Hey guys. Now that my 83 Interceptor is on the road, I'd like to focus my attention on the suspension. I took two test rides this weekend and while I was pleased with how she ran and the new tires, the suspension needs help. I felt most of the bumps on the ride.
Admittedly, suspension has always been my weak point with respect to knowledge and experience. Based on that, I'm looking for advice on next steps. I'm 6'4/ 250 lbs so maybe the suspension needs to be adjusted to accommodate my weight. That being said, if the suspension needs to be re-worked, what options do I have? Can the rear shock unit be rebuilt or are there good replacements available? The forks are totally foreign to me as well.
The stock shocks were not that impressive when new, let alone 30 years older. Don't bother rebuilding. It's best use now is to hold open your shop door.
Unless you happen upon a Fox Twin Clicker or WP shock (or other high quality aftermarket shock from back in the day), your best value will probably be to have Jame D. modify a CBR shock for you. He has done two for me (well one I bought off eBay but had him go through and revalve it). I am very happy with them.
I believe there a couple new options available like Hagon or Works Performance, but you will probably pay at least $500 or more. You could use the extra money on your forks. Race Tech Gold Valves and a set of Sonic Springs (prob 1.0 for you) would do nicely. Jamie also offers fork services as well.
Here's a write-up I did installing a shock on one of my 1000Rs, which would nearly identical to doing it on your VF750F. If you go with a shock that does not have a remote reservoir the install is straight forward.
I have a Hagon and the race tech emulators in my 83. They work fantastic but it did take a little bit to get them dialed in. The Hagon rear is not cheap...but in my opinion, it was worth it...especially since the bike felt overweight to begin with....(and I have a few extra pounds as well)