.
Price: FREE.
Aren't you jealous? lol biggrin.gif
Anyhoo, the problem with the bike is it needs a new voltage regulator (surprise!). So first thing on the list is a GSXR1000 regulator. Next on the list is then to rebuild the forks.

Now, the weak point on a lot of older bikes (my 89 ZX-7 being a big example) is the rear shock.
Well I dont feel like paying $500-$800 for a new ohlins so i started looking around and found a Ducati 748 shock. My plan is to squeeze it in there somehow since it is a very good Sachs race unit that goes on these ducati bikes.

I will definately post pictures/progress as I go along with the retrofitting and if it does work I have the number to a guy who gets these shocks pretty cheap.

Hi, and welcome. Yes, I am jealous - I had to pay for my 750.

Regarding the shock - frankly, I'd reconsider . The 748 shock, although a quality part, is made for a much lighter bike. The spring rate and damping rates are unlikely to be the same. In short you could end up with a very nasty handling bike with a very nice shock on it. This without even considering the physical aspects of the shock (overall length, size of fixing points etc).
There is a reason companies like Ohlins don't just supply the same shock for all fitments...

That said, it's your bike.

Rod.

Damping has nothing to do with weight. Damping only deals with speed (as in how fast the piston moves). If it fits, or can be made to fit, a different spring would be enough to compensate for any weight difference.

afterburn, Oct 27 2005, 01:15 AMDamping has nothing to do with weight. Damping only deals with speed (as in how fast the piston moves). If it fits, or can be made to fit, a different spring would be enough to compensate for any weight difference.

This is true, not to mention a Duc 749 is only 25-30lbs lighter than a VFR. I'm going to lighten the bike up but also I have seen people fit 929 shocks onto a VFR and 929's are even LIGHTER so the shock would work worse, so I think it will be alright.

I measured and checked clearance, and it looks like the resevoir will clear when it is mounted (it hangs on the left side).

Cool, let us know how it turns out, and of course, it doesn't exist without pics!

Duc stock parts seem to be plentiful. I've seen Duc Ohlins shocks cheap, well, cheap compaired to other Ohlins shocks. Good luck, and please do post pictures with a description of mods required.

afterburn, Oct 27 2005, 08:15 AMDamping has nothing to do with weight. Damping only deals with speed (as in how fast the piston moves). If it fits, or can be made to fit, a different spring would be enough to compensate for any weight difference.

I'm sure that someone more knowleagable will be along to blind me with science shortly, but until then I have to say that this sounds like bulldooky to me. goofy.gif

Does the rate that the spring compresses and rebounds (ie damping) not depend on the amount of force being applied to it ?

Rod.