Remote Reservoir Shocks from Tec Bike Parts

So I found these guys on ebay/their website and I am wondering if anyone has dealt with them or tried them out. I am considering them because they are a small US Company making these themselves and seem to be a higher quality alternative to the Chinese built ones that we all know are crap and at a pretty good price.

Anyway here is the link to their site and any input would be appreciated

http://www.tecbikepartsusa.com/Classic_Japanese_Motorcycle_Shocks_s/1829.htm

I would assume they are the same as the RFY on ebay.

they are basically taking one short shit shock and adding extenders to make up the different selling lengths, same as rfy what you get is a short travel overly stiffly sprung shock
shit shock for a shit ride

Spend the extra $100 and buy Hagons.

Doesn't look like an RFY to me. The picture is so tiny, but the castings appear different.

But yeah, the extenders are crazy long.

good or great suspension/brakes/tires/engine tune is just about the number one most rewarding place to spend money on your bike...........if you ride

What drugs were you on that gave you any indication they were an American manufactured part? Their website says the company started in the UK and and has since expanded with Australian and USA distributorships. Those are probably the same junk Chinese shocks with a different label on them Crazypj has a thread on how to modify them to work but states it costs more to make them work than a good pair of Hagons, so why bother.

o1marc said:

What drugs were you on that gave you any indication they were an American manufactured part? Their website says the company started in the UK and and has since expanded with Australian and USA distributorships. Those are probably the same junk Chinese shocks with a different label on them Crazypj has a thread on how to modify them to work but states it costs more to make them work than a good pair of Hagons, so why bother.

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I think I misunderstood their description between ebay and their site. I'm not completely convinced they are the same as the RFY ones but I agree its totally possible. However I just wanted to pose the question since I had never seen them mentioned on here before.

Do you have the Ebay link?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Honda-CB750-1969-76-TEC-Alloy-Remote-Reservoir-Shocks-Shock-Absorbers-Cafe-/151206146897?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item233496b351

There is the ebay link. Like I said I misunderstood and thought they were made in the US.

I don't see on the Ebay link where it would give the indication they were made here. Interestingly enough I was in contact with them today with 4-5 emails. It seems they do custom make these shocks but as soon as I asked where they were manufactured the communication stopped. I will add that I am often leary of any company I can not contact by phone and speak to a human being. They have only email contact on their website and no phone number is available, If there is ever a problem getting satisfaction is rarely a possibility. That said, they do have a 100% feedback rating with a bout 28 sales a month, though they are not all shocks.

o1marc said:

What drugs were you on that gave you any indication they were an American manufactured part? Their website says the company started in the UK and and has since expanded with Australian and USA distributorships. Those are probably the same junk Chinese shocks with a different label on them Crazypj has a thread on how to modify them to work but states it costs more to make them work than a good pair of Hagons, so why bother.

Click to expand...

They do say this:

NEW FROM TEC BIKE PARTS

For sale a pair (both sides) of high quality TEC Alloy remote reservoir shocks to fit Honda CB750

As with all our parts we design and make these and they are not available from anybody else.

Click to expand...

Not saying they aren't Chinese, and not saying they may be misleading us, but they claim to have their own design. They say on the UK site that they design and build their own shocks too.

They also say a triple rate spring, unlike the RFY 2000lb spring rate....

If anyone is interested in them, send a note to them. I asked for a quote and they were pretty fast to respond. I wouldn't rule them out because they look like the RFY crap....

So with that info from their web site we would assume they are made in the UK where they are based with distributorships in Aus. and the US. But the verdict is still out as I have been in communication with them and I have asked no less than 3 times now where they are made and they answer every question I've had except that one. I don't think they are RFY Chinese shocks. Looks like all their shocks across the board are coming in at $129-$139.

no matter where they are made they are short travel very stiff/hard riding shocks

So here is what I am thinking. Since we aren't sure if they are the typical chinese crap ones they might actually be good stuff. I am going to get some and be the guinea pig. If they suck then I will have them rebuilt by DTT member Savor

Here is his link.
http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=56533.msg640228#msg640228

If they need to be rebuilt then I can have him do it and still come in under $200. Which is less than Hagon's and gives me the look I would prefer anyway.

Worth a shot I say.

xb33bsa said:

no matter where they are made they are short travel very stiff/hard riding shocks

Click to expand...

Do you have 1st hand experience with them? You can get them with different rate springs to adjust the stiffness as well as they are adjustable in length and spring preload.

whenever you shorten-up the travel on a shock it MUST have a stiffer and or more progressive spring rate than a similar shock with more shaft travel
all those shocks have significantly less travel than a quality aftermarket shock

xb33bsa said:

whenever you shorten-up the travel on a shock it MUST have a stiffer and or more progressive spring rate than a similar shock with more shaft travel
all those shocks have significantly less travel than a quality aftermarket shock

Click to expand...

Shortening/lengthening the shaft has no bearing on the travel of the shock. Sometimes I wonder if you think at all before you speak. A progressive spring compensates for stiffness by being less stiff until it hits further into the travel where it gets into the stiffer rate of the spring. That's the whole purpose of a progressive rate spring.

hey guys, time to take it outside.

It looks like you both have different perspectives of what is being said and are having two monologs rather than a dialog. The result is interesting to watch but isn't helping the OP.

For example, if I were to shorten the length of a shock shaft it would probably also reduce travel if the range were limited by free shaft length.

I suspect that what Xb was saying was that compared to a shock with say 100mm of travel, a shock with only 75mm of travel would need a stiffer spring for the same application, which is basically correct. Whether that stiffness comes from stiffer single spring or multi rate springs is merely a way to address that issue. Not a counter argument.

What the range of travel is of those cheap shocks is compared to others such as Hagons I have no idea, but if it's less, then they need stiffer springs than the equivalent Hagons but I am not seeing any data on spring rates or travel to draw any meaningful conclusions.

You bring up some good points but with "if's" and "probabilities" and add an accurate statement of "What the range of travel is of those cheap shocks is compared to others such as Hagons I have no idea". He made a blanket statement based on the shaft being shorter that it would be stiffer. The range of travel on a shock is determined inside the body, not by the length of the shaft. If you shorten the shaft and add a 2" longer mounting assembly at the end the overall length remains the same and doesn't necessarily shorten the travel of the shock. A shock may have a 6" long shaft and only use 4", or 66% of the length for travel while a shock with a 5 inch shaft and an inch longer mounting assembly may still use 4" of travel or 80% of the shaft length. Now lets go to the spring. If the long shaft shock uses a single rate 200lb spring it remains at 200lbs the length of it's travel . If the shock is shorter with a progressive rate spring of , lets say, 200/225/250, the shock will not be a stiffer ride until you are about to bottom the shock out and it start to compress the stiffer rate. So to look at that shock and make a statement that it is stiffer because the shaft is shorter is just not an accurate statement.
The OP wanted to know if anyone has used these and so far the answer is no. My opinion, for what little is it worth with over 30 years of competitive driving/riding, is that these seem to be a better quality than the cheap Chinese shocks we read so many negative things about. In the meantime I am still waiting for TEC to tell me where they are manufactured.