Pricey Shocks

[RDFL]

Expensive look good. - https://www.teknikmotorsport.com/yacugar-e-rs-shock-for-yamaha-rd400

[patastinky]

crap; why?

[Dvsrd]

Yes, that seems expensive for a new/ unknown brand. At least I never heard of them. They also seem to have fairly short travel.
If I was to by any expensive shocks for an RD, I would look for slightly longer than stock, with stroke increased the same amount, for a bit more travel. That is what I did on my XS650. OEM replacement shocks from Hagon had same length as original, and a 3" travel. I never liked them, so found a pair of Øhlins made for a modern Triumph Bonneville (emulsion type, so not that expensive) For me, that was a radical improvement in comfort and handling.
I have also used Wilbers shocks on two Ducatis, and they were good too.
Falcon Shocks in the UK will build shocks to order, and may well be among the better alternatives for an RD.

[sav0r]

I think 3" of travel is pretty standard. For a twin shock bike, all of the designs I have come up with were always 4". I know the higher end racing stuff generally comes in at around 4" as well.

4" of unabated travel is certainly nice, but some bikes struggle to make that work, so the real advantage is in being able to use that extra travel to put the piston further up in the shock body during mid to high rebound (in terms of length) conditions. This ultimately results in less internal friction as the wiper seal which also doubles as a linear bearing will see less force, as will the linear bearing at the head seal. This means better low frequency response from the damper. Low frequency response, especially on a race track, is where a lot of tuning is done. You want enough damping to create a firm platform, but not so much as to create a jolting ride. There's also some to be gained from elastomeric isolation of springs, as it reduces side loading of the damper rod, as well as using bearings to let the spring rotate as it is moved.

Anyways, those look like nice dampers. Someday I'll get my head out of my tuchus and actually finish up a set of dampers of my own design. For the record, I think $1280 is ridiculous. By all estimates I could build one off dampers for $1000 a pair, and I'd be doing it by hand in my shop.

[1976RD400C]

The adjustable rebound damping is a nice feature.

[m in sc]

no thank you. 
1/3 the cost: https://www.ikonsuspensionusa.com/product/ikon-dial-a-ride-7610-1525/

[sav0r]

I'm not a huge fan of those Ikons. That's what we use on our DSR. They are okay period shocks, but the design is way outdated. There is more shock to be found for the price, of course you don't get something period or period looking by doing that.

[m in sc]

such as? for the same price point? with adjustable dampening? serious q.

[sav0r]

YSS

[rodneya]

My Tec piggyback shocks have rebound damping and were under $200
Not period correct look though


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[sav0r]

TEC shocks aren't bad, but that rebound adjustment is actually a through shaft bleed. It's not isolated to just rebound, though it should mostly change rebound. I've rebuilt lots of them, I even have a set on my work bench right now.

[sav0r]

I also have the same shafts as the TEC use on my RD with RFY shocks. It's a low speed adjustment, my guess is that most won't know the difference. The same is true for the Ikons though. Rebound is probably the best damper change one can make, but knowing what is truly better is a different story.

[rodneya]

I also have the same shafts as the TEC use on my RD with RFY shocks. It's a low speed adjustment, my guess is that most won't know the difference. The same is true for the Ikons though. Rebound is probably the best damper change one can make, but knowing what is truly better is a different story.

Probably correct, suspension is not my strongest point. But the silver matches my bike, and i just could not justify over $1000 Cad on a nice shiny set of Ohlins that  I
wanted


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[sav0r]

I get it. Trust me on that.

I honestly don't believe most need an adjustable damper, and the main reason is that most of the big name brands sell adjustable dampers that basically don't change when you turn the knobs. That said, I know the TEC adjuster has a decent range. I keep mine about around 4 clicks from fully open. 

Bleed adjusters tend to "pack up". Meaning they let flow happen at low velocity and effectively close at higher velocities. This is a good thing really, maintaining the very low speed flow adds to the low frequency sensitivity of the damper. I'm tired and on mobile so I'm not going to elaborate, but the TEC shaft bleed isn't necessarily the worst design. It's just not the best either.

[m in sc]

interesting, never looked at tec.  Im familiar with YSS, they are pretty good IMHO but i wouldn't go as far to say excellent, but they def are better than progressives.