Shock Length

[w4swk]

Hi All
My wife (Sharlene) and I recently picked up a pair of Voyager 1200's to ride in the SC-MA "True X" this summer. They are great bikes in mint condition and in the week or so since getting them, we have already ridden several hundred enjoyable miles! Sharlene has a 2001 and I have a 1991...after riding them both, I noticed that hers sits considerably lower than mine. Her stock shocks measure to be 12 inches and my (unknown) aftermarket air shocks measure to be 13 inches. Ordinarily, this would be fine except Sharlene is a bit taller than I (5'8" as compared to 5'3"). I researched Progressive and found that the replacement is a 13 inch shock...don't want to replace what I already have! Short of looking on ebay for "originals", I'm not sure what to do...I ride the bike OK, but a little more legroom would make a world of difference. I have researched this issue to death and can find a ton of discussion about shocks but not quite what I am looking for. I would appreciate any suggestion or feedback!

Thanks in advance
Ken and Sharlene Stapleton

[Bill O]

Ken,
The combination of progressive springs in the front and Progressives (I think 13 is correct) Shocks in the rear has found the greatest following for the Voyager 1200's. If your front end dives too much when breaking, you probably are still on stock front springs. Replacing them with Progressive springs (PN# 82-1102, I believe), will also give you a little more height. The rear are usually replaced with Non-Air Progressive's 13" HD. The ride is so much better with the combination and no more fiddling with Air. (Note: even with front progressive fork springs, air can still be used in the front forks, although very little is needed, if any)

Bill O

[debron]

The first obvious answer is to switch shocks between bikes. If you're lucky, the bike with the aftermarket shocks still has the air lines (and they are in good condition,) otherwise you will need to swap those also.

If you do swap the shocks, that would be a good time to change the oil in the stock shocks. It's likely they have the original factory oil, which is very old now and was an inferior quality to begin with. Replace with a good quality synthetic which should cost only about $15. Changing the oil will improve the ride and handling as much as installing Progressives (and for a lot less money!) Yes, you will still have to check the air pressure (~40lbs) occasionally.

The NorCal voyagers have a DVD for sale ($10)on how to replace the oil. Worth getting. Changing the oil is worth doing if you keep the stock shocks on either bike.

+1 on what Bill said about putting Progressive springs in the front. Well worth doing on both bikes.

[Tat2demon]

If youre going to get Progressives the part numbers are-

Rear- 412-4221C for Heavy Duty and 412-4221 for regular.
Front- 11-1102

I highly suggest cycleplicity.com. They seem to have better prices than anyone else out there and ship fast.

[w4swk]

Hi Guys
Thanks for all the information. I am familiar with the shocks that Progressive lists for the bike. Just as a little clarification...I am trying to get the bike lower, not taller.

[Tat2demon]

Ah ha. Well then pay no attention to what I said.

[Tat2demon]

On my XS1100 I found the quickest easiest way to get it as low as possible was to forget to put down the kickstand when I went to the store...

[w4swk]

As suggested, I looked into swapping shocks with Sharlene's bike but the aftermarket shocks on my bike made that pretty much impossible (too much modification). Tomorrow, I will call Progressive and see if anyone with a Voyager has ever installed a pair of their 11 inch shocks. I will post my findings.

[Tat2demon]

I dont know for certain but I think 11 may be too much for the driveshaft angle. For some reason 12 being the lowest is sticking in my head.

[w4swk]

Sharlene has original Kawasaki shocks on her bike...they measure to be 12 inches. My aftermarkets are 13 inches. 13 inches puts the bike a little taller than I care for. Hopefully, someone at Progressive has addressed this situation before.

[Chris near Kansas City]

Other than having the seat reworked, there's really no option that I've seen, other than putting stock shocks back on. Or taller shoes/boots. I know just between my tennis shoes and riding/hiking boots, there is enough difference for my short inseam to prefer one over the other depending on if the Voyager I'm riding has the progressives on the back or not.

[w4swk]

Hi Chris
Thanks for taking time to respond. As is, I ride the bike OK but it puts me a little tiptoe at stops. Another problem is that the "lean angle" on the side stand changes dramatically with each inch of added shock length which makes a heavy bike seem even heavier!

I think I will try to find a set of original shocks to put back on the bike. None are listed on the classifieds here but Ebay seems to have an abundance at a seemingly fair price. I know it will be a gamble but at this point I'm OK with taking a little "chance".

[debron]

I think I will try to find a set of original shocks to put back on the bike. . .

You might try Carl Leo. (Look him up under "Members.") Also, many here have replaced their shocks with the Progressive's so I wouldn't be surprised if there are many old shocks sitting around in various garages. . .

[w4swk]

Thanks Ron!
I wasn't trying to "bait" anyone on the forum, but I would prefer dealing with a "local" as opposed to a total stranger on Ebay!

[Lucasind]

..... KEN S. , I am changing out my rear (air,stock) for new progressives. as debron mentioned, probably will sit in one of my cabinets of motorcycle "stuff" un-used forever , You are welcome to have my stockers 4 free. They are still in great shape,form&function. Private Message me with your mailing address, reimburse me for the price of shipping, and they are yours..............tony

[Chris near Kansas City]

W4SWK, is the hose that runs from the fill valve in the RH cowling to the rear shocks still there? I think I have a set of rear shocks off of Larry Peterson's '03 in the garage. Have to go look.

[w4swk]

Hi Chris,
Thank you, I have accepted Tony's generous off as mentioned in a previous post!

Ken and Sharlene

[Chris near Kansas City]

Cool!

[Lucasind]

.... Still in the teens here in toledo , Went out in the garage after work today to get the rear suspension changed out, and get the stockers boxed up and sent to w4swk. I don't think that the travel trunk needed to come off to accomplish this but this is part of my cleaning ritual . Also the rear brake pads are getting replaced at this time w/over 21k on the clock.

I placed a shovel on the floor under the rear wheel, very helpful with aligning the screw holes, raising or lowering the rear wheel as needed

The new shocks come with a large assortment of various sized bushings to choose from to get a proper fit. the new shocks are installed,and the stockers are put into the "progressive box" ready to ship to Ken w4swk.Took about an hour
KEN.... the shock oil looks like old thick "root beer" in these 11 year old shocks. Look thru this forum for info on replacing the fluid before installing them on your bike.....You should get them this saturday. cheers !..........................tony

[Et1sw47]

If youre going to get Progressives the part numbers are-

Rear- 412-4221C for Heavy Duty and 412-4221 for regular.
Front- 11-1102

I highly suggest cycleplicity.com. They seem to have better prices than anyone else out there and ship fast.

Hey Gang,

Just a little correction on this, as I started to put my new progressives on the rear, I noticed the sticker on the said 412-4221. Well I had ordered the 412-4221C. At first, based on the post above, I thought I hade received the wrong shock but, I did not!!


412-4221 = Heavy Duty Shocks
412-4213 = Standard Duty Shocks

The "C" is only used by Progressive to designate it is chrome. And they are 13" Now you know...

Oh I got mine on Amazon for $237 here; http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GV ... 1_1&sr=8-1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;